Spotlight on Brother Chimp Brewing
1059 W. Orchard Road
North Aurora, IL
BrotherChimpBrewing.com

History in short: Steve Newman is not your typical brewery owner. Although he is a life long beer lover, he didn’t make his first batch of home brew until he retired from the corporate world in 2015. After being introduced to the hobby by a neighbor, he quickly became infatuated.

He furthered his education in the incubator program at Skeleton Key Brewery in Woodridge and at the Home Brew Shop in St. Charles (now known as Broken Brix). There, he met Jessica Coy. Neither of them expected that years later, Steve’s hobby would become his second career and Jessica would be his taproom manager.

The challenges for Brother Chimp came immediately, as they opened their doors on March 16 of 2020, the day before Illinois shut down due to Covid. Fortunately, Newman had pre-ordered growlers and was able to start selling beer to-go that same week, but due to the restrictions in place, Brother Chimp did not get to sell their first pint of beer until May, two and a half months after they opened.

Creating makeshift patios and purchasing heaters led to the creation of the Polar Chimp Club to help get through the winter months. Then in the fall of 2021, they expanded into the unit next door to create “The Hang Out.”

Since opening in 2020, Newman and his team have claimed numerous regional awards, including Best Microbrewery in Kane County in 2023 and 2025, and World Beer Cup gold in 2024 for their Vienna lager called Ludwig. Newman now has his sights set on expansion and will be taking over the former D&G brewing space in St. Charles later this year.

Since opening in 2020, Newman and his team have claimed numerous regional awards, including Best Microbrewery in Kane County in 2023 and 2025, and World Beer Cup gold in 2024 for their Vienna lager called Ludwig.

The space: Located just two miles north of Route 88 and less than one hour from downtown Chicago, Brother Chimp is close to several other breweries in North Aurora, Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles should you ever want to make a day of it. The interior is well designed with thick, live-edge and stone accents that quickly make you forget its strip mall setting. There is also a sunny sidewalk patio out front and a large beer garden in back. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome at both.

For us, the highlight of the taproom is the 20-foot long, four-inch wide live-edge bar that, along with many of the other accents found throughout the brewery, came from an 80-foot spruce tree that had to be removed from Newman’s yard. The “Hang Out” has a small stage, which hosts live music almost every Friday and Saturday evening, and a projector TV used for Bears games and other major sporting events. The Hang Out also serves as an auxiliary art gallery for Water Street Studios in Batavia.

Interesting notes

The World Beer Cup is often referred to as the Olympics of beer, so when Brother Chimp Brewing, a nanobrewery, beat out more than 100 other breweries from around the world to take home gold, it left Newman flabbergasted. It was also fitting recognition for Sam Altaner, Brother Chimp’s head brewer, who spent years perfecting his Vienna lager recipe and was hired to take over the reins when Newman suffered an injury soon after opening. Altaner was not thrilled when Newman told him he could no longer tweak the recipe after the win.

If you live in the area, Brotherhood of the Chimp, the brewery’s VIP mug club, is worth looking into, as it gets you 10% off merchandise and 4-packs, as well as a chip that’s good for a free beer after the first beer you purchase each week. Invites to quarterly member parties too.

What we’re eating and drinking:

The goal for Brother Chimp has always been to offer a diverse beer menu full of “craft beers that taste like beer” and to create a comfortable space for friends to gather. To that end, they offer 12 of their own draft beers, including one nitro tap, and a wide array of guest ciders, seltzers, wines, bourbons and other spirits.

Besides their award-winning Vienna lager called Ludwig (available year round), we really enjoyed the Double Hazy Fun Hops hazy IPA on a recent visit, as well as the Pride Pils, a West Coast pilsner (a trending style of beer we hope doesn’t go anywhere). Their hefeweizen, Chimp Heaven, is so popular they had to brew three batches this year — so get it while it lasts. They also have two collaboration beers on tap right now: Mai Buddy Bock, a Maibock brewed with Wolfden Brewing, and Rhine on Randall, a dortmunder brewed with Riverlands Brewing.

Hungry? Brother Chimp often has food trucks on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

On the horizon

Brother Chimp is hosting Paint & Sip Nights July 21 and Aug. 11, and will be teaming up with Pollyanna Brewing in St. Charles to host another radler bike ride along the Fox River on September 21, with a portion of the proceeds supporting Project Mobility. Music Bingo (first and third Wednesdays) and trivia (second and fourth Wednesdays), along with board games, darts and shuffle board add to the entertainment factor.

Anticipated summer beer releases include Czech Please, a premium Czech lager; Barnstormer, a coffee saison brewed in collaboration with Krema Coffee and Flight Tasting Room; and Schimpansenfest, the popular Marzen-style Oktoberfest that will be available in retail stores by August and on draft in the taproom starting in September.

I think what makes this place special is the people. I feel very fortunate that everyone who comes in is someone I want to see, and someone who appreciates us and what we are doing. … Seeing the love and acceptance we have here, and the sense of community that you find at breweries, is what it’s all about.”

From the brewery:

“I think what makes this place special is the people. I feel very fortunate that everyone who comes in is someone I want to see, and someone who appreciates us and what we are doing here. That includes the staff. I am incredibly fortunate that in an industry, where turnover is the norm, the majority of my staff has been with me almost since the day we opened.

There has been a little too much hate in the world lately, but seeing the love and acceptance we have here, and the sense of community that you find at breweries, is what it’s all about. That comes from the people I am fortunate to call regulars, friends and staff, and the family I chose.”

— Steve Newman