Growing up on our family’s fifth-generation Champaign County farm, farming was going through some tough times. Small farms like ours weren’t generating enough income to support a family.
Despite our deep-rooted love for farming, our parents advised us to pursue primary careers outside the farm.
After high school, we didn’t have to look far for a quality education. The University of Illinois was just a few miles down the road.
On Navy ROTC scholarships, Darin earned a B.S. in Computer Science, and Matt obtained his in Technical Systems Management.
Despite developing a fondness for beer during our college years, our brewery journey was still years away.
After graduation, we both went on active duty to fulfill the commitment from our scholarships.
Darin became a Nuclear Submarine Officer in the Navy, while Matt served as a Combat Engineer Officer in the Marines.
During our combined 20 years on active duty, we were able to sample plenty of beers from around the world. For a while, we were both stationed in the home of many great craft breweries: San Diego, California.
In high school, Matt befriended a German foreign exchange student. Years later, during a semester studying abroad, he decided to call up his old buddy Joe from Germany.
They arranged a visit and it didn’t take long until Matt became interested in Joe’s little sister, Caroline. Over the years, they maintained their connection, keeping the airlines in business. In 2009, they decided to take the plunge: Caroline moved to the United States and accompanied Matt wherever his military career took him.
Meanwhile, Darin was stationed in Italy where he crossed paths with another Navy Officer named Gail. Their first encounter involved organizing a group of Americans to go to a soccer game. Though they never actually made it to that game, many more trips and adventures around Europe would follow.
When Darin was relocated to California, Gail wanted to join him as soon as her tour was up. The closest she could get stationed was still a 7-hour drive away!
They both realized that the Navy wasn’t the place to settle down and start a family.
Whenever we got some leave, we were drawn back home and would spend our leave helping dad on the farm.
However, the idea of starting a brewery never left our conversations. Beer is mostly made from grain and water and it was clear that Central Illinois grows some of the best grain in the world. We nurtured the dream of cultivation our own brewing grains on our family farm.
While stationed in California, Matt convinced the owner of the San Marcos Brewery, Dave Nutley, into trading brewery labor for free beers and dinner. This experience ignited Matt’s passion for brewing.
For Matt’s 27th birthday, his mom bought him a Mr. Beer homebrew kit. Matt started making home brews in his kitchen. His obsession with brewing grew, so he quickly upgraded to a larger homebrew setup. The original Mr. Beer kit found a new home after getting boxed up and mailed to his brother Darin.
The initial batches of Riggs Beers were admittedly rough. Recognizing the need for improvement, Matt and Darin decided that dedicated effort and time were essential to mastering the art of brewing.
Deciding to pursue brewing as a career and improve his skills. And let’s not forget his German wife? After living in the US for several years, she convinced him that Germany was the best place to learn brewing.
The prospect of moving to beautiful southern Germany to make beer didn’t take much convincing. And soon after, Matt started his brewing career at Brauhaus Faust, in Miltenberg.
“Starting a career” sounds glamorous, but with very limited brewing skills and speaking almost no German, he started at the very bottom of the hierarchy.
Thanks to his helpful co-workers, his German language and brewing skills progressed rapidly.
As Matt delved into brewing in Germany, Darin’s interest in brewing continued to grow.
Following his departure from active duty, he enrolled in the University of California at Davis Extension’s Master Brewers Program, where he had the opportunity to learn from some of the brewing industry’s most esteemed professors. He passed the Institute of Brewing and Distilling’s rigorous international certification exam at the conclusion of the course.
This photo captures a significant moment – the inaugural use of Riggs-grown grain to brew beer. In this particular batch, only a small quantity of Riggs-grown, unmalted barley was employed – a modest beginning, but every journey has its starting point!
As for Darin’s Lederhosen? The brew took place at Darin and Gail’s house in Fairfield, CA on Halloween. With Matt and Caroline visiting, Darin, in the spirit of the occasion, donned Lederhosen – hoping the outfit would help the beer.
Darin successfully concluded his studies at UC Davis and was hired on at Anheuser Busch, continuing to enhance his skills. He upgraded his home-brew setup and joined the brewery’s home-brew club.
By 2014, Matt had learned enough German to go to German Brewmaster School. While studying at Doemens Academy, he helped launch a startup brewery in Munich. Hopfenhacker Brewery is still brewing innovative beers in Munich today.
In mid-2015, we presented our business plan to several local banks and successfully secured a loan from Busey Bank.
Upon completing Matt’s brewmaster certificate, Matt and Caroline packed their suitcases in Germany. Darin and Gail loaded up their household in California. Both families returned to the farm in Champaign County, ready to pursue the dream of establishing a farm brewery.
Our chosen location was the old T.K. Wendel’s, located on the Southeast edge of Urbana. We liked the location for several reasons: its potential for a large beer garden and its proximity to the farm. To be honest, the fact that it had sat empty for several years, also made it one of the few options within our budget.
In June of 2016, Riggs Beer Company opened its doors to the public.
From day one, we’ve focused on brewing German and American beer styles while incorporating large amounts of Riggs farm grain into our beers.
Today, Riggs Beer Company distributes beer throughout Central Illinois. The brewery sits on 20 acres of land that includes a tap room, a big outdoor beer garden, and several acres of wheat and clover fields.
And remember how the idea originally started? We take pride in using thousands of pounds of Riggs-grown grain in the brewing process each month.
Riggs Beer Company leads the regional brewing industry in vertical integration of local grains and in environmentally sustainable brewing.
While Matt and Darin focus on the brewing operations, Caroline takes care of the taproom and office.
Darin and Gail are raising the 6th generation farmers, Anna, Lilly, and Paige on the farmstead that was purchased by our ancestors back in 1874.
We just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the farmstead.
We are excited to see that we can turn the fruits of our farm and labor into something the community loves.
We’d like to invite you to our family-friendly taproom and beergarden. Beyond witnessing the beer-making process, you’ll have the opportunity to view the fields where our brewing grains are grow.
Our talented staff and our friendly beergarden cats will be here to great you.
On our farm, we grow beer.
Darin, Gail, Matt and Caroline Riggs
