Guide to the Libation Trail During Lake County Flavor Festival 2024
By: Jonathan Jones 02/14/2024
"I get no kick from champagne. Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all. So tell me, why shouldn't it be true? I get a kick out of brew." - the late libation lover Daniel Dumile otherwise known as MF DOOM.
Whatever your thrill is - wine, beer or cocktails, the Lake County Libation Trail has what you're looking for. Check in to win at five or more locations throughout the month of February to win a coveted Libation Trail shirt.
Venues like Half Day Brewing Co., Tonality Brewing Co., Broken Tee Brewing Co., Ravinia Brewing Co. and Wild Onion Brewiery also serve eats, so you could check in for the Libation Trail and Restaurant Month sweepstakes to win cool prizes.
WIthout further adieu, here is your Lake County Libation Trail lineup as you meet your tasting quotas during Lake County February Flavor Festival.
This brewery is a blue-collar sudsery. However, the Round Lake Beach brewpub's story is bubbling in tradition and family roots. The year-old drinking hole began nearly five years ago in a Grayslake garage. The positive feedback from family and friends encouraged Josh Grubbs, the brewmaster and owner, to open a brick-and-mortar taproom in northwestern Lake County. The Round Lake Beach facility reflects its homebrew roots with a rotating 12-beer tap.
Round Lake Beach » | Fox Lake »
Bosacki's Brewery (formerly known as Bosacki's Home Brew/Microbrewery) is a local microbrewery serving traditional and historic ales and lagers. Fresh liquified hops are available in growlers to take home and share with the family and friends. Since 2013, brewer and owner Greg Bosacki opened his establishment, but not before over a decade of prep work as he was given a basic homebrew kit by his wife, Brigitte. The mission of Bosacki's is the importance of sharing with family and friends. It is really a family affair at the Mundelein brewhouse. Bosacki features 12 libations on tap, including the Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, perfect for the colder seasons and Lake County Libation Trail Month. You can take home 32 and 64-ounce growlers for later consumption.
BTBC is located in the heart of downtown Highwood. and takes its theme from the owner's past profession as a golf pro. The sudsery offers nine homemade brews on tap, like Shankopotoumus, SWING Hard, Pin High and more. BTBC also offers small plated eats like sandwiches, tacos, charcuteries and more. Visit on Tuesdays, and get your Nintendo nostalgia at Retro Game Nights.
Buffalo Creek Brewing in historic downtown Long Grove has something extra brewing every weekend. The Lake County destination brewery that is popular for its Bavarian-style brew features a tasting room, deck and gazebo. Brewmeister and owner Mike Marr puts a little bit of magic in his libations as he produces 10 unique beers. The award-winning brewery is known for its 42K Belgian Strong Ale, Marrvelous German-Style Kölsch, Xerxes Chocolate Bacon Stout and more.
The Lake Zurich distillery puts the L in “gimme a liddle fiddle.” Copper Fiddle created small-batch gin and other spirits in 2012. The distillery’s story derives from a family heirloom passed down from generation – that heirloom being a violin. This 1906 musical instrument’s sound is what the Lake Zurich distillery utilized as a metaphor for the smoothness of their gin and bourbon whiskey. The “Illinois-Made” recipient creates each drink from scratch. Copper Fiddle offers gins, rums, and bourbon whiskeys. For their superior drinks, Copper Fiddle has achieved two American Craft Spirit and an American Distilling Institute Awards.
Four generations of Glunz’s have operated a business in libationing. The Glunz family landed in the states in 1879 and opened a wine, beer and spirit store on Wells and Division Streets in the present-day Old Town neighborhood in 1888. In 1992, the third-generation descendants began creating small-batch fortified wines and the rest is history. Not only does the family own a winery and tasting room in Grayslake, but also in wine country in Paso Robles, California, where they grow much of the drinkables. The award-winning winery is known for its Mission Angelica (red dessert wine), De La Costa Sangria and its Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel.
Savor the flavor of an extensive beer list at the Lincolnshire Brewery. The brewery commemorates the town’s real name, Halfda, contrary to popular belief of a half day’s journey from Chicago. The chief of the village, Chief Aptakisic of the Potawatomi tribe, was a Native American leader known for making the Treaty of Chicago in 1833 surrounding the Black Hawk War. And now we move to the present. The five-year-old Lincolnshire brewpub frequently swaps out and adds new delicious craft flavors. Some of their lauded beers include Chieftain Session IPA, the Meridian Wit and their marquee beverage, the Barrel-Aged Warrior Paint Imperial Coffee Stout. Their eats menus are highlighted by award-winning wings, wood-fired pizza, tacos, burgers, sandwiches and a host of other delectable bites.
The Winthrop Harbor microbrewery produces adventurous ales. The Lake County suds maker is also highlighted by a taproom, beercade and live music. Since 2018, Habor Brewing has taken innovative flavors and created exceptional libations. The Lake Michigan bordering brewhouse offers 12 different potables on tap. Over the summer of 2020, Harbor Brewing Co., in partnership with North Point Marina, opened the land of lakes’ first beer garden. The Lakefront Biergarten will reopen in April highlighted by, scenic views of Lake Michigan, outdoor live tunes and their renowned adult beverages. Harbor also serves to carry out four packs and sixers to brew lovers. The Lake Villa location also houses 9th Hour Brewing Co.
Lake Villa » | Winthrop Harbor »
This downtown Grayslake pub serves innovative brews, modern American cuisine, locally-sourced craft spirits and top-notch draft wines all handcrafted in-house. Light the Lamp has 14 craft suds drafts created internally. For those who aren't beer lovers, the seven-year-old Grayslake brewpub also offers tap wine. Besides libations, the hockey-themed also offers unique meals, including burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads, shared plates and desserts. Some of Light the Lamp's signature suds include the Red Line Ale (amber ale), Sin Bout Stout (oatmeal stout) and the 1980 Miracle American Pale Ale Kick back, relax and let that lettuce down.
Heart and Arterial Alchemy is what makes this liquid love world go round. The Buffalo Grove brewery is dedicated to collaborating and providing suds with the best ingredients, boldest flavor and attention to detail. The southwestern Lake County brewery has eight delectable brews on tap, including Choccy Cherry Cheesecake, Rainbow Tubs, hard seltzers, beer slushies and more. Visit "the Loveshack" through the challenge and beyond.
llinois’s eldest winery is Lynfred, established 42 years ago in 1979. A hobby that turned into a full-fledged business was founded by Fred E. Koehler, who’s also known as the father of the Illinois wine industry. The Lake County vino tasting room has been earning awards and national recognition since 1985. Lynfred has four locations: Roselle, Wheeling, Highland Park, Wheaton and Naperville. The Wheeling room has been open since 2008 and is known for favorites like Fred’s Red, Vin de City White, and a ton of other electric flavors. The Highland Park location just opened post pandemic in 2022.
Highland Park » | Wheeling »
The first craft brewery in the land of lakes is Mickey Finn’s Brewery in Libertyville. Illinois’s oldest brewpub serves up a ton of house-made ales and lagers as well as eats. The 1994-established suds haven has served over six million pints in that period and sits in their industrial/renovated home on MainStreet Libertyville. Currently, Mickey Finn has 18 of their homemade brews on tap. The Libertyville business is known for its Santa’s Magic Belgian Strong Golden Ale, Can I Kick It IPA, Pineapple Express and an array of other rotating sips. Mickey Finn’s serves brunch (weekends only), lunch and dinner, including salads, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, seafood, tacos and thin crust pizza. Have a seat for dinner and drinks indoor, alfresco-style or via carryout.
"Beer's intellectual. What a shame so many idiots drink it." The Ray Bradbury-themed Waukegan brewhouse is a part of the Lake County Libation Trail. The Waukegan suds factory boasts 20 traditional and experimental brews and creating the drink of choice on site. The Waukegan brewing company also shares a co-location with another Lake County Libation Trail partner, Oppidan Spirits Distillery. The Waukegan brewer will offer 32-ounce crowlers and packs of bottles for curbside pickup and are also open for indoor and outdoor sips (when the weather outside isn't frightful). Eventually, they will provide 64-ounce growlers for lighter beers.
Ninth Hour Brewing Co. is a community-supported brewspot run by owners, Dave and Jim, who discovered their shared passion for brewing while teaching together at Lakes Community High School. One of the core values of their team is education. In addition to traditional tours, 9th Hour will offer its guests classes on various brewing-related topics. They've brewed 21 staple suds prior to their grand opening on January 14, 2022. The venue is in a shared location with Harbor Brewing Co. Lake Villa.
North Shore Distillery is the first craft distillery in the Land of Lincoln (the first to open in the state since the Prohibition Era). Since 2004, Sonja and Derek Kassebaum (and their larger-than-life friend Ethel) have provided vodkas, rums, gins, absinthes and unique seasonal beverages. The self-proclaimed nerds and Illinois-Made inventors love to experiment with new flavors with a plethora of different ingredients, and that’s why the award-winning Green Oaks distillery designs innovative art with its liquid creations. Sonja was featured in the article "Chemists, Bartenders and British Royalty: Eight Women Who Changed GIn History" by the Wine Enthusiast. Click here to learn more. The Green Oaks distillery was also honored with the Illinois Office of Tourism honor of "Illinois Made" recognizing the state's makers, creators, artisans, artists, family-owned businesses and more. During the height of the pandemic in April 2020, the husband-wife team got their hands wet in the hand sanitizer-making business, providing requests to first responders, health care workers and others providing critical care. Also during the pandemic, In collaboration with Visit Lake County, Sonja created Lake County Sunset Sips. This beverage concoction is as refreshing and beautiful as a Lake County sunset: sweet, fruity, and closes with a crisp finish.
Lake Zurich is home to a slew of stops on the libation trail, including Roaring Table Brewery and Copper Fiddle Distillery. The Lake County brewpub was founded in March 2019 by Evan Morris along with husband and wife duet head brewers Shaun and Britanny Berns. The three ran the decade-long Ram Brewery in Schaumburg that has since closed, but the three had some unfinished business. As of early April, Phase Three offers six brews on tap in addition to a and fruity hard seltzer. The wife-husband team is constantly concocting small-batch releases as well.
The name Pips is not only a nod to the seeds in fruits, but also to counting devices like the symbols on playing cards or the dots on a die. Pips Meadery's passion starts with mead, but reaches to all things wine. Their hope is to create a unique experience with thoughtfully crafted recipes, rich flavors and unique and experimental flavor combinations.
The Highland Park brewery features a variety of beers and Mexican street fare like tacos, burritos, salads and more. Your tasty Tuesday is now paired with brew and southwest cuisine. The brewpub was recognized for the “Best Beer Garden” by the North Shore Choice Awards. A collection of their trademark libations includes the Flight of the Rooster Saison, the Steep Ravine IPA and the Baldwin Porter.
Roaring Table brings a cozy taproom and an eclectic menu of fresh, hand-made craft beers to the land of lakes. The USA Today 10Best winner for Best New Brewery is a small batch brewhouse showcasing options ranging from dry and expressive farmhouse ales to simple and refreshing lagers. Roaring Table also offers several ciders, hard seltzers, sodas and snacks. They sell snacks in-house, but you can also take in with the eats in Lake Zurich’s foodie scene.
The newest member of the Lake County Libation Trail is a cultural gem offering a harmonious blend of craft beer, live tunes, art exhibits and myriad performing arts. The Mundelein establishment is not only a brewery but also a restaurant. Their extensive menu features appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, short ribs, seafoods, vegetarian dishes, a full kids menu and more. The brewhouse is located in the village's old firehouse and just opened its doors to the public last month.
Distilled from a blend of all malted midwest grains, 28 Mile Vodka is clear in color with aromas of almond and vanilla bean. This unique vodka has a silky smooth mouthfeel and notes of vanilla and cocoa nibs that finishes extremely clean on the palate with a lingering warming sensation. Drink this neat, on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. The Highwood drinkery has an unbelievable backstory of how these crafters came up with the name and logo of their distillery. The Debonair (the woman on their logo) was a real-life queen during the Prohibition Era. Twenty-eight Mile Vodka also just earned a MicroLiquor Spirit 2019 Triple Gold Award for Extraordinary Taste and Highest Recommendation.
The award-winning winemakers grow and produce their berries and wines on the Long Grove estate. Boasting over 20 different grapevines that produce more than 20 vinos, Valentino’s Vineyard creates all of their libations in French and American oak barrels. Throughout the year Lake County maker conducts wine tastings, vineyard tours and seminars. Some of the Long Grove winery’s staple offerings include Valentino’s Signature Red 2004 and 2016 and their Seyval Blanc 2015.
The Lake County Libation Trail winery Vigneto del Bino Vineyard and Winery offers nine different types of wines at their scenic establishment. The winery sits on one acre of a 10-acre property surrounded by 2,300 grapevines. The Trombino family planted their first vine in 2009, and they haven’t looked back. The winery resides in Antioch and features exceptional vinos like Bino’s BLend (semi-dry red table wine), the Sequoit Red (red table wine), the Kaleidoscope (semi-sweet white table wine) and others. Salud to vino!
This local favorite has been a staple in southwestern Lake County since 2003. The brewhouse creates handcrafted beers and hearty comfort food. The Lake Barrington brewery’s philosophy is being firmly grounded with a passion and respect for many of the world-class beer styles that exist in today’s brewing renaissance. The Onion Pub’s signature brews include the Misfit American IPA, the Hop Slayer Double IPA and Beggar’s Brown (English-style). The brewpub’s menu is highlighted by soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, seafoods and more. They also have a patio overlooking a pond that provides a pretty dope setting. Last summer they celebrated its quarter of a century born day.
Offering a casual dining experience that is exceptional is Wright’s Brew and Bistro, located inside the Lincolnshire Marriott. The Lincolnshire bar and restaurant provides the honey to Five Eyes Honey Ale brewed by another Lake County Libation Trail partner, Tighthead Brewery in Mundelein. In the fare department, Wright’s serves traditional Midwest comfort food with a modern twist of spices. On the foodie side of things, Wright's Brew & Bistro serves an array of casual eats like steak, seafood, pasta, salads and more.
For more information about the Lake County Libation Trail, continue here. To check-in at your Libation Trail location, click here. Continue here to return to the Lake County Flavor Festival page.
Enjoy photos from our social media friends on the Lake County Libation Trail.
Be sure to continue sharing with us socially!
