Brother Chimp Brewery, 1059 W. Orchard Rd, North Aurora, IL. 60542 #630-800-1724
website: BrotherChimpBrewing.com
Hours: Monday-Thurday: 3PM - 8PM | Friday-Saturday: 12PM - 9PM | Sunday: 12PM - 7PM

Experience before you go . . .

I'm sure you've heard of some of the great time tested duos, partnerships, friendships, whatever you want to call them like Starsky & Hutch, Crockett & Tubbs, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Thelma & Louise.....just to name a few. Well, on this sunny Saturday afternoon in the great Midwest a duo like no other, reunited, put on their matching shirts and toured breweries. And while at these breweries they met knew friends and laughed with a vigor not commonly found. Brad & Clyde, alias tour guide and lager blogger of the Hoppin Brewery Tour along with special guest Wendell started their quest of a three brewery tour afternoon that will go down in the Hoppin Brewery Tour archives to be preserved and enjoyed for many generations to come........oh boy, I must be reading too much fiction.

Anyhow, the 6100 mile road trip took us to another set of dear friends with a complete finished basement. Brad and Lynda put us in the basement, gave us a garage door opener and said you can come and go and stay as long as you want.....music to the ears for weary travelers. So like I was saying on Saturday the 26th of June 2021, Brad, myself and Wendell hit the tour and started out at Brother Chimp Brewery located in North Aurora, Illinois. Brother Chimp is easy to get to right off of Orchard Rd., adequate parking, we managed the front sign selfie and the gentleman that Beer Drinking Buddy Brad is, he rushed to opened the door for us and in we went. Nice use of space, tables and chairs running the whole length of the wall to the left and the bar running the whole length of the wall to the right, production in the back. Of course we shuffled to the right towards three empty bar stools that had Hoppin Brewery Tour written all over them and bada bing bada boom the HBT strikes again. Big Mike behind the bar sets us up with cold refreshments. Guest drinker of the day Wendell ordered a flight of their darker fare starting with Sigfy Stout - Irish Dry (4.2%), next the Smile Brown Ale - English (5.5%), then the Novia Schwarzbier (4.1%) and finishing up with the Saorsa - Wee Heavy Scottish (8%). As Wendell was smiling drinking his Smile Brown Ale I ordered a For the Masses IPA - American (6%) and Brad dove into an eclectic flight of What the ? Lager - Helles (5.3%), Shula English Pub Ale (4.7%), Gordon - Maibock and Brad also had the Saorsa - Wee Heavy Scottish.

With all this drinking and first class tasting going on I engage with the group to my right and come to find out the group calls itself the DePage Tasters, and Teresa sitting next to me is the self proclaimed President and CEO. A group that definitely has a lot of fun and two or three of the members are in a subgroup called the -5 Below. One day in the middle of the cold winter they ordered their beers and took them outside in the -5 below temperature to enjoy them....call'em crazy or crazy fun!!

As we're having way too much fun at Brother Chimp Brewery I notice another guy behind the bar looking like he knows his way around. Well it's Steve, the owner, not sure if it was a routine stop or Mike got on the horn and told Steve that the Hoppin Brewery Tour was here, either way, way cool to meet the man! Steve told us about the name Brother Chimp which was the name of their softball team and it just kinda carried over. It always great to meet the passion behind the brewery and Steve is the quintessence example. We got the VIP tour with the stories and examples of all things Brother Chimp! When you meet an entrepreneur like Steve and you see what he built from the ground up and the well deserved pride that comes along with that journey you just have to cheer for him and try to tell everyone you can that Brother Chimp has got it going on!!

Until next time and remember.....

Go get'cha one!!!