Best Of The Fox

St. Charles home to newest Pollyanna Brewing taphouse

Music to flavor new venue

By Eric Schelkopf

December 02, 2019 at 7:30 am CST

[This fall, the brewer won a gold medal in the Great American Beer Fest in Denver.] ST. CHARLES – The building that formerly housed Chord on Blues and other establishments is teeming with activity again. Pollyanna Brewing Company recently launched in the space that once housed Chord on Blues and River Rockhouse, joining Flagship on the Fox, which debuted earlier this year in the building's northern half. Pollyanna, located at 106 S. Riverside Ave. in downtown St. Charles, opened its doors earlier this month following an extensive remodeling project. "We really ripped everything down to the studs," said Pollyanna co-founder and chief financial officer Ryan Weidner, whose children attend St. Charles schools. "We really had to. It was 80 years of additions and new businesses coming in. It wasn't ADA compliant. So we had a lot of challenges early on to deal with. To do what we wanted with this, we were going to bring it down to pretty much nothing and then start from scratch." With St. Charles already home to a number of breweries, he believes Pollyanna distinguishes itself in several ways, including the quality of its beer. "We feel we brew some of the highest quality beers that are available," Weidner said. In October, Pollyanna received a gold medal in the Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado, which is one of the most prestigious professional beer competitions in the country. Pollyanna's Light Reading beer garnered the medal.

[This fall, the brewer won a gold medal in the Great American Beer Fest in Denver.] ST. CHARLES – The building that formerly housed Chord on Blues and other establishments is teeming with activity again. Pollyanna Brewing Company recently launched in the space that once housed Chord on Blues and River Rockhouse, joining Flagship on the Fox, which debuted earlier this year in the building's northern half. Pollyanna, located at 106 S. Riverside Ave. in downtown St. Charles, opened its doors earlier this month following an extensive remodeling project. "We really ripped everything down to the studs," said Pollyanna co-founder and chief financial officer Ryan Weidner, whose children attend St. Charles schools. "We really had to. It was 80 years of additions and new businesses coming in. It wasn't ADA compliant. So we had a lot of challenges early on to deal with. To do what we wanted with this, we were going to bring it down to pretty much nothing and then start from scratch." With St. Charles already home to a number of breweries, he believes Pollyanna distinguishes itself in several ways, including the quality of its beer. "We feel we brew some of the highest quality beers that are available," Weidner said. In October, Pollyanna received a gold medal in the Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado, which is one of the most prestigious professional beer competitions in the country. Pollyanna's Light Reading beer garnered the medal.

Pollyanna's products also are sold in stores throughout the area, including at the Binny's Beverage Depot in St. Charles. "Binny's is our biggest retailer," Weidner said. Weidner used his financial expertise in starting Pollyanna Brewing Company, which has two other locations. Pollyanna's Lemont site opened in 2014, followed by its Roselle location in 2017. The brewery offers more than 20 beers on tap that will change with the season. It also sells packaged liquor in the form of cans and jugs. Because the brewery doesn't have a kitchen, customers are able to bring in their own food. Pollyanna has takeout menus from restaurants that deliver in the downtown. "It allows a customer to order and have it delivered table-side," Weidner said. "For us, it just keeps folks fed and enjoying themselves. I also want to help other businesses in town."

[Pollyanna Brewing co-founders Ed Malnar and Ryan Weidner have opened a taphouse in St. Charles.] In addition, Blue Goose Market in downtown St. Charles will prepare food for the taproom, such as charcuterie boards. Weidner also sees Flagship on the Fox as a good complement to Pollyanna's operations. In many cases, customers have enjoyed a beer at Pollyanna and then gone next door to Flagship for a meal, and vice versa. Flagship also is one of several restaurants in town that carry Pollyanna's products. "We build our business here and we build our business out there," Weidner said. In addition to his duties at Pollyanna, Weidner is area financial manager at Glendale Heights-based Graybar Electric Company. A total of five partners are involved in Pollyanna's operations. Each partner has a different expertise they bring to the table. For example, co-founder and vice president of operations Ed Malnar has an architectural background and designed all of Pollyanna's buildings. "I did the base layout," Malnar said, in talking about the new St. Charles location. "And a lot of it was essentially here already. We just kind of made it over." (Photos by)

[Pollyanna Brewing has opened along the Fox River in St. Charles, and also has locations in Lemont and Roselle.] That included high-top seating and lounge couch seats that were reupholstered. They restored a 30-foot bar that was built in the 1940s, when the space was known as the Arcada Recreation Center. At that time, the building had housed a bowling alley. The structure dates back to 1934, Weidner said. Plans are to take the wood from the bowling alley and use it to construct tables in the St. Charles location. Live music also has returned to the space, with bands performing on a stage installed in front of the brewing production area. The owners hope that live music and other activities like trivia games will only add to the experience of their patrons. "At all our breweries, we've always keyed in on the experience around the beer," Weidner said. And for those who like to sip a beer while exercising, Pollyanna might offer something right up your alley – beer yoga. "We hire a yoga instructor and you drink beer during or after yoga," Weidner said, in explaining how beer yoga works. "It makes you feel good." Malnar has been homebrewing for several years, a hobby he picked up after visiting a homebrew shop in downtown St. Charles in 2001.

[Music will be offered at the taphouse.] "It's really kind of cool to be right here where it started for me," he said. "The owner showed me a book, 'The Joy of Homebrewing,' which was written by the godfather of homebrewing, Charlie Papazian." When the weather turns warm again, patrons will be able to enjoy sitting in Pollyanna's dog-friendly outdoor patio. The brewery has four garage doors that can be lifted during pleasant weather to let patrons enjoy the outdoors while sitting in comfort in Pollyanna's space. Flagship on the Fox has the same arrangement. "The seating near the overhead doors is a bit cushier and more comfortable up near the overhead doors, particularly for the nicer weather," Malnar said. "And those who want to gain some sun during the cold weather months, they can be up there as well. And then the idea is to have some high seating and just kind of step the seating down as you work your way toward the stage to make it comfortable for people to view the performance." Weidner said the space suited Pollyanna's needs well. He likes the fact that the building is in the city's downtown. "It also has a lot of historical relevance," he said. "People know this building." Pollyanna's is closed on Mondays, which allows the brewery to rent itself out for special events. More information about Pollyanna is available at its website at pollyannabrewing.com. If you go WHAT: Pollyanna Brewing Company WHERE: 106 S. Riverside Ave. in downtown St. Charles WHEN: 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 3 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday; noon to midnight Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays for special events INFO: pollyannabrewing.com, 630-549-7372

#TasteoftheTown St. Charles Ryan Weidner Ed Malnar Charlie Papazian