Joshua Grubbs, Black Lung Brewing Company’s president/head brewer, shows off one of his beers.
Courtesy of Black Lung Brewing Company
A Grayslake resident whose craft beer brewing hobby became a passion and grew to a business with two locations is coming home with a larger, upgraded taproom.
Josh Grubbs, president and head brewer of Black Lung Brewing Company is reviving a vacant space at 2 S. Lake St., a move he says will double his brewing capacity and bring a killer kitchen with upscale bar food to the mix.
“We’re fired up to land in Grayslake — finally,” Grubbs said. “Our new taproom doubles our brewing muscle and brings the full Black Lung experience to town.”
An invite-only preview is planned for Aug. 29 followed by the official grand opening Aug. 30 at which Mug Club members get priority seating. The taproom is open to all Aug. 31.
Besides 24 draft lines for a changing lineup of Black Lung brews (four for wine and mead), that experience will feature a full gastropub-style menu overseen by head chef Tanner Oglesby, “designed to keep you planted, fork in one hand, pint in the other,” Grubbs said.
Pinball and arcade games, bingo, trivia, open mic night, live music on weekends and, on the first Sunday of every month starting in October, a bluegrass jam circle drawing musicians from across the Midwest are planned attractions.
The new taproom is being crafted in a vintage building occupied by Light the Lamp Brewery from 2018 until closing June 30, 2024. A breakfast shop operated briefly before the space became available.
Grubbs said he had a deep connection and love for “The Lamp” — his cousin was the brewer, a good friend was head chef and Oglesby the sous chef. The space was available some time ago but the timing wasn’t right, Grubbs said.
“The building was designed to be a brewery and I’ve always felt Black Lung was meant to be in Grayslake, so it was all very natural,” he said.
Mayor Elizabeth Davies said the village is excited to have a local brewer once again be part of its historic downtown.
“They already have been a great partner” to the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce, said Davies adding, “and we look forward to the energy and community they will bring to the end of our beloved Center Street.”
With a day job he still holds as superintendent in the elevator industry, Grubbs began brewing about 10 years ago and slowly became immersed in the craft beer world.
The Grubbs family — wife Sarah and four kids — has lived in Grayslake for 12 years and may have a built-in audience for the latest venture. Many neighbors first sampled the handcrafted brews in his garage, on brew nights or other occasions, he said.
Black Lung was founded in 2019. Brewing initially was done in rented space at ZumBier in Waukegan before the first taproom opened in a former pawnshop space on Route 83 in Round Lake Beach.
Sarah suggested the name after hearing the song “Black Lung Heartache” by Joe Bonamassa about the rough life of a coal miner. She thought it a fitting way to honor Josh’s beloved grandfather, “Big Bill,” who briefly worked in a mine in Kentucky and nearly died in a cave in before moving to Waukegan.
Black Lung Brewing Company is opening its third taproom in the former Light the Lamp Brewery space at 2 S. lake St., in Grayslake. Joshua Grubbs, president/head brewer, says the new spot has twice the seating of either of the taprooms in Round Lake Beach and Fox Lake.
Mick Zawislak/[email protected]
Revenue in Round Lake Beach became an issue, Grubbs said, so instead of relying heavily on distribution of his creations, in 2022, he opted to open a second location near Lakefront Park in Fox Lake.
Grayslake is twice the size of either of the other taprooms and there will be 100 more seats — almost double what’s available in Fox Lake, Grubbs said. Revenue still is a struggle in Round Lake Beach and that location will close when the lease ends in June.
“I designed that taproom from a white box. It’s part of my soul,” Grubbs said. “But the business can’t sustain there anymore. It’s time to grow.”
Black Lung Brewing Company is opening its third taproom in the former Light the Lamp Brewery space at 2 S. lake St., in Grayslake. The structure was built in 1916 as an auto dealership.
Mick Zawislak/[email protected]
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