Afterthought Brewing Company

Afterthought Brewing Company is a small, family-run craft brewery based in Lombard, Illinois, in the United States. It describes itself as saison-focused, brewing in very small 1.5-barrel batches. Saison is a beer style that originated in the Belgian and French countryside, where it was traditionally consumed by field laborers. Afterthought states that it believes saisons should be dry, relatively low in alcohol, highly carbonated, and thirst-quenching. The brewery's approach draws on Old World traditions while incorporating American and other New World fruit and hops. It emphasizes the use of oak and fermentation with yeast and bacteria outside of traditional brewer's yeast, and it uses Midwestern ingredients when possible. Production is described as entirely manual, without automation. Individual beers are based on concepts and, like wine, are expected to vary from batch to batch. The brewery says it believes in subtlety of flavor and that saisons are often enhanced by a bit of lemonade or wine-like tartness, though not by outright acidity. Afterthought's core beers and concepts include Bière de Pieces, a series of blended barrel-aged saisons; Brno, a low-ABV saison with Saaz hops; Extra Noble, an extra-hoppy European-inspired saison; Faible, an easy-drinking saison with New World hops; and Farmhouse Mild, a mixed-fermentation saison brewed with New World hops. The brewery notes that while this beer is not brewed on a farm (at least not yet), it adheres as closely as it can to traditional farmhouse beers. It sources as many ingredients as possible from Illinois and the broader Midwest, and hop varieties — including some from its home hop garden — and adjunct grains change from batch to batch based on what is on hand. The yeast and bacteria used to ferment the beer include local cultures. The company operates an online store through its website, where customers can shop and learn about the brewery. It is a private, independent operation rather than a publicly listed company, and it presents itself as deeply rooted in its local community, hoping that its community will embrace the beers it creates.

Afterthought Brewing Company is a small, family-run brewery located in Lombard, Illinois, in the United States. It operates as a saison-focused craft brewery, brewing in 1.5-barrel batches. The brewery's identity is built around the saison style, which it describes as having been born in the Belgian and French countryside and traditionally consumed by field laborers. Afterthought's stated philosophy is that saisons should be dry, relatively low in alcohol, highly carbonated, and thirst-quenching. The brewery takes inspiration from Old World traditions while incorporating American and other New World fruit and hops. It emphasizes the use of oak and fermentation with yeast and bacteria outside of traditional brewer's yeast, and it uses Midwestern ingredients when possible. Its individual beers are based on concepts and, like wine, vary from batch to batch; production is described as entirely manual without any automation. The brewery states that it believes in subtlety of flavor and that saisons are often, though not always, enhanced by a bit of lemonade or wine-like tartness, though not by outright acidity. Afterthought's core beers and concepts include Bière de Pieces, a series of blended barrel-aged saisons; Brno, a low-ABV saison with Saaz hops; Extra Noble, an extra-hoppy European-inspired saison; Faible, an easy-drinking saison with New World hops; and Farmhouse Mild, a mixed-fermentation saison brewed with New World hops. The brewery notes that while Farmhouse Mild is not brewed on a farm (at least not yet), it adheres as closely as it can to traditional farmhouse beers. It sources as many ingredients as possible from Illinois and the broader Midwest, and hop varieties (including some from its home hop garden) and adjunct grains change from batch to batch based on what is on hand. The yeast and bacteria used to ferment the beer include local cultures. The company maintains an online store through its website, where customers can shop and learn about the brewery. It is a private, independent operation rather than a publicly listed company. The brewery expresses a hope that its community will embrace the beers it creates.

Small-batch, family-run, saison-focused craft brewery emphasizing oak aging, mixed fermentation, and Midwestern ingredients.

• Bière de Pieces

  A series of blended barrel-aged saisons.

• Brno

  Low ABV saison with Saaz hops.

• Extra Noble

  Extra hoppy European-inspired saison.

• Faible

  Easy-drinking saison with New World hops.

• Farmhouse Mild

  Mixed fermentation saison brewed with New World hops.

1. 1Afterthought Brewing Companyafterthoughtbrewing.com
2. 2Wikidata Q140137852wikidata.org