Mark Gres
Head brewer at Kishwaukee Brewing Co.
1900 Dillard Court in Woodstock, IL
KishwaukeeBrewing.com

The last really good beer I drank was…

Cold Time premium lager from Revolution Brewing. It’s the perfect “I just want a beer” beer. Straightforward and unassuming, you get a really nice, clean lager fermentation character, joined by a simple but satisfying malt flavor. And then just a teeny bit of hops to balance it all out.

Roaring Table

What fellow Illinois breweries and specific beers have impressed you lately?

Not just lately, but since they opened their doors, I adore Roaring Table Brewing in Lake Zurich. Anything coming out of that foeder is amazing. And don’t sleep on the lagers there. You will absolutely not be disappointed by any of them.

At Kishwaukee, we have stayed true to our focus on traditional beer styles, while also providing offerings that are off the beaten path too. … A little further on the horizon, we have some fun sour/wild/funky barrels that are developing nicely.

What are you most proud of at Kishwaukee Brewing?

I would have to say that we have stayed true to our focus on traditional beer styles, while also providing offerings that are off the beaten path too. I really enjoy filling the tanks with traditional lager styles, and our customers keep demanding more, so I have no problem accommodating those needs.

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

Outside of our original core offerings, we recently started packaging our Headwaters series of beers, so look out for those. My favorite of the bunch has to be Sandhill, a dry-hopped India pale lager. It gives a tip of the hat to a German pilsner, while blending in some contemporary American hops. A little further on the horizon, we have some fun sour/wild/funky barrels that are developing nicely. We also just brewed an imperial stout that is going to go into a variety of bourbon and whiskey barrels, and eventually will be packaged in bottles as well.

Kishwaukee Brewing’s Dan Payson and Mark Gres