Brews Brothers Lager Will Only Be Sold In Joliet At Blues Brothers Con

JOLIET ? The Old Joliet Prison will draw people from all over the world on Saturday, Aug. 17 as the Blues Brothers Con returns, featuring Hollywood movie stars Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi performing together live on stage as the legendary "Blues Brothers."

Joliet's Aug. 17 event is extra special, because it will feature the unveiling of a commemorative beer will only be sold at the Blues Brothers Con. The beer was produced in Shorewood, by Jamie Albert and his Will County Brewing Company.

It's appropriately named "Brews Brothers Lager."

The beer is being kept at an undisclosed location and no one will be able to consume it until Blues Brothers Con.

A total of 60 cases of Brews Brothers Lagers were created for the event, which will take place inside the limestone walls of the Old Joliet Prison on Collins Street, a setting immortalized by the 1980 musical comedy "Blues Brothers," starring Aykroyd and Jim Belushi's late brother, John.

"Sixty cases," remarked Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum, and organizer for the Blues Brothers Con. The event debuted in August 2022 but did not take place last year because of the Hollywood workers strike.

Related: Blues Brothers Con Dedicated To The Late Judy Belushi Pisano

It's a 16-ounce can with a label specially made by Will County Brewing Company. "It's a lager, so it's not heavy, and not too light," Peerbolte said.

Will all 60 cases be consumed on Aug. 17?

"We'll see how thirsty people are, and it will depend on how warm it is," Peerbolte said.

Peerbolte said he fully expects Aykroyd and Belushi will be thrilled with the taste of the Brews Brothers Lager created with their inspiration.

Brews Brothers Lager is a collaboration between the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Will County Brewing "for exclusive consumption at Blues Brothers Con."

"We're going to want to get some in their minds," Peerbolte told Joliet Patch's editor. "We were very excited to work with a local brewery, and it's officially licensed and sanctioned by Blues Brothers Approved Ventures."

Moving forward, Peerbolte hopes to offer the commemorative beer at the gift shop of the Joliet Historical Museum at 204 N. Ottawa St.

"We definitely want to. We're hoping to do this moving forward. We want to carry it after the event," he said.

How Are Ticket Sales Going?

Advance ticket sales have been outstanding for the Aug. 17 event, Peerbolte said.

As of this week, a total of 2,500 admission tickets were already sold; Peerbolte expects to pack the house with a capacity of 5,000 people to witness Jake Blues and brother Elwood perform on stage doing their rendition of the Blues Brothers.

Peerbolte expects to sell a lot of tickets through walk-ups on the day of the event. So far, advanced tickets sales have come from 11 different countries on six different continents.

"We'll have lucky seven if we can get someone from Antarctica," Peerbolte joked.

General admission tickets to attend the Blues Brothers Con are $55 or $75 for preferred viewing. All the VIP accommodations are sold out.

The Old Joliet Prison will open around 11:30 a.m. and the event ends at 11 p.m. It's a day-long blues music festival. There will be 15 different food vendors on hand, according to Peerbolte.

The entertainers will include:

• Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi
• Al Spears and The Hurricane Project
• Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials
• Ronnie Baker Brooks
• Curtis Salgado

For information about purchasing tickets to the Aug. 17 event, visit the Blues Brothers Con website.

"An exciting day with great live Blues Music, Food & Beverage Tents, Merchandise Tents...and Dan Aykroyd & Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts band headlining the event!" the online promotion reads.

Related Patch coverage:

Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi Returning To Old Joliet Prison