Breweries in Illinois produce a wide range of beers in different styles that are marketed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Brewing companies vary widely in the volume and variety of beer produced, from small nanobreweries and microbreweries to massive multinational conglomerate macrobreweries. Illinois is the 25th most extensive and the fifth most populous of the 50 states, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities, great agricultural productivity, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a broad economic base.
In 2012 Illinois' 83 breweries and brewpubs employed 1,300 people directly, and more than 45,000 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing.[1][2] Including people directly employed in brewing, as well as those who supply Illinois' breweries with everything from ingredients to machinery, the total business and personal tax revenue generated by Illinois' breweries and related industries was more than $1.4 billion.[2] Consumer purchases of Illinois' brewery products generated almost $450 million extra in tax revenue.[3] In 2012, according to the Brewers Association, Illinois ranked 36th in the number of craft breweries per capita with 68.[4]
For context, at the end of 2013 there were 2,822 breweries in the United States, including 2,768 craft breweries subdivided into 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries.[5] In that same year, according to the Beer Institute, the brewing industry employed around 43,000 Americans in brewing and distribution and had a combined economic impact of more than $246 billion.[6]
An analysis done in 2015 reported that Chicago craft brewers occupied more square feet of commercial real estate than those of any other U.S. city. According to the same study, Chicago had 144 craft breweries, second only to Portland, Oregon which had 196.[7] In 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported that "the Chicago area has the most breweries in the nation, with 202 – topping Denver's 198 and Seattle's 168. The Chicago area includes small portions of Indiana and Wisconsin."[8]
Notes:
Name | Bottling or canning | Brewpub | Taproom | Location and other information |
---|---|---|---|---|
25 O'Clock Brewing Company | Urbana, opened in 2017, added a taprooom in 2018.[9][10] | |||
4204 Main Street Brewing Company | Belleville. The original brewpub opened in 2014.[11] A second, larger brewery and taproom opened in 2017.[12] The original location closed in 2021, with the production brewery and taproom remaining in operation.[13] | |||
5 Bines Brewery | Belvidere, opened in 2024.[14] | |||
93 Octane Brewery | St. Charles,[15] opened in 2019. | |||
Adams Street Brewery | Opened in 2019 in the Berghoff restaurant in Chicago.[16] | |||
Afterthought Brewing Company | Lombard, opened in 2016. The separate taproom opened in 2021.[17][18] | |||
Alarmist Brewing | Chicago, opened in 2015.[19] Added a taproom in 2017.[20] | |||
All Rise Brewing Company | The brewery began operations in 2014, inside the existing Cobra Lounge in Chicago.[21][22] | |||
Alter Brewing Company | The brewery and taproom in Downers Grove opened in 2015[23] and added a canning line in 2017.[24] The brewpub in St. Charles opened in 2020.[25] The brewpub in Oak Brook opened in 2022. | |||
Alulu | Chicago, opened in 2017.[26] | |||
Analytical Brewing | Lexington, opened in 2022.[27] | |||
Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling | Springfield,[28] opened in 2018. | |||
Apple Knocker Hard Cider | Cider brewery in Cobden, opened in 2012.[29] | |||
Arrowhead Ales Brewing Company | New Lenox, opened in 2016.[30] | |||
Artesia Brewing | Thawville, opened in 2021.[31] | |||
Art History Brewing | Geneva, opened in 2020.[32][33] | |||
Banging Gavel Brews | Founded in 2014. Initially the beer was contract brewed.[34] Opened their own brewery in Tinley Park in 2023.[35] | |||
Begyle Brewing Company | Chicago,[36] opened in 2012. The taproom opened in 2015.[37][38] | |||
Belly Up Beer Company | Western Springs, opened in 2016.[39] | |||
Bent River Brewing Company | Brewpub in Moline, bottling line and taproom in Rock Island.[40] Founded in 1997. | |||
Big Muddy Brewing | Murphysboro, founded in 2009.[41] | |||
Big Thorn Brewery | Georgetown, opened in 2016.[42] | |||
Bixi Beer | Chicago, opened in 2018.[43][44][45] | |||
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse | BJ's Restaurants is a chain of restaurants and brewpubs that started in Santa Ana, California in 1978. The location in Orland Park opened in 2023.[46] | |||
Black & Gray Brewing Company | East Dundee,[47] opened in 2019. | |||
Black Horizon Brewing Company | Willowbrook, opened in 2017.[48][49] | |||
Black Lung Brewing Company | Started in 2019 as an alternating proprietorship brewing and distributing out of ZümBier in Waukegan.[50] Opened their own brewery and taproom in Round Lake Beach in 2021.[51] | |||
Blind Pig Brewery | Champaign. The beer bar opened in 2004. The separate microbrewery and taproom opened in 2009.[52] | |||
Blue Island Beer Company | Blue Island, opened in 2015.[53] | |||
Bosacki's Brewery | Mundelein, opened in 2016.[54] | |||
BrickStone Restaurant & Brewery | Bourbonnais.[55][56] Added a brewery to the existing restaurant in 2006. Opened a separate production brewery in 2015. | |||
Broken Tee Brewing Company | Highwood, opened in 2022.[57] | |||
Brother Chimp Brewing | North Aurora, opened in 2020.[58] | |||
Brothership Brewing | Mokena, opened in 2020.[59][18] | |||
Bubblehouse Brewing Company | Lisle, opened in 2021.[60] | |||
BuckleDown Brewing | Lyons, opened in 2013.[61] | |||
Buffalo Creek Brewing | Long Grove, opened in 2017.[62] | |||
Burning Bush Brewery | Chicago, opened in 2020.[63] | |||
Bust'd Brewing | Peoria Heights, opened in 2023.[64] | |||
Buzz Bomb Brewing Company | Springfield, opened in 2018.[65] Added a second brewery, in Illiopolis, later that year.[66] | |||
Carbondale Craft Beer | Ava, makers of Little Egypt beer, founded in 2012.[67] | |||
Carlyle Brewing Company | Rockford. Opened in 2003,[68] closed in 2021,[69] reopened in 2022,[70] under new management in 2023.[71] | |||
Cary Ale House & Brewing Company | Cary. The restaurant opened in 2015. They added an in-house brewery in 2018.[72] | |||
Casa Humilde Cerveceria Artesanal | Began operations in 2019 at District Brew Yards.[73] Opened their own brewery in Forest Park in 2024.[74] | |||
Casper Brewing Company | Bloomington, opened in 2021.[75] | |||
Church Street Brewing Company | Itasca, opened in 2012.[76] | |||
Coal Creek Brewing Company | Princeton, opened in 2023.[77] | |||
Corridor Brewery & Provisions | Chicago, opened in 2015.[78] Added a canning line in 2017.[79] | |||
Crushed by Giants | Chicago, opened in 2020.[80] | |||
Crust Brewing | Rosemont, opened in 2022.[81] | |||
Cruz Blanca | Founded by chef Rick Bayless in 2015, the beer was originally contract brewed.[82] The brewpub in Chicago opened in 2016.[83] | |||
Crystal Lake Brewing | Crystal Lake, opened in 2014.[84] | |||
D and G Brewing Company | St. Charles,[85] opened in 2018. | |||
Decatur Brew Works | Decatur, opened in 2016.[86] | |||
Demo Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2024.[87] | |||
Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works | The brewpub in Normal opened in 2007, and the one in Champaign opened in 2011. The production brewery in Bloomington opened in 2013.[88][89] It was replaced with a new brewery and taproom in Normal in 2017.[90][91] The brewpub in Champaign closed in 2020.[92] | |||
District Brew Yards | Chicago, opened in 2019 as a brewery run cooperatively by three brewing companies – Burnt City Brewing, Around the Bend Beer Company, and Bold Dog Beer Company.[93] Added a fourth company, Casa Humilde Cervecería Artesanal, later that year.[94] In 2022 Bold Dog left, and Twisted Hippo Brewing joined after their own brewpub was destroyed in a fire. Later in 2022 District Brew Yards opened a second location, in Wheeling.[95] | |||
Door 4 Brewing Company | Decatur, opened in 2017.[96] | |||
Double Clutch Brewing Company | Evanston, opened in 2021.[97] | |||
Dovetail Brewery | Chicago, opened in 2016.[98][99] | |||
DryHop Brewers | Chicago, opened in 2013.[100][101][102] | |||
Duneyrr Artisan Fermenta Project | Chicago brewery specializing in beer cofermented with wine, opened in 2021.[103] | |||
Elmhurst Brewing Company | Elmhurst, opened in 2018.[104] | |||
Emancipation Brewing Company | Fairbury, opened in 2019.[105][106] | |||
Emmett's Brewing Company | West Dundee, Palatine, Downers Grove;[107] founded in 1999. | |||
Energy City Brewing | Batavia, opened in 2017.[108] | |||
Engrained Brewing Company | Springfield, opened in 2013.[109] | |||
Eris Brewery and Cider House | Cider and beer brewery and restaurant in Chicago, opened in 2018.[110][111] | |||
Evergreen Farm Brewing | Metamora, opened in 2021.[112] | |||
Evil Horse Brewing Company | Crete, opened in 2016.[113] | |||
Excel Brewing Company | Breese. Founded as a soft drink company in 1936, Excel Bottling Company started brewing beer in 2012.[114] | |||
Fiala Brothers Brewery | Normal, opened in 2022.[115] | |||
Fibs Brewing Company | Des Plaines, opened in 2019.[116] | |||
Flapjack Brewery | Berwyn,[117] opened in 2017. | |||
Flipside Brewing | Tinley Park, opened in 2022.[118] | |||
Flossmoor Station Brewing Company | Flossmoor. Brewpub opened in 1996, bottling operation started in 2008.[119] | |||
Forbidden Root | Founded in Chicago in 2013, the beer was initially brewed at various locations.[120] The brewpub on Chicago Avenue opened in 2016.[121] The Columbus, Ohio location opened in 2019.[122] The Cultivate brewpub on Ravenswood Avenue opened in 2021.[123] | |||
Forgottonia Brewing | Macomb, opened in 2019.[124] | |||
Foxes Den Meadery | Yorkville meadery, opened in 2023.[125] | |||
Fox Republic Brewing | Yorkville, opened in 2023.[126] | |||
Galena Brewing Company | The brewpub in Galena[127] opened in 2010. The taproom in Moline opened in 2019[128] and closed in 2023.[129] | |||
Garage Band Brewing | Plainfield,[130] opened in 2019. | |||
Generations Brewing Company | Freeport, opened in 2014.[131] | |||
Geneseo Brewing Company | Geneseo,[132] opened in 2015. | |||
Ginger Road Brewing Company | Utica, opened in 2023.[133] | |||
Go Brewing | Naperville, brewer of no-alcohol and low-alcohol beers, opened in 2022.[134] | |||
Golden Fox Brewing | Decatur, opened in 2018.[135] | |||
Goldfinger Brewing Company | Downers Grove, opened in 2020.[136][137] | |||
Good Times Brewery | Chicago, opened in 2023.[138] | |||
Goose Island Beer Company | Founded in Chicago in 1988 as a brewpub on Clybourn Avenue, Goose Island opened a production brewery on Fulton Street in 1995, and a second brewpub, in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, in 1999. The production brewery and its beers, but not the brewpubs, were purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2011. Goose Island now has national distribution, and some of the beer is produced at other breweries.[139][140] A taproom at the Fulton Street brewery opened in 2015.[141] The Wrigleyville brewpub closed in 2015.[142] The Clybourn Avenue brewpub was acquired by AB InBev in 2016;[143] it closed in 2023.[144] The brewpub on Blackhawk Street opened in 2024.[145] | |||
Grainology Brewstillery | Brewery and distillery in Batavia, opened in 2023.[146] | |||
Granite City Food & Brewery | With its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Granite City operates several dozen brewpubs in the Midwest,[147] including two in Illinois, in Naperville and Schaumburg. | |||
Great Central Brewing Company | Contract brewery in Chicago, opened in 2016.[148] The taproom opened in 2017.[149] | |||
Greenstar Brewing | Located at the Uncommon Ground restaurant in Chicago, Greenstar began production in 2014 as the first organic brewery in Illinois.[150] | |||
Guinness Open Gate Brewery | Guinness was founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1759. The brewpub in Chicago opened in 2023.[151] | |||
Hailstorm Brewing | Tinley Park, opened in 2014.[152][153] | |||
Hairy Cow Brewing Company | Byron, opened in 2018.[154] | |||
Half Acre Beer Company | Half Acre was founded in 2007, with the beer initially contract brewed in Wisconsin. The brewery on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago started production in 2009, and the tap room opened in 2012.[155] In 2015, a second, larger brewery started production on Balmoral Avenue, a mile and a half from the first location.[156] The Lincoln Avenue tap room added a kitchen in 2016.[157] The Balmoral Avenue brewery added a brewpub in 2017.[158] The Lincoln Avenue location closed in 2021.[159] | |||
Half Day Brewing Company | Lincolnshire, opened in 2016.[160] | |||
Hand of Fate Brewing Company | Petersburg, opened in 2016.[161][162][163] | |||
Harbor Brewing Company | Winthrop Harbor,[164] opened in 2018. | |||
Hardware | Brewpub in North Aurora, opened in 2016, home of BBGB Brewery and Hop Farm.[165] | |||
Haymarket Pub & Brewery | The brewpub in Chicago[166] opened in 2010. The second brewpub and production brewery in Bridgman, Michigan opened in 2017.[167] | |||
Hickory Creek Brewing Company | New Lenox, opened in 2018.[168] Moved to a new location in 2023.[169] | |||
Highway 20 Brewing Company | Elizabeth, opened in 2020.[170] | |||
Holzlager Brewing Company | Woodstock, opened in 2019.[171] | |||
Homewood Brewing Company | Homewood, opened in 2024.[172] | |||
The Hop Brewery | Christopher, opened in 2017.[173] | |||
Hop Butcher for the World | Founded in Chicago in 2013 as South Loop Brewing Company. Renamed to Hop Butcher for the World in 2016.[174] The beer was brewed at Aquanaut in Chicago, Miskatonic in Darien,[175] and 5 Rabbit in Bedford Park. In 2021 they bought the 5 Rabbit brewery.[176] In 2022 they opened a second, smaller brewery, with a taproom, in Chicago.[177] | |||
Hop District Community Brewing Company | LaGrange Park, opened in 2022.[178] | |||
Hopewell Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2016.[179] | |||
Hopskeller Brewing Company | Waterloo, opened in 2016.[180] | |||
Hopvine Brewing Company | Aurora, opened in 2013.[181][182] | |||
Horse Thief Hollow | Chicago,[183] opened in 2013. | |||
Ike & Oak Brewing Company | Woodridge, opened in 2019.[184] | |||
Illuminated Brew Works | Chicago, opened in 2014.[185] Moved to a new location and added a taproom in 2021.[186] | |||
Imperial Oak Brewing | The Willow Springs brewery and taproom opened in 2014.[187] The Brookfield location opened in 2021.[188] | |||
Industry Ales | Chicago, opened in 2024.[189] | |||
Industry Brewing Company | Peoria, opened in 2017.[190] | |||
Iron Spike Brewing Company | Galesburg, opened in 2014,[191] added a canning line in 2016.[192] | |||
Is/Was Brewing | Chicago, opened in 2024.[193] | |||
Itasca Brewing Company | Itasca,[194] opened in 2017. | |||
JT Walker's Brewery | Mahomet, opened in 2013.[195] | |||
Keg Grove Brewing Company | The Bloomington brewery opened in 2018.[196] The Morris brewery opened in 2024.[197] | |||
Kennay Farms Distilling | Farm-to-glass distillery and brewery in Rochelle, opened in 2019.[198] | |||
Khaos Brewcade & Kitchen | Plainfield, opened in 2021.[199] | |||
Kinslahger Brewing Company | Oak Park, opened in 2016.[200][201] | |||
Kishwaukee Brewing Company | Woodstock, opened in 2020.[202] | |||
Knack Brewing & Fermentations | Kankakee, opened in 2022.[203] | |||
Lake Bluff Brewing Company | Lake Bluff, opened in 2011.[204] | |||
Lake Effect Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2012.[205] Moved to a new location in 2022.[206] | |||
Lena Brewing Company | Lena, opened in 2015.[207] | |||
Lieferbräu Brewery | Red Bud, opened in 2018.[208] | |||
Lil Beaver Brewery | Bloomington, opened in 2018.[209] | |||
Limerick Brewing Company | Lincoln. The Spirited Republic tavern opened in 2015.[210] They added a brewery in 2018. | |||
Liquid Love Brewing | Buffalo Grove, opened in 2020.[211] | |||
Lot 50 Brewing | Paris, opened in 2018.[212] | |||
The Lucky Monk | South Barrington,[213] opened in 2009. | |||
Lugan's Brewing | Brewery and distillery in Joliet, opened in 2019.[214] | |||
Lunar Brewing Company | Villa Park,[215] opened in 1998. | |||
Macushla Brewing Company | Glenview, opened in 2017.[216] | |||
Mad Hatchet Brewing | Shorewood,[217] opened in 2019. | |||
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery | Founded in Chicago as Mercenary in 2014,[218] renamed to Maplewood in 2015.[219] The taproom opened in 2017.[220] | |||
Marz Community Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2014.[221] Moved to a new location in 2017, and added a brewpub in 2018.[222][223] The Life on Marz Community Club nanobrewery and taproom, also in Chicago, opened in 2021.[224] | |||
McHenry Brewing Company | McHenry, opened in 2018.[225] | |||
Mickey Finn's Brewery | Libertyville, opened in 1994;[226] moved to a new location in 2014.[227] | |||
Middle Brow Beer Company | Chicago, began production in 2014.[228] The beer has been contract brewed at various breweries in the Chicago area. In 2019 they opened their own brewpub, called Bungalow. Some of their packaged beer is still produced under contract.[229] | |||
Midwest Ale Works | East Moline, opened in 2019.[230] | |||
Midwest Coast Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2019.[231] | |||
Mikerphone Brewing | Founded in Chicago in 2015. At first the beer was brewed at SlapShot,[232] then at Une Année.[233] They opened their own brewery in Elk Grove Village in 2017.[234][235] | |||
Milk Money Brewing | La Grange, opened in 2020.[236] | |||
Millpond Brewing | Millstadt, opened in 2019.[237] | |||
Miskatonic Brewing Company | The brewery and taproom in Darien opened in 2015.[238] The restaurant in Naperville opened in 2023.[239] | |||
Mississippi Culture | Staunton, opened in 2023.[240] | |||
MobCraft Beer | MobCraft was founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 2013. Initially the beer was contract brewed. They moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and opened their own brewery in 2016.[241] The brewpub in Woodstock opened in 2023.[242][243] | |||
Molly's Pint Brewpub | Murphysboro, opened in 2017.[244] | |||
Monarch Brewing Company | Monticello, opened in 2017.[245] | |||
Monochrome Brewing | Chicago, opened in 2024.[246] | |||
Moody Tongue Brewing Company | Chicago, founded in 2014.[247] Added a tap room in 2016.[248] In 2019 they moved to the larger, vacant Baderbrau Brewing Company building and expanded the food menu, closing the old location in June of that year and opening the new one in November.[249][250] | |||
More Brewing Company | The brewpub in Villa Park opened in 2017.[251] The one in Huntley opened in 2020.[252] The brewpub in Bartlett opened in 2023.[253] | |||
Mud Run Brewing Company | Stockton, opened in 2021.[254] | |||
Nightshade and Dark's Pandemonium Brewing | Waukegan, opened in 2019.[255] | |||
Nik & Ivey Brewing Company | Lockport, opened in 2020.[256] | |||
Noon Whistle Brewing | The brewery and taproom in Lombard opened in 2014,[257] and added a kitchen in 2020.[258] The production brewery in Naperville opened in 2020,[259] and added a taproom later that year.[260] | |||
Obed & Isaac's | The brewpub in Springfield opened in 2012.[261] The brewpub in Peoria opened in 2016.[262] | |||
OB's Cervezaria | Chenoa, opened in 2022.[263] | |||
Obscurity Brewing & Craft Mead | Beer and mead brewery and restaurant in Elburn, opened in 2020.[264][265] | |||
Off Color Brewing | Chicago,[266] opened in 2013. A second brewery, with a taproom called the Mousetrap, opened in 2017.[267][268] | |||
Old Bakery Beer Company | Alton, opened in 2015.[269] | |||
Old Herald Brewery and Distillery | Collinsville, opened in 2019.[270] | |||
Old Irving Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2016; brewpub inspired by the cuisine of Homaro Cantu.[271] | |||
On Tour Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2017.[272][273][274] | |||
One Allegiance Brewing | Chicago Ridge, opened in 2020.[275] | |||
One Lake Brewing | Oak Park, opened in 2019.[276] | |||
Open Outcry Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2017.[277] | |||
Opera House Brewing Company | Hillsboro, opened in 2018.[278][279] | |||
Other Half Ramova | Other Half Brewing opened in Brooklyn, New York in 2014.[280] The Chicago location opened in 2024.[281] | |||
Peckish Pig | Evanston, opened in 2014.[282] | |||
Peel Brewing Company | O'Fallon, opened in 2014.[283] | |||
Penrose Brewing Company | Geneva, opened in 2014.[284] | |||
The Perch | Chicago, opened in 2020.[285] | |||
Phase Three Brewing Company | Lake Zurich, founded in 2019. The beer was initially brewed at Lake Zurich Brewing Company,[286] which they bought out in 2020.[287] The brewpub in Elmhurst opened in 2023, with the beer brought in from the brewery in Lake Zurich. | |||
Pho No. 1 Brewing Company | Nanobrewery and Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago, opened in 2022.[288][289] | |||
Piece Brewery and Pizzeria | Chicago,[290] opened in 2001. | |||
Pig Minds Brewing Company | Vegan brewpub in Machesney Park, opened in 2012.[291] | |||
Pilot Project | Chicago brewery and "brewery incubator", opened in 2019.[292] In 2022 they opened a second location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[293] | |||
Pipeworks Brewing Company | Chicago, opened in 2012,[294] moved to a larger space in 2015.[295] | |||
Pips Meadery | Meadery in Beach Park, opened in 2017.[296] The taproom in Gurnee opened in 2023.[297] | |||
Pollyanna Brewing Company | Lemont, opened in 2014.[298] A second brewery, with a taproom called Roselare, opened in Roselle in 2017.[299] A third location, in St. Charles, opened in 2019.[300] | |||
Prairie Street Brewing Company | Rockford. Opened as Rockford Brewing Company in 2013, in the old Peacock Brewery. Renamed to Prairie Street in 2016.[301] | |||
Pratt Brewing Company | Spring Grove, opened in 2022.[302] | |||
Printer's Row Brewing | Chicago. Initially the beer was brewed at Lake Effect. They opened their own brewery and taproom in 2021.[303] | |||
Punk Rock Pizza & Brewery | Silvis, opened in 2024.[304] | |||
Rabid Brewing | Homewood, opened in 2017.[305] | |||
Radicle Effect Brewerks | Rock Island, opened in 2012 as Against the Grain Brewery & Alehouse, changed their name in 2014 to Radicle Effect Brewerks.[306] | |||
Radium City Brewing | Ottawa, opened in 2015.[307] | |||
Ravinia Brewing Company | Founded in 2017.[308] Initially the beer was contract brewed at Finch Brewery. The pub in Highland Park opened in 2018,[309] with the beer brought in from offsite. The production brewery in Chicago opened in 2019,[310] and added a brewpub in 2021.[311] | |||
Rebellion Brew Haus | Moline, opened in 2016.[312] | |||
Reserve Artisan Ales | Galesburg, opened in 2022.[313] | |||
Revolution Brewing | Chicago. The brewpub opened in 2010.[314] The separate production brewery and taproom opened in 2012.[315] | |||
Rhodell Brewery | Peoria, opened in 1998.[316] Moved to a larger location in 2015.[317] | |||
Riggs Beer Company | Urbana, opened in 2016.[318] | |||
Right Bee Cider | Apple cider brewery in Chicago, opened in 2014.[319] The taproom opened in 2019.[320] | |||
Riverlands Brewing Company | St. Charles, opened in 2019.[321] | |||
Roaring Table Brewing Company | Lake Zurich, opened in 2017.[322] | |||
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery | Rock Bottom is a chain of brewpubs founded in Denver, Colorado in 1991. It has a number of locations, including two in Illinois, in Orland Park and Warrenville.[323][324] | |||
Roebuck Pizza | Chicago, opened in 2019.[325] | |||
Route 51 Brewing Company | Elkville, opened in 2017.[326] | |||
Route 66 Old School Brewing | Wilmington, opened in 2019.[327] | |||
Schlafly Highland Square | The Saint Louis Brewery, makers of Schlafly beer, is based in St. Louis and has several locations in Missouri. The brewpub in Highland, which opened in 2021, is their first in Illinois.[328] | |||
Scorched Earth Brewing Company | Algonquin, opened in 2014.[329] | |||
Scratch Brewing Company | Ava, opened in 2013.[330][331][332] | |||
Second City Meadery | Chicago meadery,[333] opened in 2020, added a tasting room in 2021.[334] | |||
Sew Hop'd Brewery & Tap Room | Huntley, opened in 2019.[335] | |||
Shoehorn Brewing | Belleville, opened in 2022.[336] | |||
Short Fuse Brewing Company | Schiller Park, opened in 2017.[337] | |||
Skeleton Key Brewery | Woodridge, opened in 2016.[338] The brewery was damaged by a tornado in June 2021[339] and reopened in May 2022. | |||
Sketchbook Brewing Company | The brewery in Evanston opened in 2014,[340] and added a taproom in 2016.[341][342][343] The brewery and taproom in Skokie opened in 2020.[344] | |||
Slauterhouse Brewing Company | Auburn, opened in 2020.[345] | |||
Solemn Oath Brewery | The Naperville location opened in 2012.[346] The Chicago location opened in 2021.[347] | |||
Soundgrowler Brewing | Tinley Park, opened in 2017.[348] | |||
Spirit Water | Cary, opened in 2020.[349] | |||
Spiteful Brewing | Chicago,[350] opened in 2012. Moved to a new location and added a taproom in 2017.[351] | |||
Springfield Beer Company | Springfield, opened in 2019.[352] | |||
Standard Meadery | Villa Park meadery, opened in 2020.[353] | |||
St. Nicholas Brewing Company | Du Quoin, opened in 2014.[354] | |||
Stockholm's | Geneva, opened in 2002.[355] | |||
Stubborn German Brewing Company | Waterloo, opened in 2016.[356] | |||
Sturdy Shelter Brewing | Batavia, opened in 2022.[357] | |||
Suncatcher Brewing | Chicago, opened in 2024.[358] | |||
Sundial Brewing & Blending | Barrington. Started brewing at Flesk Brewing in 2022. Acquired the brewery in 2023.[359] | |||
Tangled Roots Brewing Company | The brewery and the Lone Buffalo brewpub in Ottawa opened in 2016.[360] The Lock and Mule brewpub in Lockport opened in 2021.[361] The Hangar Two restaurant in Glenview also opened in 2021.[362] The Keg and Kernel restaurant in DeKalb opened in 2021[363] and closed in 2024.[364] | |||
Ten Ninety Brewing Company | Founded in 2013. Initially the beer was contract brewed at Big Chicago Brewing Company in Zion,[365] which Ten Ninety then acquired in 2014.[366] The brewery moved to a new location with a taproom in Glenview in 2016.[367] They added a kitchen in 2019. | |||
Tighthead Brewing Company | Mundelein, opened in 2011.[368] | |||
Tonality Brewing Company | Mundelein, opened in 2023.[369] | |||
Trail's Edge Brewing Company | Frankfort, opened in 2018 at the Smokey Barque restaurant.[370][371] | |||
Triptych Brewing | Savoy, opened in 2013.[372][373] | |||
Turner Häus Brewery | Chicago, opened in 2023.[374] | |||
Two Brothers Brewing | Two Brothers opened in 1997, and started bottling their beer in 1998. They have two brewpubs — one at the main brewery in Warrenville (opened in 2008), and one at the Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora (opened in 2013).[375][376] In 2017 they also started distilling hard liquor at the Aurora location.[377] | |||
Two Hound Red | Glen Ellyn brewpub, opened in 2019.[378] | |||
Une Année / Hubbard's Cave | Opened in Chicago in 2013.[379][380] Moved to Niles and added a taproom in 2017.[381][382][383] Moved to a different location in Niles and added a kitchen in 2020.[384][385][386] (Their Belgian-style beers are branded as Une Année and their American-style beers are branded as Hubbard's Cave.)[387][388] | |||
Unpossible Mead | Meadery in Dwight, taproom opened in 2018[389] | |||
Urban Forest Craft Brewing | Rockford, opened in 2020.[390] | |||
Village Vintner Winery & Brewery | Algonquin, opened in 2012.[391] | |||
Von Jakob Vineyard & Brewery | Alto Pass.[392] The vineyard was founded in 1996. The brewery opened in 2011. | |||
Wake Brewing | Rock Island, opened in 2017.[393] | |||
Werk Force Brewing Company | Plainfield, opened in 2014.[394] | |||
Whiner Beer Company | Chicago, opened in 2016.[395] | |||
Whiskey Hill Brewing Company | The production brewery in Westmont opened in 2018.[396] The brewpub in Westmont opened in 2024. | |||
White Oak Brewing | Normal,[397] opened in 2015; added a taproom in 2017.[398] | |||
White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery | Sparta, opened in 2017.[399] | |||
Wild Blossom Meadery | Chicago; opened in 2001; moved to a new location and added a taproom in 2017. Wild Blossom brews mead, using their own honey, and also makes wine and beer.[400] | |||
Wild Onion Brewery | Lake Barrington. The brewery opened in 1996 and the Onion Pub brewpub opened in 2003.[401] The Wild Onion Tied House restaurant in Oak Park opened in 2017 and closed in 2021; the beer there was brought in from the Lake Barrington brewery.[402][403] | |||
Will County Brewing Company | The Shorewood location opened in 2018.[404] The Channahon location opened in 2023[405] and closed in 2024.[406] | |||
Wishful Acres Farm & Brewery | Lena, opened in 2016.[407] | |||
Wolfden Brewing Company | Bloomingdale, opened in 2018.[408] |
Until four months ago not one drop of beer had been produced commercially in Chicago for 10 years. The last local brewery, Peter Hand on North Avenue, closed in 1977.... This fall Sieben's opened on Ontario Street next to the Kennedy on-ramp and plays to big crowds almost every night. Chicago's second micro-brewery and pub, The Tap & Growler, opened in November two blocks west of Greektown.