With six well-known breweries throughout St. Charles, IL, you'll never find yourself short on different styles of beer to try and unique flavors to savor. To showcase these fantastic businesses, the St. Charles Business Alliance had previously created the "Brew Tour" challenge on the Travel St. Charles app in order to offer a fun, unique way for patrons to experience all these breweries. Now, the "Brew Tour" challenge has been revamped and is better than ever! This is a great time to complete the challenge if you haven't already, and a perfect reason to complete it again for those who already drank their way through it. Here is everything you need to know about the new "Brew Tour" challenge.
How to Participate
Photo Courtesy of Brigette Burgman Photography
Step 1: First things first: download the Travel St. Charles app on your phone and proceed to create an account. This is very important to do, as creating an account will allow you to track and save your progress while completing this challenge. To download the app, please click here.
Step 2: Once you've got the app downloaded and you've created an account, you'll want to locate the "Challenges Tab" and click on it to view the active challenges. Next, click on the "St Charles Brew Tour Challenge" to view all the stops you'll be taking, and to get started.
Step 3: Once you've arrived at whichever brewery you'd like to start at, you'll be able to click "Check In" on the screen. Once you've "Checked In" to all six breweries, you will have officially completed the entire challenge.
Photos Courtesy of Brigette Burgman Photography
Not only does this challenge make for a great activity to take part in, but you'll also win a prize once completed! When you've finished, you'll be able to pick up a brand-new, exclusive Brew Tour t-shirt from the Municipal Building on Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 1:30pm. Even if you've completed the challenge in the past and received the previous version of the t-shirt, you'll now be eligible to receive the new, redesigned t-shirt once you've completed the challenge again. Not only that, but when you complete the challenge between January 30th and February 12th, you'll be entered in to win a $10 gift card to a local, St. Charles brewery. Want to increase your odds of winning? Tag @stcalliance in a post with a photo of you doing the challenge to receive a bonus entry in the drawing. Six lucky winners will be chosen to win a gift card, and will be notified via email on February 13th. Here's what you can expect from each of the stops you'll be making during the challenge!
Photos Courtesy of 93 Octane Brewery and Brigette Burgman Photography
Located west of downtown, you'll find 93 Octane Brewery. This is a excellent place to "refuel" as they offer variety of beers spanning from their rich and chocolatey "Turbo Coffee Porter" to the refreshing "Wake and Bake Sour Diesel". Need some food to go along with your brew? Stop by Urban Counter next door to grab a delicious burger or sandwich that you can have either inside the brewery, or on their inside/outside patio. You'll frequently find live music being played there on Thursdays during their "Thursday Night Tune-Up" or on Saturdays during their "Souped Up Saturdays".
Photos Courtesy of Alter Brewing + Kitchen and Brigette Burgman Photography
Right in the heart of downtown is Alter Brewing + Kitchen. With 16 beers on tap, you'll have plenty of options to choose from. Not only do they offer incredible beer, but they also have a full-service kitchen were you can grab some mouthwatering bites to compliment your beverage. You can enjoy your drink and food either indoors or on their outside patio, no matter what time of the year it is. During the winter months, you can reserve one of their heated globes in order to dine outside comfortably, which makes for a fun, memorable experience.
Photos Courtesy of Broken Brix Homebrew Shop
Not only does Broken Brix Homebrew Shop offer eight guest beers on tap, but they also make their own wine and cider in-house. Located downtown, this is a terrific spot to sit-back and enjoy a craft beverage of many different kinds. If you've ever had a desire to brew from the comfort of your own home, this is the spot for you! Here, you can shop for all the equipment required to do your very own home fermentation. This is a fantastic hobby for any beer enthusiast to get involved with, and Broken Brix Homebrew Shop is an excellent place to begin as their knowledgeable and passionate staff can help you get started with all the materials you need, and to answer any questions that you may have.
Photos Courtesy of D&G Brewing
D&G Brewing is a hidden gem that all started from having a strong passion in homebrewing. Today, D&G Brewing has evolved into a taproom located just west of downtown with 14 beers on tap to try. Aside from all the tasty brews, you can frequently find food trucks, live music, and open mic nights right at the brewery. Not to mention that they also have an outdoor patio where you can enjoy all of this, while soaking in some sunlight. Looking for a little competition? They have a pinball machine where you can test your skills to see if you can secure the high-score.
Photos Courtesy of Pollyanna Brewing Company and Drew Pertl Fine Art Photography
For first-class entertainment and wonderful beers and spirits, stop by Pollyanna Brewing Company. Situated right by the beautiful Fox River downtown, you can find live music every Friday and Saturday night, along with food pop-ups, trivia nights, music bingo, and much more taking place at the brewery. During the summer, take one of their tasty brews or delicious cocktails outside on their patio and take in the sounds of live music while having an incredible view of the water
Photos Courtesy of Riverlands Brewing Company
Whether you're looking for a crisp pilsner, a dark stout, or a hazy IPA, Riverlands Brewing Company has it all with their 16 different beers on tap. In each of the beers, you'll be able to taste the passion and enthusiasm they put in with each batch they create. They often have food trucks at the brewery and snacks at the bar, so you can indulge while sipping on your beverage. You'll also find live music, open mic nights, games and more frequently at the brewery. When the weather gets warmer, you can enjoy a drink and the many events that they have at the brewery from the comfort of their outdoor patio.
So, grab some friends and head out to complete this challenge! This is a terrific opportunity to spend an evening out and to find some new favorite places. While this challenge is a ton of fun to complete, please remember to always drink responsibly.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for St. Charles Restaurant Week! There will be 40+ participating restaurants offering 15% off your bill of $20 or more from February 20th-February 24th. This is the perfect chance to check out that restaurant you've been meaning to try, or to revisit a current favorite.