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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.
6/10
Tried
on 17 Sep 2021
at 21:43
7/10
Interesting. Falls somewhere between a typical NEIPA and a red IPA. Not overly hazy, a bit overly hoppy for a NEIPA.
Tried
on 17 Sep 2021
at 21:40
6/10
Solid malt profile, a bit light for an altbier.
Tried
on 17 Sep 2021
at 21:39
7/10
Not a style you see too often!
Tried
on 17 Sep 2021
at 21:35
6.8/10
Tried
from Can
on 07 Aug 2021
at 18:22
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Can sent for comment, dated 11/25/20. Hazy, straw body, with a head that fizzles away quickly. Malty beer smell, no extra sweetness, but also very little hop aroma. Taste had clean, malty light American lager to it. Maybe a touch of corn sweetness. No specific hop, again, on the palette, but some small bitterness for what's intended to be a ballpark beer.
Tried
from Can
on 20 Jun 2021
at 22:30
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can sent by Crystal Lake for comment. I managed not to kick up a big head with my pour. Just a nice, slightly puffy parfait layer over an opaque, yellowish body. The smell is mainly passionfruit, backed by pine resin. Maybe a little bit mango creeps up after a few sips. Taste has some bitterness, subdued at first, but it builds up as I go along. Again, there’s the passionfruit and a bit of pine resin from a Cascade-derived hop. Some citrus peel comes up, too. Only through the middle of the beer did I get a hint of some strawberry.. I did not think much of the malts at first. But it tends toward the sweet side, enforcing the fruitiness of the overall package. This is a pretty strong tasting beer, one that manages to stand out among a hoarde of hoppy pale ales. Settles out with a bit of lemon. This would work nicely with a spread of sausage and hard cheeses, or as a between course beer.
Tried
from Can
on 02 Apr 2021
at 03:53
8/10
Tried
on 30 Jan 2020
at 20:31
7/10
Tried
on 30 Jan 2020
at 19:55
7/10
Tried
on 30 Jan 2020
at 19:48