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Description
At Crystal Lake Brewing we are passionate about creating world-class beers right here in McHenry County. Beers that are easy to drink and hard to put down.
We are a production brewery, which is a very different thing than a brewpub. Our focus is on brewing great beer for sale to bars, restaurants and retailers across northern Illinois. But we also have a great place to enjoy our beers here at the brewery; our tap room. Here in the tap room, we offer regular tours of the brewery, and the space is dedicated to providing our guests with a world-class, beer-centered experience. In the tap room, we offer only our beers (no wine or mixed drinks). We don’t have a kitchen, though we encourage guests to bring in their own food or order it in from one of the great local restaurants in downtown Crystal Lake.
We are a production brewery, which is a very different thing than a brewpub. Our focus is on brewing great beer for sale to bars, restaurants and retailers across northern Illinois. But we also have a great place to enjoy our beers here at the brewery; our tap room. Here in the tap room, we offer regular tours of the brewery, and the space is dedicated to providing our guests with a world-class, beer-centered experience. In the tap room, we offer only our beers (no wine or mixed drinks). We don’t have a kitchen, though we encourage guests to bring in their own food or order it in from one of the great local restaurants in downtown Crystal Lake.
6.9/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Draught @ Geneva Ale House, Geneva IL (Nov 2025). Clear golden with a large frothy beige head, faint citrus aroma, adequate carbonation, mediujm bitter piney citrus peel taste, smooth body, long finish. Decent IPA.
Tried
from Draft
at
Geneva Ale House
on 16 Feb 2026
at 00:04
7/10
Thinner than I remember, big barrel notes.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Aug 2025
at 00:46
7.5/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 9
Overall 8
Aroma is bready, caramel malt. Taste has a moderate caramel malt sweetness backed by plenty of hop bitterness. Some noticeable apple-ish fruity esters. Above average for a red ale.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Jan 2025
at 01:17
4.4/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Tap at Crystal Lake. Same off tones as most all of their beer. Unappetizing, weak stuff. Thin malt tones. No brewing skill.
Tried
from Draft
on 01 Mar 2024
at 21:56
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Tap at the brewery. Soapy and really not true to style. More of an American Wheat than a Kolsch for sure. Not impressive either way.
Tried
from Draft
on 01 Mar 2024
at 21:41
7/10
Nice malty, mild brown ale.
Tried
from Growler
on 19 Nov 2023
at 03:28
8/10
Sooo much bourbon, that’s gonna be the theme of the weekend. Rich, thick, and supremely smooth. Good to be back in Illinois for a couple days ❤️
Tried
from Can
on 18 Nov 2023
at 03:58
7/10
From backlog. Can, from Binny’s, Lake Zurich, Il. Straight from The Can. Malts, hops, yeast, rye, herbal, Fruity, some herbal bitterness in The finnish.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Oct 2023
at 19:31
7/10
From backlog. Can, at Volo Auto Museum, Volo, Il. Golden with white head. Malts, hops, yeast, grain, sweetness, some lemon.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Oct 2023
at 18:37
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
12 oz. can sent by CLB as a preview. Pours a suitably hazy beer, almost a whitish yellow, or close to a pineapple juice glass. Nice thick and fizzy head on top. I get a lot of stone and tropical fruit on the nose. Taste carries on the the exotic fruits, but there is still some nice bitterness at the tip of my tongue. And then there's still some pine needle and resin, and then a note of vanilla. I expect a bit of warmth from alcohol, and there it is. I usually go for thick and chewy stouts on a cold winter night, but big hazy IPAs can do the trick, too.
Tried
from Can
on 05 Feb 2022
at 06:30