Werk Force Brewing Company
14903 S. Center Street
Plainfield, IL
WerkForceBrewing.com

History in short: In 2012, Brandon and Amanda Wright opened Chicago Brew Works, a brewing supply store in southwest suburban Plainfield. Two years later, they opened Werk Force Brewing Company in the same space. 

“We thought it would be an awesome path to take the next step of opening an actual brewery,” Brandon tells us. “We were brewing 500 barrels a year on a two-barrel system in that small space, so you can do the math with that. It was outrageous.”

By 2016, Brandon and Amanda, who both have entrepreneurial backgrounds, knew it was time to expand and build a proper facility, which led to the massive undertaking of renovating a former Crossfit gym a few doors down from their store. Brandon ended up doing a lot of the work himself, following Amanda’s design plans along the way. “A lot of joy — and a lot of cussing — went into the buildout,” Brandon says with a chuckle, “but it was fun to see the vision come to life and work with my dad.”

“We don’t have any outside investors, so everything we make, we put a lot back into it,” Amanda says. “The work and repurposing has been… well, purposeful. It’s always been important for us to maintain that mentality as things got a little crazy and we dove into our passion.”

The space: Located in a historic district of Plainfield with nearby houses dating back to the 1800s, Werk Force has a relaxed, neighborhood vibe to it. The size of the taproom is actually a bit deceiving from the street. They chose to make the this industrial warehouse space more communal in nature — long wood tables, barrels to rest your beer, no TVs — as well as community focused. 

“We wanted to create an environment for like-minded people to meet each other, hang out, bring their families and friends,” adds Amanda. “The type of approachable environment where you could come with a group or come by yourself and feel equally comfortable.”

The unique light fixtures, which are made out of barrel hoops, were welded together by Brandon and are particularly eye-catching. The 10,000 square-foot space is split evenly between the brewing facility and taproom, which are separated by a stylish wood wall created out of old pallets and made by, you guessed it, Brandon. There is also a sizable outdoor patio with picnic tables and barrel tables. Just steps away, in what was once their original home brewing store (which they shuttered during Covid), lie 150 barrels and an event space called the Barrel Den with seating for up to 100. 

We wanted to create the type of approachable environment where you could come with a group or come by yourself and feel equally comfortable.”
— Amanda Wright

Interesting notes: They call it the six degrees of Chicago Brew Works when they think back to how many people who purchased brewing supplies from them went on to work in the industry or serve as Werk Force employees. A conservative amount would be 20, but Brandon and Amanda are sure it’s more than that.

Part of the charm of Werk Force is witnessing how many patrons bounce from table to table all weekend because they know each other. “All of our employees are also long term, which is crazy for this industry,” Brandon adds. 

If you want to make a day of it, Ten Drops Coffee Lab is next door, and Black Dog Distillery is scheduled to open in the same business center this fall.

What we’re eating and drinking
It should be noted that Werk Force has won eight medals in seven years. Most recently on a national scale, Count Humongous Chungus, a chocolate barrel-aged stout, won bronze at the Great American Beer Festival in 2023, Humongous Chungus won silver at the 2024 U.S. Open and the barrel-aged brambleberry cheesecake Sleepy Bear stout took gold. 

The focus is on lagers, West Coast-style pale ales and IPAs, and barrel-aged stouts, but with 29 taps available, you’re certain to find something your palate will appreciate.

It’s the barrel-aging program that put Werk Force on the map. The Sleepy Bear series from bourbon and rye barrels has won gold and silver at FoBAB, and they’re busy adding in plenty of other styles — like sours and barleywines — to their barrel-aging calendar.

Ultimately, it’s the barrel-aging program that put Werk Force on the map. The Sleepy Bear series from bourbon or rye barrels has won gold and silver at FoBAB and is sought after across the state. Brandon, along with his brewing team that includes Jake Scheufler and David Basile, is busy scattering in plenty of other styles— like sours and barleywines — to their barrel-aging calendar. 

There tends to be a lot of anticipation surrounding the release of the Werktoberfest Marzen, leading them to brew more of it each year. They bumped the supply to 80 barrels this year, so it should be available through the end of October. 

Another crowd favorite, DDH FKA (Formerly Known As), which used to be called Pineapple Express, has lasted the test of time. It’s a deliciously dank, citrus DDH hazy IPA. We also enjoyed the Steakhouse Tofu passionfruit sour and Foggy Rhetoric hazy IPA on a recent visit. 

Not feeling beer? That’s OK, because Amanda makes a house kombucha, they rotate through homemade flavored sodas every two weeks, and they usually have a guest cider on draft as well. 

Werk Force opened a kitchen in 2022 and handed it over to Happy Belly, known for their scratch cooking and rotating menu that includes flatbreads, tacos, nachos, salads and sandwiches. 

Every Thanksgiving week, Werk Force releases a different Sleepy Bear Russian imperial stout variant on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lines form outside no matter the weather.

On the horizon: Every Thanksgiving week, Werk Force releases a different Sleepy Bear Russian imperial stout variant on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lines form outside no matter the weather. Then, on January 18 in the Barrel Den, they’ll be hosting The Awakening, where Sleepy Bear “comes out of hibernation” with more than a dozen vintages available from as far back as 2016.

From the brewery: “We are proud of the atmosphere and how far we’ve come to where we are today. To enjoy our second home with friends, family and new friends to be had. And our quality of beer. We’re always pushing to raise the bar and keep our standards high while staying approachable to all beer drinkers. We always make sure our roots stay grounded. It’s really a testament to the two of us extending our family to the Werk Force family and the community. We’ve loved every minute of it.” 

— Brandon and Amanda Wright