Popular suburban craft meadery Pips Meadery is opening a brand new taproom in Gurnee, located at 1350 Tri State Pkwy., Suite 124.
The company, owned by Matthew Preiss, recently received approval from the Gurnee village board to open a taproom and production facility in a space currently used by Only Child Brewing and Taproom. Ben Rossi, the owner of Old Child Brewing, announced on the brewery’s Facebook the business’ last day will be on June 24. It is unknown when Preiss will open this new taproom, but it won’t likely be anytime soon. When it does open, it will be a perfect opportunity for Preiss to show off his family-owned mead.
“Only Child’s space is set up very well for them as far as production, on-site consumption, and package sales, so they’re looking to continue that trend at that site,” Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said at the board meeting earlier this month.
Pips Meadery quickly became known for its thoughtfully crafted recipes, rich flavors, and unique and experimental flavor combinations. The bold flavors quickly earned the company recognition and landed them on the top spot among all craft breweries worldwide on UnTappd in the last three to four years. The brand has become so popular that secondary markets are selling bottles of Pips are over $300.
“It is the most desired mead made in the Chicago area,” Gonciarczyk, who has been covering the local craft brewing scene since 2014 on the podcast he co-hosts ABV Chicago, tells The Daily Herald. “And it’s not only desired in Chicago but across the country. [After buying a bottle of Pips’ mead called Plum] I checked back to see if there were more available two to three minutes later, and it was sold out.”
