Milk Money Brewing: Concept To Open As First Brewery In La Grange This Summer

Slated to open in La Grange this summer, Milk Money Brewing (75 S La Grange Road) is a seasonally-driven and locally-sourced brewery and restaurant, located just southwest of Chicago. Born from two brothers’ long standing, love for food and beer, executive chef/owner Matt Bumba (Solstice, Vie, The Aviary) and beverage/general manager Lucas Bumba, have curated a food and beer menus around their commitment to local sourcing and seasonal eating.

Drawing from Matt's experience in preservation under chef Paul Virant, and with the assistance of chef-consultant Shea Campbell (Michelin-starred Fäviken Magasinet in Sweden), the team has developed a menu around local produce and a fermentation program. They will incorporate vinegars, pickles, misos, umami rich condiments and jams from the fermentation room, along with bread and charcuterie offerings.

Milk Money Brewing will be the first brewery in La Grange, providing both a beer menu and a food menu. The beverage program will feature a rotating selection of seasonally crafted beers developed by head brewer Erik Pizer (Rock Bottom Brewery, 350 Brewing Company), as well as a draft cocktail program designed by Lucas. 

Executive chef/owner Matt Bumba (Solstice, Vie, The Aviary)

• With assistance from chef-consultant Shea Campbell (Michelin-starred Fäviken Magasinet in Sweden), he has created a food menu built around an extensive fermentation program. 
• Bumba serves familiar food with a focus on fine dining quality and execution, but without the price associated. 

Head brewer Erik Pizer's (Rock Bottom Brewery, 350 Brewing Company)

• His role is to provide beer for every type of drinker without sacrificing quality. He has created a range of beers, from light to strong, pale to dark, and everything in between. With the craft brewing industry growing rapidly, Pizer sees the approach of small and local brewing to be the key to success.

General manager/Owner and Service Architect, Lucas Bumba

• He has worked to create an ethical work environment through an all-inclusive pricing structure that ensures all employees are paid a fair, consistent and livable wage.

• In curating the draft cocktail program, he has honed in on simple, classic drinks allowing infused local and seasonal flavors to take center stage. In prioritizing taste over potency through low ABV, the flavors, rather than the alcohol, tell the story of the brewery. 

Recipes:

• In the interim, the following recipes can act as a window into Milk Money Brewing’s menus. From garlic buffalo wings that will be a staple at the brewery to Lucas’ favorite at-home drinks, these recipes are sure to expand quarantine cooking repertoires. 
  • Matt’s Chicken Wings 
  • Lucas’ Two drink recipes