Remember that massive Lagunitas brewery that was supposed to open in Chicago, complete with a glass-walled taproom that would allow for a peak inside the brewery while sipping beer? It's apparently getting close to fruition (and more importantly, making beer).

After delays rooted in getting the space near 18th Street and Rockwell outfitted with sprinklers, the taproom is slated to open in June, said Karen Hamilton, who handles national marketing for the Petaluma, Calif.-based brewery.

Initially envisioned at about 8,000 square feet, Hamilton said the taproom will be closer to 10,000 square feet. And just like in Lagunitas' Petaluma brew pub, the taps will feature plenty of the brewery's rarities.

"We will have some cool, kooky stuff on tap," Hamilton said.

At first, the beer served here will all come from Petaluma. By October, the Chicago facility should be operational and supplying all the Lagunitas served east of the Rocky Mountains, Hamilton said.

Not only has the taproom grown, but so has the brewery. Instead of installing a 250-barrel system — same as Petaluma, and which would have been the largest in the city by far — brewery founder Tony Magee announced last night on Twitter that he is adding a second brewing system that will have production here reach a whopping, staggering and mind-bending 1.7 million barrels per year.

Whopping, staggering and mind-bending for craft beer, at least.

For comparison's sake, the Petaluma brewery makes about 700,000 barrels a year, which has been enough to outfit the 37 states where Lagunitas is distributed. Upping production to 2.4 million barrels — more than two-thirds of which will be made in Chicago — means the world will see a lot more Lagunitas. For further comparison's sake, Half Acre makes about 15,000 barrels of beer per year.

Is the world ready for all that Lagunitas beer? Magee thinks so.

"Does that seem insane?" he said on Twitter. "Not from my seat. The world belongs to craft brewing."

jbnoel@tribune.com

Twitter @traveljosh