Byers Brewing Company to open additional taproom as the Forge retires brewery in DeKalb

DeKALB – A family-owned taproom in downtown DeKalb is starting 2023 with plans to expand its brewery and take over the now closed Sixth Street taphouse recently vacated after owners of the Forge Brewhouse retired at the end of 2022.

In a Facebook post on Byers Brewing Company’s social media page, the family-owned taproom that opened in 2019 announced plans to expand its brewing operation to allow for more production and an increase in revenue.

Another December social media post on the Forge Brewhouse’s Facebook page announced that the longtime brewers – who’d had locations in DeKalb and formerly Sycamore – would close up shop after seven and 1/2 years.

“It’s been a grand 7.5 years and now the time has come to make a change,” the Forge post reads. “We have been bought out.”

The Forge taproom closed at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The Forge of Sycamore, both a brewery and a speciality pizza restaurant in downtown Sycamore, closed its doors in January 2022. A new restaurant, Pizza Beer Whiskey, has since opened in its place.

Byers Brewing opened in 2019 after married couple Steve and Megan Byers had been home brewing for nearly a decade.

According to the downtown DeKalb brewing company, the owners had to pivot in March 2020 – like most of society as the COVID-19 pandemic began – to help them stay afloat. Indoor dining was banned under emergency pandemic-era orders by Gov. JB Pritzker for months in 2020, meant to help spread the curb of the viruses.

As a result, however, restaurants buckled and strained as revenue sales plummeted.

“We focused, we pivoted, we did everything we could to keep our dream alive,” Byers Brewing owners wrote on Facebook. “Time marches on and it was tough to run a taproom focused brewery. In 2022 we felt we were finally running a brewery again. ... When we pivoted, we started canning our beer.”

The social media post stated that canning meant a drop in revenue sales, since cans have a lower margin.

“It became clear that the new model wasn’t paying the bills,” Byers’ owners wrote. “We needed more beer. Our three barrel system couldn’t keep up. We had to weigh our options.”

Rather than close, the Byers said they learned that the Forge owners were “ready to retire,” and jumped at the chance to expand production.

“We don’t want to see this community lose the Forge either,” the Byers wrote. “But it is time for a passing of the torch. We are grateful for all they have done to bring great craft beer to DeKalb. They really made an impact on the community.”

According to the social media posts, Byers Brewing Company’s downtown DeKalb taproom at 230 E. Lincoln Highway will remain open. The brewing business will expand to the Forge’s former DeKalb location at 216 N. Sixth St. for production only.