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Vice District Brewing Co. Opening Pushed Back to Friday

 New brewmaster Charlie Davis (from l.), and Vice District Brewing co-owners Quintin Cole and Curtis Tarver II.
New brewmaster Charlie Davis (from l.), and Vice District Brewing co-owners Quintin Cole and Curtis Tarver II.
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Courtesy of Vice District Brewing

SOUTH LOOP — Vice District Brewing Co., a microbrewery and taproom that's been in the works at 1454 S. Michigan Ave. for almost a year, has pushed back its opening after city inspections delayed its permitting process.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but want to make sure everything is taken care of properly before we open the doors,” co-owners Curtis Tarver II and Quintin Cole said in an announcement issued Tuesday.

"We would love to open this week, but unfortunately, the city couldn’t get our inspection done in time."

The opening was initially planned for July, then set for last Friday to coincide with the Midwest Brewer’s Fest in Chicago last Saturday. Now, it is scheduled to open Friday at 4 p.m.

One source of support has been the owner of the kids' play place above the microbrewery.

"We're pretty loud upstairs, so we may be rowdier than they would be," said Cynthia Valenciana, who operates the Sod Room upstairs.

The South Loop taproom will include a microbrewery and have 14 house-made beers on tap.

The opening lineup includes a black IPA, Extra Special Bitter, IPA, Blonde and Molasses Porter, plus a surprise collaboration that will be announced on opening day. 

“I have a lot of recipes that I’m pretty excited about," said brewmaster Charlie Davis, formerly of Finch's Brewing Co.  "But I’m most excited about being able to dial in the quality on a procedurally sound system. Having such acute control over the process at Vice District means we can focus on putting out the best beer possible."

Tarver said he and his longtime Kenwood neighbor Cole decided to open a taproom to indulge their homebrewing hobby after their wives gave them an ultimatum.

"Pretty much both of our entire basements are taken up with something related to beer," Tarver said jokingly earlier this year. "Basically, our wives said it was time to put up or shut up, so that was the impetus for us to open a microbrewery."

The 2,200-square-foot location will house huge tanks that brew 1,724 pints of beer at a time, leaving a seating area for 100 to 115 people in the front half, Tarver said. They don't plan to operate a kitchen, but instead encourage visitors to order delivery or bring carryout to eat at the taproom's long, communal tables.

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