Progress continues at Englewood Brews, an upcoming 7,000-square-foot brewery that includes a 1,700-square-foot taproom. Founders Lesley Roth and brewer Steve Marchese are hard at work hoping to give the South Side neighborhood a community meeting space with about 10 rotating taps of beer at 821 W. 63rd Street. They’re also planning a beer garden.

Roth is an urban planner and earlier this year she helped lock down a $10,000 grant to help build the brewery. They’re still a ways off before opening, targeting a winter debut. But they’re committed to investing in Englewood: “We believe that the community can thrive with a holistic approach to growth and development without displacement,” Roth wrote via email.

The brewery will hopefully become a destination for people outside the community, as well as an anchor and community magnet, Roth wrote. They’ll brew American and English ales, as well as Belgians and lagers. Roth mentioned a collaborative beer featuring coffee from Englewood’s own Kusanya Café. Some of these beers will only be available in the taproom.

“We have chosen to focus our first beers on approachable, flavorful, international, and regional styles that will capture the attention of both the seasoned craft beer drinker as well as those new to the culture,” Roth wrote.

They won’t have a kitchen on premises, but Roth hopes to partner with with Kennedy King College’s Washburne Culinary Institute. The school’s right across the street and they hope to develop food-beer pairings with menus that change seasonally. The taproom also could have a regularly rotation of food trucks making visits.

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Microbreweries can have positive impacts on marginalized and underutilized neighborhoods like Englewood. Roth’s read the case studies to prove it. The taproom, hopefully, will be a point of community pride where residents can host events and showcase local arts. The neighborhood lacks these types of Third Places, where communities members can grow outside of their workplace and away from the homes.

“Our primary focus will be on engaging southside neighborhoods and communities (including other breweries!) to create a space of collaboration that contributes to changing the narrative about the neighborhood,” Roth said.

Craft beer can sometimes be intimidating for African Americans and other people of color. Roth is aware of that, but she has a simple answer to products which ignore her demographic: “Black people love beer, too!”

Check back for updates in the coming months.