The heart of Brother Chimp is the taproom — a warm, inviting space with 12 beers on tap, plus cider, seltzers and even Malört “for the crazy Chicago people,” owner Stephen Newman says. The brewery is opening a second location in downtown St. Charles. Courtesy of Brother Chimp Brewing

When Stephen Newman opened Brother Chimp Brewing in North Aurora in March 2020, the timing couldn’t have been worse — the state shut down the next day due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But five years later, Brother Chimp has grown into one of the Fox Valley’s most celebrated microbreweries. It recently was voted Best Microbrewery in Kane County in the Shaw Media Readers’ Choice Awards.

“When I’m having a rough day, I go to the brewery, and there will be two or three people who come up to me with one of our bee

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