By Trent Modglin 93 Octane Brewery 1825 Lincoln Highway 93OctaneBrewery.com Details: The name 93 Octane is an ode to the family’s history of running gas stations and convenience stores for more than four decades (If you’ve ever gassed up or snagged a coffee or bag of chips at a Pride Store in the western burbs, ...

Alex Stankus Owner/head brewer Black Horizon Brewing Company Willowbrook, IL The last really good beer I drank was… Blume & Ferris’ Old Speckled Hare, which is an English pub ale. Newcomers to the suburban scene — but not to brewing — recently launched an Irish-themed brewery in Downers Grove that is making incredible small-batch pub ...

Q. When did you officially launch Neuronova? A. Ryan McGough and I officially launched Neuronova Brewing in the fall of 2025, but we had been working on getting things rolling for years now. To see everything come together is pretty unreal, and even though there’s so much more work to be done, officially launching Neuronova ...

Joining ImBIBE (the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild’s annual enthusiast program) is an incredible opportunity for you to immerse yourself deeper into Illinois’ vibrant beer scene while enjoying exclusive benefits. ImBIBE, which stands for “I’m a Big Illinois Beer Enthusiast,” is the only statewide membership program designed specifically for craft beer lovers, offering access to a ...

Hopleaf in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood As for cozy beer-centric bars, when we are in Chicago we almost always visit Hopleaf. The staff is super knowledgeable, and the beer selection unmatched (especially in terms of rare drafts and bottles). We love the old European beer signage, and the mussels are always ordered. They have been serving ...

Blume & Ferris Public House opening in Downers Grove 2201 Curtiss Street, Suite B in Downers Grove BlumeAndFerris.com Expected opening date: Late January 2026, pending approvals and inspections. Q. What should people expect? People should expect an authentic Irish pub experience with high-quality pub ales and lagers brewed on site. I’m from Ireland, the bar came ...

Roaring Table Brewing Co. 739 W. Route 22 Lake Zurich, IL RoaringTable.com Tuesday-Wednesday: 4-9 p.m. Thursday-Friday: 4-10 p.m. Saturday: Noon-10 p.m. Sunday: Noon-8 p.m. History in short: It was the summer of 2015 when the husband-and-wife team of Beth May and Lane Fearing “foolishly decided to start a brewery.” After perusing properties everywhere from West ...

Ike & Oak Brewing 6315 Main Street in Woodridge, IL IkeAndOakBrewing.com Tuesday-Thursday 4-10 p.m. Friday 12-11 p.m. Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. History in short: Ed Ranquist, who was in the finance world for 20 years, had always been a big fan of local craft beer and wanted to take a shot ...

Q&A with Brian Noonan and Cody Gough from the popular Crafty Brewers podcast CraftyBrewersPod.com Follow them on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and TikTok Q. For someone who hasn’t listened to your podcast before, tell us a bit about how it got started and the focus of Crafty Brewers Brian and Cody: Years ago, we hosted a segment ...

Macushla Brewing’s patio Brad Pulver Macushla Brewing Glenview, IL The last really good beer I drank was… Bell’s Brewery’s Two Hearted IPA. We took the kids out to Shabbona Lake State Park out near DeKalb. We did a fishing and camping trip, and it just hit home. It’s a great beer and a classic pale ...