This content was originally published by The Hop Review, a digital magazine that joined the Hop Culture family in March 2020.
This piece was written by Nick Costa.
ChicagoLAND, IL
2019 Chicago Brewery Bracket:
Suburbs – Rd. 1
March is here. And that means it’s time for our annual Readers’ Choice Chicago Brewery Bracket. For 2019, we are back with 64 of Chicagoland’s top breweries, with seeds not-so-scientifically-based on production, reputation, years in operation, and recent growth.
Vote for your favorite breweries below, and we will tally the votes in order to select 32 winners for the next round. Voting for Round 1 concludes, Sunday, 3/10 at 5:00pm CST.
And be sure to vote for the other regions here: NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Solemn Oath Brewery (1) vs. Energy City Brewing (16)
Solemn Oath made big waves in 2018, releasing a slew of new beers across nearly every style. Pair this new army of cans with their soon-to-be city taproom in Logan Square, and SOB has clearly earned their 1-seed. Their competitor is new-to-the-scene but highly buzzed about pastry stout/milkshake IPA brewery, Energy City, out of Batavia.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
More Brewing (2) vs. Miskatonic Brewing Co. (15)
More has had an intensely loyal customer base since they opened their doors in the summer of 2017, and went on to win plenty of FoBAB hardware. They’ll line up against IPA/stout powerhouse, Miskatonic out of Darien.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Noon Whistle Brewing (3) vs. Crystal Lake Brewing (14)
Lombard’s Noon Whistle took home the hardware in 2017’s #THRBreweryBracket. Their sour Smack and Gummy NEIPA series have converted many. Meanwhile up in Crystal Lake, the namesake brewery has built their own loyal fanbase, full of folks ready to talk about their barrel-aged lineup as some of the best in Chiacgoland. Who’ll ya take?
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Two Brothers Artisan Brewing (4) vs. Penrose Brewing (13)
It feels equally weird to see Two Brothers and Penrose on such low seed lines. However, it’s merely a product of how much less we’ve seen of both breweries’ offerings within the city in the last year; compared to years previous. As impressive as both outfits are, we can only hope we start seeing them around again, more often…
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Hop Butcher For The World (5) vs. Alter Brewing Co. (12)
Hop Butcher has seemingly brewed a new pale ale for every day of the week. They’ve somehow managed to release an unreal amount of 16oz cans in the past year–the latest even being a brown ale! Alter will line up against them, as the Downers Grove brewery has seen an expanded packaged footprint of their own, complete with new label designs.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Hailstorm Brewing Co. (6) vs. Sketchbook Brewing Co. (11)
Hailstorm has proven its standing as one of the suburb’s most sought after breweries. Anyone who knows so would never dare pass on a chance to drink from their Vlad series. Sketchbook has also enjoyed a year of expanded offerings, with new-to-us cans hitting shelves more and more often, out of Evanston. South vs. North, here.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Temperance Brewing Co. (7) vs. Pollyanna Brewing Co. (10)
Temperance became one of the first breweries to offer a mixed 4-pack, for their highly regarded (and still somehow wildly underrated) Might Meets Right series. Pollyanna spent the last year enjoying success across its two locations satiating patrons with their Orenda and Fun Size series.
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Mikerphone Brewing (8) vs. Une Année (9)
Mike Pallen’s Mikerphone has been a fawned over brewery from their first days gracing beer festivals with their decadent stouts and hazy IPAs. Une Année continues their elevated reputation through their colorful sour offerings as well as their own decadent stouts and NEIPAs from their Hubbard’s Cave brand. Who’d you rather make the trek out to visit?
These polls have closed. Cheers!
Best of luck to all 64 breweries. It’s hard to pick a favorite Chicago beer maker as we all know, but hey, here’s your chance. Stay tuned as we tally the votes in order to select a “Round of 32.”
Vote for the other regions below:
