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Made in the Suburbs: Buffalo Creek Brewing - 'Life's too short for bad beer'

Questions answered by Mike Marr, Buffalo Creek Brewing Owner and Brewmaster

Q: Describe your company. What product(s) do you make and what are they used for?

A: Buffalo Creek Brewing is a 5-year-old production brewery making German- and Belgian-style beers in the heart of Historic Downtown Long Grove. In addition to distributing our product throughout most of Northeast Illinois, we have created a destination brewery in Lake County, where customers can sample their favorite brews in our Bavarian-themed taproom or in our 1-acre, all season biergarten with live music and food trucks on the weekends.

Q: Describe the process of making your products.

A: We take four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast) to make authentic German- and Belgian-style beer. Utilizing a state-of-the-art, 15-barrel brewhouse, we brew three to six batches a week. Beers are fermented for two to eight weeks depending on the style of the beer (two weeks for ales and up to eight weeks for lagers) and then packaged into kegs and cans for distribution.

Q: Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?

A: We are fortunate to have a fantastic staff but continue to search for talented members to join our team. During the summer months, we have reached our maximum production capacity and are planning to purchase additional fermenters and brite tanks this fall. Plans are to have them installed and prepped in the winter months.

Q: Do you have enough space in your current facility or are you looking to expand/find a new facility?

A: We purchased this building with plans of expansion within the existing footprint. While designing our workflows with our architects, we emphasized our future needs of additional equipment being added with minimal structural changes. All production areas were implemented with additional plumbing, electrical and drainage to achieve this.

Q: What will your company's main challenges be in the next year?

A: Increasing distribution to liquor stores, chains, supermarkets and restaurants will be our biggest challenge in the next year. We produce a premium product and are fortunate to have very high demand, however, with so many microbreweries in Chicagoland, there's a lot of competition for tap handles and shelf space. We have engaged a local marketing firm that has helped us redesign our can labels and promotional materials. In addition to working closely with our distributors, sales reps are being added to expand our territory.

Q: What's the hottest trend in your industry?

A: Consumers are gravitating toward well-crafted lagers produced by microbreweries. While we have always had a selection of lagers, we, and many other breweries close to us, have seen an uptick in lager sales this past year. Lagers are a style of beer that have a clean, crisp finish. They take four to eight weeks to ferment and there is no room to cover up or fix mistakes from the brewing process. They are easy to drink and are considered crushable.

Q: Do you have a business mantra?

A: Life's too short for bad beer.

Q: What is one interesting fact about your company that most people may not know?

A: Our flagship beer, Marrvelous, is not spelled wrong, it's named after the owner, Mike Marr. I developed the recipe more than 20 years as an aspiring home-brewer learning to perfect my craft. Buffalo Creek brews a fresh batch just about every other week. It's simply Marrvelous!

Q: What are the benefits to you of making your product(s) here in the Chicago suburbs?

A: We transformed the former Art Studio and Galley of Long Grove into a unique space situated in Historic Downtown Long Grove. Our 1-acre biergarten is surrounded by tall pines and has rustic furniture, firepits, and picnic tables. You can take a short drive, cross over Long Grove's infamous Single-Lane Covered Bridge and feel like you're in the northern woods of Wisconsin. Buffalo Creek Brewing is a place where you can enjoy friends, drink great beer and forget about the hustle and bustle of Chicagoland.

Q: If you could make any product other than what you do make, what would it be?

A: We would like to make spirits, specifically bourbon, rye and rum. This could be another chapter for Buffalo Creek as we continue to expand.

Q: If you could pick someone famous to promote your product, who would it be?

A: The Big Lebowski - we love his relaxed, no-nonsense attitude. We combined his name with King Ludwig's for our annual Oktoberfest beer named Big Ludwigski, "Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!" As The Dude imbibes, the Big Ludwigski features huge amounts of Munich malts with subtle hints of noble hops and a clean finish, making you ask for more Bitte.

Cans of beer from Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove. Courtesy of Buffalo Creek Brewing
The inside of Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove. Courtesy of Buffalo Creek Brewing
Outside Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove. Courtesy of Buffalo Creek Brewing
Mike Marr is owner and brewmaster at Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove. Courtesy of Buffalo Creek Brewing

Buffalo Creek Brewing

360 Historical Lane, Long Grove, IL 60047

(847) 821-66140

www.buffalocreekbrewing.com

Industry: Brewery

Annual revenue: $1.5 million

Number of employees: 19

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