Like so many regions across the US, Sangamon County has experienced an uprising of craft breweries. Let us take you on a tour of Springfield’s local breweries and the surrounding areas.
Engrained Brewery & Restaurant (that’s us)
We serve our award-winning craft beer in the heart of Springfield, located close enough to downtown and Lincoln’s historic sites, but easily accessible via Interstate 72 and Interstate 55. We offer six year-round brews, which include our German Lager, a traditional all barley Munich Helles German Style Lager, Blackberry Lager, a Munich Helles base with blackberries, Hefeweizen, a classic German wheat beer with hints of banana and clove, an India Pale Ale featuring citrus, cascade, and mosaic hops, Irish Red Ale with a complex malt flavor, and the Oatmeal Stout with chocolate, coffee, and roasted notes. We currently use almost 100% local hops from Hallowed Hops Farm in Lewistown, Illinois. Our beer is available to take home in both growlers and bottles.
Engrained is not just a brewery. Our farm-to-table, family-friendly restaurant is famous for its cheese curds (we’re not kidding – guests come from all over), our burger of the week never disappoints, and the Bunn Gourmet cheesecakes are to die for. We have a full menu of traditional fare including Black Angus local steaks, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, and weekly specials like our local pork feature. Brewmaster Brent Schwoerer has created a culture that trickles from the top down and throughout the community by supporting local farmers (Brent grew up on a dairy farm and relics from his family farm are featured throughout the building). We welcome guests to take a tour and if you have any questions about our brewery or the brewing process be sure to let us know.
Buzz Bomb Brewing Company
Located on Adams Street in downtown Springfield, with a view of the Old State Capitol (if you stand outside and tilt your head) the theme at Buzz Bomb Brewing Co. is "think global drink local." So it’s only fitting that owners Josh Flanders and Bill Larson were named winners of the Local First Springfield Best Collaborators Award, alongside fellow Adams St resident, Mark Forinash of Café Moxo. The guys at Buzz Bomb Brewery currently offer a Maple Vanilla Porter, a Porter American, one of their most popular seasonal beers, Hans Gruber, a sour Berliner Weisse, and a Lemon Cello sweet cider that is a cheery aromatic fusion of hard apple cider and the refreshing lemon flavor of Limoncello liqueur. The taproom at Buzz Bomb Brewing Co. opened in February 2018 and has already created somewhat of a buzz (see what we did there) among the craft beer community.
Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery
Situated across the street from Lincoln Home National Historic Site (a US National Park), Obed & Isaac’s was Springfield’s first microbrewery to open in recent years. Family owned and run, much like our establishment, the downtown location boasts a pet friendly outdoor area. The brewery offers free tours of the facilities and a sample of brews on the first Saturday of every month at 10:00 am. On tap from Brewmaster Adam Conn is Mother Road an American Pale Ale brewed with a light malt bill aside cascade and centennial hops, and Silly Pants Stout a very dark in color, full-bodied with a creamy head brew. The flavor is soft with notes of chocolate and roast.
Rolling Meadows Farm Brewery
Located on a 1,400-acre farm in Cantrall, IL, Rolling Meadows grows its own malt and hops with views across the historic Sangamon River. Rolling Meadows has a core offering of brews, which include Abe’s Ale, a maple syrup brown ale, Big Ole’ Stout for the fuller-bodied beer drinker, and specialty beers which include gluten-free Apple Ale with fruit supplied by Rolling Meadows’ neighbor Jefferies Orchard. The taproom is open on Saturdays between 12pm and 5pm. If you are not able to make it out to the farm, you can drink Rolling Meadows beer at a host of locations in Sangamon County including local wineries West of Wise Winery, Hill Prairie Winery, and Danenberger Family Vineyards.
Hand of Fate
New Salem, a literal stone’s throw from Petersburg, IL, is a reconstruction of the village where President Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood. It is rumored that a hand of cards decided the fate of Petersburg, where the final brewery on our tour is located and gets its name. After Lincoln surveyed what would become Petersburg, Peter Lukins and George Warburton argued over naming rights. They agreed to settle the matter by playing a hand of cards. As fate had it, Peter won (you might have already guessed). Hand of Fate Brewery, owned by brewmaster Mike Allison, was the winner of the Illinois 2018 Bicentennial Craft Beer Award with its Prairie State Farmhouse Ale and is located 107 E Douglas St on the town square of Petersburg, Illinois. Favorites of ours include Vanilla Dream Ale, a light cream ale with a grain bill supported by corn, and vanilla added after the fermentation process. Another is Tipping Cows chocolate milk stout brewed with milk, sugar, and cocoa and fermented with vanilla bean to produce a sweet stout with flavors of coffee and dark baking chocolate with a dry and toasty finish. If board games are your thing Mike has a stash of them for a rainy day.