If you’ve spent some quality time in the Windy City, you’ve probably noticed that Chicagoans love their beer. This is why there are over 200 breweries and counting both in the city and the suburbs! If you’re a beer aficionado, the sheer number of breweries can be overwhelming, especially if you’re looking to sample some decent beers at suburban breweries. This is actually why we took the initiative of doing the dirty work for you and hand-selected the 5 best breweries in the Chicago suburbs.
Whether you want to head west to St. Charles or north to Evanston, these Chicagoland suburbs have great breweries to quell your thirst for a cold beer brew. All you have to do is read on and learn about the best breweries in the Chicago suburbs and the fine tastes that they offer.
5. Hailstorm Brewing in Tinley Park
8060 186th St, Tinley Park, IL 60487
Located in one of the fastest-growing suburbs in southwest Chicago, Hailstorm Brewing is a regional craft brewery that offers a wide variety of seasonal and rotating craft beers. These craft beers are freshly brewed as you listen to live music and sample its delicious foods and snacks.
Its laidback atmosphere with no TVs is designed to let patrons connect in a very traditional way without being distracted by what’s happening on TV. Besides that, this is a brewery that goes above and beyond to ensure that its patrons are always happy.
You can sample various beers on offer but some favorites include:
- Prairie Madness Lager – An Indian pale ale, which is brewed using a classic American craft style.
- Simcoe Squared – A West Coast-style IPA beer brewed with strata and dry-hopped to give it a soft and hazy taste.
From the live music to great beer, and perfect atmosphere, you’ll always want to chill at Hailstorm for a cold beer with friends.
4. Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard
800 E Roosevelt Rd, Lombard, IL 60148
Do you know the story behind the noon whistle? Well, there’s a small town in Central Wisconsin where the town whistle blows every day at noon to signal that it’s time to open the first beer of the day! This is the tradition that the Noon Whistle Brewery adopted and it’s easy to see why it has grown to become one of the most exciting craft breweries in Chicago.
You’ll quickly realize that it’s not all about great beers at this brewery but also about creating lasting memories with friends and family. This is why the owners of this brewery led Paul Kreiner, Jim Cagle, and Mike Condon strive to create a perfect atmosphere for their patrons. In addition to the amazing hospitality, this space is beautiful with awesome beers!
Some of the best beers to sample include:
- Bruski – A copper-colored traditional lager that is sprinkled with toasted bready aromas that makes it slightly sweet.
- Hop Prism Blue – An India Pale Ale that has a nicely balanced bitterness.
- Leisel Weapon – A German-style unfiltered wheat beer with banana, citrus, and clove aromas.
This is a very enjoyable brewery that has become very popular as one of the best Chicago suburb breweries.
3. Church Street Brewing Company in Itasca
1480 Industrial Dr Unit C, Itasca, IL 60143
The Church Street Brewing Company is an award-winning brewery that specializes in creating world-class beers. It doesn’t matter whether you want a traditionally-tasting beer or something that resonates with Millenials, this brewery offers righteously good beers.
The owners of this brewery, Joe and Lisa Gregor, have mastered the art of the traditional German brewing method, so you should expect some form of European influence in the wide range of lagers that they offer. Their creations have become so popular that they’re distributed throughout the Chicago area.
Some of the best beers to sample include:
- Heavenly Helles – A quintessential German beer with a unique sweet malt character that brings forth a decoction-mashing taste.
- Church Street Pils – An award-winning pilsner that’s created with Czech Saaz hops and crisp hop bitterness of a German Pilsner.
We can’t refute the fact that this is a brewery that’s focused on delivering the best quality drinks for its customers.
2. 93 Octane Brewery in St. Charles
1825 Lincoln Hwy, St. Charles, IL 60174
When 93 Octane’s chief brewer, Alex, was 18, he started brewing at home with his dad. He would soon fall in love with the art of brewing and never had any doubt in his mind that he wanted to become a professional brewer. After sitting and passing several brewing exams and working at other breweries in Chicago, he’s the chief brewer at 93 Octane, and his world-class American and German-style beers have been attracting throngs of beer lovers to this St. Charles brewery.
This is, without a doubt, a suburban brewery with an entrenched passion for craft beer and has been brewing beer for nearly four decades now! From the information I gathered from a friend, the staff is very friendly and the atmosphere here is impeccable.
This brewery also offers a wide range of beers at extremely reasonable prices.
Some of the best beers to sample include:
- Autoblonde – a blonde ale that’s light and crisp. It’s created with notes of bread crust, grain, and a floral hop aroma.
- Wheat wine – An American-style beer that tastes like Barleywine. It’s sweet, high in alcohol (11.3% ABV), and will surely keep you warm even in the coldest Midwest winter.
This is a hidden gem that won’t disappoint you!. Try it and you’ll always be going back.
1. Sketchbook Brewing Co. in Evanston
821 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
What comes to your mind when you hear about a brewery that believes that beer is an art that you can drink? Well, this is Sketchbook for you. Its owners of Sketchbook, Cesar and Shaun, seem to have mastered the art of creating a very decent taproom that brings forth a unique flair.
Although there’s not much space at Sketchbook, it’s a real showroom of a brewery and you’ll instantaneously notice this by just how the patrons are enjoying themselves.
With a whole lot of different beers available, you’ll probably be spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting the right beer for you. But to give you a heads up, here are some of the favorite beers I sampled at this brewery.
- Orange Door – A serious IPA with tons of dry hop character bringing citrus and piney aromas on a beautiful malt backbone. Dry hopped twice for bold grapefruit and other citrus flavors that are contrasted by the malt sweetness.
- Amistosa – A pale lager that’s perfectly accentuated with crisp flavors and high carbonation, which gives it a thirsty-quenching edge while making it refreshing.
In essence, this is a great little brewery that will take your beer-drinking experience to a whole new level.
Conclusion
And because beers often go with pubs and bars, you may want to try something a little different from the best breweries. Well, why not sample these best bars in Naperville.
I liked the one named “Joyride”. My tastes are a milder beer. Goes great with one of Urban Counter’s burgers.