Tinley Park Brewers Put Heads Together In 'Trolley Beer' Collaboration

TINLEY PARK, IL — A group of brewers in Tinley Park saw a golden opportunity, to put out a brand new brew as trolleys full of customers are rolling in.

Four breweries plotted on the course for the Tinley Ale Trail Trolley brainstormed and decided to collaborate on "Trolley Beer," a pale ale specifically inspired by the sip trip trolley that debuted last year.

Running Wednesday evenings June 5 through August 28, the trolley takes passengers on a circuitous route among seven beer and wine spots in Tinley Park. Brewers decided to celebrate the concept with a beer in its honor.

"We all brewed the same base beer, same recipe, with a little bit of Azacca (hops) in the boil," said Flipside Brewing owner Erik Pizer.

Brewers Wil Turner and Joe Oliver (of Hailstorm Brewery), JT Rea (of Banging Gavel), and John Halek and Jake Hutcheson (of Soundgrowler) each then took their own creative liberties with each brewery's version.

"Each brewery's dry-hopping it differently," Pizer said. "We're going to add more hops in after fermentation."

For Pizer, he's adding in Mosaic hops.

"I'm adding Mosaic, which is then going to give a lot of pine, and citrus, grapefruit, and berries," Pizer told Patch. "... A little bit of blueberry, kind of a full citrus note to it."

Others are dry-hopping with more Azacca, "so it's going to be bigger, citrus and mango, and that sort of like pineapple," Pizer said.

Others are adding El Dorado, or Idaho 7 hops—think guava, and other tropical fruits, Pizer said.

The differences make the concept stand out, Pizer said.

"Why would we brew a collab that's the same beer at every location?" he said. "Why travel around on the trolley to drink the same beer at multiple places, so they're all different."

In addition to each brewery's own version, all four decided to create an ultimate mash-up, as well.

"We also got together and brewed Trolley Beers Unite!, which is a mega-collab with all four breweries," Pizer said. "It's that pale ale, and all of those dry hops together."

That version was brewed at Hailstorm, Pizer said. They plan to can it—with a label design by local artist Libby McArthur—with hopes to distribute it at all stops on the trolley's route. The label features the trolley front and center, Pizer said.

The trolley proved a hit last summer, with stops from 5 to 10 p.m. including:

• SIP Wine Bar (17424 Oak Park Ave.)
• Banging Gavel Brewery (17400 Oak Park Ave.)
• Flipside Brewing (7144 183rd St.)
• The Open Bottle (7101 W. 183rd St.)
• Hailstorm Brewing Co. (8060 186th St.)
• Soundgrowler (8201 183rd St.)
• Hillgrove Tap (9501 W 171st St.)

"It's a fun way to celebrate a summer activity," he said. "The community loved it.

"We have a lot of cool places to hang out, and each place has a different vibe."

Banging Gavel Brand Marketing Director Beckie Richert O'Connor was eager for the newest brewery of the bunch to join the effort.

"We feel lucky to be part of such a collaborative and tight-knit group of breweries in Tinley Park," O'Connor said. "By joining forces with the other local breweries for this special summer collaboration, we know it's going to be something we can all celebrate.

"... This effort not only highlights our distinct destinations but also celebrates our vibrant community of breweries, along with the Ale Trail Experience. We hope this collective brew brings joy to all our craft beer fans in Tinley Park and beyond, and we look forward to making this a tradition everyone anticipates year after year!"