California-based brewing company Lagunitas Brewing Co. plans to reopen its Chicago Taproom in Douglas Park, located at 2607 W. 17th St.
The company’s only location in the windy city has been closed since the start of the pandemic. Now, Chief Marketing Officer Paige Guzman tells Crain’s Chicago Business the company is planning to finally reopen the taproom in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company, a subsidiary of Heineken International, is one of the few breweries in Chicago to take off as much time as it did, choosing to protect its bottling operations, which supplies the beer to everyone east of the Mississippi River.
“We took a very conservative approach, and I’m proud because we were able to maintain business continuity,” Guzman said. “Lots of folks were drinking during the pandemic, so to have that business continuity was really important to us. 2020 was brutal. 2021 got a little better. And I keep saying I think this summer’s going to be a renaissance. People are ready to start living again, so we’re super bullish on where we’re at this year.”
The decision proved successful, as it is able to finally reopen, and it didn’t suffer from any out-of-stock issues. The taproom will once again supply customers with its delicious beer, as well as its newly launched hard tea offerings, called Disorderly TeaHouse. On top of that, the taproom will also serve as the company’s bottling center, with the capacity to churn out 1 million barrels a year.
