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mokenamessenger.com DINING OUT the Mokena Messenger | May 17, 2018 | 25 The Dish Trail’s Edge Brewing Co. a trailblazer for beer in Frankfort Business to celebrate grand opening weekend of May 18 Thomas Czaja, Contributing Editor There is a stretch of the 22- mile Old Plank Road Trail that runs through downtown Frankfort. A short distance off the trail downtown rests Trail’s Edge Brewing Co., the reincarnation of Smokey Barque. Tommy Ridings, and his wife, Mary Ann, were the owners of the former Smokey Barque and decided it was time for something new. The couple — formerly of Frankfort, now of New Lenox — partnered with the Cosgrove family, of Frankfort, to convert the former barbecue restaurant into a brewery with an apt namesake paying homage to the trail. “The Cosgroves and I started talking about opening up a brewery here,” Tommy recalled. “I’ve been talking about it for a long time, and downtown Frankfort definitely needed one.” Trail’s Edge is an approximately 11,000-square-foot, three-floor establishment across the street from downtown Frankfort’s Breidert Green Park, and it required a seven-week construction period beginning the second week of January and concluding the end of February to morph into the brewery. Its updated look features a pergola outside, with the interior being “nothing it was before,” according to the owner, who said it was reconstructed on the main level partially with handhewn, 100-year-old beams Trail’s Edge Brewing’s brisket grilled cheese ($13) has brisket, Swiss cheese, kale Brussels slaw and Thousand Island dressing, and it is served on marble rye. Photos by Jacquelyn Schlabach/22nd Century Media made from reclaimed and repurposed wood. It makes for an atmosphere that ties into its theme of the outdoors and trail. After adding a 3,000-pound beam for support and making other structural upgrades to retrofit the building into a brewery, the beer began to pour. The Trail’s Edge American Pale Ale (6.5 percent alcohol by volume), the Banana Seat Hefeweizen (5.7 percent ABV) and Derailer Double IPA (8.2 percent ABV) were the original three brews and are all $6, though a stout and hoppy wheat also have recently been barreled. Being a modest-sized brewery, Tommy wants to set a maximum output. “We’ll probably have it maxed out at six beers, because the building is not that big, and we can only produce so much liquid at a time,” Tommy said. “Our brewer, Mike [Byrnes], and I chat about [what beers to brew], and the seasons have a lot do with it. When you are fermenting and brewing, it is about a four- to six-week process. We’ve only been open for eight weeks, so this is basically our second batch of beer. “We have been selling [beer] so well we have had a hard time keeping up.” While the plan does not call for a summer seasonal brew quite yet, patrons can expect to see a variety of drinks in the future. “Right now, we’re just doing craft beer,” Tommy said. “We probably will do a cider, maybe at the end of summer.” As for the food, while Ridings said he still loves barbecue and cooks it frequently at home, it was time to go in a fresh direction, while keeping a few of the favorites on the menu. “I wanted to be able to create some different dishes and items to expand outside barbecue, so that was one of the biggest reasons we changed the menu,” Tommy said. “The name change — I think it’s a cool name. We are going to do a lot of events with the trail — bike to the brewery, just fun things like that.” One area of expansion on the menu is the availability of various pizzas. The owners purchased an infrared, high-temperature oven to cook the pizzas in a matter of minutes. Tommy’s favorites for pizza include the No. 2 ($13), which comes with fresh mozzarella, tomato, spinach, roasted garlic olive oil and a basil pesto. Another unique pie he said he likes is the No. 5 ($13), which features ground lamb, olive oil, blue cheese, fig jam and rosemary. All pizzas are 10 inches, and a gluten-free, low-carb cauliflower crust is available upon request for an additional $2. Remnants of the old Smokey fare can be found in the likes of the slowsmoked pulled pork ($12), a sandwich with tangy barbecue sauce and crispy onions, with a choice of side; the smoked wings ($11), 1 Brewmaster Mike Byrnes is hard at work at the new Frankfort brewery, Trail’s Edge. Trail’s Edge Brewing Co. 20 Kansas St. in Frankfort Hours • 5-9 p.m. Monday • 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday • Bar open to 11:30 p.m. For more information ... Web: www. trailsedgebrewing.com Phone: (815) 277-2502 pound of wings with mango Scotch bonnet sauce and blue cheese dressing; and baby back ribs ($17 for half slab, $23 for full slab), which comes with sweet potato fries and kale Brussels slaw. Several new burgers tie into the outdoor trail theme, too. The Peak Burger ($15) is Tommy’s favorite and is made as a double-patty burger with bacon, barbecue sauce, grilled onion, pepper, mushroom and hot giardiniera. “The inspiration for it I would say is, well, you’ve hit the peak,” Tommy said. “So we did a double patty and just threw as much as we possibly could on it.” Whether it is one of the burgers or sandwiches; a seafood, pasta or steak entrée; a soup or salad; one of the 10 appetizers on the menu; a weekly special; or any of the current or future beers; Tommy said Trail’s Edge is committed to serving only top-quality food and beverages. “We try to scratch make as much as we possibly can with organic and natural ingredients,” Tommy said. “That’s very important to us. “We’re not going to put anything out there that is not 100 percent quality. We will not serve anything that’s not above-par.” Getting ready for a party The business is to celebrate its grand opening Friday, May 18, with two bands playing in the upstairs banquet room. There will be raffles and giveaways beginning May 18 and carrying on through the weekend. Also, beer and food samples will be distributed for the weekend grand opening, and all three floors, including the upstairs and basement banquet rooms, will be open for people to dine. “[The grand opening] is going to be a lot of fun,” Tommy said. “We have been getting a lot of response on Facebook with it.” Tommy said the menu will continue to evolve and update. And rebranding and opening Trail’s Edge has made for a path he has enjoyed immensely.
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