Carlyle Brewing’s new owners keep the classics, add their own flavors to ‘a real Rockford original’

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Joe D’Astice spent five months under the tutelage of Don Carlyle to learn how to create some of the iconic beers at Caryle Brewing Co. in downtown.

When it comes to the pizza, D’Astice brought his own expertise.

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That blend between the beers that made Carlyle popular over two decades in business and a few new flavors from the kitchen is what you’ll find at the downtown brewery that’s now under the ownership of Joe and Anne D’Astice, who also run Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza.

“It’s what he built: the beer, the atmosphere, the physical surrounding of the place,” Joe D’Astice said. “We wanted to keep a Rockford original right here the way it was.”

The D’Astices took over Carlyle, 215 E. State St., at the start of April and largely kept the operation as is, but there are a few notable differences that come with the ownership change.

The first is that you can now also get Carlyle’s beers at Woodfire, which is a few doors away in downtown at 408 E. State St. and at a location in West Dundee. It marks the first time you can get Carlyle beer outside of the four walls of the brewery. That started late last month, and the D’Astices said if there is demand they may distribute Carlyle beer to more restaurants.

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The next is in pizza served at the brewery. The D’Astices kept the thin-crust style Carlyle has served for years, but they created their own signature thin-crust made from scratch in-house instead of using pre-made dough. There’s also different cheese and sauce that Joe said brings out more flavor.

Anne D’Astice refers to it as Joe working in his “laboratory” to make sure the taste comes out just right.

“Joe always works with the science behind things, not just ‘let me do this recipe,'” she said.

There’s also a new hummus platter with fresh vegetables and house-made pita chips. Or you can order a giant Bavarian-style pretzel with beer cheese or a jalapeno stuffed pretzel. They also added chips and queso with the queso recipe coming from Aakash and Aarti Patel of Cantina Taco, another downtown business located across the river at 117 S. Main St.

There’s also a thin-sliced Italian beef served on fresh Turano bread and a cheese and sausage board.

“Obviously, people are coming here for the beer not the food, but we want them to start coming for both,” Anne D’Astice said.

You’ll still find staples on the beer menu such as the Stanilla, Humulus Lupulus IPA and The ‘OG’ Vanilla Cream Ale. Don Carlyle’s signature is still on the 16-ounce can as a nod to the founder of the business.

There are some new additions, too, including a Pepperoni Pilsner, which is a light beer that’s named for how well it pairs with pizza. There’s also an Italian Pilsner, which has a bit of hoppiness to it, and a hazy IPA on tap. The return of black walnut stout should come in December, and a Scottish ale will be added shortly.

The D’Astices have also added to the wine menu and expanded their hours.

The fresh-brewed root beer will also soon make a comeback. Right now, the brewery is serving Sprecher root beer.

“Our kids are excited about that one,” Anne D’Astice said.

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You’ll still find the familiar shuffleboard in the beer hall. A large-screen TV has been added for anyone who may want to catch a game.

The D’Astices were an original Rockford City Market vendor in 2010 and opened their first downtown brick-and-mortar in 2015. The West Dundee location opened in 2019. They still bring their woodfire brick oven to sell at Rockford City Market. Taking over Carlyle from owners Rocio Perez and Don Carlyle is another sign of their commitment to doing business in downtown.

“We’re big believers in downtown here, and when we started talking to Don and Ro about this it just seemed like a natural fit for us to keep it the way it is,” Joe D’Astice said. “We liked it so much we didn’t want anyone coming in and changing it.”

About | Carlyle Brewing Co.

Where: 215 E. State St., Rockford

Founded: 2003

Sold: 2023

Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday

On the web: carlylebrewing.com; on Facebook here

Phone: 815-904-6959

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas