Tap into the suburbs' best beer at local breweries

Great beer is being brewed up every day at suburban craft breweries. While you can usually buy some of the more popular beers produced at your local liquor or grocery store, to get it straight from the source - or as close to the source as the health department will allow - you've got to visit a brewery's tap room.

While each suburban brewery on this list has their signature beers, they also all feature a variety of flavors and styles that would be hard to find 15 years ago.

One of the best things about going to a tap room is getting the opportunity to not only see where your beer was made, but also learn about it, either on a tour or from the knowledgeable bartenders. So don't be shy, belly up to the bar and see what your local brewer has concocted.

Solemn Oath Brewery

Tucked away in an industrial area of Naperville near several car dealerships is Solemn Oath Brewery. While at the tap room, you can buy a beer for a friend in absentia, which they can redeem the next time they come in. Be sure to bring plastic, because they don't accept cash, and think of a nice way to show your appreciation for their bartenders, because they don't accept tips either.

1661 Quincy Ave. #179, Naperville. (630) 995-3062 or solemnoathbrewery.com. Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Scorched Earth Brewing Company

The husband-and-wife team of Mike and Jen Dallas decided to name their Algonquin brewery after the prairie grass wildfires of old that burned out much of the Illinois countryside, allowing settlers a fresh start.

Scorched Earth brews numerous styles to choose from. Beyond beer, they occasionally host live music, food trucks, trivia nights and always have tabletop shuffleboard.

203 Berg St., Algonquin. (224) 209-8472 or scorchedearthbrewing.com. Hours: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Small Town Brewery

This Wauconda-based brewer is famous for the ever-popular and renowned “Not Your Father's Root Beer,” which manages to taste like the soft drink it's named for while being real beer. While you can find their signature beverage at more and more retail locations these days, their taproom is one of the few places you can get a version of it that is about twice as strong.

1000 N. Rand Road, Wauconda. (847) 865-3264 or smalltownbrewery.com. Hours: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Penrose Brewing Company

Fans of Belgian-style ales - and of learning about what they are drinking - have at least two reasons to go to Penrose in Geneva, which offers $10 tours on weekends. For that you'll get a beer in a souvenir glass and a chance to see the what goes into the entire brewing process. They also recommend ordering food from nearby restaurants, who know to take it to the tap room.

509 Stevens St., Geneva. (630) 232-2115 or penrosebrewing.com. Hours: 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.