Jt Walker’s Brewery will open Wednesday Nov.20th at 4:00 pm and will close at 9:00pm. Brew master Ay (Aaron Young) will be available to chat about his beers and answer any questions you may have. CHEERS!
Tuesday, November 6th, 2012. It was a big day for us at Champaign County Brewing Company, as all of our brewing equipment arrived. We were not sure how things would go, but we had Jim from Chicago (we just call him Jim) and his fine crew from Triple B were there to lead the way. As Jim cursed the orders to his crew, we slowly figured out how to get the multi-ton equipment squeezed into the building. Luckily, for us, we had our friend Toby Brown, with the help of a fork truck, there to do all of the heavy lifting. Kyle Ryan, who had the set-up and knowledge to make things more professional, stepped in voluntarily. Also, Mike Miller, who seems to have a pretty good idea how to do just about everything, kept things moving more than once.
Seeing all of the equipment inside instantly changed what was an empty building into a brewery. After moving in the equipment, our thirst for beer was evident, but our desire for a beer from our own brewery is what we really began craving. In the near future, we should be getting everything hooked up and ready to brew. Our new and good friend, Jim, who loosens up once the work is done, and his crew are heading back this way in a couple weeks to give us a hand. After that, I get to start working with this beast to crank out some cold beer. I can hardly wait.
Cheers,
AY
Lately, every day seems like an eternity. I am so excited about all the new things going on at JT Walker’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, but they just are not happening as fast as I would like them to. But I wanted to give you an update.
We have started construction on the new JT Walker’s Brewery that will be located at 402 E. Main St. in Mahomet, right across from the restaurants current location. This is very exciting for all of us in the JT Walker’s family and we hope the community is excited as well. It has been a year in the making, and there will still be some long months ahead before we see our vision come to life. But we are eager for the days ahead as we prepare and develop everything that will go into becoming Mahomet’s first craft brewery.
Head Brewer Aaron Young has been creating some very exciting brews in our efforts to refine our recipes and work on new ideas in anticipation of our grand opening, which will hopefully take place by the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. He has been hard at work, and I know he is anxious for everyone to taste his liquid creations.
It is an exciting time to be a craft brewery in America today. The field is constantly growing as top-notch brewers from across the country continue to push the boundries of beer. The scene in Chicago, Champaign, Urbana and throughout Illinois is expanding and bringing new things to craft beer lovers throughout the state. We at JT Walker’s, hope that we can add a little something to the movement.
In other news, we are moving forward with our rooftop seating project. Within the next few months, we hope to have an outdoor seating area on the second level of the restaurant that will provide patrons access via The Dog Pound Sports Bar. This has been a vision of mine since we first opened the restaurant in 2008, and I can’t wait to see it come to life. Let’s all pray for some great weather this summer, so that we can enjoy it to the fullest.
Let’s Get A Drink!
Justin Taylor
Owner\GM
JT Walker’s Restaurant & Sports Bar
My name is Aaron Young. Most people call me AY. I enjoy brewing beer. Although, the five bubbling carboys, the spare room crammed with brewing equipment, the bookshelf full of brewing books, and the eighty new hop plants I planted, might indicate that “enjoy” is not a strong enough word.
I have a creative side that needs to be fed. That has led to a lot of satisfaction with bartending over the years. In fact, I have had a nice job bartending at JT Walker’s for the past few of them. I really enjoy creating drinks. And, as JT’s has been finding its identity as a beer bar, I have been finding my creative outlet in brewing beer. This has coincided perfectly with JT’s idea to open a brewery.
As the new brewery gets ready to open, I have been increasing my efforts and obsessions to produce quality beers. I don’t have any hang-ups about particular styles and tastes. I enjoy the taste of hot peppers. I enjoy the taste of strawberry ice cream. I’d love to drink a milk stout. I’d love to drink a double IPA. I like bitter as well as sweet, and I enjoy all of the flavors in between. What I don’t like are things made without any heart. I don’t appreciate mindless production that never searches for soul. I enjoy quality. I respect effort. I believe in hard work. With these thoughts in mind, I am very excited to begin the journey with you of brewing beers for you. I very sincerely hope you enjoy them.
Cheers!
AY
Head Brewer
JT Walker’s Brewery