What: The Chicago Beer Festival

When: Saturday March 21st

Session 1: 1-4pm

Session 2: 6-9pm

Where: The Great Hall at Union Station

How Much: $40 Buy Tickets Here

Website: www.thechicagobeerfestival.com/

Twice a year since 2012, beer lovers flock to The Great Hall at Union Station to take part in The Chicago Beer Festival. On March 21st over 60 breweries will be pouring their brews and those in attendance will have their choice of over 150 beers to sample.

Those interested in attending can purchase tickets for $40 plus fees and get to choose between the early session 1-4pm or the late session 6-9pm. Each person in attendance will receive 40 taster vouchers to use amongst the different breweries.

Held once in the spring and once in the fall, the event allows the breweries to showcase their well-known regular beers, but also their seasonal varieties as well. While a majority of the breweries are located in Illinois, the breweries are from more than just Chicago. From the city to the far suburbs and beyond, the wide variety of breweries allows those in attendance the opportunity to sample breweries they might have never heard of before.

A handful of breweries are from outside Illinois though. While many will recognize familiar names like Bell’s and Founders, Drewry’s from South Bend, Ind. just began distributing in a handful of stores in Chicago and around northern Illinois.

The brewery with roots the farthest outside of Illinois is Crabbie’s. Started in the United Kingdom, Crabbie’s will be on site sampling their original alcoholic lemonade as well as their cloudy variety.

This year’s lineup includes some familiar names from past festivals like Local Option, Transient Artisan Ales and 3 Sheeps Brewing Company, but it will also have more than 15 new breweries.

Newcomer Moody Tongue Brewing, which specializes in “culinary brewing,” will feature three beers including their sliced nectarine IPA as well as two other beers. Triptych Brewing from Savoy, Ill. will also be making its first appearance at the event. Triptych is a small microbrew that got its start with the help of a Kickstarter campaign.

A list of what each brewery will be pouring can be found below. Please note that this list is subject to change and does not include every brewery at the festival. Every brewery was contacted to provide its pour list but not everyone responded.

Brewery: City: State: What Are They Pouring: ABV: Ale Syndicate Chicago IL Trinken Lowen – Citra-hopped Altbier 4.7 Seven Flowers – Double IPA 8 Petrillo – Pale Ale 4.8 Illuminated Brew Works Chicago IL Pazuzu’s Pedals – Belgiun Porter 5.8 Kallistic – Golden Ale 7.4 Hasselhopf – Belgian Pale Ale 5.8 Smylie Brothers Brewing Company Evanston IL Smylie Brothers IPA 7 Smylie Brothers Farmhouse 5.5 Applewood Porter 8 Pollyanna Brewing Lemont IL Eleanor – Porter 6.8 Mazzie – American Pale Ale 5.4 Behind Abbey Doors – Belgian Brown Ale 6.4 Lagunitas Brewing Company Chicago IL Lagunitas IPA 6.2 Lagunitas Pils 6 TBA Seasonal Bucket List Brewing Chicago IL Breaking 80 – American Pale Ale 4.7 Hellfire Club – English Brown Ale 7.5 East End – Extra Special/Strong Bitter 6.2 Iron Spike Brewing Company Galesburg IL Flatback IPA 6.5 Dark Territory – Chocolate Stout 8.5 TBA Middle Brow Beer Company Zion IL Milk Eyed Mender – Stout 8 Summer In Pain – Belgian IPA 6.5 Australian Galaxy Hops N/A Carson’s Brewery Evansville IN Red Dawn – Amber Wheat 5.5 Brown Cow – Brown Ale 5 RIPA – Red IPA 7 Eville – Pale Wheat Ale 5.1 Noon Whistle Brewing Lombard IL Bernie – Milk Stout 5 Face Smack – Berliner Weisse 4 That Lady – Belgian Pale Ale 5 Mercenary Chicago IL The Charlatan – Pale Ale 5.9 Fat Pug – Milk Stout 5.6 SlapShot Brewing Chicago IL Pale Ale N/A Triple Deke – Belgian 8.2 1926 – Rye Pale Ale 5 JT Walkers Mahomet IL Grand Chief – Imperial IPA 10 Crazy Gals – Rasberry Ginger Saison 5.2 Walker’s Original Cream Stout 5 Urban Legend Brewing Company Westmont IL Sweet Lacey’s Revenge – Farmhouse Ale 4.7 Scylla’s Grasp – Mosaic Pale Ale 5.2 The Creature – Imperial Black IPA 8.5 Atlas Brewing Company Chicago IL Triceratops Rodeo IPA 7.4 Farmhouse Wheat 5 Freight Handler Milk Stout 5 Triptych Brewing Savoy IL Book’em Brettano – IPA N/A 2nd Anniversary Imperial IPA 10 Belgian Tripel N/A 51st Ward Beer Company Westmont IL Intermediate Clerk Typist – IPA 7.7 Krispy Kaream Cream Stout 7.8 TBA Local Option Bierwerker Chicago IL Sweet Leif – Biere de Garde 6.5 Outlawger – Pilsner 5 Vice District Brewing Co. Chicago IL TBA – New Double IPA N/A Habitual – Black IPA 7 Arianna – Belgian Blonde 5.2 Crabbie’s United Kingdom Crabbies Original Lemonade 4 Crabbies Cloudy Lemonade 4 Baderbrau Chicago IL Chicago Pilsner 4.8 Red Velvet 6 Naked Selfie 6 Destihl Brewery Bloomington IL Abbey’s Single – Beligan Pale Ale 4.9 Black Angel Stout 6.7 Counter ClockWeisse – Berliner Weisse 3 Weissenheimer Hefeweizen 5.2 Small Town Brewery Wauconda IL Not Your Father’s Root Beer TBD Rolling Meadows Brewery Cantrall IL Abe’s Ale – Double Brown Ale 8.5 Springfield Wheat – Hefeweizen 5 Lincoln’s Lager – Pale Lager 6.5 Pig Minds Brewing Co. Machesney Park IL Sweep The Leg IPA 5.5 Vanilla Bitch Slap – Red Lager 5.5 Joe Daddy Imperial Coffee Stout 8.2 Arcade Brewery Chicago IL Dubbeltime – Belgian Dubbel 8.3 Final Level – Extra Special/Strong Bitter 6.3 Grapefruit IPA 6.3 Brickstone Brewery Bourbonnais IL APA – American Pale Ale 6.25 HopSkipNImDrunk – Double Pale Ale 7.75 Right Swipe – Session Pale Ale 5.25 Cademon Brewing Co. Genoa IL Highland Memory – Scottish Ale 5.8 Demonic Stout 6 Vanilla Demonic Stout 6 Wild Onion Brewery Lake Barrington IL Misfit IPA 7 Chinwaggin’ Irish Red Ale 4.8 Phat Chance Blonde 5.2 Rude Hippo Chicago IL Bee’s Sleaze – Golden Ale 6.5 Honey Basil – American Amber 7.4 Black Card Stout N/A Begyle Brewing Chicago IL Hophazardly American IPA 7.1 Free Bird American Pale Ale 5.5 Flannel Pajamas Oatmeal Stout 5.4 Lake Effect Brewing Company Chicago IL Espresso Gone Stout 7 Bitchin’ Blonde – Belgian Style Ale 7.5 Drewrys Brewing Company South Bend IN Drewrys Premium Lager N/A Crystal Lake Brewing Crystal Lake IL Beach Blonde Golden Lager 5.3 Slalom King Rye IPA 7.5 Lena Brewing Company Lena IL Coffee Caramel Pecan Stout 5.5 Bloodshed ESB N/A Uncle Tyson’s Dunkelweizen 4.4 Blue Nose Brewery Hodgkins IL True Justice Pale Ale 6 World War – Lager N/A Mystery Stout N/A Church Street Brewing Itasca IL Crimson Clover Red Irish Ale 5.5 Bob’s Your Dunkel 4.9 Fire IPA 6.2 Brothers Griff Brewing Co Naperville IL Viking Spring – Belgian Witbeir 11 Beet It! – Munich Helles 5.5 Silky Drawers – Belgian Speciality Ale 7.5 Aquanaut Brewing Co Chicago IL Maiden Voyage – Rye IPA 6 The Search – Extra Special/Strong Bitter 5.4 Misterioso – Coffee Porter 5 Moody Tongue Brewing Company Chicago IL Caramelized Chocolate Churro Baltic Porter 7.7 Dehydrated Tangerine Cacao Wheat 5 Sliced Nectarine IPA 6 Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids MI All Day IPA 4.7 Imperial Stout 10.5 Rubaeus 5.7 Cahoots Brewing Oak Park IL No S’more Imperial Stout 9.1 Bell’s Brewery Kalamazoo MI Special Double Cream Stout 6.1 Oarsman 4 Two Hearted Ale 7 Rogue Ales & Spirits Newport OR Rogue Fruit Salad Cider 6.4 Rogue Brutal IPA 6 Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar 5.6 Banging Gavel Brews Chicago IL Chicanery Russian Imperial Stout 10.1 Red Handed Irish Red Ale 7.1 Legit IPA 5.6 One Trick Pony Brewery Lansing IL Spotted Saddle – American Pale Ale 6.2 Storm Cat – Amber Ale 6.7 Marsh Tacky – Stout 6.2 Major – Scotch Ale 8.6 Brabant – Belgian Golden Strong Ale 8.1 Christmas Stallion – Imperial Spiced Porter 10 Spurs In My Flanks – Imperial Red Ale 7.8 Chestnut – American IPA 7 Lordoso – Belgian Pale Ale 6 Black Beauty – Smoked Porter 6 3 Sheeps Brewing Company Sheboygan WI Really Cool Waterslides – IPA 6.2 Baaad Boy Black Wheat – Black Wheat Ale 5.5 Ten Ninety Brewing Chicago IL IPA 6.3 Apricot – Pale Wheat Ale 5.9 ReplicAle – Amber/Red Ale 7.5 Brooklyn Brewery New York NY 1/2 Ale Session Saison 3.4 East IPA 6.9 Cuvee La Boite – Spiced Grand Cru 8.2 Hammarby Syndrome – Swedish Strong Ale Scorched Earth Algonquin IL Hickster – American Cream Ale 5.5 Foraging Swine – Smoked Ale 5.2 The Bitter Chocolatier – Imperila Stout 9.1