Lake Bluff Brewery

The joys of a new brewery in the Chicagoland area. Bill and I were eagerly anticipating venturing up to Lake Bluff, Illinois to taste some new brews from the Lake Bluff Brewery. Our plans were ruined last week, due to the Metra train having some technical issues. This Friday, would be the day. The best part was that we would be meeting my very best friend up there for dinner. Bonus!!



I have been following the brewery on Facebook. I would highly recommend looking for updates on their Facebook page, since the web page doesn't seem to get updated as frequently. The brews that they had on draft were:

- Inspiration Pale Ale
- Tis the Saison Belgian
- Belgian Monkey
- Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout
- Guest Brewery- Bell's Oberon and Bell's Amber Ale



I started with the Belgian Monkey and was very pleased. It was an average belgian beer, with a nice fruitiness and still packed a punch. It wasn't "out of this world", but it was very enjoyable. I then tried the "Tis the Saison Belgian". This was definitely not a typical Saison, but it was still good. I would categorize this as more of a belgian beer, not a Saison. I prefered the "Belgian Monkey" over this one. Bill tried the "Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout". It was very difficult to pick up any bourbon characteristics, but it was a solid stout. If the name didn't say Bourbon, I wouldn't have even known there was any kind of bourbon flavor. He also tried the Inspiration Pale Ale, which was also a pretty average Pale Ale.

The menu is limited, since it's more of a Tap Room then a full out restaurant. We started with the hummus plate, which was pretty good. I had a turkey panini and Bill tried the pulled pork. The food was average. The space was very nice. It was crowded when we got there around 7PM, but seemed to thin out as the work crowd went home.

We met two of my favorite people there, Tanya and Jon Citron. Tanya tried the Saison and enjoyed it. She is not much of a beer drinker, so I was surprised that she liked it. Jon enjoyed one of the Bell Amber Ale. This place definitely has an extensive wine list as well, so there is something for everyone.

Lake Bluff Brewery just opened, so it will be very interesting to see how they develop and grow as a brewery. As long as they continue to put out well flavored beers and keep it interesting, I know they will have a successful run in that space. They are conveniently located at the Lake Bluff Metra station on the Union Pacific North Line.

I would recommend venturing up to Lake Bluff to try them out. Just keep in mind that they are young, so their beers aren't as well developed as a more mature brewery. Don't expect to be blown away, just expect to enjoy your visit.