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 earned the most medals at the 2021 Great American Beer Fest with an impressive 16 awards. Here they are from Gold medal winners to Bronze.

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.