Go Brewing

Naperville’s Go Brewing Nonalcoholic Beer Taproom Is Changing the Way Customers Think About Nonalcoholic Beer | Eater Chicago

Born out of a personal challenge during COVID, the founder — whose father died from complications of alcoholism in 2006 and whose brother also struggled — and his wife abstained from drinking for 75 days, a period that led to a business idea. As the founder recalls, “I did not think I was going to make it,” Chura says. “In the first few days, I was trying to exercise and I’d run past bars and I’ve never felt more of a craving. Then I came home and I had a nonalcoholic beer and that craving dissipated significantly. I made it through the night, and the next day I did the same thing.” He found a shuttered cidery location and recruited a head brewer, James Bigler (formerly of Alter Brewing), who answered a Facebook job post and remembered the interview question: “Joe asked ‘Do you think you can make the best nonalcoholic beer?’ and I said ‘Yes,’” Bigler says. “I know that he’s going to do the absolute best when it comes to running the business and doing the marketing and he puts the rest of the production in my hands.” The operation began in a garage while the taproom was built out and opened at its Naperville address in 2023; it is now one of the only nonalcoholic taprooms in the country and distributes to about 20 states both direct-to-consumer and through major retailers including Costco and Jewel-Osco. After selling out during Dry January last year, the company stocked up this year and formed a joint venture with Lombard’s Noon Whistle Brewing to ramp production — a timely move, as Chura notes, “The craft beer industry is declining a bit, unfortunately, so a lot of these breweries now have more capacity than they know what to do with, so it was great timing in terms of being able to help them and help us at the same time.” Growth is rapid enough that that deal may only cover needs through the end of 2025; the company is expanding distribution to California and Texas and exploring hop water, THC-infused drinks (based on consumer feedback), and more gluten-free options. The brand launched with five beers and now regularly stocks about a dozen plus hop water, and has committed to releasing a new variety every month; its Beer of the Month club receives early test batches (January’s was a banana pancake stout). As Bigler explains, “The nonalcoholic consumer is still very much aware of the current craft beer trends and they want to see those things,” he says. “They want to try out everything, so I’m looking at what small brewers are doing to get ideas.” The taproom doubles as a community hub — hosting live music, improv theater and wellness classes such as breathwork, tai chi, and barre — and also offers a small selection of alcoholic beers from other local breweries, including Hop Butcher for the World and Revolution Brewing, because, as Chura puts it, “Nonalcoholic beverages still represent a very small fraction of drinking and we often find people in friend groups where you have a sober friend and a friend who likes to drink and we wanted to be inclusive to everyone.” The founders highlight health-conscious transparency (calorie counts are posted), and reacted to a recent U.S. Surgeon General announcement about alcohol and cancer risk with bemused confirmation — Chura says he “woke up to 50 texts with the general message of ‘turns out you weren’t a complete idiot.’” Bigler sums up the personal impact: “A lot of us have a problem with alcohol and it’s hard to have one or two drinks and then stop,” Bigler says. “This kind of breaks the cycle and keeps us from going down the hole of not living the life you want to live. I don’t even have to go to a party empty-handed.” - Sam Nelson