USA, IL: More Brewing Co. gets license to operate production brewery in Huntley Village
A new restaurant and brewery being built in a former auto dealership should have a clear path to open later this year now that Huntley Village Board members have approved a new liquor license, the Northwest Herald reported on October 12.
Village trustees on October 10 approved the creation of a new type of liquor license for More Brewing Co. Inc. to operate a production brewery, restaurant and taproom at the former Chevrolet dealership at 13980 Automall Drive.
In January, the board approved a special use permit to allow More, a Villa Park-based craft brewery, to open a second facility at the dealership. However, because of the unique aspects of the proposal, the creation and adoption of a new liquor license class was expected.
More Brewing is converting about 14,000 square feet of the 25,302-square-foot dealership into a brewpub restaurant, which would have a full kitchen and would be open for lunch and dinner six to seven days a week.
The other 11,000 square feet of the building would be used for production, including a brewhouse, fermentation and conditioning vessels, a packaging line and a barrel room, where beer will be aged in whiskey barrels. Plans also call for outdoor patios and a special events area.
Construction has progressed throughout the year, and More Brewing is expected to open its doors by the end of the year.
The new Class L liquor license the board approved authorizes the operation of a microbrewery, which is defined as a retail establishment with the subordinate manufacture of malt beverage, including the retail sale of beer for on- and off-premises consumption, tastings on premises or otherwise, and the sale of beers and other liquors for on-premises consumption.
The annual fee for the new license is $1,500.
The village also approved text amendments for microbreweries based on production in January that also applied to Sew Hopd, which opened its doors earlier this year.
Village code states that a microbrewery or winery that produces more than 120,000 barrels a year shall not use more floor area for manufacturing than it would for retail.
Breweries producing 30,000 to 120,000 barrels a year also must have a restaurant. Breweries making less than 30,000 barrels a year only are required to have a tasting room or taproom.
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