They say brewpubs are made of the dreams of homebrewers; it's considered the next step beyond homebrewing. The beers are always (or at least should be) reallly fresh and that's why I enjoy visiting these places: tasty, fresh beer without the work of brewing it myself! Here is a simple list of brewpubs in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Minneapolis-St.Paul and Minnesota may be included soon, but in the meantime check out the Beer Advocate beerfly for information on fresh beer in the Land of Sky Blue Waters.

ILLINOIS:

America's Brewpub
(Walter Payton's 
Roundhouse Complex)
205 N. Broadway
Aurora, IL 60507
Ph. (630)892-0034
A great big part of Walter Payton's legacy that serves outstanding beer
and food.

Blue Cat Brew Pub
113 18th St.
Rock Island, IL 61201
Ph. (309)788-8247
Good stout at this Quad-Cities pub.

Brass Restaurant and Brewery (CLOSED)
105 Hollywood Blvd.
South Barrington, IL
Ph. (847)765-1200
[map]

Brewing Company No. 9 (CLOSED)
2350 N. Clybourn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
Ph. (773)472-9999
[map]
Brew-on-premise that bottled beer and offered beer on tap
in a small tasting room. I brewed there a couple times. See Homebrew 101.

Emmett's Ale House
110 N. Brockway
Palatine, Illinois, 60067
phone: (847) 963-0600
[map]
Was Emmett's, then Brockway Chop House, now Emmett's again!

Emmett's Tavern & Brewing Co.
128 W. Main St.
West Dundee, IL 60118
Ph.  (847)428-4500
[map]
Very tasty bitter brews.

Emmett's Ale House (formerly Founder's Hill)
5200 Main St.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Ph. (630)963-2739
[map]
An excellent spectrum of fresh brews from light to hoppy to dark.

Firehouse Restaurant & Brewing Co. (CLOSED)
124 W. Illinois Ave.
Morris, IL
Ph. 815-941-4700
[map]
I will miss this place; situated next to the I&M
Canal in downtown Morris.

Flatlander's Restaurant & Brewery
200 Village Green
Ph. (847)821-1234
Lincolnshire, IL
[map]
Excellent ales and lagers in a cozy atmosphere.
Food not sampled. I had an excellent Belgian-style triple ale here a couple years ago.

Flossmoor Station
1035 Sterling Ave.
Flossmoor, IL 60422
Ph. (708)957-2739
[map]
Probably the best brewery in the state.

Glen Ellyn Sports Brew (CLOSED)
(formerly Glen Ellyn Brewing Co.)
 433 N. Main St.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Ph. (630)942-1140

Goose Island, Lincoln Park
1800 N. Clybourn Ave.
Chicago, IL
Ph. (312) 915-0071
The first, best brewpub in Chicago.

Goose Island, Wrigleyville
(Formerly Weeghman Park)
3535 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL
Ph. (773) 832-9040
Fax: (773) 832-9053
Great satellite location close to Wrigley Field.

Gordon Biersch
639 E. Boughton Road, Suite 100
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
phone: 630-739-6036
Good German-style lagers and ales.

Govnor's Pub and Public House (CLOSED)
220 N. Randall Rd.
Lake in the Hills, Ill.
Ph. (847)658-4700
Sadly no more after a slow decline.

Harrison's Brewing Co.
15845 LaGrange Rd.
Orland Park, IL 60462
Ph. (708)226-0100
[map]
Good beer with standard brewpub fare. Best beer is the pale ale.

Hopcats (CLOSED)
2353 N.  Clybourn
Chicago, IL 60614
Ph. (773)868-4461
[map]
This place rocked. They used to make an excellent IPA served garnished with a fresh hop cone!

J.W. Platek's Restaurant & Brewery
8609 Highway 12
Ph. (815)678-4078
Richmond, IL
[map]
Haven't visited this place yet, but I've heard good things about it.
Corresponded with the owner. Seems like a nice guy.

Lunar Brewing Co.
54 St. Charles Road
Villa Park, IL 60181
Ph. (630)530-2077
[map]
The best brewpub in DuPage County.

Mickey Finn's
412 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyville, IL 60048
Ph. (847)362-6688
A small, but wonderful brewpub, that makes great wheat beers among other ales.

Millrose Brewing Co.
45 S. Barrington Rd.
South Barrington, IL 60010
Ph. (847)382-7673
[map]
Big brewery and restaurant that used to make its beers using extract.

M.T. Barrels
98 W. Main St.
West Dundee, IL 60118
ph. 847-426-4030
Fairly new brewpub. I haven't been here yet, but I've heard good things.

O' Grady's Brewpub (CLOSED)
372 E. Golf St.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Ph. (847)640-0600
[map]
This wasn't a bad place, even though they used the same lager yeast for all their beers including the ales.

Onion Pub & Brewery
22221 Pepper Road
Lake Barrington, IL
Ph. (847)381-7308
[map]
A cozy spot out in the country that serves outstanding ales, two of which are served on handpump.

Piece
1927 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL
Ph. (773)772-4422
[map]
Trendy new pizza joint that brews its own. The Wingnut barleywine is the way to go.

Prairie Rock (CLOSED)
127 S. Grove Ave.
Elgin, IL
Ph. (847)622-8888
No more Vanilla Cream Ale.

Prairie Rock (CLOSED)
1385 N. Meacham Rd.
Schaumburg, IL
Ph. (847)605-9900
The big brother of the original Elgin brewpub.

RAM Restaurant & Big Horn Brewery
1901 McConnor Parkway
Schaumburg, IL
Ph. (847)517-8791
[map]
This brewpub is part of large chain and makes a great IPA! Near Woodfield and Ikea.

Monet's Bistro and Brewpub (CLOSED)
(formerly Rio Zorro & Fox Bay)
112 N. First Ave.
St. Charles, IL 60174
Ph. (630)587-0300
I miss Pottawatomie Pilsner and brewmaster Terry Richardson.

Rock Bottom Brewery
28256 Diehl Rd.
Warrenville, IL 60555
Ph. (630)836-1380
Another national chain that consistently makes good beer.

Rock Bottom Brewery
1 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60610
Ph. (312) 755-9339
The brewers at the Chicago location like to put their beers in wood, a very tasty aging process.

Rock Bottom Brewery
94 Yorktown Center
Lombard, IL 60148
Ph. 630-424-1550
The newest RB in the Chicago area (for now), is located at the Yorktown Center Mall at near the northeast corner of Butterfield and Highland Avenues. The Mug Club rules!

Stockholm
306 State Street
Geneva, IL 60134
Ph. 630-208-7070
The food here is tasty and reasonably priced. A few of the beers are blended together and offered as a separate product.

Taylor Brewing Company
717 East Butterfield Road
Lombard, IL
Ph. (630)990-8366
[map]
I liked this place better when it was in Naperville.
Most of the beers are made under contract with Capital Brewing Co. of Wisconsin.
Good place for those on an expense account.

Weinkeller Brewery (CLOSED)
651 Westmont Drive
Westmont, IL 60559
Ph. (630)789-2236
Still mourning the loss of this once great brewpub.

IN INDIANA:

Duneland Brewhouse & Restaurant (CLOSED!)
5718 Franklin St.
Michigan City, IN 46391 
Ph. (219)878-9180
[map]
It's a good rest stop along I-80/94.

IN MICHIGAN:

Jamesport Brewing Co.
410 S. James St.
Ludington, MI
Ph. 231-845-2522
[map]
Excellent traditional ales and lagers.

New Holland Brewing Co.
66 Eighth St.
Holland, MI 49420
Ph. (616)355-6422
[map]
I can't say enough about Mad Hatter. Outstanding brews and a cool location.
Moved the brewpub part of the biz downtown.

Lighthouse Brewing Co. (CLOSED)
312 River St.
Manistee, MI 49660
Ph. (231) 398-2739

last updated 4/28/09

Bars and Pubs | Brewpubs | Breweries | Belgian Beer
Homebrew 101 | Suds Stories | What's New

Send comments and suggestions to: mailto:marc@marcobrau.com