Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. Wins 2023 Goose Island Stout Fest In Chicago

WESTMONT, IL — Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. recently won the 2023 Goose Island StoutFest, with attendees voting them tops ahead of more than two dozen other breweries. The event was held March 19 at Goose Island Brewery in Chicago and gave Whiskey Hill co-owner and master brewer Eric Flores a chance to to tap back into his beer-making roots.

Flores told Patch he got his start brewing beer at Goose Island before he was ultimately brought on by Whiskey Hill co-owners Matt Weil and Rob Salerno.

The pair had sought out and hired Flores, who commuted from the south side of Chicago to Westmont to bring his talents to Whiskey Hill.

To be a successful brewer, "you gotta have a lot of passion for beer and brewing," Flores explained. "It’s a handmade ingredient product that goes into each glass that's poured for people."

The experience at Goose Island helped inspire Flores when he revamped the Whiskey Hill menu, so returning with the brewery to compete in Goose Island StoutFest for the first time was especially sweet, he explained.

“It was really exciting and especially special to me because I worked at Goose Island," Flores said. He added that it was an honor to win a stout making award in the Chicago area because "that's their focus."

Flores told Patch, “And that’s what we pride ourselves with at Whiskey Hill too.”

At StoutFest, the Whiskey Hill team featured two brews. One of these was Blend Project 7, which Flores said is a blend of three of their favorite barrel-aged stouts with hints of toasted coconut.

The other winning beer was the brewery's Barreled in Bond Coconut Brulee. Flores said this brew stands out because he collaborated with barrel suppliers Midwest Barrel Company for help choosing the ideal barrels for this particular beer.

"I like the connection between brewer and supplier aspect that goes into it," Flores said. He described the flavor profile of Barreled in Bond as "very heavy on the oak, very heavy on bourbon and brown sugar notes, a good amount of sweet coconut with a tad of cinnamon spice as well.”

Attendees at the event sampled and rated beers, eventually voting Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. as the victor.

In addition to the Westmont location, the Whiskey Hill has a tap room in Woodridge. Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. plans to open another location in downtown Westmont by June, offering a full kitchen and bar, dinner pairings, specialty tastings and more.