Shop Local: Iron & Glass taproom builds friendships and encourages connections

MINOOKA – When Maggie and Eric Schutz met their new neighbors Christen and Colt Snodgrass, the connection was instantaneous.

“We just drank beers and hung out all the time,” Maggie Schutz said. “We had so much fun tasting new [beers] together. Colt would always go hunting for more, like trying to find the new stuff, the good stuff.”

After 10 years of experiencing new beers, meads and ciders, the friends combined their love of community and drink to open Iron&Glass, a taproom and bottle shop.

“We wanted to bring our experience to more people because it was something we got so much joy out of doing,” Maggie Schutz said.

In 2016, Iron&Glass opened at 632 S. Weber Road in Romeoville and opened its second location in 2020 at 104 Ridge Road Suite 102 in Minooka.

The tap room offers something for everyone, ranging from cocktails to local craft breweries and mead. The shop carries multiple flavors of beer, ranging from 903 Cinna-Toast Munch, Urban Chestnut, Winter Black Lager, Energy City Bistro Banana Spilt and Revolution Freedom Lemonade.

“We all have our individual tastes, like my tastes are more like a farmhouse Saison, but I really do enjoy great imperial stouts and lager,” Christen Snodgrass said.

“I love West Coast IPAs or a pale ale. Or I’ll go for an occasional lager,” Maggie Schultz said.

The owners try to offer as many local beers as possible focusing on Illinois and the Midwest.

“We do get beer from everywhere, but we try to be as hyperlocal as possible,” Christen Snodgrass said. “Werk Force is super close to the Romeoville store and they put out solid products consistently, so we utilize them a lot.”

Iron&Glass offers multiple events throughout the year to promote tasting beers, ciders and meads, and enhance connections. The shop has a brewery of the month, which for December is The Brewing Projekt from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The brewery of the month will be the focus for Wednesday Pint Night, where beer from a selected brewery is discounted, and on one Thursday night per month, each location has a bingo night with prizes sponsored by the brewery of the month.

The shop offered a tie-dye and beer event over the summer, as well as Yoga and Beer.

Christen Snodgrass said the most important aspect of the business is creating a community, a place people can “choose their own adventure.” The taproom doesn’t have TV and encourages clients to share their favorite beers and drinks with each other.

“The amount of friendships and stuff that have flourished and happened because of the environment we have created by sharing with each other and not having TVs has really been one of my favorite things about opening up the business,” Christen Snodgrass said.

Iron&Glass does not serve food and doesn’t plan to. Instead, the shop encourages its customers to buy food from local restaurants. Maggie Schutz said it is more about creating a community and building relationships with people.

Iron&Glass is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Mondays; noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; noon to 9 p.m. Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For information, visit ironglasstapminooka.shopsettings.com.