By Trent Modglin

Short Fuse Brewing acquires, and is now brewing, Metropolitan favorites

Metropolitan Brewing, after 15 years in business, filed for bankruptcy back in October of 2023 and officially closed the doors of their taproom along the Chicago River on Dec. 18 of last year, citing slow sales and unsustainable debt. 

Metropolitan — as no doubt many of the readers of this magazine know — specialized in German-style lagers. During the liquidation process, their equipment was sold off and then, last January, there was an auction for the company’s intellectual property as well (i.e. Metropolitan’s brand, trademarks, recipes, website, social media, etc.). And that’s what piqued the interest of Nick Teague, owner of Short Fuse Brewing Company in Schiller Park near O’Hare.

“I’ve been a business owner all my life, and I felt like we needed to do something extra instead of just hoping the market turns around,” Teague tells us of his original plan, dating back a few years. “A few breweries were closing, and we have the space, a big brewing facility and new canning line we wanted to expand on. I’ve never been a huge fan of contract brewing, so I was more interested in seeing if we can just buy or partner with someone who may be closing up shop.” 

In other words, buy Metropolitan’s name and recipes, consolidate the breweries in one building, and utilize multiple brands to get his sales back to what they were pre-Covid. 

“Obviously, Metropolitan was a well-respected brand, and Doug and Tracy (Hurst) were always a big part of Chicago beer from the beginning, so I thought there might be some backlash,” Teague says. “But I figured someone else would do it if I didn’t. So I felt like it was worth the risk to try it.”

After his auction bidding was successful, Teague admits “it was like walking into a dark tunnel of what’s next because there really is no playbook for something like this.” As a brewery owner himself, he knew it was important to reach out to Doug Hurst to see if he was interested in keeping the brand. While Hurst passed on the idea, they were able to meet with him at Short Fuse, where Hurst explained his process for brewing, and Teague says he left the door open for him to join forces at any point. 

Short Fuse began brewing Metropolitan’s recipes in mid-February, focusing on mainstays like the Flywheel pilsner and Krankshaft kolsch. They were brewing new batches once a month and constantly testing and tasting, trying to dial it in while finalizing a few distributor issues. The first order of business was to get the beer right. Then they could announce the news, which they did finally this summer. 

If we had told people right away (about taking over Metropolitan), we would’ve been rushed to get it out there, and we had no interest in destroying the brand they had built. We wanted to get the beer exactly to where we thought it could be first.” — Nick Teague

“If we had told people right away (about taking over Metropolitan), we would’ve been rushed to get it out there, and we had no interest in destroying the brand they had built,” Teague says. “We wanted to get the beer exactly to where we thought it could be, and only then could we move forward and announce it and get it ready for people to enjoy.”

Short Fuse began selling Krankshaft and Flywheel out of their taproom and via self distribution in mid-August. The feedback from key sources has been positive, and they’ve been two of Short Fuse’s top sellers out of the gate. 

Krankshaft and Flywheel will be year-round brews, and keep an eye out for Metropolitan’s helles lager and schwarzbier up next, and then the dopplebock this winter and Microvolt, a light lager, next summer. 

Short Fuse is located at 5000 N. River Road in Schiller Park. ShortFuseBrewing.com

Homewood Brewing slated to open this fall

Homewood Brewing Company is finally expected to open in October, and judging by the lengthy lines waiting to sample their beer at the Oak Park Microbrew Review in August, the anticipation is off the charts. 

Homewood Brewing Company, a new restaurant and brewery honoring the late rapper Juice WRLD, will offer up a relaxed atmosphere, upscale comfort food and an 18,000-square-foot brewpub that includes a state-of-the-art brewing system, patio, rooftop and garden areas. 

HBC will be placing an emphasis on giving back to the Homewood community. “We want to build out and foster an environment of community and make it about the people,” says head brewer Cam Horn.

HBC will also be placing an emphasis on giving back to the Homewood community, as partner Carmela Wallace, the mother of Juice WRLD and co-owner Brian Wallace, has a foundation for at-risk youth that focuses on mental health awareness and substance dependency. 

“We have an impressive space, but we also want to help out the planet and help out as many people as possible,” says head brewer Cam Horn, formerly of Elmhurst Brewing. “Even if employees are having a bad day, we want them to feel good about coming to work. … We want to build out and foster an environment of community and make it about the people.” 

Located at 18225 Dixie Hwy in Homewood. HomewoodBrew.com

Casa Humilde

Casa Humilde Cerveceria officially opens in Forest Park

It’s official: Brothers Javier and Jose Lopez have opened their own brewery and taproom in the former space occupied by Exit Strategy Brewing in west suburban Forest Park. The new taproom, which opened in mid-August, offers a patio and kitchen as well.

Despite finally having a space to call their own, the Lopez brothers told Illinois Brewing they have no plans to discontinue their partnership with District Brew Yards, where they’ve brewed and served beer since 2019.

Located at 7700 Madison Street in Forest Park. CasaHumildeCerveceria.com

Is/Was Brewing

Is/Was taproom opens in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood 

Rest assured, all you fans of the artisanal beers produced by Is/Was Brewing. A taproom is now a reality for this five-year-old company founded by Mike Schaullau. Famous for their saisons — they were recently named a top 15 saison brewery in the world by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine — and bringing home medals from the FoBAB (the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers), Is/Was opened their taproom in mid August in the former space occupied by Urban Brew Labs. To rave reviews, we might add. Look for more on these guys in our winter issue of Illinois Brewing.

Located at 5121 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Chicago. IsWasBrewing.com