Spotlight on 93 Octane Brewery in St. Charles and Elmhurst
93 Octane Brewery
1825 Lincoln Highway in St. Charles
171 N. Addison Avenue in Elmhurst
History in short: 93 Octane opened its doors in St. Charles in 2019 with a 10-barrel brewhouse and quickly added additional space, seating and a canning line. But realizing they were lacking the space to properly grow the brand, they built a 6,000-square foot brewhouse in Warrenville in April 2024, setting themselves up going forward with 40-barrel fermentors and bright tanks.
Then, in 2025, the company expanded again, purchasing the former Elmhurst Brewing building. “We really wanted a taproom closer to Chicago, and the space just checked so many boxes for us in the downtown Elmhurst area with foot traffic, a patio and plenty of kitchen capabilities,” says CEO Mario Spina.
The space: The original St. Charles location is attached to the St. Charles Pride Store gas station and Pride Beer & Wine Plus Spirits Store, providing a solid shopping experience with an incredible selection of wine, whiskey, bourbon and beer. Panels enclose the sunny taproom year round, and there’s a nice patio that seats about 40.
As for Elmhurst, we’re talking a beautiful two-level venue with exposed brick, subway tile, steel beams, modern lighting, leather booths, a plethora of TVs and a private event space upstairs already booked this spring and summer for weddings, baby showers and birthday parties.
Not to be overlooked is the sizable patio in Elmhurst, which runs the length of the building, wraps around the back and features plenty of flowers and covered tables. It figures to be a sought-after destination this summer, and is the kind of inviting space where a “quick beer” can easily turn into an entire afternoon with friends.
Interesting notes: There’s no denying the family-friendly vibes in Elmhurst, especially on the weekends and for brunch. With its perfectly situated TVs (and specials), it’s also a popular football-watching spot in the fall.
For consistency, the brewing team is working to match the quality Lake Michigan water profile they have in Elmhurst with their Warrenville production facility. “Our guys are really geeked out about the science behind it and matching the water profiles and proper ingredients,” Spina says.
They’re also brewing Clutch Hitter, a session West Coast IPA, for the Kane County Cougars baseball team again this summer.
Not to be overlooked is the sizable patio in Elmhurst, which features plenty of flowers and covered tables. It’s the kind of inviting space where a “quick beer” can easily turn into an entire afternoon with friends.
What we’re eating and drinking: To say the 93 Octane brewing and kitchen team is dialed in right now would be an understatement. We visited the new Elmhurst location with a group a couple times this winter and had the luxury of sampling several things off what is a pretty robust menu full of shareables, salads, sandwiches and entrees.
The Simon Says burger is a game changer that will surely send you home happy — and full. A pair of smashed 1/4-pound local, farm-raised Wagyu beef patties are crowned with thin-sliced Wagyu steak, melted provolone, sautéed green peppers and onions, and then finished with mayo on a toasted brioche bun.
Other tantalizing options include a grilled chicken sandwich topped with apple slaw, a stacked turkey club, tender flank steak with a homemade dipping sauce, and a shrimp po’ boy we couldn’t take our eyes off of. The Friday fish fry (and fish tacos), meanwhile, is made with fresh walleye from Supreme Lobster in Villa Park.
We recommend kicking the meal off with an appetizer like the oil can nachos with smoked brisket, the beer batter-fried pickles or buffalo/garlic parmesan fried cauliflower.
Brunch is popular too, with items like a sunrise burger with an egg, bacon and American cheese served between two waffles (with maple syrup on the side), or the breakfast chimichanga or pepper-and-egg skillet.
On the beer side, you can expect a variety of 20 options on tap at both locations. Head brewer Alex Makowski is Seibel Institute-trained in the classics, and the company brought Victor Navarro (formerly with Whiskey Hill and More Brewing) aboard last fall to utilize his expertise in pastry stouts, barleywines and a modern take on craft beer.
“I think between Alex and Victor, we can cover a large range of beers,” Spina says. “Together, they form kind of a powerhouse. Alex is classically German trained, knows his stuff and is clean with styles. His beers are always done right, and you know what you’re going to get. And what’s cool about Victor is he has a modern take on adjuncting beers and is very inventive in his approach, so there are a lot of creative options available to us in terms of flavors and new styles.”
I think between Alex and Victor, we can cover a large range of beers, and together, they form kind of a powerhouse. Alex is classically German trained, knows his stuff and is clean with styles. … And what’s cool about Victor is he has a modern take on adjuncting beers and is very inventive in his approach.” — 93 Octane CEO Mario Spina
The popular Wingman APA is a light-bodied pale ale with notes of notes of pineapple, stone fruits and citrus. A new wheat beer called Victory Circle, made with dried orange peel and coriander, is sessionable and refreshing. The Chop Shop hazy IPA is outstanding, carrying a nice blend of bitterness and citrus, and we also came away impressed by the Taillight amber ale, which we were pleased to hear will be a year-round offering going forward.
On the darker side is the delightfully sweet and mild Love Bug chocolate stout with strawberries. It was originally released for Valentine’s Day but will stay on through the spring on nitro. Also, a collaboration with Foreign Exchange Brewing resulted in a Dubai chocolate stout called Foreign Drift that has been a big hit.
As if that’s not enough, they added nitro and lukr faucets at both locations and offer a creative cocktail list too (FYI — they’re really know their bourbon selection).
Specials: The Elmhurst location has a solid weekday happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Also, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday is the 15BFD lunch deal, consisting of a smash burger, fries and draft beer for $15. Sunday Funday means $5 drafts with any food purchase. On Mondays you can get $8 select appetizers and salads, on Tuesdays take $2 off drafts from 3-10 p.m., and then get half off whiskey pours on Wednesdays.
On the horizon: In Elmhurst, they’re planning a type of supper club experience with smoked meat platters, brandy old fashioneds and beer pairing dinners, so stay tuned. … They have a Dunn Winery cabernet barrel-aged golden ale that’ll be ready by the end of the summer or early fall. … And keep an eye out for 93 Octane’s future plans for a two-level taproom in Arlington Heights near the proposed Bears stadium.
I’m excited for the future because the potential is endless. We can really start to have fun with some small-batch ideas with different flavors. Whatever you can think of, the opportunity is there.
Giving back: A portion of sales from their hazy IPA called Eileen In will be donated back to the charitable organization with the same name that’s dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
From the brewery:
“I’m excited for the future because the potential is endless. We can really start to have fun with some small-batch ideas with different flavors like cocoa nibs, vanilla, strawberries and other fruits. Whatever you can think of, the opportunity is there. We look forward to having fun with some of our cutting-edge ideas.”
— Victor Navarro, brewer
“I’m most proud of the quality of our beers and food. And especially with Elmhurst now and the diversification of our beers at the taprooms, we can provide a wide range of options we couldn’t before due to a lack of space. Wit beers, kolsches, hazy IPAs, ambers, lagers, cream ales, stouts — whatever your favorite is, you’re going to be able to find it. … I love seeing what our customers fall in love with and knowing we can upscale it now in our Warrenville facility and get it in more hands and really take it to market.”
— Mario Spina, owner
