ANDERSONVILLE — Andersonville had its very own brewpub, Mary's Rec Room, for five years, but the twins who ran the joint said a lot of folks in the area didn't even know it.
That's why late last month they rebranded the business — next door to their other business Hamburger Mary's — as Andersonville Brewing.
Ashley Wright said he and his brother Brandon were struck by how the Hamburger Mary's name has at times overshadowed their brewing efforts.
"We've been brewing longer than a lot of other brewpubs, but people know us as Hamburger Mary's, they don't know us as a brewpub," Ashley Wright said. "So now we're hoping that will change."
Head brewer Brandon Wright said he thought even some people who came to Mary's Rec Room at 5400 N. Clark St. to watch sports "didn't realize the beer was brewed on site."
The menu at Andersonville Brewing hasn't changed since the switchover, but it's been updated some with more beer-infused sauces. The twins said they've upgraded the brewing equipment in the space to make the brewing process more efficient.
With the new equipment Brandon Wright said he and his brother hoped to expand production "a little bit," but had no distribution plans.
Andersonville Brewing typically has about nine brews on tap, including a rotation of India pale ales, and seasonal, small batch and barrel-aged beers. Their taproom mainstays include Mary Hoppins pale ale; The Gangster, a hopped-up amber ale; and a Belgian saison brew that goes by the name of Speakeasy.
The Wright twins considered Mary's Rec Room, with its 10 televisions, to be the premier sports bar in the neighborhood — and they expect that designation to continue under the Andersonville Brewing moniker.
Locals should also "feel a little bit of pride that Andersonville has its own brewing," Ashley Wright said. He added: "in the logo we've incorporated the Swedish water tower, which will hopefully be back up soon."
"We're just trying to be a bigger presence in the neighborhood," he said.
The twins said they are also finalizing the financing for a restaurant and microbrewery they plan to open at a yet-undisclosed location in west suburban Oak Park.
