Barrington couple opening Lake Zurich brewery and tap room
Lake Zurich's Rand Road corridor will be home to a new brewery and tap room expected to open this summer.
Barrington residents Beth May and Lane Fearing will launch the Roaring Table brewery and tap room in the Village Square mall on the southwest corner of Route 22 and Rand. It'll be in what's dubbed the "horseshoe" court area on the mall's west end near the Kobe East restaurant and Jersey Mike's Subs.
Lake Zurich Mayor Thomas Poynton voiced excitement about Roaring Table after the village board recently approved a special-use permit for the microbrewery to operate in the mall. He said the village was aggressive in getting the brewery to commit to Lake Zurich instead of two other suburbs that were under consideration.
"We worked very closely with the owners," Poynton said.
Roaring Table won't sell food. May said Monday patrons will be allowed to bring their own food, order delivery from Lake Zurich restaurants or purchase snacks that are expected to include a house-made gourmet nut mix.
May said it's hoped Roaring Table will have 10 to 12 beer selections on tap at any given time. She said her husband, a former assistant brewmaster at the acclaimed Mickey Finn's Brewery in Libertyville, has been exploring a barrel-aged sour program while she is looking at creating stout offerings.
"We're really focused on pleasing our customers," May said. "We'll be really interested in getting feedback from our customers on what they like and don't like."
Roaring Table plans an outdoor seating area as part of its 3,800-square-foot space. Acoustic musical performances are expected to perform on Friday and Saturday nights.
In a December move touted as helpful for businesses, the Lake Zurich village board approved a liquor code revision that cut the license categories from 28 to 18. As part of the restructuring, the new regulations provide for a license allowing guests to drink beer in a brewery's tap room.