After closing production last fall, The Blind Pig Brewery is once again brewing beer in its Champaign brewery. New owner Matt Monahan took over the brewery this May and began brewing right away, starting with batches of the flagship ale U of IPA and a lager. The new owner wants everyone to enjoy The Blind Pig brews again, and he even has plans to open a brand-new taproom adjoining the Market Street brewery and packaging facility. Previously, The Blind Pig’s two Downtown Champaign bars and brewery were one business, but the original owner split them in the sale. The two bars, now called Hounds Court and Hounds Rest, have different owners than the brewery, but they can’t wait to put The Blind Pig beers back on the bar’s tap.
The new owner Monahan hired a team to bring The Blind Pig beers back: Lawrence Bolton and B.J. McCabe. McCabe used to work at The Blind Pig, and Monahan met Bolton as members in C-U’s organization for homebrewing aficionados BUZZ Club; the new owner calls Bolton the best homebrewer he knows. I sat down with three to learn about the new iteration of The Blind Pig Brewery.
Smile Politely: How’s production going? What were the first beers you made as a new owner?
Matt Monahan: Right now, we’re in distribution only. We’re in all the spots we were selling cans before. We’ll have U of IPA at football games this fall at the stadium. All the production is for cans distribution. People can already find U of IPA at Binny’s, Schnucks, and some other places. Soon, we’ll package a batch of pilsner and another batch, a bigger batch, of U of IPA. The next batch will be the batch that will be half cans and half kegs.
Currently, we’re only making the best hits. Please be patient with us until we get a taproom going, and we can make the lesser known one-hit wonders. We’re anxious to put our own twists on the beers, but our twist right now is quality, repeatability for the beers, getting the freshest grains and hops into the beer, and bringing practices up to date with the modern brewing practices of today.
SP: Let’s circle back to a taproom?! That’s cool. When do you anticipate The Blind Pig taproom to open?
Monahan: I hope to have the taproom before the end of the year. And hopefully with a kitchen and a menu that appeals to everyone including young families and kids. We’re here in the center of it all here in Downtown Champaign, and we want to be an attractive place for people to start their night or end their night or hang out.
We want a cool experience, a taproom where people can see into the brewery. There’s two excellent breweries in the area, and we want to complete the triangle. There needs to be a brewery in Champaign; there needs to be The Blind Pig. We couldn’t fathom The Blind Pig going away. We need it back and better than ever.
SP: When do you think The Blind Pig’s beers will be on tap in Downtown Champaign?
B.J. McCabe: It depends, but it could be out in restaurants or bars by next weekend. The beers currently in process are the U of IPA, the coffee stout, raspberry wheat, Blind Pig reserve, Blue pilsner, and tomorrow, we’re brewing Oktoberfest. They’ll hit shelves next month.
Lawrence Bolton: We’re picking up the coffee from Columbia Street Roastery next week for the coffee stout. We want to deliver the same quality beer that everyone expects from The Blind Pig.
SP: I need to know: what’s your Blind Pig brew?
Monahan: All of them! [laughs] But if I had to pick one, the U of IPA.
Bolton: Blue pils, but the U of IPA is really good, too. I like West Coast IPAs over hazy.
McCabe: My favorite is the seasonal Christmas beer Buddy Christmas. It has coffee in it, and it’s a bigger stout with lactose.
For more updates on the brewery, follow The Blind Pig on Facebook.
The Blind Pig Brewery
505 N Market St
Champaign
Food + Drink Editor / /
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