Lake Effect Brewing Company

The brick is original. As well as the wood beams and floors. Everything else is new and swanky. Greeted like I was her best friend as I walked in, the bartender was fantastic. We tried many of the regular taps as well as all the seasonals. Of course I enjoyed the Judgemental Dick DIPA. 8% and bites your ass! Since this was the first stop on the tour please feed me! The Thai nachos sounded more amazing than they were. I’d still say order them just on unique factor. The whole place was lovely, interesting, spacious, and the beer? Delicious! Because, come on, that’s why we are here. It’s all about the beer folks!

I admit it, I’d never heard of Lake Effect prior to my boyfriend wanting to go on the tour/​tasting for his birthday. We had a small group (6) for our tour/​tasting & it was great. Clint was super friendly & knowledgeable… I liked this «tour» more than any other I’ve been on at bigger breweries.
The location is a little tricky, but if you follow everyone’s directions on Unilocal it’s a snap. Easy free parking on neighborhood streets, and they are right off the highway & Cicero, so it’s relatively simple to get to as well. You might even be able to park down the alley back by the chicken coop if there are spots!
We really enjoyed the entire experience… check it out if you’re interested in local brewing & delicious beers!

I planned a beer tour of various breweries around the area some time back, we almost left Lake Effect because it seems so sketchy when we got out of the cab. I am SO glad we didn’t leave, this place is the type of tour that makes it fun. Not the huge tours where you see shiny huge equipment and the breweries awards, this was the real deal.
And the beer was great too!

I came here over the weekend with my husband, sis-​in-​law, and bro-​in-​law, and we had a great time.
First things first, this place is difficult to find. Google maps put it between Cicero and 90 on Montrose, but be warned that the front of the place is not directly on Montrose. You have to walk down an alley, past a yeast lab, past a costume shop, and eventually you will see the brewery’s door at the end of the row, on the right hand side. Luckily, we ran into Clint while walking down Montrose and he showed us the way.
I guess that most of the staff was out the day of our tour, doing tastings around the city. It was just the 4 of us, another couple on the tour, Clint, and another staff member applying beer bottle labels by hand. Yes, by hand.
You can tell from the first minute you meet Clint that he loves what he does. This tour won’t go into the «how you make beer» generic speech you get from most brewers. Instead, Clint showed us around and talked about his specific beers, the blends he makes, and his personal stories of beer-​making, like when he slept in the brewery overnight, waking up every 2 hours, to check on the beer temp. That’s dedication.
The brewery itself is small, much smaller than I expected. All the stills are in one small-​ish room, where Clint’s office is in a back corner, surrounded by wine and whiskey barrels where he’s aging his beer. We were taken into a connected room, which will soon house their tasting room. Our tour didn’t have sampling flights (we went to Phoenix bar), because they didn’t have the proper licensing. I do hope they get their tasting room up and running soon — I’d love to visit.
The tour itself is free (which seems to have changed from in the past, based on other reviews), and I guarantee you’ll get so much more out of it than other tours. You’re basically signing on to an hour plus of having a craft beer discussion, the tour conversation going in whatever way the attendee questions take it. I enjoyed this tour way more than most other tours I’ve been on due to the tour’s less rigid structure. That seemed to be a common sentiment, as my bro-​in-​law is a pretty serious home brewer, and he loved the tour as much as I, a beer novice, did.
We did taste 3 beers at Phoenix, and my hands down favorite was the Mini Imperial Stout. Smooth, rich, chocolate-​y and coffee-​y, it was an instant hit with our group. They distribute in the city and some suburbs (Naperville and Arlington Heights were specifically mentioned), so definitely seek their beer out. I highly recommend both the tour and the beer. This brewery is a great addition to the NW side.

Is there a new microbrewery in every neighborhood in Chicago now? Seems suiting as all of the corner entrance establishments originated as pubs so the town has a history of sustaining beer lovers.
The Wit Beir I tasted was true to style. Think Hoegaarden (just extremely fresh as it didn’t have to travel 7000+ miles).
Was hard to find but the GPS is correct. Nice walk from the Blue Line (in my case in light snow). Great place to warm up with some exceptionally fresh brew and a nice crew. Fun place!

Jefferson park,… Woot woot!

Laker Effect is one of the best new breweries in Chicago. Located in Jeff Park in the NW side, it’s become a little brewery with a big following. Starting with their staple Bitch’n Blonde Belgium style ale that you can find in most place. Then their Snow Wit beer (white wheat ale) is one if my favorites. Add in seasonal beer like the Watermelon saison which just won best beer at the inaugural Old Irving Park Beer & BBQ Challenge, and the «Blood in the Water» (brewed for Shark Week) pink grapefruit saison, and the Super Bier done in collaboration with Superdawg… all are winners.
You can find at least some of the beers at your local liquor store, bar on tap, or sign up for a tour on a nice Saturday. Haven’t had a brew I didn’t like. Once u try then you’ll know what I mean.

This place is hella hard to find without the tour group! My sister and I went to do one of their tours and spent a lot of time meandering through the roads/​alleys trying to figure it out. Maybe some signs in the area would help?
Eh, that’s not really their fault though. They’re up in Jefferson Park, right off the highway so it’s pretty easy to get to. The tour is very low key, and they seem to do a bunch of tours with lots of different companies trying to get their name out there. The tour is very laid back, since the place is pretty small. They can’t sell you a bottle on-​site because the City of Chicago’s licensing laws are whack, but you can have as many samples as you’d like in the little cup they give you. They seem to have anywhere from 3 – 5 beers to try.
You can usually try some of their stuff at local beer fests too, as well as a few bars they’ve partnered with. I know they’re pouring at quite a few places in my ‘hood (Lincoln Station, Atlas, Paddy Long’s, Beer Bistro North in Lincoln Park).

Man, I almost want to write a one-​star or no review so that nobody catches on to these guys, but that’s not fair, is it? We’ve had their beer at local places (Fischmans A+, Garage A+, etc.), but that’s just not fair to them. Clint and Lynn not only give one hell of a tour, but they’re also just down to earth guys running a solid local business that anyone with half a brain cell should support. We can’t wait to spread the word about what a great business these guys do and what a local gem this is.

What a nifty little brewery! I would love to see Lake Effect hit the big time. The beers we tried were all good especially the Belgian Blonde and Session Brett.
One thing they shared on the tour, which I found incredibly neato, is that Omega Yeast is next door and by a happy coincidence, they happened to end up next to each other! The yeast scientists provide Lake Effect some unique yeasts that they happily try out.
All their ingredients, they try to get as local as they can and much of their hops come from Wisconsin. The brewer also told us that each year they have a ‘bring your backyard grown hops’ thing and they toss what they get from various donors into a batch of beer. KInd of like the Stone Soup book…
Look for them at Binnys!

Before I went on the Lake Effect Brewing Company’s tour, I knew very little about them. I had only tried their Snow beer before and in my head I always confuse them with a Milwaukee brewery with a similar name. After visiting them, I am head over heels in love with their beers, the guys who run Lake Effect are awesome and the way they run their biz is pretty cool, too!
Lake Effect does their brewery tours on the weekend — usually in the afternoon. We did ours a couple weeks ago on a Saturday at 230pm. You can find out when the next tour is on their website. You also book & pay the $ 10 for the tour online. The tour includes samples… and the sampling amount is abundant of whatever they currently have.
When you arrive, you may be confused about where to go… because we sure were. They are in 4727 Montrose but you can’t see their door from the street. If you see the costume shop, you know you’ve hit the right building. Walk down the alley on the side of the building and you’ll find the door for Lake Effect. Walk right in and soon your fun will begin!
The fellas who started Lake Effect — Clint & Lynn — are both there for your tour to tell you all about the stories behind the brews and give you the brewmaster tour of things. Both guys are super nice & really knowledgeable about their craft. They walked us around the space, explaining things as we went. It was pretty cool because they were actually brewing while we were there. We sampled many of their beers and I found a bunch I really liked including Bitchin’ Blonde which really should be my signature drink. ;) We also got to see artwork for their new labels of the Falcon Dive IPA which look are so adorable and funny. Half of the battle of a good craft brew is an awesome label, right? (I’m half kidding). We got to see them loading tons and tons of coffee until one brew and taste it when it wasn’t even finished without carbonization. (Sidenoted Pro-​Tip: If they let you try a non-​carbonized beer and you then go on Untappd rating it unfairly because it had no carbonization, you’re an idiot). I can’t say I’ve ever done that before so it was a cool experience. I think the Espresso Gone Stout we tried was just released to the market!
The Lake Effect Brewing Company’s tour was one of my favorite yet. I enjoyed it greatly because I really found one of my new favorite breweries. I love the fruity notes in their witbier Snow, Session Brett Ale (surprise it’s a pale session ale!) and the Bitchin’ Blonde (a belgian blonde), all of which will be going into my regular rotation. Lynn & Clint said they have plans to expand and add a tap room… which means danger for me since I’ll be spending all my money there! Danger for them because they’ll have to see my face every weekend!

The guys at Lake Effect Brewing are true Chicagoans. They are nice, down-​to-​Earth guys that make some great tasting beers.

Great people brewing great beer.

I’ve been here a few times, because these guys are so welcoming to the neighborhood crowd. You can just stop by and see what they’re up too. They also do awesome tours every Saturday for $ 5! Clint, Lynn and Emil and totally cool, and have just the most unbelievable passion for the beer. They grow hops and have freaking chickens they give all the leftover grain to! If you cant make the tour, try and find their beer somewhere around town. You won’t be disappointed.

The guys over at Lake Effect are doing great things! So far, the beers they have been putting out have been spectacular. One of my first beers I tried from them was the Lake Effect Snow. A deliciously light and crisp wit beer.
My all-​time favorite was their collaboration beer with Dry Hop Brewers, their Belgo-​IPA, I Shot A Man in Simcoe. So good! If you had a chance to try it, you’re lucky.
On top of making great beer, Clint and Lynn are two great guys. Always very friendly, and willing to strike up conversation at any time!
Check out their Saturday tours! See where the magic happens!