Sip unique suds at these newer suburban breweries
Opening a brewpub is a herculean effort on its own. Opening during a pandemic is an entirely different story, one that Elburn's Obscurity Brewing is familiar with.
“It was definitely challenging. There were a lot of curveballs thrown at us,” said general manager Nicole Bergner. “It's not the ideal time to open a restaurant by any means. But we have a great team and a great crew.”
Bergner said that Obscurity had to get creative to weather the state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.
“We pivoted and designed a pretty large outdoor beer garden,” Bergner said. “We had drive-in movies. We amped up our to-go and catering services. We really made a lot of on-the-fly changes.”
Obscurity's pivoting strategy was a success, quickly turning the brewpub into an Elburn staple.
“The feedback was overall very positive, not only with the community but the surrounding cities as well,” Bergner said. “There just isn't anything quite like Obscurity around us.”
Before Obscurity, the brewpub's owners operated the Lodi Tap Houses in Utica and Maple Park, according to Bergner. The bars weren't breweries themselves, but served craft beer from Illinois vendors.
“The owners are a bunch of craft beer lovers,” Bergner said. “They decided that we have these bars that are really successful, let's get into the industry and start making our own beer.”
Craft beer only makes up a third of Obscurity's offerings trifecta, with the others being Mead made on-site and barbecue from its 1,000-pound wood-burning smoker.
“Not a lot of people know about Mead, but it is one of the oldest fermented alcoholic beverages known to man,” Bergner said.
Mead is a honey-based alcohol with a distinctly sweet taste. And to save you from any potential arguments, it is not beer.
“We brew what's called braggot-style beer, which is beer brewed with honey brewed into it,” Bergner said. “You don't really see that a lot anywhere either.”
Obscurity's success earns it a spot among a new generation of breweries, brewpubs and home-brewers that have blazed a hop- and barley-filled trail through the suburban brewing scene.
“There's a lot of breweries opening up. You can find a brewery within 10 miles of anywhere you're at,” Bergner said. “The real question is 'What will set us apart as a brewery? What will make people want to come to us?'”
Looking to try out a different brewery? Here are some options across the suburbs.
Black Lung Brewing Company
2217 N. Illinois Route 83, Round Lake Beach, blacklungbrewing.com/
Family is centric to Round Lake Beach's Black Lung Brewing Company, which has become a town favorite since opening in 2021. Black Lung rotates its offerings through an impressive gallery of dozens of beer recipes, but it's the brewery's award-winning pale ales that have won it the most notoriety. Black Lung hosts food trucks, live music and other events regularly for those looking for entertainment while kicking back with a brew.
Goldfinger Brewing Company
513 Rogers St., Downers Grove, goldfingerbrewing.com/
Goldfinger Brewing Company, which opened in 2020, uses sustainable brewing techniques to brew some of the best growlers, lagers and pilsners available in Downers Grove. Goldfinger's beer also can be found on tap at multiple restaurants and bars across the suburbs and in Chicago. Outdoor seating is available at the brewery, and brews can be ordered online.
Harbor Brewing Company
136 Cedar Ave., Lake Villa, harborbeer.com/lake-villa-2
The owners of Lake Villa's Harbor Brewing Company had an up-and-down journey moving the brewery, which first opened in 2018, into a 112-year-old former car dealership. The spacious new location made for an excellent taproom and was worth the wait. Beer fans should consider ordering the “Well Read” red Irish ale or the Wildflower Saison. Though the brewery doesn't serve food, patrons are welcome to bring their own or order from local restaurants.
Obscurity Brewing and Mead Hall & Cidery
Brewing: 113 W. North St., Elburn, (630) 320-2255, drinkobscurity.com/; Mead Hall & Cidery: 21 S. Main St., Elburn
Located in Elburn, Obscurity Brewing Company opened its doors in July 2020. Its mission: provide customers with great beer, Mead and barbecue. You don't often hear a brewery putting barbecue on the same pedestal as its brews, but then again, Obscurity is no ordinary brewery. Barbecue bites include beef brisket, pork belly burnt ends, smoked hot wings, smoked barbecue meatloaf, fire-grilled shrimp, barbecue bao buns, pulled pork and more. Obscurity also hosts live music; the schedule is available at drinkobscurity.com/live-music-at-obscurity.
Riverlands Brewing
1860 Dean St., Unit A, St. Charles, riverlandsbrewing.com/
The St. Charles brewery opened its doors in 2019 and has quickly become a hot spot for beer lovers across the Tri-Cities. Riverlands regularly hosts food trucks and musicians during the warmer months. The long tap list of wildly creative brews includes favorites such as the Vicious Macaws sour ale, Ion Tail American IPA and the Street Glide Golden Ale.
Roaring Table Brewing Company
739 W. Route 22, Lake Zurich, (224) 662-4562, roaringtable.com/
Roaring Table Brewing Company has quickly become synonymous with quality suburban brewing since opening in 2018. Its range of cleverly named brews, such as the “A Stout Is A Porter When The Neckbeards Take Over” and the “Tart's Desire” fruited sour, embrace the experimental side of brewing while still remaining experimental. Visitors can also enjoy a limited menu of snacks and eats to enjoy inside of Roaring Table's cozy 90-seat taproom.
Two Hound Red Brewing Company
486 Pennsylvania Ave., Glen Ellyn, (630) 547-2912, 2houndred.com/
Food and homemade brews share equal billing at the Glen Ellyn-based watering hole, which opened in August 2019. Located inside of what was Schmid's Pharmacy, visitors can enjoy a wealth of home-brews, such as the Beastly Bloodhound red lager, accompanied by a cheeseburger or loaded fries. Visitors can also stick around for adult sand volleyball every Wednesday during the summer.
Forge Brewhouse
216 N. 6th St., DeKalb, forgebrewhouse.com/
Stop by the on-site taproom of Forge Brewhouse's production and distribution brewery to sample the latest beers on tap. Though it was founded in 2015 in Sycamore, Forge Brewhouse has called DeKalb home since moving there in 2018. Current beers on tap include the Black Mamba Dark Coffee Cherry Lager and the Great Western American Pale Ale.
Breweries opening later this year
Sturdy Shelter Brewing
10 Shumway Ave., Batavia, sturdyshelterbrewing.com/
Set to open officially later this year after it finishes construction inside Batavia's historic Kluber building, Sturdy Shelter Brewing promises to be as much of a place to connect with the community as it is a destination for great beer. Its unique brews, such as the Huckleberry Sour and 3 Amigos Mexican Imperial Milk Stout, are sure to become regular favorites of the town's eclectic beer lovers.
Tonality Brewing Company
169 N. Seymour Ave., Mundelein, facebook.com/TonalityBrewing/
In 2021, the owners of Tonality Brewing Company bought the old Mundelein-Countryside Fire Department building (originally built in the 1940s), which they plan to turn into a full microbrewery and restaurant. The company is expecting to open the brewery's doors in late 2022, with the promise of offering high-quality brews and food.