Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Turner Haus Brewery co-owners Steven Turner, Blair Turner-Aikens and Nathaniel Aikens have officially put down roots in Bronzeville.
They will be opening Turner Haus Chicago in collaboration with local coffee shop chain Sip & Savor’s space (78 E. 47th St.) in the historic Rosenwald Court Apartments on the 4600 block of South Michigan Avenue by the end of the summer.
The collaboration makes Turner Haus Chicago’s first Black-owned brewery since Vice District Brewery shut down in 2019.
“We’re working on the specs now,” said Turner on Friday. He says the brewery’s beers, named after family matriarchs “Helen,” “Lola” and “Marlene,” among others, will be served on-tap. “Honestly, for the most part, it’s going to look exactly the same as it already does as far as the build out is concerned; the only difference is we’re just going to take over an area of [Sip & Savor’s] storage area.
CORRECTION: Turner Haus Brewery’s ownership reached out after the story was published to clarify: They plan on opening later this year in Bronzeville, not inside the South Loop space that Vice District vacated. Amended story follows.
A new brewery taproom a rare Black-owned operation in the beer world could soon arrive in Bronzeville. Turner Haus Brewery Chicago aims to open later this year, according to
the Sun-Times. Brewery co-founder Nathaniel Aikens tells Eater Chicago they’re in the middle of a land acquisition, but won’t reveal their address until the deal’s done. They plan on serving food inside their new space.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Co-founders Steven Turner, Blair Turner-Aikens and Nathaniel Aikens aim to make their Turner Haus Brewery Chicago’s first Black-owned brewery since Vice District Brewery shut down in 2019.
Now that Turner Haus is beginning to make a name for itself via beer tasting events, the trio aim to correct a systemic issue within the craft beer industry: the lack of diversity.
“If you’re like me and you love good craft beer, and you start noticing every time you go to a taproom, you’re the only Black face in the room, and it’s like: ‘Well, that’s kind of weird,’ ” said Turner. “It takes a level of experience and expertise, study and mentorship that you would need to get and gain from folks that have been involved in the industry over an extended period of time, but not only that, it also takes capital.”