Vernon Hills resident behind Long Grove brewery makes his own beer

Michael Marr, the Vernon Hills resident behind the proposed Buffalo Creek Brewery in Long Grove, has been home-brewing beer for the past 13 years.

"I always wanted to take my passion and make a profession out of it," Marr said over the phone while on a business trip to India after he caught word of a story that ran in Wednesday's print edition of the Daily Herald about the brewery and tap room proposal.

Marr said he has come up with 40 recipes for various brews.

"I spend a lot of time doing calculations in Excel on spreadsheets," Marr said, adding that he can usually get the recipe right in one or two tries.

But what attracted Marr to Long Grove?

"I was looking for a town or village with a downtown area," Marr said.

He looked at the former Red Oaks furniture building, but happened to notice the nearby building that once housed the Studio of Long Grove art gallery.

"And I said, 'this is it,'" Marr said.

Marr plans to use the building's rotunda as the brewhouse with a tap room on the first floor. The basement would be used for packaging, and eventually the back would be opened up for an outdoor beer garden.