Shorewood's Will County Brewing Company Opens

SHOREWOOD, IL - In 1987, R.E.M. rocked the music scene with their hit song "It's the End of the World As We Know It." This weekend, local beer connoisseur Jamie Albert hopes to rock Will County's world when it comes to craft beer. The long-awaited grand opening of the Will County Brewing Company is just about over. At high noon, on Saturday, Will County Brewing will open its doors to craft-beer lovers from the surrounding Joliet area. Will County Brewing is located in Shorewood at 1142 W. Jefferson St. It's in the same plaza as Savarino's Pizza, near the Walgreens.

On Wednesday, Patch visited Will County Brewing to give craft beer lovers from around Will County a first-hand glimpse of what to expect starting this weekend when things get real.

"I love the location with Route 52 and 59 being the entrance to Shorewood," Albert told Patch. "We have great neighbors in this strip mall, too."

Even though Will County Brewing has not even opened its doors, the new Shorewood microbrewery already has more than 2,200 followers and 2,180 Likes on Facebook.

"Our social media response has been amazing," Albert remarked on Wednesday.

Will County will be open from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. It will be open 3 to 11 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Although it will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Albert said the business will be available for private parties and events on those dates. He said that he has already been contacted for anniversaries and birthday parties.

What can beer lovers expect if they drop into Will County Brewing Company this weekend?

"We have six beers on tap to start," Albert told Patch. "Also, we're doing a limited bottle release on Day 1. We've made less than 300 bottles."

Now, that you've read this far, we'll cut to the chase. We asked Albert to reveal his six microbrews that are on tap for this weekend's grand opening celebration.

They are as follows:

1. A Bohemian Pilsner
2. Irish Red Ale
3. Peach Wheat
4. IPA
5. Coffee Brown Ale
6. Baltic Porter

Will County Brewing Company is the first microbrewery in Shorewood. Besides tapping into the growing village for customers, Alberts expects to draw a strong customer base from Joliet, Plainfield, Channahon and Minooka. Will County Brewing Company also hopes to do a lot of business by filling growlers. Besides Albert, other partners in the new Shorewood business are James Kennedy and Eric Wills.

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When asked what people can expect if they visit Will County Brewing Company, Albert answered, "A relaxed atmosphere. We will be family friendly."

Although he will not be serving food, Albert said his microbrewery is working with Savarino's Pizza, which is just a few doors down. "They plan on doing an exclusive menu for us," he said.

To find out more,visit the Will County Brewing Company website here.

Images via John Ferak, Patch Editor for Joliet, Shorewood, Channahon-Minooka, New Lenox and Bolingbrook