Two microbreweries could open in Joliet before end of 2017

JOLIET – MyGrain Brewing Co. still hopes to open before the end of August while a second microbrewery in Joliet looks to open before the end of the year.

MyGrain is the brewpub that will be located in city-owned Union Station.

“The beer will be ready the last week of August, so we cannot open before then,” said Gregory Lesiak, one of the MyGrain owners.

The brewpub plans a soft opening to make sure the operation is running smoothly before it begins marketing for customers.

“We have started brewing,” Lesiak said. “Everything else is going on as scheduled. We’re hoping to open in August. We’re just going to open. We’re not going to announce it, because we want to try everything first. ... We’re hoping to have a grand opening in September.”

MyGrain has started hiring and plans to open with a staff of 15, Lesiak said.

The brewpub will include a restaurant. MyGrain will have five beers when it opens. The microbrewery hopes to can the beer for distribution by November.

Elder Brewing Co.

MyGrain at one time planned to open in early July.

But starting a microbrewery can be challenging.

Elder Brewing Co., which will be located at 218 E. Cass St., hopes to open before the end of 2017 but is not giving a firm date.

“We’re working on a few more updates before we open up,” said Melissa Polykandriotis, adding they hope to open “in a few months.”

Her husband, Andrew Polykandriotis, is the owner of Elder Brewing Co.

The plan is to have 10 beers on tap, have a tasting area where people can buy and drink the beer, and distribute the beer to local restaurants.

Elder Brewing Co. is located at a former location of JCM Uniforms, which has been in business for more than 100 years and is at 151 E. Cass St. The Polykandriotis family has had the business since 1967.