Old Building In Downtown Rockford To Be Revamped Into A New Illinois Brewery

Two Rockford, Illinois natives are on a mission to transform an old building on Madison St. into a new brewery, giving downtown visitors another food and drink place to enjoy.

A New Vision for Downtown Rockford

For many years now, the City of Rockford has been working hard to make the downtown area a place everyone wants to visit in the city, and I think they've been doing a great job.

From the Rockford City Market space to the new Embassy Suites hotel, things are changing everywhere you look, and the mission is still far from complete.

A major facelift for the Davis Park area of Downtown Rockford has already begun with the demolition of the historic Lorden Building, and big plans for the space include a beach, boat docks, a skatepark, amphitheater and more are still to come.

Part of the City's vision for Downtown Rockford includes turning Madison Street into an entertainment district, and soon they will be one step closer to achieving it.

New Brewery Coming to Downtown Rockford

Two Rockford natives have been working on bringing a new brewery to Downtown Rockford for almost a year now, and they just found the perfect building to open it in.

According to the Rockford Register Star, this old building at 125 N Madison St. will soon be home to a new business called Bent Oak Brewery.

The owners, Alex Blondin and Jake Felckowski, both Rockford natives told the RRStar;

We are excited to open up and be part of the community down there. We know the other two breweries that are down there, and the restaurants are staples. And we really don't want to be in competition. We want to be another addition to the downtown business district.

When Will Bent Oak Brewery Open in Downtown Rockford?

Originally Blondin and Felckowski hoped to have their new brewery open in 2024, but upcoming construction on Madison St. is forcing that timeline to be pushed back a bit. Now they are hoping to open for business in Spring of 2025 and we can't wait to go check it out!