Craft Beer in the Suburbs: Where Do You Go?

The beer was flowing last weekend at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, where the inaugural Windy City Brewhaha festival featured breweries from throughout the city. 

Craft beer brewing is a growing industry, and the growth in Chicago has rivaled any other spot in the country. In the last year, countless breweries have popped up in the Chicago area, such as Pipeworks, Revolution and Begyle. 

"I think it's a great idea to get more exposure," said Chris Parker of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. "It's a huge, growing industry."

It was fun to spend an afternoon in the city tasting a wide variety of beers—lots of styles and unique ingredients, including chipotle peppers and peanut butter featured in two separate stouts.

But those weekends don't happen all of the time. Fortunately, with the craft beer industry growing, more local bars and restaurants have wider selections; more liquor stores are carrying a larger variety of craft beers. 

I asked some of our Facebook fans in Forest Park and Oak Park-River Forest where they like to go for a good beer selection, and here were some responses: 

• Lake Street Kitchen + Bar in Oak Park (write a review)
• Fat Duck Tavern & Grill in Forest Park

Bars in the area recently held a microbrew pub crawl that featured area brewed beers, some of which were also featured at the Brewhaha festival. So we know some good options are out there locally. 

But you tell us: Where do you go locally for a great craft beer selection? Share your recommendations in the comments!

Looking for more local bars? Find them in our business directory

• Forest Park bars and restaurants
• Oak Park/River Forest bars and restaurants