At the edge of downtown Morris, a former fire station garage found an unexpected second life — courtesy of a beloved Central Illinois brewery.

Keg Grove Brewing Company, whose Bloomington-based brewery produces in excess of 1,000 barrels of craft beer every year, expanded their operations to Morris in 2024, bringing their signature laid-back atmosphere and flavor-forward brews to the eastern reaches of Starved Rock Country.

What started as a passion project among friends Jeffery Mroz and Tyler Cox evolved into a beloved brand, a line of signature year-round beers and two breweries and taprooms.

“My friends and I just started out home brewing, with no real intention of going any further than that,” Mroz said. “Some friends of ours really pushed us to give it a shot, to scale up, and we opened up in Bloomington back in 2018.”

From the moment their flagship beer — Holey Jeans, a blueberry wheat — first hit the tap, Keg Grove’s momentum hasn’t slowed. Originally intended as a seasonal offering, Holey Jeans quickly earned fan-favorite status, transforming into a year-round staple. It now anchors a sprawling lineup that includes hazy IPAs like Drones and Your Mom’s A Grapefruit; a rich oatmeal coffee stout dubbed Late Night Golf Cart Ride; and their crowd-pleasing grape seltzer Purple Slurp, in addition to seasonal, small-batch and experimental concoctions.

“We try to keep a pretty diverse variety of styles on offer, with most of our beers landing in that 5 to 5.5% ABV range,” Mroz said. “We keep everything approachable, from flavor to ABV.”

That philosophy of accessibility and comfort extends well beyond the tap list. The Keg Grove family has always prided itself on creating spaces that feel like home, whether you’re a craft beer enthusiast or just tagging along with one.

“We started off with the goal of Keg Grove just feeling really comfortable and laid back. That was a big priority,” Mroz said. “We didn’t want it to be the sort of place where you swing open the door and everyone turns their head and stares. I think it starts with our staff; they’re super welcoming. They’re great about walking people through the list, finding the drink that’s the right fit for them.”

Keg Grove’s commitment to beverage matchmaking doesn’t end there. They always keep a domestic beer or two on tap, knowing that not every guest is a craft beer person but may be willing to expand their horizons once they’re comfortable in the space.

The journey to opening a second taproom and brewery in Morris came about as organically as their evolution from garage home brewing to commercial crafting.

“It was probably in 2022 or 2023 when the city of Morris first reached out,” Mroz recalled. “They had done a study to see what residents wanted in the downtown area, and one of the things that people kept saying was that they’d like to have a brewery.”

Some locals from Morris were already regular patrons at the Bloomington taproom and had sung Keg Grove’s praises to the city. That connection sparked a conversation, which grew into something much more.

“We immersed ourselves in the city to see if it was a good fit for both parties,” Mroz said. “We loved the area, the opportunities, and the space that we could get — it all worked out so well.”

That space, as it happens, was a former firehouse. Once used as a garage and workout facility for Morris Fire Protection District, the building checked nearly every box on Keg Grove’s wishlist. The building boasted big bay garage doors, floor drains and high-volume water — some of the essentials for running a modern brewpub. Now, the interior design references the building’s former life. Two red fire hydrants bookend the taps, and the fire station’s bay doors are now made of glass, allowing the building to be awash with natural light.

One year in, Keg Grove Morris is bustling. The space hosts regular events, including trivia nights, live music, yoga sessions and paint-and-sip parties.

Fans of Keg Grove’s flagship Bloomington location may note one thing missing at the Morris spot: their brewery tanks are as of yet unnamed. One of the most eye-catching sights at the Bloomington location is a series of towering brewing tanks emblazoned with caricatures of the characters from “The Big Lewbowski,” the cult-classic 1998 film. Mroz said they take the tank-naming process seriously, and while they’ve had lots of ideas, they haven’t landed on the perfect one just yet.

“It’s a lot like naming a beer — when you know it, you know it. Something’s going to fit, but we’re not rushing it.”