RAVENSWOOD — Begyle's Brendan Blume spent five hours at City Hall on Wednesday — he wasn't taking any chances with the brewery's liquor license.
"We've been waiting for this for a long time," said Blume, who founded Begyle in 2011 with Kevin Cary and Matt Ritchey.
License in hand, the brewery's tasting room will officially open at noon Saturday (the Brewery's Facebook page says 11 a.m., but noon for sure, according to Blume). Blume was clear that beer lovers shouldn't confuse the tasting room with a tap room — samples of Begyle brews will be available but no pints will be poured.
Begyle's main operation: filling 64-ounce growlers. A counter-pressure growler filler, funded through Kickstarter, will help increase the shelf life of the beer.
In December, Begyle, 1800 W. Cuyler Ave., quickly sold out of its initial offering of 200 subscriptions, ranging from $77 for one growler per month for six months all the way up to $476 for four growlers per month for 12 months.
Both subscribers — who obtain their beer at a discount — and nonsubscribers alike are welcome on Saturday.
"We've got plenty of beer," Blume said.
Customers can expect eight brews from which to choose, with anywhere from six to 10 regularly on tap.
Business hours will be noon-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturdays; and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
