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Microbrewery trying to open in Arlington Heights

Plans for Arlington Beer Co., a new microbrewery in Arlington Heights, are moving forward, but part of the original proposal to include a tap room with tours and tastings has been put on hold.

Owner Kathleen Egan and her husband are working with two Arlington Heights brewers to open a microbrewery at 3 N. and 19 N. Hickory Ave. in Arlington Heights.

Egan, an Itasca resident, appeared before the plat and sub committee on Wednesday night and said that the original plans have changed due to Arlington Heights code, which doesn't allow for establishments to serve liquor without also having a kitchen.

Now, Arlington Beer Co. is hoping to open by early 2015 as a manufacturing brewery only. It would distribute craft beers to grocery stores, restaurants and liquor stores within 30 miles, Egan said.

Original plans submitted to village staff members included brewery tours, tastings and a tap room, but no kitchen, which is against village code. Arlington Heights does not allow bars, only restaurants that serve liquor. The village does not have a liquor license category for breweries and would have to create one for Arlington Beer Co.

The original Arlington Beer Co. proposal called for food trucks to park on the premises for extended periods, but that also is against village code, according to a staff report.

Because of those issues, the staff development committee could not give a positive recommendation on the project and the petitioners have altered their plans, for now.

“We are going to start slow,” Egan said Thursday. “We just want to get open at this point. We aren't really changing our plans, just starting out in increments.”

Egan said they haven't met with Mayor Tom Hayes yet. She hopes that once Arlington Beer Co. is open, the village will get to know and trust the business.

“We are just playing it by ear now, trying to see where the village is. It's the wave of the future, so hopefully it works out,” Egan said. “You have to educate people. A tap room wouldn't be a place for people to come and get drunk. It's for people coming for the experience. This isn't new, but it's new to Arlington Heights.”

Arlington Beer Co. also sits in the midst of the Hickory-Kensington area, which was recently designated as a tax increment financing district and could be subject to redevelopment when a developer comes into the region.

Egan said it is too soon to tell what impact the TIF district will have on her business. The company has been renting the space for three years, before the redevelopment was discussed.

“It's an awesome area. We are more of a destination business this way,” she said. “I think it would fit well in the redevelopment, but we don't know yet.”

In the meantime, the brewers — Mike Valente and Zach Phillips, both of Arlington Heights — have been working a lot of festivals and networking to share their creations, including a sweet potato beer in the fall, a Door County cherry beer in the summer and others.

The business still needs approval from the plan commission and the village board before it can open.

“We're super excited to get started,” Egan said.

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