Drink & Be Merry

A Toast to Good Times in Downstate Illinois!

Beer

Fans of beer have no shortage of breweries to visit in our 22-county area. Many of those breweries can be found on the Southern Illinois Beer Trail, which spans as far north as Madison County, all the way down to Union County. Ten of those breweries fall in Downstate Illinois’s territory.

Excel Brewing in Breese

Peel Brewing Company in O’Fallon

4204 Main Street Brewing in Belleville

Millpond Brewing and Incubator in Millstadt

Stubborn German Brewing Company in Waterloo

Hopskeller Brewing Company in Waterloo

Lieferbrau Brewery in Red Bud

White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery in Sparta

St. Nicholas Brewing Company in Du Quoin

St. Nicholas Landmark in Chester

 

Wine

If wine is more your speed, there are two different wine trails in our territory: the Carlyle Lake Wine Trail in our Central Region and the Wabash Valley Wine Trail in our Eastern Region.

Carlyle Lake Wine Trail

Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston

Bretz Wildlife Lodge and Winery in Carlyle

Twelve Oaks Vineyard in Carlyle

Crooked Creek Winery in Centralia

 

Wabash Valley Wine Trail

Berryville Vineyards in Claremont

Fox Creek Vineyards in Olney

Homestead Vineyards in West Salem

Irene’s Vineyard in Oblong

Lasata Wines in Lawrenceville

 

There are also several other wineries in Downstate Illinois that are must-visits but aren’t associated with a wine trail.

Jo-Al Winery in Mascoutah

The Pour Vineyard in Red Bud

The Weingarten in Belleville

Copper Dock in Pocahontas

Cameo Vineyards in Greenup

Bella Vista Winery in Maryville

 

Distilleries

While there aren’t near as many distilleries as wineries or breweries, the four that call Downstate Illinois home are all top notch! Stumpy’s and Witness both make vodka and whiskey, while Mastermind specializes in solely vodka, and Schomaker features some tasty moonshine. Cheers!

Mastermind Vodka in Pontoon Beach

Stumpy’s Spirits in Columbia

Witness Distillery in Vandalia

Schomaker Distillery in Nashville (limited hours)

 

For more information on the best places to grab a drink, click here.