Homebrew Supplies

Crystal Lake Health Foods

25 E. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake, IL; (815) 459-7942
No website, but this is the place most of us go for the bulk of our homebrewing supplies. The first floor is all health food, but the second floor is entirely devoted to beer and winemaking.

Homebrew Shop

225 W. Main Street, St. Charles, IL; (630) 377-3913
Our brewers down in Elgin have nothing but good things to say about the owner of this fine establishment in downtown St. Charles. Looks like they offer brewing and winemaking classes, too.

Brew & Grow

2379 Bode Rd., Schaumburg, IL; (847) 885-8282
10% discount for all club members! Decent selection of ingredients and pretty tasty samples behind the counter. Plus they sell hop rhizomes in the spring.

Perfect Brewing

619 Park St., Libertyville, IL (also Mt. Prospect)
This place has a lot of grain...but getting to it can be a challenge. They started as an Internet business with occasional walk-in hours at their Mt. Prospect warehouse, but those hours are next to impossible to keep track of and apparently they don't have a phone. Hopefully their new Libertyville store (just opened in summer of 07) will be more user friendly.

Chicagoland Winemakers

689 W. North Av., Elmhurst, IL; (800) 226-2739
Very helpful and knowledgeable staff and a great selection of both wine- and beer-making supplies.

Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies (Web)

A Mecca for homebrewers. Their warehouse of a shop is in Minneapolis but they have an awesome catalog too. Very reasonable prices.

Northern Brewer (Web)

Another great Minneapolis-based supply shop with a stellar mail-order business.

Austin Homebrew Supply (Web)

Great selection, great prices and super-quick flat-rate shipping. What more could you ask for?

Freshops.com (Web)

The name says it all. Super-fresh selection of hops, mailed to you straight from hop country (the Pacific Northwest). This is also a great source for hop rhizomes, root cuttings that you can plant to grow your own hop vines. Cascade and Chinook seem to do particularly well 'round these parts.

Seven Bridges Cooperative (Web)

"...the world's most complete resource for certified organic home brewing ingredients."

Micro Matic USA (Web)

The world’s largest manufacturer of draft beer supplies (kegerators, conversion kits, keg taps, and all of that good stuff).

Homebrew Organizations

BeerTown.org

Home of the Brewers Association and American Homebrewers Association. All-encompasing website about craft beer and homebrewing.

The Beer Institute

Association representing brewers, maltsters and others related to the brewing industry.

Siebel Institute of Technology

Chicago's own World Brewing Academy.

Publications & Podcasts

Brew Your Own Magazine

Highly recommended homebrewing publication for all levels.

Zymurgy

The Journal of the American Homebrewers Association

Basic Brewing Radio (podcast)

Listen for free online or through your portable mp3 player to lively discussions of all things brewing!

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, by Charlie Papazian

The definitive guide to homebrewing, written by the father of modern homebrew society.

How to Brew, by John Palmer

Excellent introductory to the world of brewing, plus a thick section on brew chemistry for the advanced brewer.

Radical Brewing, by Randy Mosher

Chicago's own beer enthusiast delivers an awesome must-read for any homebrewer. This is less of a step-by-step book and more of a mind-blowing compilation of recipes and beer history. Flip through it at your local book store and you'll see what we mean.

Designing Great Beers, by Ray Daniels

"...more than just a recipe book or merely another "how-to" manual, it is an indispensable guide intended for brewers interested in formulating their own beers based on classic styles, modern techniques, and their own vision of the perfect beer."

Tools/Calculators

Carbonation Calculator (The Beer Recipator)

Very slick tool for hitting your target CO₂ level, complete with style guidelines.

Beer Math Calculator

Helpful little JAVA tool for correcting specific gravity readings and calculating alcohol levels.

ProMash

Quality recipe formulation software for homebreweries and microbreweries alike.

Beer Tools

Recipe generator, calculator, articles and more.

Local Brewpubs (Northern Illinois)

Brass Restaurant & Brewery, South Barrington

Slightly upscale with a great menu and a nice fire pit. Go for the beer sampler.

Carlyle Brewing Co., Rockford

Always worth the trip. Watch for their bourbon-barrel brews and black walnut stout. "The Noble One" is especially drinkable.

Emmett's Tavern & Brewing Company, West Dundee

Very, very fine beer. Brewmaster Clooney's potables are steadily finding their way to thirsty patrons throughout the Chicago suburbs.

Flatlander's Restaurant & Brewery, Lincolnshire

"Flatlanders is an oddity in brew pub circles. Its food is actually good, Very good in fact."
-Chicago Tribune

Govnor's Public House, Lake in the Hills

New headbrewer Kevin Buckley is a frequent guest at our meetings, and we're very happy to report that he's whipping this long-standing establishment back into shape. If you gave up on Govnor's before he took over the reins in the summer of '07, give it another try...you won't be disappointed.

Mickey Finn's Brewery, Libertyville

"Since opening in 1993 as Lake County’s first brewpub, Mickey Finn’s has won a trophy case full of national and international awards for their beer."

Millrose Restaurant and Brewing Company, South Barrington

Neat converted barn and a good place to take the whole family.

M.T. Barrels, West Dundee

Just opened in the summer of '07, this swanky joint is already showing great promise.

The Onion Pub & Brewery, Lake Barrington

Cool atmosphere and great food. Oh, and the beer's good too.
UPDATE 09/07: Rumor has it that the Onion is no longer brewing. Call first.

J.W. Platek's Restaurant and Brewery, Richmond

Rave reviews over both their craft beers and slow-roasted prime rib.

Prairie Rock Brewing Company, Elgin

Restaurant and brewery.

RAM Restaurant & Brewery, Schaumburg

It's a chain, but man, do they do a mean porter!

Local Liquor Stores (for craft beer)

Binny's Beverage Depot

   Algonquin (Opening Spring 2008)

   Buffalo Grove NW corner of Lake-Cook Road and Route 83; (847) 459-2200

   McHenry On Route 120 west of 31; (815) 385-3200

   Schaumburg 323 W. Golf; 847-882-6000

DiCarlo’s Armanetti Fine Wines and Liquors

   Mundelein 425 Townline Rd.; (847) 566-4600

Dobby's World-Wide Liquors

   Palatine Palatine Rd. and Brockway; (847) 359-0400

Mr. A's

   Carol Stream Mr. A's Emporium Wine & Liquor; 230 West Army Trail Road; (630) 462-5434

   Carol Stream Mr A's Wine & Spirits Depot; 879 East Geneva Road; (630) 407-0393

Sam's Wine & Spirits

   Chicago 1720 N. Marcey (Across from Goose Island Brewpub, Clybourn); (312) 664-4394

Misc.

BJCP Style Guidelines

Official beer style judging criteria as determined by the Beer Judge Certification Program.

BeerAdvocate.com

Awesome resource for discovering and rating good beer around the world.

Realbeer.com

General beer information as well as an online store.

CASK-ALE.CO.UK - AMERICAN PAGES

General beer pages, featuring info on cask ale.

Cask Ale Guide to Illinois

A summary of all known bars and brewpubs in the state of IL that serve cask-conditioned beer.

The Beer Mapping Project

Gives maps for cities and where breweries, beer bars, brewpubs and retail stores are for beer related things.

Beer of the Month Club

Beer via the postal service. Could it be any easier?

BrewRats.org

Club website with good information.

Micro Matic USA

Kegerator and draft beer dispensing resources and a large variety of other ‘Beer Education’ resources independent of their commercial site: beer articles, frequently asked questions, a regularly-updated beer news blog, and a busy message board.