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Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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Opened | 2009 |
Closed | 2020 |
Key people | Bob Jensen |
Annual production volume | 2,500 US beer barrels (2,900 hL) in 2015 [1] |
Argus Brewery was a brewing company located on the south side of Chicago, at the edge of the Roseland community and the historic Pullman District. [1] Founded in 2009, the brewery produced beer for multiple Chicago restaurants as well as its own self-named brand. Argus brewery closed in March 2020.
The brewery was housed in a century-old building that originally served as the Schlitz Brewery stable. [2] Schlitz constructed its largest facility across the tracks from the Pullman Company to provide beer to the 10,000 area workers who were forced to live in a dry community. [3]
In 2016, Ted Furman became the brewmaster at Argus Brewing, and began to reproduce recipes from his defunct brand Golden Prairie. That same year the Argus Lager won a bronze award at the World Beer Cup. [4] In 2018, the Golden Prairie Doppel Alt was awarded a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival. [5] Argus brand original craft beers and Golden Prairie brand beers were available in local taverns and stores, with most sales coming from taphouses. [6]
In late 2012 the brewery teamed up with Jarrett Payton, son of the late NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton, to create the Jarrett Payton All-American Wheat Ale. The limited release beer was developed by Payton and the Jensen family. [7] Argus also brewed beers honoring other notable Chicagoans, including the Paschke Pilsner for beloved local artist Ed Paschke, [8] and the Tuskegee Airmen Pursuit as homage to Jack Lyle, one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. [9] Argus Brewery also briefly contract-brewed for Baderbrau, one of Chicago’s oldest craft brewing companies. [10]
Argus Brewery closed in 2020, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois. The brewery stopped brewing on March 28, twelve days after bars and restaurants were ordered to close to stem the spread of the virus in Chicago. [6] [11] [12]
Bob Jensen, co-founder of Pullman-based Argus Brewery, said a distributor recently approached him about exporting as well. The brewery, which was founded in 2009 and produces 2,500 barrels a year, plans to start shipping four of its brands to Germany and England in about three weeks.