93 Octane Brewery expanding to Elmhurst next week

93 Octane Brewery, a gas station inspired brewery located in St. Charles, is opening a new location in Elmhurst next week.

Founded inside a Pride store selling BP fuel, 93 Octane began as a 20-seat nano-brewery in St. Charles. Since then, the momentum of the brewery hasn’t slowed, expanding their craft beer selection, and developing a regionally sourced food menu to be served alongside their drinks.

Last spring, 93 Octane opened a production facility and expanded its taproom to try to accommodate for this growth. But, they still needed more space, and found that in Elmhurst.

The new brewery, at 171 N Addison St. in downtown Elmhurst, is a two-story space that blends indoor and outdoor seating with the capacity to welcome over 400 guests. They will serve brunch, lunch and dinner alongside 20 draft lines. The new location opens Thursday, Aug. 21.

“This expansion is proof that we’re creating something special that can compete with the best in local brewing,” said Mario Spina, CEO of Parent Petroleum. “It could be easy to write off 93 Octane as just ‘gas station beer,’ but we’ve assembled an all-star team with years of experience in both the craft beverage and hospitality industries, and they’ve poured that passion into building this brand from the ground up into something great.”

93 Octane is led by head brewer Alex Makowski, a brewing industry veteran who’s spent five years with the company, alongside talent from some of Illinois’ top craft breweries.

The brewery is also teaming up with Illinois-based Cal’s Angels to release a special Hoppy Golden Ale, benefiting the fight against pediatric cancer. Launching Friday, Sept. 5, 50% of draft sales from both the Elmhurst and St. Charles taprooms will be donated to the foundation. On launch day only, gift card purchases will be matched by the brewery in donations up to $50 per card as well.