The greater Chicagoland area hosts many of Illinois craft breweries, but there are plenty of downstate options to visit and enjoy. In this episode The Brit, and co-host Ken McMullen of Fox Republic, travel to Kankakee IL to visit founder and brewer Matt Strysik, who together with his wife Emily, co-own Knack Brewing located alongside the Kankakee River.
Knack (or to give them their full name, Knack Brewing & Fermentations) has been open for nearly a year and a half, and is the only craft brewery in town. The taproom is located in a corner building, and the brewery in a separate building right next door. Matt tells us about has some of the challenges of getting his kegs down to the basement cooler, which can only be described as a ‘crawl-in’ cooler. Like many small breweries, he did much of the work himself in setting up both areas, and has created a unique, welcoming place to drink great, small batch craft beer.
This is a grass roots operation but Matt is producing extremely high quality, and very drinkable beers, tapping in to the tastes of the area clientele, but also testing out the waters with some adjunct variants. Definitely worth a visit downstate!! Cheers!
Beers Sampled:
- Thrilla, Kolsch, 5.2% ABV
- Honey Biscuit, Helles, 5.1% ABV
- Remy, Dark Lager, 5.1% ABV
- Extra Super, Doppelbock, 7.5% ABV
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