Alex Stankus
Owner/head brewer
Black Horizon Brewing Company
Willowbrook, IL

The last really good beer I drank was…

Blume & Ferris’ Old Speckled Hare, which is an English pub ale. Newcomers to the suburban scene — but not to brewing — recently launched an Irish-themed brewery in Downers Grove that is making incredible small-batch pub beers, a style that has fallen by the wayside in all the craft hype. Some of the most foundational styles in beer history all originated in the European pub circles. A.J. (their head brewer and co-owner) and I go back to the original Miskatonic days, and this beer is an excellent example of how traditional, easy-drinking beers can be both complex and satisfying. Light, sweet malts with the right amount of hop character to complement its finish. Perfect to pair with their stews in the taproom.

What fellow Illinois breweries and specific beers have impressed you lately?

So hard to choose with the massive amount of talent that is not only in Chicagoland, but Illinois in general, so as a suburbanite myself I would say the following from the amazing breweries around me (I am a homebody and creature of habit).

Werk Force’s WERD, a rye IPA — Brandon and Amanda have been making amazing beer since Chicago Brew Werks was around (their original homebrew shop). I was buying everything from them for years, constantly stopping in not only for BHBC prototype ingredients, but trying anything they would tap on the weekends as well. This is a killer spicy red rye with plenty of hop kick in the aroma and flavor, and then a malty backbone to balance it out.

Skeleton Key’s Puzzle Club, a ruby rye ale — Paul, Emily and John consistently continue to keep putting out incredibly drinkable malt-forward beers, which I have been favoring more and more as the years go by. Puzzle Club is smooth and malty with the right amount of rye. It’s a beer you keep reaching back to for another sip. Catch it on nitro if you can!

Blume & Ferris is a new Irish-themed brewery in Downers Grove that is making incredible small-batch pub beers — a style that has fallen by the wayside in all the craft hype. Their Old Speckled Hare is an excellent example of how traditional, easy-drinking beers can be both complex and satisfying.

What are you most proud of at your brewery?

Most recently it was our back-to-back gold medal wins for our gin barrel-aged botanical lager, From Earth to You, at FoBAB (Festival of Barrel Aged Beers). Being a smaller brewery with only so much room and ability to barrel age beer, we put incredible dedication and love into our barrels and want to present something barrel aged that both long-time and new craft beer drinkers may never have thought to try. Our vision has always been “smaller beers in odd barrels” or a style you might never think to barrel age.

We also have really been pushing our lager program hard the last six months, and we think we are truly locking in some amazing traditional and non-traditional lagers here at Black Horizon. We are typically known for our off-the-cuff zany infusions, but our classic beers have been some of the best we’ve ever brewed.

Other than awards, it’s definitely the sense of community we foster here locally. I still tend bar every Monday night, and the amazing regulars and friends we have constantly coming out to support us even on a Monday night means everything to a small business and myself personally. (Shout out to the Monday Night Brew Crew!).

There are so many kind and caring people in our area that support the vision of craft beer, and they turn out to support whenever called upon.

We have really been pushing our lager program hard the last six months, and we think we are truly locking in some amazing traditional and non-traditional lagers. We are typically known for our off-the-cuff zany infusions, but our classic beers have been some of the best we’ve ever brewed.

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

Dune Shaper, our blueberry golden ale, will be making its seasonal return very soon and is one that is constantly asked for in the taproom and distribution.

Some bigger spring and summer events to keep an eye out for here at Black Horizon Brewing include:

Pickle Fest — Saturday, May 23 from 2-8 p.m., where our Dill-Licious pickle lager will be released, we’ll have a spicy pickle variant on tap, plus Windy City Social Burger Club will be here starting at 3 p.m. with a pickle-themed burger.

Inferno Fest — Saturday, June 27 from 12-8 p.m. Local hot sauce vendors sampling and selling hot sauces, hot pepper-infused beers and a food truck.

Black Horizon’s nine-year anniversary weekend is July 17-19 — A luau-themed weekend with tons of specialty releases, including From Earth to You mentioned above, food trucks, specialty merch and much, much more.