Black Horizon Brewing Company

What Black Horizon Brewing Company does

Black Horizon Brewing Company is a privately held microbrewery and taproom founded in 2016 and headquartered at 7560 South Quincy Street in Willowbrook, Illinois. The company is operated by three co-founders (Charles St. Clair, Kevin Baldus, and Alex Stankus) and a total team of 1-10 people. Its core activity is small-batch craft brewing, with an emphasis on barrel-aged specialty beers (including offerings like 'Doom Speaker' aged 24 months in Buffalo Trace and Sherry casks at 14% ABV), rotating hop-forward IPAs, fruited sours, goses, and lagers, alongside a handcrafted cocktail menu, wine by the glass, and a naturally fermented hard seltzer. The portfolio is sold primarily through the company's own taproom, which features 8oz flights, 16oz pours, Chicago tavern-style pizza, arcade and pinball games, a patio, and recurring event programming such as bi-weekly trivia and seasonal festivals.

The business model combines direct-to-consumer taproom sales, packaged to-go offerings (32oz howlers, 64oz growlers, and rotating 4-pack 16oz cans), private event bookings, and branded merchandise. Off-premise and on-premise distribution is limited to the greater Chicagoland area and a single account in Indiana, executed without a third-party wholesaler; partners include Binny's Beverage Depot (five locations), Haymarket Pub & Brewery, The Open Door Taproom, several restaurant accounts (Chuck's BBQ, Sebastian's, Freedom Brothers), and entertainment venues (Hollywood Blvd Cinema, Old Town School of Folk Music). The establishment is cashless, accepting credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet.

Black Horizon has accumulated industry recognition through repeated medals at the Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers (Bronze 2018, Bronze 2021, Gold 2024, Runner Up Best in Show 2024, Gold 2025) and a Gold Medal for its 'Surf King' West Coast IPA at the 2024 Iron Brewers Competition. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, has no parent or subsidiary structure, and operates from a single location in an industrial park with limited signage, relying on community programming and a rotating beer portfolio to drive repeat traffic.

Name

Black Horizon Brewing Company

Legal name

Black Horizon Brewing Company

Website

https://blackhorizonbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Horizon Brewing Company is a Willowbrook, Illinois microbrewery and taproom founded in 2016 by three co-founders, producing small-batch craft beer with an award-winning barrel-aged program and distributing across the greater Chicagoland area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA), Craft Beer Retail & Bottle Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAC), Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Craft beer production
• Microbrewery taproom
• Barrel-aged beer
• Small batch brewing
• Private event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Willowbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Taproom Draft Sales: On-site draft beer sales including 8oz half pours (mix-and-match flights), 16oz pours, and full pints. Also includes wine, cider, and cocktails on tap.
2. Beer To-Go: Off-site beer sales via 32oz howler fills, 64oz growler fills, and rotating 4pk canned releases. Also fills outside clean growlers/howlers.
3. Private Event Hosting: Venue rental for private events including corporate gatherings, birthdays, and special occasions. Special group rates available via inquiry.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including glassware, apparel (t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts for anniversary), and swag items at the taproom and online store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Black Horizon Brewing Company is a small-batch microbrewery and taproom that brews, sells, and serves a rotating portfolio of craft beers — including lagers, hoppy ales, hazy and West Coast IPAs, sour ales, fruited goses, and barrel-aged imperial stouts — primarily through its own Willowbrook taproom and via packaged to-go formats (growlers, howlers, 4-pack cans). The brewery also offers ancillary on-premise experiences including a small food menu (Chicago tavern style pizza), wine, cocktails, trivia nights, private event hosting, and branded merchandise, all supported by a cashless payment system.

Product overview

Black Horizon Brewing Company is a small microbrewery and taproom in Willowbrook, Illinois that produces award-winning barrel-aged beers, rotating craft beer styles, and specialty experimental varieties. The company's product portfolio centers on its core lineup of draft and canned beers including lagers (Horizonte Azul, L.A.G.E.R., Tourist Season), hoppy ales (Three Putt For Par, Surf King), hazy IPAs (Midnight Fist Fight, Craigs Miata), sour ales (Stealing Sunshine), fruit beers (Mango Inferno, Out Of Our Rinds), and barrel-aged stouts (Doom Speaker). Supporting offerings include to-go products (growler/howler fills, 4pk cans), wine and cocktails, Chicago tavern style pizza, merchandise, and taproom experiences. The brewery hosts private events and weekly trivia nights. The company has won multiple medals at FOBAB (National Festival of Barrel aged Beers) and other competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Horizonte Azul
• L.A.G.E.R.
• Three Putt For Par
• Mango Inferno
• Stealing Sunshine
• Out Of Our Rinds
• Midnight Fist Fight
• Craigs Miata
• Surf King
• Gilded Relic
• Tourist Season
• Doom Speaker 'Chocolate Coconut'
• Pale Sun Wheat
• Flamingo Party
• 64oz Growler Fills
• 32oz Howler Fills
• 4-Pack 16oz Cans (Rotating)
• Taproom Experience
• Wine by the Glass
• Handcrafted Cocktails
• Chicago Tavern Style Pizza
• Private Event Hosting
• BHBC Branded Merchandise
• Trivia Nights

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 Gold Medal - Specialty/Experimental at FOBAB
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Blume and Ferris Public HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Tourist Season Summer Blonde Lager. Joint development of a special collaboration beer featuring biscuit, honey, and graham cracker notes. Beer released as part of seasonal programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haymarket Pub & Brewery: Chicago brewpub operating its own taproom plus a full pub kitchen. Direct comparison point: Haymarket is listed as an on-premise customer/retail partner of Black Horizon in Chicago, illustrating the same craft brewery + taproom retail hybrid model.
• Maplewood Brewing Company: Chicago-based microbrewery producing rotating small-batch IPAs and sours distributed across Chicagoland. Closely comparable on small-batch production scale, rotating experimental style philosophy, and Chicagoland craft beer retail positioning.
• Off Color Brewing: Chicago craft brewery focused on specialty and experimental styles with a small-batch, niche-positioned portfolio. Highly comparable on rotational specialty / experimental craft positioning.
• Hop Butcher for the World: Chicago-area craft brewery with strong hop-forward and small-batch specialty focus. Comparable on experimental / hop-forward style rotation and regional Chicago footprint.
• Marz Community Brewing: Chicago craft brewery combining experimental beer program with community-focused taproom. Overlaps on small-batch experimental philosophy and a taproom-as-gathering-space model.

Broad incumbents

• Half Acre Beer Company: Established Chicago craft brewery with significant Chicagoland distribution and a taproom. Comparable as a Chicagoland craft brewing competitor, though at materially larger scale and broader brand presence.
• Revolution Brewing: Larger Chicagoland craft brewery operating a brewpub and broad distribution. Comparable on craft beer + brewpub model with overlapping distribution channels in Chicago area accounts.
• Goose Island Beer Co. Foundational Chicago craft brewery (now AB InBev-owned) with extensive distribution. Comparable as a Chicagoland craft brewery competitor, but at vastly larger scale and broader market presence.
• Lagunitas Brewing Company: National craft beer brand with broad distribution including Chicago-area presence. Comparable as an established craft brewery with premium hop-forward offerings, though at substantially greater scale.

Regional players

• Pipefitter Brewing / Beerhead Bar & Grill: Multi-location bar chain serving craft beer including Black Horizon on tap. Beerhead Schaumburg is listed in Black Horizon's distribution footprint, illustrating overlap as regional craft beer on-premise accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BlackHorizonBrw
• Facebookfacebook.com/blackhorizonbrewing
• Instagraminstagram.com/black_horizon_brewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-horizon-brewing-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Horizon Brewing Company