Pig Minds Brewing Co.
4080 Steele Dr.
Machesney Park, IL
PigMindsBrewing.com

Monday-Wednesday: 3-8 p.m.
Thursday: 3-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 12-9 p.m.
Sunday: 12-8 p.m.

What they’re known for: Opened back in 2012 in Machesney Park, just a few minutes north of Rockford, Pig Minds proudly boasts of being America’s first vegan brewery. Owners Brian and Kelly Endl have lived a vegan lifestyle for a bit over three decades and long envisioned opening a vegan restaurant in the area. Considering the fact it’s a working-class town and the space they originally found is located an industrial area, they decided to couple that plan with a brewery to try something truly unique. Some 14 years later, it’s safe to say their intuition was right on the mark.

Located just five minutes off route 90, head brewer Chris Langguth — who earned his stripes at Commonwealth Brewing in Virginia and worked alongside staff from Cigar City Brewing and the award-winning Sojourn Fermentory — has recognized that Pig Minds has become a destination of sorts, regularly drawing customers from out of town — and as far as Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison.

What caught our eye: We’re not going to lie. One of the first things that caught our eye was the inflation-busting beer flight option, where you get a whopping 10 brews in five-ounce glasses for just $18 any day of the week. Yep, you’re reading that accurately. Perfect to split with someone, or just tackle yourself, to get a good feel for the draft list.

One of the first things that caught our eye was the inflation-busting beer flight option, where you get a whopping 10 brews in five-ounce glasses for just $18 any day of the week. Yep, you’re reading that accurately.

The space is inviting, and we tend to set up shop at the large J-shaped bar that, along with a few tanks, dominates the room (in a good way). There’s also a pair of patios to relax during the warmer months, and an upstairs event space.

Another thing we noticed is how many people were eating dinner — and not just drinking beer. “It’s an interesting challenge to be creative enough to appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike, and focus on quality and presentation,” says Langguth. “Not one of us on the brewing side is vegan, but all the food is phenomenal.”

Food and beer: The food menu is 100 percent plant-based, featuring a wide variety of creative appetizers, bowls, stone-fired pizzas, sandwiches, desserts, and weekend specials, and let us be the first to tell you, it’s almost impossible to tell these are vegan dishes that rolling out of the kitchen.

Check out the kicked-up Brussels sprouts that are perfectly crispy and drizzled with wasabi ranch and honey mustard and then topped with crispy onions and sesame seeds. The edamame dumplings covered in a coconut miso sauce are another appetizer too tough to pass on. As a main course, the sweet and spicy Beyond steak tips are simmered in a sweet and spicy pepper sauce and served with steamed rice, fresh green beans, and crispy wontons. And don’t ignore the housemade gyro seitan or loaded mac n’ cheesy bowl.

The food menu is 100 percent plant-based, featuring a wide variety of creative appetizers, bowls, stone-fired pizzas, and sandwiches, and it’s almost impossible to tell these are vegan dishes rolling out of the kitchen.

As for beer, they’re best known for a core trio of Southy Bitch Slap (American red ale with notes of toffee, caramel and cherry), Sweep the Leg (West Coast IPA), and Happi Daze (a delightful blueberry blonde ale).

They’ve done a staggering 35 iterations of the popular Kloudé double hazy IPA series, and going forward, Kloudé fan favorites will be rotating quarterly.

On a recent stop, we enjoyed the clean and crisp hefeweizen called Hey There Hef and the smooth Krumelbier Vienna-style lager. And don’t sleep on the Jampire fruited sour gose that’s loaded with strawberry, raspberry, and pine Himalayan salt and then gets conditioned on hibiscus for a nice touch. Really unique, and a really solid lineup.

Fun times: Pig Minds offers live music every weekend, as well as popular trivia nights and other events like comedy shows, boozy book fairs, beer yoga, and car shows.

Giving back: While it’s still available on draft and in 4-packs, grab yourself some Golden Chin, Pig Minds’ collaboration beer with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. It’s a pale ale with notes of herbal citrus, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the museum’s conservation efforts.

My philosophy has always been to brew a little of everything to really draw people in. I enjoy being both engaged as a brewer and getting our customers engaged in what we’re doing. — Head brewer Chris Langguth

Coming up: The last Monday Cruise Night of the summer is coming up Sept. 14 from 5-8 p.m. Come show off your car, bike, or truck and meet up with other drivers, grab a beer, and enjoy some live music. Pig Minds’ Oktoberfest celebration will be Saturday, Sept. 19 from 12-10 p.m. with all kinds of food and drink specials, live music, stein-holding competitions, and more.

From the brewery: “We thrive on having established our identity as being the country’s first vegan brewpub and bringing together both the beer and vegan food community. And it’s been a lot of fun growing our beer program with an emphasis on consistency and a full range of styles. … My philosophy has always been to brew a little of everything to really draw people in. I enjoy being both engaged as a brewer and getting our customers engaged in what we’re doing.”  — Head brewer Chris Langguth