SOUTH LOOP — Charlie Davis has been named brewmaster at the soon-to-open Vice District Brewing Company at 1454 S. Michigan Ave.
Davis most recently worked as head brewer at North High Brewing in Columbus, Ohio, a bar and microbrewery that also conducts brewing classes.
Before that, Davis worked for Finch's Brewing Company. The Albany Park brewery's Finch's Secret Stache Stout, which won gold at the 2013 U.S. Open Beer Championship, is named after Davis' own mustache.
"Quintin and I are excited combine our talents with Charlie’s," said Curtis Tarver II, co-owner of Vice District with his longtime friend Quintin Cole. "Between the three of us, I think you’ll be seeing quite a few unique beers on tap very shortly."
Davis said he is "extremely excited to come back to my home town and brew beer on this stage."
"With all the great places opening in this city, it will be a welcome challenge to keep up with the established greats," he said in a statement, adding that he "can't wait to bring some quality beer to the people."
The South Loop tap room will include a microbrewery and have 10 house-made beers on tap. Tarver said he and his longtime Kenwood neighbor Cole decided to open a tap room 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 joked. "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 seating room 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 tap room's long, communal tables.
The taproom plans to open in July.
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