Blind Pig Brewpub — Kitchen + Tap

Larry Bolton
Blind Big Brewing
301 N. Neil Street, Suite 101
Champaign, IL

The last really good beer I drank was…

Thanks to the wonders of the Tavour app, I’ve had the opportunity to drink some great beers from California lately. I recently had Timbo Pils from Highland Park Brewery, the original West Coast pils. This style is a go-to for me since I want something crisp and hoppy but without the IPA ABV.

I’ve also really enjoyed Lady in Grey and Saison Bernice from Santa Adairius Rustic Ales (SARA). These are definitely quality-over-quantity type beers — very well made and just delightful.

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

After drinking high-ABV barrel-aged beers at FoBAB for several hours, my friends and I found ourselves at Cruz Blanca Taqueria + Brewery in Chicago for dinner. I ordered a round of Corn Grisettes for the table, and it was just the perfect beer for the moment. Tart, light, refreshing, funky, palette-cleansing and only 4.0 ABV.

This farmhouse ale, brewed with 100% corn, was just so different than what we’d been drinking all afternoon. While it may not be the highest-rated beer, it was absolutely the best beer in that time and place, which made it the most memorable beer of the year for me. The karaoke afterwards was fun too.

Cruz Blanca in Chicago

What are you most proud of at your brewery?

I’m proud that B.J. McCabe (our other brewer) and I have been able to carry on the tradition of making the “Beer of Champaign” for the past two and a half years. The brewery changed hands in May of 2024 after being shut down for the previous eight months. We’ve been working hard to re-establish the brewery after the down time, and while there is more work to do, we’re here and having fun.

I’m also proud our brewpub, the Blind Pig Brewpub – Kitchen & Tap, celebrated its one-year anniversary on Aug. 14. Please come visit us if you are in the Champaign-Urbana area.

I’m proud that B.J. McCabe and I have been able to carry on the tradition of making the “Beer of Champaign” for the past two and a half years. … We’ve been working hard to re-establish the brewery after some down time, and while there is more work to do, we’re here and having fun.

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

You should be able to find U of IPA Game Day in Memorial Stadium this fall if you’re in town to root on the Illini. Beyond that, Blind Pig is in the process of releasing our holiday seasonal beers: Wookie Snacks, Buddy Christmas, Umeboshi, and Petit Cochon. Wookie Snacks is a double dry hopped imperial black rye IPA; Buddy Christmas in an imperial porter with vanilla and peppermint mocha coffee; Umeboshi is a kettle sour with plum puree; and Petit Cochon is a table-strength saison. Wookie, Buddy and Umeboshi are out now, and Petit Cochon will be available mid-November. Please stop by the Blind Pig Brewpub for some food and a pint!