Business & Tech
'Pollyanna' Craft Brewery Coming to Downtown Lemont
Lemont Village Board members Jan. 27 approved a new class of liquor license permitting craft breweries—and one owner is hoping to have one up and running by the spring.
Downtown Lemont is one step closer to having a craft brewery to call its own.
Village board members Jan. 27 paved the way for craft breweries in Lemont, with the addition of a new type of liquor license.
Chicago 20-something and founder Brian Pawola is "cheerfully optimistic" about his plans for the aptly-named Pollyanna Brewing Company. The brewery is moving into space at 431 Talcott Ave., in downtown Lemont.
Pawola is a former healthcare IT specialist-turned-master-brewer, with a dream and the beer know-how to make it happen. Pawola gets his beer background from the Siebel Institute of Technology’s WBA Master Brewer Program—and of course, from sampling suds from breweries elsewhere.
"I've visited hundreds of breweries and brewpubs across the country over the past five years and there's usually one thing I notice when it comes to the quality of beer being produced; experienced brewers produce better beer than brewers that make the immediate jump from home brewer to professional brewer," wrote Pawola on the Pollyanna website.
Pawola nailed down a location in early January, setting in motion the process of opening.
"So what does this all mean?" according to a post on the business's Facebook page. "We can apply for a federal brewing license with the TTB, apply for building permits and liquor licenses, write a fat check for our brand new turn-key brewing system, start construction on our beautiful taproom, update our website, and most importantly get closer to brewing beer that we promise you'll love."
Pawola submitted the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau application Jan. 24. Pollyanna is expected to open in spring 2014.
Follow Pollyanna's progress!
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
