The Vogt House by Banging Gavel Brews
17400 Oak Park Ave in Tinley Park
BanginGavel.com

Banging Gavel can finally see the light! The preservation project of the historic Vogt House in Tinley Park that started back in 2017 is complete, and BGB is opening its doors, officially, by trotting out a lineup of its own beers during its grand opening Dec. 14. 

Banging Gavel Brews began with a soft open a few months ago to introduce their food menu and beautifully renovated Vogt House home (the spacious biergarten, meanwhile, has served as a popular destination the past two summers). But now that all the fine tuning of the brewing system in the historic landmark is complete and the production of their first beer lineup is ready, you can finally get the full experience. 

If you’re hungry, the full-blown seasonal tapas-style menu looks downright delectable, with many new items featured for the month of December like the hanger steak, pimento cheese dip with seasoned crackers, and the new house-made sausage sampler (think jalapeno cheddar, garlic and fennel, and maple bacon blueberry). Don’t overlook their craft cocktail list, either, as it is well curated for the holiday season.

Amidst the holiday hustle, we think the inviting ambiance of the Vogt House will provide guests a perfect sanctuary. … We can’t wait to unveil this full brewpub experience.  — Beckie O’Connor

Q&A with co-owner Beckie O’Connor

Q: Everyone loves the building renovations and food you’re trotting out, but how excited are you to finally be unveiling some of the beers you’ve been working on? 

A: The excitement is palpable. We are absolutely thrilled! Amidst the holiday hustle, we think the inviting ambiance of the Vogt House will provide guests a perfect sanctuary. What’s truly exhilarating, though, is the exceptional quality of the beers we’ve meticulously crafted over the past few months. We can’t wait to unveil this full brewpub experience, offering not just superb food but a symphony of high-quality, delectable beers and cocktails that will light up your taste buds.

Q: What are a couple brews you think will garner the most attention? 

A: Our new saison called Rule of Law is a traditional, yeast-forward, French farmhouse saison with a medium body and a cloudy orange color. In our tasting of it so far, we noticed bubble gum and biscuit to start, and then a dry finish. With East Kent Golding and Styrian Golden hops incorporated, we also taste hints of spice. This beer is 6% ABV.

Our Berliner weisse called Napoleon’s Choice has an ABV of 4.5%. It is a cloudy and sour wheat beer traditional to northern Germany and originating in the 16th century. It is light bodied with medium carbonation. The German Hallertau Mittelfruh hops add a noble hop character to this tart classic.

We are also excited to bring back Legal-Ease. This traditional Bavarian helles-style lager is super light-bodied with notes of fresh baked bread and classic Hallertau Mittelfruh noble hops.

We are also excited to bring back our helles lager called Legal-Ease. It has been a favorite, easy-drinking option for craft beer enthusiasts at our biergarten since we first brewed it in 2022. This traditional Bavarian helles-style lager is super light-bodied and straw yellow with notes of fresh baked bread and classic Hallertau Mittelfruh noble hops. It’s a crushable light lager coming in at 4.4% ABV.

We’ll have much more to introduce at our official grand opening on 12/14/23 and beyond.

Q: Explain what these last few months have been like in terms of being so close to having everything how you want it… and now finally being at the finish line. Or starting line, if you will.

A: Although the last few months have allowed us to show the public a glimpse of what they can expect when they visit, it was not the complete reveal. 

Now that we are reaching the point where our own beer is ready for release and the full menu will be showcased, it’s very exciting to unveil the complete picture of what the Vogt House is and what our guests can fully experience. We believe it was definitely worth the wait.

Read our fall cover story about other recent brewery openings here.