The Brews & Choos Project will celebrate its 6th anniversary on February 7th. When I started in 2020, I thought I would get most of it done that year. I managed to visit 25 breweries by March 7th (Lunar Brewing in Villa Park was 25th), before pausing in the pandemic panic until breweries with outdoor seating opened up again.
It turns out, I only have 9 places to visit within the Chicago city limits, and another 13 in the Metra zone outside Chicago. Short of another pandemic or massive economic disruption, I see a very high probability of finishing the project as originally conceived in just a few months, if not sooner.
This last push starts Friday. I have the day off work, Metra will be running a weekday schedule, and the forecast says Friday will be sunny and 10°C.
Unfortunately, the 22 remaining breweries, meaderies, distilleries, and wineries are spread out all over the area, ranging from just 3 blocks down the street to 92 km and 2½ hours distant.
These are the stragglers within the city limits:
- Wild Blossom Meadery, 9030 S Hermitage (Rock Island, 91st)
- Turner Häus Brewery, 74 E 47th (Green Line, 47th)
- Cruz Blanca Cerveceria, 904 W Randolph (Green/Pink Lines, Morgan)
- Crushed by Giants, 600 N Michigan (Red Line, Grand)
- Suncatcher Brewing, 2849 W Chicago (MD-N/MD-W, Western)
- Perch Kitchen & Tap, 1932 W Division (Blue Line, Division—visited in January 2024 but not reviewed)
- Right Bee Cider, 1830 N Kostner (MD-W, Grand-Cicero)
- Lake Effect Brewing, 3076 N Milwaukee (Blue Line, Belmont)
- VIN312, 4712 N Ravenswood (UP-N, Ravenswood)
And these are the remaining Metra-zone places:
- Homewood Brewing, 18225 Dixy Hwy, Homewood (ME, Homewood)
- Pollyanna Brewing, 431 Talcott Ave, Lemont (HC, Lemont—only accessible weekdays)
- Emmett’s, 5200 Main St, Downers Grove (BNSF, Downers Grove)
- Kinshlager Brewing, 6806 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn (Blue Line, Oak Park)
- Obscurity Mead Hall & Cidery, 21 S Main St, Elburn (UP-W, Elburn—closed until spring)
- 93 Octane, 171 N Addison St, Elmhurst (UP-W, Elmhurst)
- Short Fuse, 5000 N River Rd, Rosemont (NCS, Rosemont—only accessible weekdays)
- Polyanna Brewing, 245 E Main St, Roselle (MD-W, Roselle)
- More Brewing, 121 W Railroad Ave, Bartlett (MD-W, Bartlett)
- Sundial Brewing, 200 Applebee St, Barrington (UP-NW, Barrington)
- Black Lung Brewing, 2 S Lake St, Grayslake (MD-N, Grayslake)
- Black Lung Brewing, 2217 N Illinois Rte 83, Round Lake Beach (NCS, Round Lake Beach—only accessible weekdays)
- Rush Creek Distilling, 1501 W Diggins St, Harvard (UP-NW, Harvard)
There are also 9 in Milwaukee and 3 in Michigan that are within 2 hours of Union Station by Amtrak, but they're not really part of the original Brews & Choos concept. I'll get to them eventually.
So which ones should I hit on Friday? I'm thinking Wild Blossom, Turner Häus, and Crushed by Giants, but I could just as well go to Rush Creek, Sundial, and Cruz Blanca. Or make a day of going to all three Black Lung breweries, how about?
I guess you'll find out next weekend.
Others have commented
Yak
One of us is having trouble counting. I only see 2 Black Lung Brewing locations in your lists.
The Daily Parker
@Yak, I've already been to the third Black Lung location, in Fox Lake. It's even a Top 10 brewery! See https://www.thedailyparker.com/post/2025/05/31/black-lung-brewing-fox-lake
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