Huey is a project that began in early 2020 as the cumulation of a few different ideas that I had rolling around my head. I wanted to find a way to give back to our local school district that had given so much to me. I wanted to create a beer that was always available in the local area at a reasonable price. I had created the concept, but then the pandemic hit, and it was into survival mode for us. Fast forward to Fall 2021, and we decided that it was time. But, anyone who knows about Emancipation knows that we’re a tiny brewery. Every bottle is labeled and filled by hand, and we’re one of the smallest breweries in the state by production volume. So, we needed a way to make more beer without sacrificing quality or making a multi-million dollar investment by building on to our old barn and purchasing much larger equipment. We contacted our friends at Destihl Brewery in Normal to see if we could brew our recipe for Huey on their pilot system. Thankfully, they said yes! So, we set out to match water profiles, make sure I could scale my recipe up and make it taste the same, and get all my suppliers lined up. Then, we went down to Destihl and brewed the first batch of Huey! It turned out great, and we hope you all enjoy! It tastes just like our test batches did, and exactly like it would have tasted if we had purchased all new equipment ourselves.

Every Huey you drink helps our local youth extracurriculars, and we can’t wait to give back. If there’s a business you’d like to see carry Huey cans or draft, please let us know!