There is little dubiety that Chicago is one of the premier craft - beer metropolis in the country . Some might even go as far as to call it America ’s full beer town ( OK , that was us ) . Our wealthiness of quality beer - fashioning extend past the city edge , as well , with the workmanship drift soaking into the ethnic consciousness of far - flung locales all across the Land of Lincoln . And since we presume ( woefully ) that your line of work does n’t entail abrade Illinois in lookup of the state ’s all right craft beer , we did the work for you .
Revolution Brewing
rotation may not be quite as renowned as Goose Island , but this Chicago asylum founded by former Goose Island employee Josh Deth is clear a behemoth in the devising . Famous brew known for aggressive flavor profiles admit year - rounder like the Anti - Hero IPA and Eugene Porter , while the Fistmas holiday and Rosa Hibiscus ales are among the standout seasonal and specialness brewage . With its speedy and exponentially growing fan pedestal in tow , Illinois ’ largest workmanship brewery also just release two new beers , including the German - vogue Rauchbier Chicago Smoke ( brewed with 95 % smoked malts ) and American strong sick ale Recriminations , key after a song played at this year ’s Riot Fest .
Two Brothers Brewing Company
Two Brothers Brewing Company has been offering artisan craft beers for nearly 20 long time . The kinsperson - run brewery got its beginning in 1997 and has since exposit to offer an raiment of class - orotund , seasonal , and specialty brew . While famous for its flagship Domaine DuPage French nation ale and gluten - free Prairie Path aureate ale , the brewery ’s widely - range options also include special projects like its Bare Tree weiss wine-colored as well as new releases including its Oktoberfest - style marzen Atom Smasher . Now with three restaurants in mathematical operation , let in a positioning in Arizona , Aurora ’s Two Brothers Roadhouse is also lie with for throw some of the best parties in the ‘ burbs .
Solemn Oath
Having recently expound its distribution beyond the eight - county Chicagoland area , this emerging west suburban powerhouse is all about the political party . Focused on Belgian - inspired and barrel - aged beers , its architectural plan is to speedily rotate through dozens of beer across a range of styles while continuing to experiment with offering such as its 12 % ABV Heavyweight Ticklefight Champion of the World whisky cask - age barleywine . With a passion for West Coast , Belgian , and cask - ripened beer , Solemn Oath ’s harry by Vikings also just happens to be exactly the sort ofIllinois beer you ask to drink before you cash in one’s chips .
Scorched Earth Brewing Company
sear Earth may be just a few years old , but its old - worldly concern brewing technique produce a classic discernment that ’s already receive recognition and cultivating a loyal client base , which has inspired it to expand from the ginmill to retail . The wide list of craft options available at its warehouse - style saloon and fix across Chicagoland range from American ales like the Hickster cream ale to hard - to - pronounce German offering like the Zwickelbier , plus Belgian - style suds like the Saint Monty dubbel . Their sour serial publication , the Foraging Swine smoke ale , and chocolate oatmeal imperial stout The Bitter Chocolatier are not to be overlooked , either .
Half Acre
Hailstorm Brewing
Hailstorm Brewing convey a refreshing take to craft brewing by try on out Modern technique with wood fermentation , wild ales , and alien ingredients . It sells its beers all around Illinois , but the best position to savour these suds is on - site at the bar , where there ’s a weekly unfastened mic night , food trucks , and unrecorded music . Hailstorm ’s been tabbed as one of thebest up - and - coming breweries in the Midwest , and it wo n’t be long before its standout oblation – like the uber - complex Vlad The Conquistador ( made with 11 unlike malt and six hops varieties , and brewed with chipotle peppers and agave syrup ) and Drunk Uncle dunkel – are on the confidential information of the tongue ( and stuck in the hipster beard ) of beer nerds everywhere … if they are n’t already .
Church Street Brewing Company
Contemporary and definitive brewing styles come together at Church Street Brewing Company to create an honor - pull ahead craft beer list ( self-)described as “ righteously good ” . Church Street ’s no - fuss brews are approachable and bring the spell of this family - guide brewery the right way to your electric refrigerator , with retail locations across the Chicagoland field . Try the Heavenly Helles , create with old - mankind mashing techniques , or the dry - hopped Brimstone IPA for maximal drinkability … which is kind of the whole spot , right ?
Big Muddy Brewing
midget Murphysboro is n’t just the habitation of 17th Street BBQ , one of thefinest BBQ spliff in the land . It ’s also home to the delightfully under - the - radar Big Muddy Brewing . The latter offers the Pumpkin Smasher , made with real pumpkins and savory pumpkin Proto-Indo European spice ; the Big Muddy Monster , a hybridisation between an American brown ale and IPA ; and the Saluki Dunkeldog , which fuses an American gold with a German dunkel and a soupcon of umber knock . Tour the brewery , hit up 17th St BBQ , explore nearby Carbondale , and notice theShawnee National Forestfor the ultimate Southern Illinois dangerous undertaking .
Little Egypt Beer
The more we explore Southern Illinois , the more nerveless crap we find . Priding itself on using only the purest component , like spring - fed lake water , barley , wheat , American and European hops , and the glad barm on earth , Little Egypt Beer is a step out of the brewery norm . Consisting of beer maker Ken Rhude and two part - time employee , this flyspeck mental process is best known for its Bavarian - style Hefeweizen , gold medal winner at the 2014 Great American Beer Fest , but its malt - forward Little Egypt Red is no slouch either . This out of sight gem is well worth the head trip , but be sure to seize a growler while you ’re in the expanse because this brewery only distributes in its hometown ( or close by ) .
Metropolitan Brewing
When it debuted in 2009 , Metropolitan was the first brewery to open in Chicago in 10 age . Specializing in German - dash beers and lagers , Metro can be count on to deliver solid , leisurely - drinking beers that are clean , flavorful , and always on - point . Making the bluff move to focus on Vienna - style lager in a ocean of craft ale and IPAs helps set it apart , as does its affable eccentric person humor and veneration to community . It ’s expanded its profile through late achievement such as taking home the Ag medallion at the 2016 World Beer Cup for its Magnetron Schwarzbier . So popular is its flagship brewage , Krankshaft , that you may even get it at Soldier Field … which draw watch the Bears infinitely more tolerable .
Bent River Brewing Company
Bent River Brewing Co. is most far-famed for its flagship beer , Uncommon Stout – a burnt umber - infused , oatmeal stout – and for its gravid American Beer Festival bronze medal - winning Mississippi Blonde . Its Moline brew public house is also the nursing home of the otherworldly Jalapeno Pepper Ale BBQ - smoke beef brisket . Their holiday seasonal , Jingle Java Holiday Stout , will , as they like the say around these parts , help you “ GET BENT ! ” betimes and often .
Triptych Brewing
This microbrewery is an accolade - gain ground craft - brewing basic in the Prairie State . Rooted in old - world brewing tradition , Triptych Brewing draws upon a variety of inspirations like using local constituent to satisfy a number of tastes . Stop by and hold back out the BYOF ( bring your own intellectual nourishment ) tasting room , which offers a upstanding lineup of eight different rotating beers that convert with the seasons such as the Midwest laager Pretty Nice Little Saturday ( a nod toOld School ) and English brown Dirty Hippy .
Excel Brewing Company
Excel Brewing Company ’s specialisation beers bring West Coast dash to the Land of Lincoln with brews copious in hops , as well as traditional German - way lager that rotate harmonize to season . Barrel aging is big here , with the whisky cask - age Imperial Porter , the tequila cask - cured autumn pumpkin ale Bruja , the red wine barrel - senior Saison , and ( coming before long ) the rummy barrel - aged imperial stout Black Breath . Looking for something a little sweeter ? This bottling companionship also produces flavored soda ash using cane sugar , returnable bottles , and vintage bottle equipment .
DESTIHL Brewery
DESTIHL brews wiliness beer that suck upon America ’s thaw pot for inspiration . Using only the freshest local ingredients , DESTIHL is best know for its accolade - get ahead WiLD SOUR serial , featuring obscure brews like the dark , complex , and rich Adambier and the kettle - soured yield lambic Kriek – not to mention its square Belgian - manner abbey ales and year - round Hoperation Overload forked IPA . Currently operate on brewpubs in Normal and Champaign , the popular local beer maker is opening a new $ 14 million building complex in early 2017 complete with a beer hall and craft beer garden .
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Founded by a Chicago native who made his bones in the crowded Northern California beer scene , Lagunitas has train its own little beer picture decent here in Chicago centered around itsnew Pilsen deftness , bustle tap room , and yearly toast to insanity known as theLagunitas Beer Circus . Most famous for its IPAs and smooth ales like short Sumpin ’ Sumpin ’ in addition to limited departure like the Wilco Tango Foxtrot chocolate-brown ale , the 420 - friendly , medicine - loving , dog-iron - obsess beer maker of late released the new hops - forward 12th of Never Ale and is currently leave community initiatives throughout the nation . And just in case you ’re in the market for ahoodie for your dog , you finally know where to look .
Iron Spike Brewing Company
turn up in an old ardor station in the heart of Galesburg , Iron Spike offers a variety of workmanship beers and food in a unique atmosphere . The fervor place is a gross backcloth for exploring the immaculately curated batting order of train - themed brew , including the Locomotive Lager American pale lager , the Night Train American double , and The Konductor Kolsch . The popularity of its brews has lead to recent canning operations of its Flatback IPA and Light Rail cream ale , thus helping to expand the statewide footprint of this thirsty up - and - arrival .
4204 Main Street Brewing Company
piffling Alton is not only domicile toone of the best bars in the state , but also one of its best breweries : 4204 Main Street Brewing Company . This brewery cultivates a miscellany of craft classic , including a blonde ale , drinking chocolate stout , saison ( a farmhouse ale brew in the Belgian mode ) , several unlike IPAs , hefeweizen , and more . Its Pecan Brown Ale ( brewed with house - ridicule pecans ) is a house favorite , and its Oktoberfest beer was a golden palm success at the 2015 better of Craft Beer Awards . If you ’re in the domain , block by its blackguard - favorable out-of-door patio neighborhood hangout for bouncy Jamaican music on Sundays , or $ 10 steak and beers on Mondays .
Marz Community Brewing
Helmed by Maria ’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar co - founder Ed Marszewski , Marz is obsessive about its Bridgeport roots , with beer named after Chicago ’s favorite rotting river area , Bubbly Creek , as well as Marszewski ’s counterculture magazineLumpen(he also publishesMash Tun : A Craft Beer Journal ) . The Marz collective is comprised of abode brewer , professional brewer , and artists who found each other while drinking beer at Maria ’s , and is currently one of the most look for - after small - wad artisanal beer in Chicago . Marz recently ramped up operations due to continued countersign - of - oral cavity bombination , make it easier to find beers like its Bill Kim collaboration What the Pho at prize Chicago locating , while standbys like Jungle Boogie are usable as far out as Kentucky .
JT Walker’s Brewery
Home to a complex and ever - change beer leaning , JT Walker ’s is a go - to for beer connoisseurs in central Illinois . The brewery produces a variety of original beers like its University of Illinois - theme Orange & Blue Belgian witbier with orangish citrus and blueberries , as well as a standout lineup of specialty collaborations like its 47 & 74 Scotch ale , Chester ’s BBQ ale , and Cranetucky Kentucky plebeian . end by its brewery to sample one in - house , but be on the lookout for these homegrown offerings across key Illinois .
Goose Island Beer Company
Pecatonica Beer Company
Located on the historical Stagecoach Trail that connects the popularvacation outpost of Galenawith northwestern Illinois towns like Warren , Pecatonica Beer Company brews minuscule great deal of beer that take inspiration from the history of Midwest brewing . The brewery currently produces three annual beers and rotates seasonal brews throughout the year that stay true to the regional spirit of the Pecatonica Valley , while making nods abroad in the class of its European dark Nightfall Lager and record hop - forward Alphorn . Find it in bars , restaurants , and retailers along the Illinois - Wisconsin border .
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Lagunitas Brewing Co
Revolution Brewing
Solemn Oath Brewery
Half Acre Beer Company
The Church Street Brewing Company
Little Egypt Beer
Bent River Brewing Company
Excel Brewing Company
LYNN MILLSPAUGH/Thrillist
4204-Main Street Brewing Company
JT Walker’s Restaurant and Brewery
Pecatonica Beer Company
