Jon Miller
Owner and head brewer at Bubblehouse Brewing Company
2121 Ogden Ave., Unit A in west suburban Lisle
BubblehouseBrewing.com

The last really good beer I drank was… Enchanted Bines, the lupo lager from Roaring Table Brewing in collaboration with Hopewell Brewing Co. Had I not been offered a sample the last time I was in The Beer and Now in Lisle (Thanks Mary!), I would have missed this beer. And that would have been a shame, as I have a soft spot for anything around the India pale lager style, and Enchanted Bines did not disappoint.

The beer was crisp with a bright citrus hop character from the Nelson and Motueka hops that transitioned really nicely into a clean, dry finish. Regardless of what you call these beers — IPL, cold IPA, lupo lager, etc. — Roaring Table and Hopewell are a bit of a hike for me, but I always appreciate their stuff when I see them in distro. I wanted more.

What fellow Illinois breweries and specific beers have impressed you lately? 

DDH Formerly Known As, the West Coast IPA from Werk Force Brewing, is a beer I never tire of. It strikes a great balance between a solid malt base and the layers of Citra and Amarillo hops to embody a classic, and more importantly, consistent West Coast IPA for me.

Way back in the day I used to buy my home brew ingredients from Brandon in a little shop behind Binny’s on Route 59, and it’s been inspiring to see him and Amanda grow that shop into the home brew shop/nano brewery space in Plainfield and then the expansion to their current brewhouse and taproom next door.

I’ll always have a place in my heart for Skeleton Key Brewery’s Friends Don’t Lie American pale ale. SKB was a big part of the support structure to get Bubblehouse up and running, and this beer has always been a favorite of mine and a constant through the ups and downs of opening our doors.

Additionally, I’ll always have a place in my heart for Skeleton Key Brewery’s Friends Don’t Lie American pale ale. SKB was a big part of the support structure to get Bubblehouse up and running, and this beer has always been a favorite of mine and a constant through the ups and downs of opening our doors. It features big waves of citrus and grapefruit from Centennial, a classic hop that I love, and a subtly sweet malt base. I was glad to see it return to draft recently.

And since its opening, we’ve spent a decent amount of time at the new Miskatonic’s Craft Kitchen in Naperville. If I take a completely different route, it can sort of be on my way home, and the combination of great food and beer is fantastic. I especially enjoy the Belobog pale lager. At 3.9% ABV,  I can have a few, which allows me to really appreciate the biscuit and soft honey sweetness, finishing with a great herbal and floral hop finish.

Miskatonic Craft Kitchen

What are you most proud of at your brewery?

Honestly, this will probably come off as cheesy, but I don’t care. It would be our staff. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly proud of the beers we are putting out, the variety across a wide range of styles, and the space we’ve created. But typically, the first impression people have is not of our beer, it’s the individual that greets them and welcomes them into Bubblehouse for the first time or the 50th.

We are always working hard to create a space that serves the community and the things they prioritize, and we like to make people feel like they belong. Our staff has been incredible in breaking down any perceived barriers to enjoying our space and creating bonds over local craft beer. Oh, I’m also very proud of pizza phone. If you know, you know.

At Bubblehouse, we like to make people feel like they belong. Our staff is incredible at breaking down any perceived barriers and creating bonds over local craft beer.

What do you have coming up that people should know about? 

We have a lot going on lately as we continue to look for new ways to engage our community through live music, trivia, special events, etc. But I’m just going to plant our Oktoberfest flag right now. I know it’s early… but we’ve never planned out this far on anything, and we’re pretty damn excited. We are partnering with Lisle Park District to throw an awesome Bluegrass Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Van Kampen stage in Lisle. We are only in the initial conversations now, but bringing a large-scale event like this to our community and partnering music, food and beer is something we love, so save the date! It should be quite a party.