Spotlight on Engrained Brewing Company: With an emphasis on utilizing local produce and livestock, as well as reducing our environmental footprint, this Springfield brewery boasts an “upscale casual” space, farm-to-table menu and wide-ranging beer selection

By Trent Modglin

1120 West Lincolnshire Blvd.
Springfield, IL
EngrainedBrewery.com

4-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday
11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday

History in short: Brent Schwoerer grew up on his family’s dairy and grain farm, and he learned early on that milking cows, especially before the sun came up, was not for him. But he did enjoy the mechanical side of farming and went on to earn an Engineering degree from the University of Illinois before spending 10 years in corporate America.

While learning the necessary discipline and financial skills to eventually become his own boss, Schwoerer also realized he wanted his future line of work to have purpose. “I had this underlying belief that the corporation I worked for was more about making profit, and the culture of any future company I started should be different, and certainly more rewarding and fulfilling,” Schwoerer tells us. “When I wasn’t getting any of that on the corporate side of things, I knew it was time to make a change.”

While on a two-year work assignment in Brazil, he saw how much fresh produce was a part of every meal and how everyone seemed to have a connection to local agriculture. That theme always stuck with him and, as luck would have it, his wife bought him a classic home brewing kit for Christmas years earlier, so he had been brewing as an amateur for about five years before deciding to take the plunge with Engrained in 2013. The focus of the popular brewery and restaurant includes maintaining a positive culture, caring for how they source local ingredients and minimizing their environmental impact.

While on a two-year work assignment in Brazil, Schwoerer saw how much fresh produce was a part of every meal and how everyone seemed to have a connection to local agriculture. That theme always stuck with him.

The space: Schwoerer admittedly made a bold move out of the gate, dismissing the idea of renting space and starting off small in favor of an 8,500-square-foot buildout in the up-and-coming Legacy Point development along Springfield’s south central corridor.

“I definitely bit off more than I could chew, but looking back, I’m glad I did because we were able to create the space I wanted from the start and then grow into it,” Schwoerer says.

The result is a large, modern establishment that can be described as “upscale casual with a classic pub vibe.” Interestingly, one of Schwoerer’s design goals was to make sure at least some aspect of the brewing process is visible from every seat in the restaurant, even the sun-soaked patio.

Interesting note: Engrained’s Donation Creation program involves collaborating with a local charity on the creation of a flatbread and then donating $1 from every order for two months at a time. … They also make a habit of partnering with local farmers — many of whom have long-term relationships with Schwoerer — for ingredients and believe in regenerative agriculture, which involves restoring soil health to produce the most nutritious items possible.

Engrained’s Donation Creation program involves collaborating with a local charity on the creation of a flatbread and then donating $1 from every order for two months at a time.

“We care about where we source our ingredients and how they were raised,” Schwoerer says. “We’re very rooted in local produce and livestock. Almost 100 percent of the beef and pork we use comes from whole animals to avoid waste. All of this makes it both fun and challenging for my culinary team because we’re constantly coming up with new items based on what’s fresh and what’s seasonal.”

What we’re eating and drinking: A farm-to-table approach that’s affordable was the primary goal at Engrained, and after a dozen years of keeping Springfield residents and tourists content, it’s safe to say the philosophy works. And this wide-ranging menu — think everything from seasonal harvest salads to pasture-raised ribeyes — is sure to appeal to even the pickiest of eaters.

The Korean pork jowl tacos are a big hit, according to Schwoerer. The tender cheek meat of a hog is cured in house, diced and then topped with a kimchee slaw and homemade BBQ sauce. The Faroe Island salmon that’s drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette and sunflower seeds and served with vegetable & rice pilaf is another menu favorite.

As for the flatbreads, which boast a cracker-like crust made from organic wheat flour from a nearby farm, the Hawaiian version is the most popular, topped with pulled pork, bacon, pineapple and BBQ sauce.

As for beer, Engrained’s Lokal Hop IPA, made with locally grown hops, offers a citrusy grapefruit appeal, and the Brombier blackberry lager uses a Munich helles base with real blackberry puree for a delightful combination. The Fox Moon oatmeal stout with some bold chocolate, coffee and roasted notes caught our eye too, as did the light and refreshing award-winning Farmyard hefeweizen.

You can go out to a lot of places to eat and drink, but when you leave here, we hope you feel good about what you were supporting while you were here, like local farmers and reducing our environmental footprint.”  — Brent Schwoerer

On the horizon: Yuengling finally getting distributed in Illinois made headlines everywhere this winter, and Schwoerer is leaning into that traditional lager trend with his own called Ying-yang. … One of Engrained’s annual spring favorites is called Brazilian Bombshell, a slightly hoppy pale ale that takes Schwoerer back to his time living in Brazil when fresh fruit was everywhere.

From the brewery: “We’re all about the experience that people have at Engrained, and I have a great team that really leans into the concept. I like to think we’re in the experience business, not the food business or brewery business. … You can go out to a lot of places to eat and drink, but when you leave here, we hope you feel good about what you were supporting while you were here, like local farmers and reducing our environmental footprint.”

— Brent Schwoerer