This year’s Beer Under Glass festival tops my list for the summer. The new location at Millennium Park was terrific, as was the variety of breweries available. The flow was great for guests, and we got to see a lot of folks we’ve talked to on the show. Kudos to the Illinois Craft Beer Guild for hosting a great event.

— Brian Noonan, host of Crafty Brewers podcast

The Oak Park Microbrew Review in August was the best festival I’ve been to in a while. It’s really made a name for itself over the years. It draws a great crowd, has a lot of fun breweries attending, and it’s one of those that I will never miss.

— Cam Horn, director of brewing operations at Homewood Brewing Company

Throughout the summer, we’ve really had a good time on our patio at Macushla Brewing in Glenview. We have live music most weekends, and we get a great crowd outside. When the weather’s nice, it’s just incredible out there, and everyone enjoys the extra space to enjoy our crisp, light, easy-drinking summer beers to wind down the day.

— Brad Pulver, head brewer at Macushla Brewing Co.

We had a great dinner and beers at Offshore, the rooftop venue at Navy Pier, that somehow goes unnoticed to a lot of people. It’s a versatile restaurant with a glass roof and a full open-air space too. Hard to beat dinner and a few good beers paired with the unobstructed views of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier and the entire Chicago skyline.

— Geoff Hutchins

The best summer experience was the Belgian Import Festival in Denver over at Bruz Beers. Such an amazing time. They had brewers fly in from all over Belgium for the event, each pouring some fantastic beers. The layout at Bruz is perfect for any outdoor festival. It’s well spaced out and has limited tickets, so attendees were able to try all the beers they wanted without wasting half of the festival standing in line. Bruz also let the Belgian breweries shine and didn’t pour their own beers at the festival (they just served them indoors). If you like Belgian beer, this is a must festival to attend. They are having another Belgian Beer Festival in October that I’ll fly out for the day to attend.

— Dave Zalatoris, host of Beer In Front podcast

Every year my brother, some friends and I go to the Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison. It’s seriously the best beer festival in the country. Two hundred breweries coming only from the Midwest, plus great food and great music. The whole city gets involved too, providing tap takeovers from different breweries at various Madison bars throughout the weekend. There’s a gigantic farmers market in the capital square beforehand, and so much more going on. It’s definitely worth checking out.

— Kevin Hopkins, Fox Republic Brewing

I loved Beer Under Glass, which was especially fun because we knew a lot of people there — and the best part was, nobody avoided eye contact with us! We received a ton of smiles and positive feedback about our episodes, and nothing is more validating to me than knowing how happy brewers have been with our episodes. We are very proud of the work we put into the show. I should probably also mention that the beer we sampled at the event was delicious (and I should know, because I drank plenty of it)!

— Cody Gough, producer of the Crafty Brewers podcast

Great Taste of the Midwest in August is a fest I will not miss. The team that puts the fest together are true professionals and make everything go seamlessly. … Also, I love working the majority of beer fests, but the Wright Deck Beers summer festival and Oktoberfest at the Hoosier Grove Barn in Streamwood are non-negotiable — I will always be there. The Wrights are some of my favorite humans, and they do so much for the Illinois craft beer community.

— Amanda Steinbraker, Church Street Brewing

I generally don’t get out much, especially in the summertime because that’s our busy season, but I finally got up to Crystal Lake Brewing on a Sunday afternoon. The patio is gorgeous, and it’s such a cute little town. I wish Ryan Clooney, the brewmaster, had been there, but I still swung over to check it out and did a flight. … There are very few Munich-style helles lagers I like in the U.S., but Crystal Lake’s — called Beach Blonde — was fantastic. That unique Munich malt sweetness you get in Germany is often missed by brewers in the States, but they hit it on the head. I liked all the beers I tried there, but that was the one I had a few of.

— Scott Frank, head brewer at Double Clutch Brewing

While at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, the family swung by New Trail Brewing Company. Perfect outdoor ambiance, amazing IPAs and lagers were had, mixed with a delicious soul food truck for dinner. Super relaxing way to end the evening.

— Aaron Keefner

On vacation, drinking mini Heinekens with a Navy Seal and the locals on the beaches of Tunisia outside the walls of Carthage.

— Tim Enarson, owner of Navigator Taproom

My favorite beer experience of the summer was my visit to Brouwerij de Halve Mann in Bruges, Belgium. Drinking beer styles that I normally avoid that were all amazing in a gorgeous city was just fantastic. Their tripel was my favorite, and it paired well with the cheese croquettes.

— Ben Ault

The 11th annual Grayslake Craft Beer Fest. I already can’t wait to see which breweries show up next year. It’s the best small-town beer fest around, and it gives back to the community by raising money for scholarships for local students (#SipsForScholarships). For an event I don’t help organize, I would say MoreFest in Huntley. More Brewing Co. gets some of the best breweries locally and from out of state for their fest, along with some killer food options.

— Nader Kardoush, owner of Beer Bazaar in Grayslake

My favorite experience of the summer has to be the Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison. There is something truly incredible about that fest. I have traveled the world attending beer fests, and nothing compares to the Great Taste. It’s the location. It’s the breweries. It’s the attendees. It’s the people that host it. We had such an amazing time this year and cannot wait until next year!

— Mike Pallen, Mikerphone Brewing

Though many great memories run through my head from this summer, I’d have to say enjoying a Haymarket Blood Orange Blonde Ale at Wrigley Field with my brother (Jonathan) and nephew (Ben) who were visiting from California. It was Ben’s first visit to the ballpark. Not only did he get a baseball and a copy of the official lineup from the Cubs’ dugout, but he got to dance around to “Go Cubs Go” as the W flag was being raised. Jonathan and I got to cheers one another with our overpriced souvenir pint glasses and big smiles on our faces knowing that Ben would remember this experience forever.

— Mike Gemma, Haymarket Brewing