Springfield, IL

So I'm planning on visiting some friends out in Springfield (really Jacksonville, IL) in a couple of weeks. We all love good beer, so I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for any places we should hit up?

I don't know about Jacksonville, but what I miss most about Central IL is Friar Tuck's.

If you're driving across the state and have got time for a stop, The Blind Pig in Champaign is wonderful.

Get a horseshoe, as far as a good beer I only lived there a short time and it was over 15 years ago. I see we're neighbors though, perhaps I'll run into you at Great Fermentations

SterlingHopper said:

I don't know about Jacksonville, but what I miss most about Central IL is Friar Tuck's.

If you're driving across the state and have got time for a stop, The Blind Pig in Champaign is wonderful.

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Yeah Jacksonville isn't exactly.....Springfield, being that it's 40 mi. West of the capital.

Friar Tuck's has what is undoubtedly the greatest selection of beer in our area. What their website doesn't note is that they also carry homebrew supplies. This doesn't really make them an LHBS, though, because the stuff is just stocked in a corner of the store, and no employee seems to know anything about what's on hand or how long it's been sitting around.

Yep, I'm well acquainted with Friar Tuck's, they have an amazing selection, probably better than Kahn's here in Indy. Last time I was out there, we couldn't find any bars with a decent selection. Anyone know of any good ones?

JetMech: I'll probably hit up Great Fermentations tomorrow for some Rye PA ingredients.

Check out Brewhaus if you are looking for a bar in Springfield. To my knowledge, I was born and raised there, there are currently no brewpubs. There may be soon, but not yet. Brewhaus has a load of taps, and a great whiskey selection.

I second the value of a stop at the Blind Pig in Champaign/Urbana. Another place is Murphy's on Green Street close to Campus. Good place for a good burger and a fair selection of beer.
Bloomington would add to your drive time, but the Destihl is a good brew pub with excellent food. It is located on the east side of the town on Veterans.
In Springfield, as already mentioned, the Brewhaus is very good. Another place is the Barrel Head. They have a large selection of beer and just recently added Stone Brewery on draft and in bottles.

I live in Chatham and I enjoy the beer selection at Brickhouse downtown on 5th street. Right next to my place of work.

rico567 said:

Yeah Jacksonville isn't exactly.....Springfield, being that it's 40 mi. West of the capital.

Friar Tuck's has what is undoubtedly the greatest selection of beer in our area. What their website doesn't note is that they also carry homebrew supplies. This doesn't really make them an LHBS, though, because the stuff is just stocked in a corner of the store, and no employee seems to know anything about what's on hand or how long it's been sitting around.

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I gotta give Friar Tucks credit: their brewing aisle has really improved in the last year. Now us homebrewers can get a pound of assorted grains, a vial of White Labs, or even some US-05!! Its not cheap of course, but hey, it works in a pinch.

Theres also a few guys there that know a thing or two about brewing. One guy is named Trey. I dont know if he brews but he seems to have basic knowledge.

Theres also a guy there that brews. I cant remember his name. We spoke in the summer and mentioned HBT, so I know hes here somewhere. I remember he was complaining about his air conditioning going out and the resulting heat ruining a batch of his brew.

Also, I assume that you're talking the FTs in Peoria.

Jacksonville is pretty close to St. Louis. I used to drive there on a delivery route - it's just an hour or so up river. You've got a ton of brewpubs and breweries - Schlafly for instance. Check out a site called stlhops.com.
I don't know much about what's available in Springfield.