Peoria Heights Brewer Turns 2009 Homebrew Hobby Into Community Taproom

What used to be a Subway sandwich shop in Peoria Heights now pours West Coast IPAs and brown ales from a three-barrel brewing system. Bust'd Brewing, the family-owned taproom that Brian Buss opened with his wife in May 2023, fits 35 seats into that converted fast-food footprint.

Buss traces his brewing roots back to 2009, when homebrewing was a curiosity that turned into something more. "I liked what it did — the artistic nature of it plus the science," he said. That dual pull drove him through more than a decade of iteration before he and his wife converted a vacant Peoria Heights fast-food location into a working brewery.

The core lineup reflects the focused discipline small three-barrel operations require. Citra Crash, an all-Citra single-hop West Coast IPA, leads the tap handles alongside Trailblazer, a Pilsner-based blonde ale. That One Coach, a brown ale, rounds out the malt-forward side, while Heights Heritage, a 3.7% American light lager, nods directly to local neighborhood identity. For guests outside the beer camp, Blank Space offers a build-your-own seltzer with a rotating syrup bar.

Community engagement is structural at Bust'd, not incidental. The brewery collaborates with Kiwanis and other local charities on annual fundraising beers and events, weaving itself into Peoria Heights' civic calendar rather than positioning the taproom as a standalone destination. That kind of repeat, relationship-driven traffic is what sustains a small operation on a three-barrel production ceiling.

The converted restaurant space, already plumbed for commercial use, lowered the build-out barrier considerably. A tight core of four beers, each occupying a distinct style slot, gives Bust'd's staff clear products to explain and champion without overextension.

Buss started measuring grain in 2009 and started selling pints in 2023. The 14 years between those two milestones produced a taproom that brews its own beer, raises money for local causes, and operates out of a building that used to make footlong sandwiches.