Explore McHenry County breweries on the Holiday Cheers beverage trail
A festive version of Naturally McHenry County’s Craft Beverage Trail has launched just in time for the holidays, allowing you to raise a glass now through the end of the year.
The Holiday Cheers edition includes 11 craft beverage destinations, each offering exclusive holiday-themed drinks and promotions.
“Celebrating the season with local flavors is one of the unique experiences McHenry County offers,” Jaki Berggren, president and CEO of Naturally McHenry County, said in a press release. “Our Holiday Cheers Beverage Trail is a great way for visitors and residents to engage with the county’s vibrant craft beverage community, support local artisans, and create memorable moments with friends and family during the holiday season.”
The Holiday Cheers Beverage Trail can be accessed through the Naturally McHenry County app, available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. On the app you’ll find the 11 locations and be able to enter a code from the staff at the stop.
Participants who visit six of the locations will earn a collectible sticker.
Participating businesses include:
• Cary Ale House, 208 W. Main St., is a gastropub focusing on scratch-made food with an on-site brewery and a full bar serving up handcrafted specialty cocktails. (847) 639-7244 or caryalehousebrewing.com/.
• Crystal Lake Brewing, 150 N Main St., is an award-winning brewery and tap house with a half dozen popular core beers and rotating seasonal offerings. Tours of the brewery are available, and you can bring your own food to the tap room. (779) 220-9288 or crystallakebrew.com/.
• Hempstock Pharms, 14023 W. South Street Road, is Woodstock’s first and only craft cbd seed-to-label hemp farm and cannabinoid formulator. (815) 200-8869 or hempstockpharms.com/.
• Holzlager Brewing, 150F S. Eastwood Drive, Woodstock, is a craft beer brewery and tap room with over a dozen unique beers on tap. They also have an extensive selection of bourbons and wines to cater to diverse palates. (815) 308-5901 or holzlagerbrewing.com/.
• Kishwaukee Brewing, 1900 Dillard Court, Woodstock, is a family-friendly brewery with a variety of fresh-brewed beers and an always-changing menu of local food trucks. (815) 308-5232 or kishwaukeebrewing.com/.
• McHenry Brewing, 3425 Pearl St., McHenry, which is located by the Fox River at the site of the original McHenry Brewing Company and the Brewery Service Station from a 150 years ago, offers a number of core beers as well as Friday releases of small batch beer. (815) 403-2212 or mchenrybrewing.com/.
• More Brewing, 13980 Automall Drive, Huntley, is a craft brewery with a full kitchen and varied menu that changes seasonally. The brewery specializes in juicy IPAs, sours and stouts and offers over two dozen on tap. (630) 501-1519 or morebrewing.com/huntley-brewery-restaurant.
• Rush Creek Distilling, 1501 W. Diggins St., Harvard, offers handcrafted spirits made with locally sourced ingredients. Take a distillery tour or enjoy a Rush Creek cocktail at the Craftsman Bar with their house-made vodkas, gins, whiskeys, bourbons and ryes. (815) 943-7874 or rushcreekdistilling.com/.
• Scorched Earth Brewing, 203 Berg St., Algonquin, offers over 20 beers on draft in the tap room, and you can bring in your own food or have it delivered from one of the many nearby restaurants. (224) 209-8472 or scorchedearthbrewing.com/.
• Sew Hop’d Brewery & Taproom, 1 Union Special Plaza, Suite 113, Huntley. Located in a former dairy production facility turned industrial sewing machine factory, the award-winning brewery hosts a number of special events, a rotating lineup of food trucks and live music on weekends. (224) 230-0994 or sewhopd.com/.
• Spirit Water, 3300 Three Oaks Road, Cary. The distillery and brewery offers a variety of unique craft beers and cocktails in their taproom. (224) 333-2778 or spiritwatertj.com/.