About
Illuminated Brew Works is a Chicago-based brewery producing beer for interesting times. From big, hazy IPAs, to yeast-driven urban farmhouses, adjunct-rich stouts and experimentally-driven sours and fruit beers, our offerings rotate seasonally to celebrate the annual cycle.
Please enjoy with people you trust.
Please enjoy with people you trust.
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 9/2019. Pours lightly hazy deep ruby red/pink/purple color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light pink head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy black currants, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light peppercorn/lacto funk and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of black currants, fruity/acidic yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy black currants, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light peppercorn/lacto funk and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy black currants, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, raspberry, peach, plum, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light peppercorn/lacto funk and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of black currants, fruity/acidic yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness, tangy fruit, and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an awesome fruited kettle sour. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of black currants, fruity/acidic yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/refreshing to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic/tannic. Awesome balance of big juicy/jammy currants and Lacto complexity; with a great pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp acidic/tangy dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected.
Tried
from Can
on 01 Oct 2019
at 00:27
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 8/21/2019. Pours very hazy deep golden/orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, lightly sticky, and slightly resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 7.5%. Overall this is an incredible NEIPA. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish; fantastic soft feel. Amazing Rakau, Mosaic, Citra, Meridian profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and lightly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example. One of their best ones.
Tried
from Can
on 31 Aug 2019
at 20:37
7/10
Lots of citrus, earth, pine and sweaty aromas on the nose. Flavors are a bit muddled and low carbonation...thin body. Slight dank & citrus.
Tried
from Can
on 24 Aug 2019
at 16:25
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Can from Holiday Market .Pours a clearish orange gold with a finger of off-white foam that lingers, then dissipates. Big aromas of pine, grapefruit, pineapple, earth and sweat. A bit thin and low carbonated on the palate. Muddled citrus notes with more pine and earth. Medium to low bitterness on the finish. Slightly boozy on the finish.
Tried
from Can
on 24 Aug 2019
at 01:21
Wow, this is brilliant. Smooth. Good flavour. Top.
Tried
from Can
on 01 Aug 2019
at 17:30
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 7/1/2019. Pours very hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, red apple, mango, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, red apple, mango, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, red apple, mango, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, wood, light peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready/grainy, lightly sticky, and slightly resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a fantastic Milkshake NEIPA. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish; great soft feel. Feels like Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced lactose, and wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example. One of their best so far.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Jul 2019
at 21:22
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 5/10/2019. Pours opaquely hazy deep golden amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, strawberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, strawberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, strawberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, wheat, biscuit dough, light honey, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an outstanding NEIPA. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish; fantastically soft feel. Fantastic Huell Melon, Motueka, Citra & Rakau profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstandingly spot on style example.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Jun 2019
at 13:42
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 5/28/2019. Pours opaquely hazy deep golden/orange/amber color with a 1 finger dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice desne spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy peaches, fruit skin, tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, red apple, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of peaches, citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big lightly tart/tangy peaches, fruit skin, tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, red apple, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of peaches, fruit skin, tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, red apple, honeydew, watermelon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of peaches, citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, and bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly acidic/tangy/resinous/rindy mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 7.5%. Overall this is an excellent fruited NEIPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of peaches, citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/drying finish; great soft feel. Great Pacifica, Motueka, Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado profile. Super juicy hops/fruit, with some dank/earthy notes; and a great wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected.
Tried
from Can
on 16 Jun 2019
at 07:29
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
16 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but was just released locally. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy medium golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big lemon, lime, mandarin orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, clove, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, citrus zests, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, lime, mandarin orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, clove, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Moderate peppery yeast spiciness; and pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, lime, mandarin orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, clove, pine, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, citrus zests, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance; and no lingering hop/fruit astringency after the finish. Moderately crisp/clean finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness and carbonation. High carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and sticky/resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.4%. Overall this is an excellent hoppy saison. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, citrus zests, fruity/spicy yeast, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the moderately bitter/spicy/drying finish; not overly aggressive. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Great Mandarina Bavaria, Amarillo, Pacifica profile. Perfectly balanced between citrus/earthy hops, vibrant citrus zest, and classic saison yeast complexity; with a nice solid pale/wheat malt backbone. Zero residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. No complaints.
Tried
from Can
on 16 Jun 2019
at 06:57
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 3/4/2019. Pours opaquely hazy deep golden/amber/light orange color with a 1 finger dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/zest, light peppercorn/pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/zest, light peppercorn/pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn/pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance; and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Light lingering resins/rinds after the finish. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is an awesome milkshake NEDIPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/fairly earthy hops, lactose, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/resinous/drying finish, nicely soft feel. Awesome Galaxy/Motueka profile. Very juicy and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a great balanced lactose, and wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example. A bit more drying that expected, but spot on stuff otherwise.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Apr 2019
at 03:00