By Trent Modglin

Prairie Street Brewing Co.
200 Prairie Street
Rockford, IL
PSBrewingCo.com

What they’re known for: Prairie Street Brewing Company just happens to be housed in the oldest brewery in the state of Illinois, an 80,000-square foot historic landmark building along the Rock River in downtown Rockford.

Opened in 2013 after a massive two-year renovation of a 150-year-old facility, the focus of ownership has always been industry-leading sustainability practices, which includes a heavy reliance on solar and geothermal energy in the brewing process, as well as a redistribution of spent grains to local farms and hand-crafting bar tops and furniture out of retrieved lumber from the original building.

“It’s such a unique spot in downtown Rockford,” says Reed Sjostrom, chief brand & products officer at PSBC. “When we launched, there was not much else open downtown. I’d like to think we kind of spurred a renaissance of sorts, and people appreciate that. Riverside dining is unique in Rockford, and summer is huge here, as you can imagine.”

Prairie Street is also known for their regular participation in city markets, art shows, fundraisers and offsite bars around town, and they’ve also made a habit of working with numerous local farms since the beginning. 

It takes all of a few seconds inside of Prairie Street Brewing to realize it’s one of the most impressive, diverse and massive brewing and entertainment venues you’ll find.

What caught our eye: It takes all of a few seconds inside of Prairie Street Brewing to realize it’s one of the most impressive, diverse and massive brewing and entertainment venues you’ll find. A beautiful entryway splits the building between event spaces and the taproom, where large windows provide access to the brewing facility. 

Hanging lights, tall communal tables, exposed ductwork and brick walls provide a comfortable, industrial vibe. A spacious second dining area exists in the back, as well as a total of seven — SEVEN! — different event spaces that range greatly in size. 

Personally, we can’t wait to come back in the summer to check out the riverfront vibes, where boats can pull up dockside and live music is the norm.

Food and beer: For beer, we enjoyed the Bockford, a light helles bock, as well as the Vanilla River cream ale and Prairie Street IPA, which offers hints of grapefruit and pine. Looking for a delicious heavy hitter? Try the bourbon barrel-aged 90 LB Hammer barleywine (think chocolate and dates). 

From the kitchen, expect a nice menu filled with elevated brewpub food, offering everything from smoked and beer-braised BBQ pork to seafood risotto, salads, smashburgers and salmon tikka masala. Plenty of seasonal and holiday themes too. 

“We don’t have the capacity for widespread distribution, so we always had a concerted effort to make sure our food was a big focus of everything,” Sjostrom tells us. “We always wanted to be a brewpub experience first and foremost.”

From the brewery: “Overall, the brewing team focuses on drinkable beers, and we really try to keep it even-keeled. We’re doing a little more experimentation with different styles, and from October-April, we release one new beer a week where the brewers can loosen up and have more fun with it. … And it’s full-bore fun here in the summer, so swing by.” — Reed Sjostrom

Urban Forest Craft Brewing
6551 E. Riverside Blvd., Suite 112
Rockford, IL
UrbanForestCraftBrewing.com

What they’re known for: Open nearly four years, Urban Forest is a nod to the city of Rockford, known as the “Forest City” in case you weren’t aware, and they strategically used a lot of repurposed wood inside during the buildout.

This hidden gem in the whole Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison beer triangle is actually easy to find, nestled into a strip mall just a mile off route 90.

“I like to pride myself on being authentic to the styles of beers we brew,” says Alex Cando, head brewer and co-owner along with Heath Meyers. “The beer lover in me and the guy that got into this business knows it’s good to keep a nice variety on tap at all times and keep it going.”

We’ve formed almost like a family here, with potluck dinners and impromptu pajama parties. We really try to help facilitate that and foster that kind of vibe.” — Alex Cando

What caught our eye: This cozy, five-barrel brew house may look on the smaller side from the exterior, but the way the building is designed and the angles they used, there’s more room than you’d expect once you step inside. It’s a sleek, modern, industrial interior, and it’s easy to notice that the staff knows a lot of the customers on a personal level. 

“We definitely have our regulars, and you can count on them like clockwork,” Cando says. “We’ve formed almost like a family here, with potluck dinners and impromptu pajama parties. We really try to help facilitate that and foster that kind of vibe. To be welcoming and a good host, that’s what we strive to do.”

Food and beer: We met longtime friends at Urban Forest and appreciated their recommendations, especially the Peppermint Monkey, a seasonal robust porter with a touch of peppermint and chocolate. The easy-drinking Kindred kolsch was a solid way to end the night, and we also enjoyed a pair of hazy IPAs. One was called, no kidding, Dude Playing a Dude Disguised as Another Dude, and the other was the triple dry-hopped Trouble Puffs with a touch of dank and moderate sweetness.

Looking for a little variation? Don’t sleep on their beer cocktails, like the Peaches & Cream (their own Whitney vanilla cream ale with Simply Peach juice), Coffee T&M (Time & Martirals oatmeal stout with a shot of nitro coffee floated on top) or mixed shandies. 

While there is no food, several local snacks are available like Slide gourmet potato chips (Wisconsin), cheddar popcorn from Mrs. Mike’s (Freeport) and Main Street Meats’ beef brisket jerky (Rockford).

From the brewery: “We are approaching four years, did about 90 percent of the work ourselves and then had the pleasure of opening up in the middle of the pandemic, where we had to rely on curbside sales to stay afloat. The fact we still have the lights on and are doing our thing and getting a foothold on putting out quality beers… that’s what I’m most proud of. This has been a real labor of love. We’ve really poured ourselves into this, not only into the building, but also the atmosphere and beer.” — Alex Cando

Pig Minds Brewing Co.
4080 Steele Dr.
Machesney Park, IL
PigMindsBrewing.com

What they’re known for: Opened back in 2012 in Machesney Park, just north of Rockford, Pig Minds proudly boasts of being America’s first vegan brewery. Owners Brian and Kelly Endl have been vegan for about 30 years and long envisioned opening a vegan restaurant in the area. Considering the fact it’s a working-class town and the space they originally found is located an industrial area, they decided to couple that plan with a brewery to try something unique. A little more than a decade later, it’s safe to say their intuition was right on the mark. 

Located just five minutes off route 90, head brewer Chris Langguth, who earned his stripes at Commonwealth Brewing in Virginia and worked alongside former Cigar City staff, has recognized that Pig Minds has become a destination of sorts, regularly drawing customers from out of town — and as far as the Chicago suburbs, Milwaukee and Madison. 

Pig Minds offers live music every weekend — and never charge a cover — as well as a popular trivia night from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays. And five-course beer dinners are in the future.

It’s an interesting challenge to be creative enough to appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike, and focus on quality and presentation. Not a single one of us on the brewing side is vegan, but all the food is phenomenal.”
— Head brewer Chris Langguth

What caught our eye: We’re not going to lie. One of the first things that caught our eye was the inflation-busting beer flight option, where you get a whopping 10 brews in five-ounce glasses for just $18. Perfect to split with someone, or just tackle yourself, to get a good feel for the draft list. 

The space is inviting, and we set up shop at the large J-shaped bar that, along with a few tanks, dominates the room (in a good way). There’s also a nice patio out front to relax during the warmer months. 

One other thing we noticed is how many people were eating dinner — and not just drinking beer. “It’s an interesting challenge to be creative enough to appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike, and focus on quality and presentation,” says Langguth. “Not a single one of us on the brewing side is vegan, but all the food is phenomenal.”

Food and beer: The food menu is 100 percent plant-based, featuring a wide variety of appetizers, tacos, flatbread, sandwiches, desserts and weekend specials, and although we were there just for beers (and for the sake of journalism), these two meat eaters can attest to how great the vegan food options looked coming out of the kitchen. Especially the Korean fried chickin’ sandwich and house-cut fries topped with beyond steak tips, sweet peppers, onions and horseradish sauce.

As for the beer, call us impressed across the board — from the Kloude No. 26 hazy IPA to the Death Grip West Coast IPA, Joe Daddy coffee stout (conditioned on cacao nibs and whole roasted coffee beans), Czech pilsner and Crangenlina sour, among others. Really solid lineup. 

And we’d be remiss not to mention the tasty Conflux of Time, which is part of the Stray Barrel Project Collection in conjunction with Saint Errant Brewing. It’s an imperial stout aged 24 months in a selected blend of Blanton’s and Eagle Rare barrels and then finished on Dark Matter coffee, roasted peanuts, vanilla beans, cacao nibs and marshmallows. 

From the brewery: “They added a new 15-barrel, three-vessel brewhouse in 2021, right when I hired, which was an incredible responsibility but also an opportunity to cut my teeth with a great crew. It’s been a lot of fun growing it with an emphasis on consistency and a full range of styles. I’m really proud of our sour program. They’re always some of our best sellers.” — Head brewer Chris Langguth

Carlyle Brewing Co.
215 E. State Street
Rockford, IL
CarlyleBrewing.com

What they’re known for: This is a Rockford original, founded by Don Carlyle back in 2003. New owner Joe D’Astice, who operates the nearby Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza, spent six months under the tutelage of Carlyle learning the ropes of the brewery before taking the reins following Carlyle’s retirement last spring. 

D’Astice’s goal, admittedly, is to keep much of the beer lineup and atmosphere in place. In other words, if it wasn’t broke for two decades, why fix it? 

What caught our eye: Located in the heart of downtown Rockford and a stone’s throw from the Rock River, Carlyle has a cozy English pub style feel to it with lots of brick and dark wood, nation flags adorning the wall, and massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the shops and other businesses on State Street. There’s an assortment of booths and tables for groups, as well as a long bar with views of the brewing tanks. High ceilings make the taproom feel much larger than it is, and a second room with a shuffleboard table provides plenty of space for overflow. 

Also noteworthy: The friendly staff is more than willing to hand out samples to taste before you place a pint order, which is always helpful.

We have a great example of a thin-crust, tavern-style pizza. ‘Life is short, eat more pizza’ was always our theme, and it’s a casual approach that works.” — Joe D’Astice

Food and beer: D’Astice’s background is in pizza, and when he and his wife took over the brewery, they wanted to keep the thin-crust style Carlyle served for years while creating their own crust from scratch. 

“It’s just a great example of a thin-crust, tavern-style pizza,” D’Astice says of his creation that differs from the Neapolitan approach at his other establishment. “It’s really, really good, and the perfect complement to the beer. ‘Life is short, eat more pizza’ was always our theme, and it’s a casual approach that works.”

Also on the menu: pretzels, chips and queso, a popular Italian beef sandwich and additional snacks.

As for beer, we enjoyed the black walnut stout that’s not too heavy and carries a rich nutty taste, the smooth Scottish ale, super light Pepperoni Pils and the Something in my Orange Juice hazy IPA. 

From the brewery: “We’ve stayed true to what our guests like and what they’ve always liked when Don (Carlyle) had it. We never want to alienate anyone because he had a good thing going for a lot of years. And I think that’s important. … There’s a learning curve for sure, and the amount of knowledge it takes to brew beer is hard to imagine. But that being said, I’m happy with what we’ve done in less than a year. As long as I can replicate what Don showed me, I feel like I’m OK.” — Joe D’Astice