Illinois Craft Beer Week kicking off this Friday

CHICAGO, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois Craft Beer Week is kicking off on Friday, celebrating the state’s craft beer industry with events and promotions through May 10.

The Beer Under Glass festival in Chicago will start the week off with 100 Illinois craft breweries gathering under 200 feet of glass at Chicago Union Station’s Great Hall. Attendees can taste nearly 200 craft beers. Funds raised will go towards the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. For tickets, visit www.illinoisbeer.org/icbw.

During the week, a reimagined Summer Passport program will launch. Craft beer-drinkers can win prizes for exploring breweries and enjoying beverages from May through August. Details on rewards and participating breweries will be released soon.

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In addition to all this, a commemorative ICBW Pint Glass will also be available at participating breweries throughout the week. The glass features both landmarks and hidden gems near Illinois craft breweries, solidifying this year’s theme: “Adventure Crafted in Illinois.”

“Illinois Craft Beer Week has always been the unofficial start to the craft beer season, and the timing of this year’s event is important as we emerge from the historically slow winter months,” said Ray Stout, Executive Director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “This week is an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of our industry while hosting events and promotions that increase visits to our breweries, taprooms, retailers, bottle shops and craft beer bars and kick off a strong summer of sales for craft beer producers in Illinois. There’s never been a more pivotal time to support the Illinois craft beer community.”

For a full event and activity lineup, visit www.illinoisbeer.org/icbw and follow @ILCraftBeerWeek on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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