Oswego Brewing Grand Opening: What's On Tap

OSWEGO, IL — The highly anticipated Oswego Brewing Co. officially opens its doors this weekend, May 18-20, in downtown Oswego, offering both Oswego’s hometown brew and a look at what’s to come for downtown revitalization.

Chris Heinen and Peter Rzeminski, two members of the bigger team of beer-loving entrepreneurs who founded Oswego Brewing Co., cut the ribbon of the new brewery alongside members of the Oswego Village Board and the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night.

“We want to be Oswego’s hometown brew, but we want to be more than that,” Heinen said Wednesday night to a crowd of representatives from Oswego’s small business community. “We’re a place to grab a drink after a ride on the trails, a place to get together with friends. We plan to be a part of downtown Oswego’s reinvention.”

Located downstairs from Oswego Cyclery and Oswego Xtreme Segway, the site of the brewery was a match made in heaven – a unique use for a property with a peculiar history.

“It was originally the garage and office of the Oswego Fire Station and many, many years ago even served as the morgue,” said Economic Development Director Corinna Cole, who, after touring the space, matched up the building’s owner Art Black with the brewery’s founders. “We knew based on its former uses that the space had the structural capacity for heavy brewing equipment, and we’re very pleased to have recognized the potential match and to help Chris and Peter realize their vision for bringing this very special gathering spot to downtown Oswego.”

Brewery pilots new downtown incentive program

In addition to site location, the Village assisted with the brewery project by offering a revamped incentive program tailored to the needs of the business.

“Previously, Oswego had a façade improvement grant that was underutilized because it only allowed property owners to recoup their investments in certain exterior improvements,” Cole said. "This new incentive program, which we are piloting with the Oswego Brewing Company, will give awardees more flexibility in the ways they invest in downtown, like infrastructure or signage, while also allowing the Village to more thoroughly vet investors and ask for a demonstration of significant investment in downtown.”

The upgrades made to the Oswego Brewing Co.’s new facility highlight that investment with a hip space that riffs on the building’s past, including a handcrafted herringbone-front bar, crafted tables, a restoration of the original doors, and gleaming stainless steel fixtures to compliment the brewing tanks.

Perhaps most importantly, the brewery features top talent in the form of head brewer Marc Wilson, who recently won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for his Hook & Hatchet Vienna-style lager brewed for Nevin’s Brewing Co. in Plainfield.

On opening weekend, Oswego Brewing Co. will have six beers on tap, including cream ale The Old Firehouse Ale and Hay’z for Horses New England IPA, both of which sold out both days of the Oswego Brewing Co.’s preview at Wine on the Fox.

Just the beginning

Two other projects are in the works for downtown, including a sit-down Mexican restaurant and bar concept from the creators of Naperville-based Potter’s Place, and The Reserve at Hudson Crossing – two mixed-use buildings featuring luxury apartments, retail and public parking garage on the former Alexander Lumber site.

Staff is also marketing the Village on Main, the former site of Oswego Village Hall at 113 Main Street.

“Our vision for downtown Oswego is a place where people can shop and dine, but it’s more than that. It’s a place where people can gather, where entrepreneurs can thrive, and where you can find a sense of community,” said Village President Gail Johnson. “The whole team of the Oswego Brewing Co. really embodies that spirit, and we are just so pleased to watch them realize that dream. This day really is just the first exciting piece of what will be a lot more to come.”

For more information on the Oswego Brewing Co. visit their website at www.oswegobrewing.com or check them out at https://www.facebook.com/OswegoBrewing, where you can also find current updates of what’s on tap.

For more information on economic development opportunities in downtown Oswego, contact Economic Development Director Corinna Cole at ccole@oswegoil.org.

Submitted by the Village of Oswego

Photos via Locked In Photograph (ribbon cutting) and the Village of Oswego