If you've ever been looking through the craft beer section of your local liquor store and thought "There seems to be a lot of good Illinois beer in here," you observations have been validated by the Great American Beer Fest

Illinois hauled in a 2021 best 16 medals at this year's Great American Beer Fest.

How many of these have you already tried?

Gold Medal Winners

• Destihl Brewery - Normal, IL - Deadhead IPA Series: TourBus

Beer Advocate description:

Our DeadHead IPA Series melds the alluring vibe of our favorite music with unbounded takes on the hoppy beers we love to drink, unleashing a whole new groove. Our TourBus IPA features 2-row malt, flaked oats & wheat with Citra & Mosaic hops, providing dynamic notes of tropical, citrus fruits & berries.

• Will County Brewing Co. - Shorewood, IL - Bamm-Bamm Loves Pebbles

The Untappd description:

This fruity wheat Ale with natural fruit flavors and milk sugar will make you feel like a kid again! Yabba Dabba Brew!

• Polyanna Brewing - St. Charles, IL - Roselle Red

The Untappd description:

A Red German Vienna lager brewed at our Roselle brewery. Smooth, malty, and easy drinking, this lagerbier can be consumed in mass.

Silver Medal Winners

• Tribes Beer Co - Mokena, IL - Low Country Belgo-American Pale Ale

I literally cannot find anything about this beer. Here is their Facebook page, let me know if you try it.

• Short Fuse - Shiller Park, IL - Vocal Jam

Another beer I can't find much description about. Judging from their website, it's a fruit sour. They're very popular right now.

• Short Fuse - Shiller Park, IL - Tropical Hurt Locker

From Tastings.com:

Cloudy peachy copper color. Aromas and flavors of fresh, first harvest raspberries, peppercorn, and hints of dill and pickling spices with a satiny, tart, effervescent, dryish light-to-medium body and a polished, engaging, medium-long finish that shows notes of tangy raspberry tea and hints of mango. A natural, deliciously balanced raspberry sour to share.

 

• Sew Hop'd - Huntley. IL - ALT 140

The only description I could find was from their website. It's a Dusseldorf-style Altbier. 

• Old Irving Brewing Co. - Chicago, IL - Della

Description from BeerAdvocate:

A classic German beer brewed with 100% German malts and hopped with Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Hallertau Blanc.

 

• Mickey Finn's - Libertyville, IL - Dark and Down

Description from Untappd:

Rich and malty yet crisp and clean. Notes of bakers chocolate and coffee with the full mouthfeel and slight spicy character of rye.

Bronze Medal Winners:

• Alarmist -  "Midwest Royalty"
• Goose Island - Fulton "Matilda"
• Tangled Roots - "Sunkissed Blonde"
• Crystal Lake Brewing Co. - "Too Much Cologne"
• DESTIHL - "DeadHead IPA Series: Haze of the Dead"
• Triptych - "Dank Meme"
• Pollyanna Brewing - "Party Penguin"

Well, there's your shopping list. Happy hunting.