- ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
(BP)O'Gradys Brewery And Pub 372 E Golf Rd
- AURORA
(MB/R)Americas Brewing Co 205 N Broadway
- BERWYN
(BP) Weinkeller Brewery 6417 W. Roosevelt
- BLOOMINGTON
(BP)Illinois Brewing Company, corner of Front and Center Streets
- CARBONDALE
(BP)Copper Dragon Brewing Co 700 E Grand
Maintains a website
- CHAMPAIGN
- (P)Joe's Brewery 706 S 5th Street
- Just a couple of blocks off campus, no longer brews its own, though.
Serves food, pool tables, dance floor, atmosphere. Former brewmaster is
opening antoher location...
- CHICAGO
- (P)Blue Crab Lounge/Shaw's Crab House - Hubbard at Wabash,
- A half dozen oysters go so well with a pint of a good hoppy
microbrewery beer. Very very good, but expensive, seafood on the
restaurant menu.
- (MB) Chicago Brewing Co 1830 N. Besly Ct 312-252-8196
- (P)The Duke of Perth
- In more or less in the same category as the Red Lion.
- (MB) Golden Prairie Brewing Co 1820 W. Webster St
- (BP)Goose Island Brewery 1800 N. Clyborn Ave.
- Another location, near Wrigley field: 3535 N. Clark St. 773-832-9040
- One of the best anywhere, in fact. Well brewed right across the board,
amazing lineup of montly specials including some very rare styles. Makes for a good lineup of
beers. On my visit tried an excellent oatmeal stout, barleywine, IPA, and a rye based brew
on special. Good food, they even make their own potato chips. Right across the street, at a place called Sam's,
is the finest beer and single malt scotch collection I've ever seen. I think they had some of that grape stuff too.
Al Korzonas (korz@iepubj.att.com) says: Their lineup changes monthly
between about 40 different styles. One to three beers
on *HANDPUMP* at any time. Good food too.
- Maintains a website
- (P)Great Beer Palace - On Lincoln Ave near the German area
- keep going northwest for German food and more. 30+ beers on tap.
- (P)The Hop Leaf
- Has the best beer selections in the city.
- (P)Lion's Head Inn - 13101 South Olde Western Ave, Blue Island.
- John Lingo (Tooters@ids.net) reports that this establishment may have closed down.
- Worth the trip to this out-of-the-way southern suburb. 13 taps all with top-notch
micros from all coasts. Good Italian food; speakeasy atmosphere.
Closed Sunday evening.
- (BP)Millrose Brewing
- Located in the northwest suburb of Hoffman Estates
or South Barrington right off of the Northwest Tollway on Barrington Rd.
(take the northbound exit).
- (P)O'Callahan's - Hubbard at Dearborn, Downtown Chicago
- Crowded on weekdays after work; quiet and relaxing on weekends. 8 taps including
Pilsner Urquel. Simple bar food.
- (P)Quenchers - Fullerton at Western, Chicago (just west of the Kennedy
Expwy (I-94) at Fullerton exit).
- About 15 taps, about 200 different
bottled beers. A classic Chicago noisy corner tavern that discovered
good beer, but remains a noisy, friendly, corner tavern. No food.
- (P)The Red Lion - On Lincoln Ave
- is strong on atmosphere and food, and
decent on beer.
- (BP)River West Brewing Co. 925 Chicago Ave 708 654-4295 Fax: 708 654-8461
- Udo Harttung (harttung,@quake.xnet.com) reports: Has a HDP 15 BBl state of the art BrewHouse with 15 and 30 bbl fermenters. The brewery occupies 1000 sqf in the front of the building visible from the bar and Restaurant the building has over 35000 sqft. brick and timber 1902. 15 Pool tables on second floor. New Brews Maerzen and Pale Ale.
- (BP)Rock Bottom Brewing
- Another branch of the Denver chain
- (LS)Sam's Wines and Spririts 1720 N. Marcey St. 312-664-4394
- One of the finest liquor stores I've ever set foot in. Directly across the street from
the Goose Island on Clyborne. Gigantic wine and liquor selection, profoundly good single malt Scotch
selection. Also very good in the beer department. Many, many rarities from Belgium, along with a strong
selection of US micros. Well worth the trip in.
- Maintains a website
- (MB)Slopeside Brewing Co 3445 N Elaine Pl Suite 1N
- (P)Sheffield's
- pendadge@soltec.net reports:in the
Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago on North Sheffield, great place to go before
heading to Wrigley Field for a Cubbies game.
- (BP)Taylor Brewing - Located in Fifth Avenue Station in the suburb of Naperville
- It is right by the Burlington Northern railroad station, just east of Washington St.
Al Korzonas(korz@iepubj.att.com) says:
Their beers are now smack dab in the
middle of the styles... they used to be on the mild
side.
- (P)The Village Inn - In Roscoe Village area
- Has 30+ beers on tap.
- (BP)The Weinkeller - There are two in the western suburbs.
- The original is in Berwyn and latest addition is in Westmont.
- An anonymous reader reports: The Berwyn location has about 500 bottled beers and the Westmont one has
about 200. However, the bottled beers are far more
tasty than the beers brewed on premises. Most of these
are thin and watery. Only the ESB has a reasonable
amount of flavor, despite having far too low an original
gravity for an ESB. Give the beers a try, but please
let the management know that you would prefer a more
robust interpretation.
Tim Everding (tse@aimhi.com) reports: (The previous) review is pretty far from
the mark. I've been going to the Weinkeller for a
couple of years, and their beers are generally pretty "big".
I've also never had an infected beer in all this time.
- CLARENDON HILLS
(B)State Street Brewing PO Box 249
- DOWNERS GROVE
(BP)Founders Hill Brewing Co 5200 Main St
- ELGIN
(BP)Prairie Rock Brewing Co 127 S Grove
- ELMHURST
(BP)Pavichevich Brewing Co / Acme Brewing Co 383 Romans Rd
- FLOSSMOOR
(BP)Flossmoor Station Brewpub 1035 Sterling Ave 60422 (708)957-BREW
Head brewer Todd Ashman (tashman@techinter.com) reports:We serve 10 different ales. Eight of those are our
regulars and two are Brewmaster Specials.
We have a full menu for lunch and dinner. We are also
cigar friendly.
- GLEN ELLYN
(BP)Glen Ellyn Brewing Co 433 N Main St
- LAKE BARRINGTON
(MB)Wild Onion Brewing Co.
Makers of Jack Stout
- LEMONT
(BP)Doppelbockers
-- coming soon.
- LIBERTYVILLE
(BP)Mickey Finn's Brewery 412 North Milwaukee Avenue (60048) 708-362-6688
Owners: Bill Sugars and Pat Elmquest
Stan Chytla reports : Located in downtown Libertyville, this brewpub has seating for
approximately 200 people. The first floor has the main bar, brewery,
main kitchen, restaurant seating, and outdoor restaurant seating. The
second floor has another bar and a more diverse menu.
The craft brewed beers and ales are excellent. I prefer the Abana
Amber Ale because of its full body and flavor. Their Five Springs
Oatmeal Stout is the smoothest stouts I've had. They have at least
five craft brewed beers on tap at all times and they introduce
specialty beers regularly.
This is the kind of place you can bring your family to. The food is
excellent and the prices moderate. It's almost 20 miles from my
residence but I make the trip regularly!
- LINCOLNSHIRE
(BP)Flatlanders Brewing Co 200 Village Green
- LOMBARD
(BP)Taylor Brewing Co
- MOLINE
- (MB)Bent River Brewing Co 1413 Fifth Ave
- Maintains a website
- Brewbakers Ale House & Deli 425 15th St
- MORRIS
(BP)Fire House Brewery
Dan, (wdminc@ivnet.com) reports:Food was average, but pricy - they had two beers a light and a lager that were very good
the Fire engine red and their dark porter was fair-
there seasonal Hefewesen was poor.
- PEORIA
(BP)John S. Rhodell Brewery 619 Water Street in Peoria (309) 674-7267)
Carl Bradley (cabradley72@yahoo.com) reports: is a brew-on-premise and a brewpub which has around 6 beers
on tap. Their Irish Red Lager and Scottish Ale are real
treats!
- RICHMOND
(BP)J.W. Platek's Restaurant and Brewery 8609 Highway 12, 60071
Maintains a website
- ROCK ISLAND
(BP) Blue Cat Brewing 113 18th St 788-8247
- ROCKFORD
(BP)Forest City Brewing Company 3503 Zermatt Court
- SOUTH BARRINGTON
(BP)Millrose Brewing Co 45 S Barrington Rd
- SPRINGFIELD
(BP)Capitol City Brewing Co 107 W Cook St
- WEST FRANKFURT
(B)Mississippi Delta Microbrewery RR 4 Box 2798
- WESTMONT
(BP)Weinkeller Brewpub (No 2) 651 Westmont Dr
- WOODSTOCK
(MB) Woodstock Brewing & Bottling 202 E. Calhoun 815-337-1970
Illinois Brewpubs