The Open Bottle, Lockport's craft beer bottle shop and taproom at 16437 W. 159th St., will pour its last drink on Nov. 28, closing after nearly six years at that location. The shutdown comes just over a year and a half after the same company closed its original Tinley Park store, leaving its Lockport outpost as the last of the two.
A Tough but Obvious Call, Owners Say
Patrick and Julie Bisch opened their first shop as a small, independent bottle shop and taproom in Tinley Park in 2015, then expanded into Lockport in 2021, according to Shaw Local. In explaining the closure, the company said it was given the opportunity to transition the space to a new tenant and, after weighing all options against the future of the business, it was a tough but obvious call to make. The Open Bottle also acknowledged broader strain on its operation, saying that like a lot of small businesses, the last few years haven't been easy on us.
The Open Bottle's own website echoes the timeline, stating that after nearly six years, the company will be closing its doors on Nov. 28, according to The Open Bottle. The shop had built its Lockport location around a well-curated selection of craft beer, cider, wine and spirits, as well as non-alcoholic options, plus perks like 5% off a draft beer for customers who returned five gently used branded six- or four-pack carriers or mesh nets.
Final Pours, Pickup Deadlines and Shipping Windows
Before the lights go out, the Open Bottle is planning sales and hopes customers will enjoy one final pour with us before the lights shut off, the station's report notes. Anyone who pre-ordered Bourbon County needs to pick up their bottles by Nov. 27 or Nov. 28, while shipping orders are set to go out the week of Nov. 29.
Patrick and Julie Bisch are also working to transition their team into positions at other Lockport-area businesses, per the same account. Customers with questions can reach the shop by phone at 815-293-6350 or through the website at theopenbottle.com.
Second Closure in Two Years for the Bisches
This marks the second time in roughly a year and a half that the Bisches have shut down one of their stores. The Tinley Park location closed at the end of March 2025, according to Shaw Local's reporting. At the time, The Open Bottle told customers it was unable to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with its landlord, and in a post on The Open Bottle's blog, the company said staff there had opportunities to continue with us in Lockport and that the Lockport store would continue to operate and grow.
That promised growth did not last. Now, less than two years after Lockport was positioned as the company's future, it too is closing its doors.
A Rough Stretch for Craft Beer Statewide
The Open Bottle's exit adds to a difficult period for Illinois' craft beer scene, though the available evidence does not establish that those industry-wide pressures caused this particular closure. At least five Chicago breweries closed or announced closures earlier this year, according to WBEZ, which pointed to rising operational and production costs, including aluminum tariffs, and what many feel is an oversaturated market. Nationally, brewery closings outpaced openings in both 2024 and 2025, the steepest decline since 2020, the station reported.
The Brewers Association found that total U.S. craft beer production fell 4% in 2025 to 22,034,000 barrels, while the number of operating craft breweries nationwide declined 2.9% to 9,578. The trade group also reported 300 new brewery openings against 481 closures in 2025. Even so, the Midwest fared relatively well: the East North Central Census division, which includes Illinois, posted the strongest trend in the country at 0.4% growth, and the Brewers Association noted that hospitality-driven models such as brewpubs and taprooms remained comparatively resilient. In Illinois specifically, the number of breweries climbed from 54 in 2011 to nearly 300 by 2024, though that growth has mostly plateaued since the pandemic, per WBEZ.
