Mickey Finn’s Names New, “Homegrown” Brewmaster

Mickey Finn’s Brewery is excited to announce the addition of Jason Martens to the staff at Illinois’ oldest brewpub. Martens takes over immediately as head brewmaster for the iconic Mickey Finn’s Brewery. Jason is a home-grown beer expert. He grew up in Libertyville, Illinois and has been a regular at Finn’s for years. Martens brings nearly a decade’s worth of experience of making craft beer. Most recently, he served as the assistant brewmaster at Mundelein’s Tighthead Brewing.

“We couldn’t be more excited to a have Jason on board. I feel like he grew up here,” says Mickey Finn’s proprietor Brian Grano. Looking to what the future holds, Grano says, “We have lots of very cool thing coming down the pike. We’ve had some great brewer’s over the last 25 years. I am looking forward to Jason putting his own personal stamp on our long and storied tradition as Illinois’ oldest active brewpub”

Already hard at work: One the job for only a matter of weeks, Mickey Finn’s is excited to announce the release of Martens first brew! Finn’s has just released “Can I Kick It?” It’s a double dry hopped IPA. The first of many new beers coming this fall and winter. With the addition of the new brew, Finn’s still plans to keep the popular staples like Bighead Pale, Oktoberfest, and of course Santa’s Magic Belgian ale.

Mickey Finn’s has been a staple in downtown Libertyville for decades and will be celebrating 25 year as a brewery later this year. Finn’s produces roughly 1,000 barrels of beer annually. Over 5.3 million pints of beer served since they opened in 1994.

The Right Beer Guy for the Right Beer Job: Martens says his love of craft beer started while he was in his twenties and “quickly evolved into home brewing and trying to create these flavorful beers myself.” He says, “After years of home brewing and a couple of careers and a couple of kids, I found myself brewing professionally with my good friends at Tighthead Brewing Company. There I honed my skills producing beer for multiple state distribution.”

Jason says he couldn’t be more excited to be back at Finn’s, describing this role as “a bit like a homecoming.” He says, that in addition to regularly visiting and having family previously employed at the brewpub, “Mickey Finn’s was where I shadowed my first professional brew day over 10 years ago. I’m very excited to be making beer for a town I’ve always considered home.”

Looking forward, Martens says he’s excited to, “to be branching out in new, less traditional styles of beer.” However, Jason says, “I appreciate and will always enjoy a classic style brewed well. Cheers!”

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