We are the reflection of founder Zack Judickas’ many years involved with craft. Like many others, Zack started out brewing beer out of his garage at home. When 10-gallon batches were no longer enough, he got his industry experience by advancing around three different breweries in the Chicagoland area. At the end of the day, there is a form of art to brewing beer and Zack wanted to share his craft with his community in a space he could call his own.
What would eventually become One Allegiance Brewing, started as a long search for a property to call home. The craft beer industry has a way of creating a neighborhood destination so one of the most important checklist items was being in an area he could grow with the locals.
Zack spent months searching and talking with municipalities until finding the Village of Chicago Ridge. Zack grew up in nearby Hickory Hills, which didn’t hurt, and after finding the space at 10215 S. Harlem Ave he was all set to move forward with the making of a brewery.
We started with a VERY rough shell of a building. With the help of his family and close friends, Zack and his dad Grant spent months on end working with their bare hands to repurpose what was an old trailer shop. The original cranes in the building still remain but just about everything in the building was handcrafted from start to finish. Come February 2020, we received the last of our licenses and brewing was underway!
“It has been one hell of journey making this dream come true. Working on this building day after day you don’t notice the changes immediately. Then you step back after a month (or so) and the difference starts to become evident. I have firsthand put my blood, sweat and tears into turning One Allegiance Brewing into a space I would frequent time and time again. Now I bring my dream to you in hopes you’ll sit down at the bar and enjoy a cold one in good company!”
— Founder Zack Judickas
