Craft Beer.

[timmyr]

Originally Posted by Brigg

Come to S. Illinois...our best "Craft Beer" (really micro-brew) comes from St. Louis - Schlafly's...hands down one of the finest Micros in the country!

No doubt....add Schlafly's to the list...I am a frequent flyer there. The Tap Room (their original brewery) has a great menu and cool atmosphere.

[ndhoffma]

My favorite to visit in IL is two bros, they have a super informative (free) tour that is well worth going on if you dont know the brewing process

Although not in IL, the tours at Lakefront in Milwaukee are hilarious & you get a good deal of booze

[jsjames]

I would recommend Lunar in Lombard. They are a small brewpud with a nice crowd and really good beer selection.

[BP11]

Originally Posted by jsjames

I would recommend Lunar in Lombard. They are a small brewpud with a nice crowd and really good beer selection.

Lunar is a good time I must say being that it is really close to where I live. They also have one of the best selections of special beer for the public.

[apocalypsebrewer]

Mine are much more generic. I recently had a great belguim double at Rock Bottom in Warrenville and I always enjoy lunch at Goose Island.

[sudsmcgee]

I'm making my first trip to Two Brothers today to hopefully catch a tour and get some food and fresh beer. I love their resistance IPA. I don't see it on their website though. Must have been a one-time thing.

[rico567]

I have never had a Two Brothers beer that wasn't great. I homebrew, and my goal is to create a "close enough" clone of Cane & Ebel. That and Founders Red's Rye would be close to Nirvana.

To get back downstate, if you're in Champaign-Urbana, you might want to try the Blind Pig Brewery on Neil St. downtown. No food, but usually three or four of the native suds on tap, and a dozen other really good crafts. If you miss and end up at the original Blind Pig pub on Walnut, just walk a block due West, and you'll be at the Brewery, or the "Piglet" as it's known hereabouts.

[RogerMcAllen]

For a good place in the South Suburbs try the Tribes Alehouse in Mokena.
THE BEER LIST | The Tribes Alehouse

[sudsmcgee]

As stated above I did my first tour of Two Brothers yesterday. It was an excellent tour and it even went into the more technical details for homebrewers like myself. The beer and food afterwards were excellent. The only less than perfect thing about the visit was that their homebrew store was closed for remodeling.

[Vlar]

If ever you get the chance, I recommend taking the brew tour at Goose Island's brew pub on Clybourn. When I went it was $7, you get a souvenir shaker glass, and they have a tasting at the end.