The three-drink limit at Solemn Oath Brewery and 2 Fools Cider has been cut off.
Naperville City Council relaxed the restrictions on the Class P and S liquor licenses held by the two businesses at its latest meeting.
Both establishments will now be able to serve more than three drinks per customer, serve drinks made off-premises, hold 12 events each year instead of just two, and also serve drinks with a maximum size of 24 ounces.
Solemn Oath president John Barley said the new ordinance will allow his business to stay competitive in a fast-changing industry.
“When we started in 2012, we’re looking at 2,500 breweries nationally. We were like the third taproom in the state of Illinois so it was a much different industry compared to now,” said Barley. “[Now] we’re looking at 7,000 or so breweries across the country. A more and more competitive landscape and as we continue to grow, we really focused on this as one tool that we really needed to continue our momentum and continue to grow here in Naperville.”
Solemn Oath pushed for the modifications, though 2 Fools will also benefit from the revised ordinance. The brewery is particularly excited about the new events they can hold.
“This will give us a chance to have up to 12 of those, which is a big win for us,” said Barley. “And it gives us an opportunity to work on pretty creative concepts both small and large that we’ve wanted to do for awhile.”
Council said they weren’t worried about Solemn Oath or 2 Fools abusing the relaxed restrictions, but there was some concern new businesses that come to Naperville might.
However, because that type of license is currently capped at two, council would have to approve any new businesses requesting one, and could install a probationary period before granting the more lenient rules.
“You’ve passed the test of time here. You’ve been in Naperville for six years, never had a violation, never had a police incident,” said Mayor Steve Chirico. “If someone else comes in, we talked about how do we make sure that we ‘ve got someone who’s got that same history.”
Council passed the ordinance by a vote of 8-1 with Councilwoman Rebecca Boyd-Obarski voting nay due to a disagreement with language used in the ordinance.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
