CHICAGO – Hop Butcher For The World, a Chicagoland-based brewing company founded in 2014 and known for its hop-forward approach to IPAs and fresh-to-retail distribution strategy, plans to open its first public taproom on Nov. 10 in the former Half Acre Beer Company facility at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.
Hop Butcher purchased the building and equipment from Half Acre in 2021. Since the purchase, Hop Butcher’s team has worked to secure permitting and transition into the space. Its goal with renovations was to deliver on a unique, branded experience that the brewery’s fans expect, says co-owner Jeremiah Zimmer.
“Half Acre built a beautiful space for drinkers to enjoy beer, so a lot of the foundation was in place. Our goal upon taking over the space was to inject a giant dose of who we are as a brewery,” Zimmer says. “Some updates act as a nod to our predecessors’ 10-year tenure in the space, while others aim to showcase the unique spirit of Hop Butcher and what we stand for as a brewery.”
In addition to the taproom, the 13,000-square-foot facility includes a separate retail storefront where fans can purchase merchandise and beer to-go, as well as a fully functional production brewery supplying most of the beer available in the taproom and attached retail space.
Hop Butcher also operates a larger-scale production brewery in Bedford Park, Ill. Its Lincoln Avenue brewery and taproom will allow Hop Butcher’s brewers to pilot new recipes and test smaller-batch beers before taking them into retail distribution.
“We are excited to dive into new styles and experimentation, something we previously didn’t have the capability to do,” says Hop Butcher co-founder Jude La Rose. “Hoppy lagers, experimental Belgian beers, hybrid styles – you name it. Now, we can kick out small batches
and get real-time feedback from our most-devoted fans in our own taproom, who will help determine which beers deserve a broader audience.”
Hop Butcher For The World will continue to brew and self-distribute its beer to better craft beer retailers throughout Chicagoland — as it has since 2015.
For more information or to coordinate an interview with Hop Butcher, please email Jeremiah at jeremiah@hopbutcher.com and/or Jude at jude@hopbutcher.com.
Hop Butcher For The World
Founded in Chicago in 2014, Hop Butcher For The World brews a broad portfolio of hop forward IPAs, flavorful lagers and bold stouts. Every week, the brewery self-distributes fresh beer, often only hours or days in the can, from its lineup of over 250 different beers (and growing) to better craft beer retailers throughout Chicagoland and periodically to out-of-state markets such as southern Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, California, New York, Boston, Florida, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville and Portland, Ore. Since 2021, it has brewed its beers in a wholly-owned production brewery in Bedford Park and at its Lincoln Avenue brewery and taproom, which it acquired in May 2021 from Half Acre Beer Company.