Nov. 10--Since opening in 2013, Greg Shuff, the founder of DryHop brewpub, has been clear that he intended to expand his business. The obvious route would have been adding a collection of DryHop pubs across the city, and perhaps one day bottling and canning DryHop beer at his own production brewery. That's a common route for many breweries.
Instead, Shuff is expanding more like a restaurateur. Rather than perpetuate one brand, he is creating a new name and a new concept, which he plans to open next summer: Corridor Brewery and Provisions, at 3446 N. Southport Ave.
While DryHop can be loosely defined as a gastropub with hop-focused beers (think: decadent cheeseburger alongside an India pale ale), Shuff described Corridor as "an American farmhouse craft brewery." That means sandwiches and flatbreads fired in a clay hearth oven paired with Belgian-inspired beer that feature contemporary American twists.
A provisional beer list included Melon Basil Biere de Garde ("pureed cantaloupe and honeydew melon boost this take on the French celebration ale"), Dry Hopped Kettle Sour, ("house lacto wort is blended with Belgian Pale wort to create this tart citrus kettle sour"), Belgian Chocolate Stout ("American stout with Belgian chocolate and French pressed coffee") and Lemongrass and Ginger Saison ("Thai and Vietnamese flavors add to the classic Belgian farmhouse ale"). DryHop head brewer Brant Dubovick will have the same role at Corridor.
Shuff said his expansion is inspired more by restaurant groups like One Off Hospitality Group (Big Star, The Publican) and Boka Restaurant Group (Girl the Goat, Balena), which innovate new concepts, rather than the average brewpub, which is usually fueled by furthering one brand.
"We like the idea of doing for craft beer what the great Chicago restaurant groups have done for the food scene," Shuff said. "That was the model from the very beginning for me. When we started down this road, I thought there was a lot of opportunity to expand on what craft beer was doing."
Corridor's "farmhouse" concept struck him as a hole in the market.
"It has been on a short list of ideas for quite some time," he said. "What pushed it over was Midwest Belgian Beer Fest in St. Louis. I saw a lot of really great Belgian and farmhouse-style ales being produced in the Midwest, and they got a really strong reaction."
The food menu followed Corridor's beer concept.
"The beer list led itself into a food program very intuitively," Shuff said. "I think of bread, really. Baked sandwiches. We'll try to be less fried."
Shuff said he envisions opening a dozen brewpubs across the city (or elsewhere in the Midwest) with varying names and concepts.
"The brewpub is where I plan to stay and play around," he said. "I find it very unlikely I'll ever be in distribution."
Shuff said he expects to hire 40 new staff between his two brewpubs.
jbnoel@tribune.com
Twitter @joshbnoel
