Phase Three Brewing to purchase Lake Zurich Brewing Company

Phase Three Brewing Company is finalizing a deal to purchase Lake Zurich Brewing Company and become the third brewery in just over four years to operate at 932 Donata Court in the industrial area on Lake Zurich's northeast side.

Phase Three Brewing was founded in March of 2019 by Evan Morris, the company's operations manager, and the husband-and-wife team of Head Brewer Shaun Berns and Marketing Manager Brittany Berns. They named the company Phase Three because the new venture marks the third time they have worked together making beer in the Chicago area.

They linked up just over 10 years ago at the now-shuttered Ram Brewery in Schaumburg. All three were later hired by More Brewing Company in Villa Park, which opened in July of 2017.

"It got to the point there where we got comfortable enough with going out and doing our own thing," Morris said. "We have a lot of experience."

From the start, Phase Three's beer has been made at Lake Zurich Brewing under a production contract so fans of the new company's hazy IPAs and barrel-aged stouts shouldn't notice a change when the deal is finalized.

Shaun Berns said it worked out that Phase Three Brewing was interested in producing more beer and the Lake Zurich Brewing team was looking to get out of the business.

"We wanted to have a little more control of what was going on and unfortunately they were unable to grasp the market the way they originally intended," Shaun Berns said. "An opportunity opened up which allowed them to exit and allowed us to come in and secure our future."

Morris said once the purchase goes through - it's pending federal and state license approval - the owners plan on renovating the tap room.

"We won't be making it bigger but we'll make it nicer," Morris said. "We want to give it quite a face-lift."

Shaun Berns said they hope to open in the spring.

When that's done, the company will be the third brewery in the space since 2016 when Black Belt Brewery opened there. Black Belt closed in 2017 and Lake Zurich Brewing opened in 2018.