Our Beers

Dry hopped with Cascade hops for a light citrus aroma, this is a light-bodied IPA with medium bitterness. Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 5.2%, International Bittering Units (IBUs): 38

When you find yourself up the creek without a paddle, you'll appreciate this bold, bitter IPA. Bittered and dry hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo hops. ABV: 8.4%, IBUs: 98

Tube the Creek – Session IPA

A little smoother than one of those super hoppy IPAs.  Something you could drink all afternoon on your tube in the creek. This one is brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops, then dry hopped with our own home-grown Cascade hops. ABV – 5.4% , IBUs - 98.7

No Gluten for Punishment -- Gluten Reduced IPA

This is our regular session IPA (Tube the Creek) treated in the fermenter to reduce the gluten level to less than 20 ppm. Dry hopped with our own home-grown Cascade hops.

 ABV – 6.9%, IBUs – 98.7

Mighty Oak  -- ESB (Extra Strong Bitter) English Pale Ale

Like the mighty oak that stands like an anchor for the brewery on the bank of Hickory Creek, this pale ale serves the same roll for our fall line-up. Heavily hopped in a way to give a lot of hop aroma but without being overly bitter. ABV - 5.4%, IBUs - 19.53

Collar County Kolsch

No 312 here! This is a clean, fresh beer on the lighter side with a little orange zest thrown in just for fun.  Like “Bill’s Pils”, this is intended to be a beer for folks who don’t normally drink craft beer.  ABV – 5.4% , IBUs - 17.4

Ginger Radler - Shandy

Our version of this popular German shandy is a 50-50 mix of our Collar County Kolsch and our own home-made ginger ale. This makes it a cool, refreshing summer thirst-quencher, especially after a long cycling ride (“Radler” also happens to be the German word for “cyclist”!)  ABV - 3.3% , IBUs - 8.5 

Danny Boy -- Irish Red Ale

Named after an old friend of ours with Irish ancestry (and after the song, of course). We used Maris Otter grains as a base for this fine Irish Red, with some flaked barley and a hint of chocolate malt. Hopped with East Kent Golding hops.  ABV - 5.1%, IBUs - 18.7

Marley's Ghost -- Holiday Ale

Marley's Ghost is a major character in Charles Dickens' immortal story "A Christmas Carol."  Marley is also a nearby town in New Lenox Township.  Marley also happens to be the name of the street where Hickory Creek Brewing was founded. So what better name for our annual holiday  ale? We change the recipe every year, but it's always spiced up with a variety of flavors and a big dose of Christmas spirit. ABV - 6.1%

Blind Squirrel – Brown Ale

We’ll have two variants of this fine brown ale.  One with black walnuts grown on our property and one without.  Because even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes.  ABV - 6.1%, IBUs - 17

Beam Me Up, Scotty -- Scottish Ale

Malty, smoky, and with a touch of peat, this is one fine Scotch ale. ABV - 5.66%, IBUs - 11

Bill’s Pils – Czech Style Pilsner

Why Bill’s Pils?  Because he’s my brother and that’s what he drinks (only this one is more of a craft brew). ABV 4.33% , IBUs, 24 

Marley Marzen -- Oktoberfest

Since our beer themes celebrate the greatness of Will County, Illinois, we named this traditional marzen style lager after the little town of Marley located right up the road from us. Lightly hopped with Tettnang and Hallertau hops, this light copper colored fall beer is smooth and malty with a hint of sweetness. ABV - 4.92%, IBUs - 19

Grow A Pear -- Marzen

When two flavors pair so well, you just have to follow your instincts. This beer features the sweet maltiness of our Marley Marzen, with pears (some locally grown on our property) added for fun.  ABV – 4.8%, IBUs – 19

The beer you want for the end of days. Smooth and malty, this one will carry you through to spring -- even if spring is 150 years away. ABV - 5.2%, IBUs - 27.1

The Beav – English Style Brown                            Porter

Coffee notes and hints of chocolate.  Everyone wants to hang out with the Beav. 5.7% ABV, 28 IBUs

Buzzy Beaver -- English Style                 Honey/Vanilla Porter

We brewed a batch of our regular porter, The Beav, and added honey  to make a dark summer beer with a hint of sweetness. We’ll also have another variant of this smooth English Style Brown Porter flavored with vanilla.  ABV – 5.0, IBUs – 38.5

Whack the Beaver – Imperial  Porter 

Brace yourself!  This is one Big A$$ beer.  Brewed with nearly twice the normal grain bill, the porter flavor comes through but with a smoky, bourbon-ee  kick. (Yes, there’s a story behind this one, but it’s not what you’re probably thinking.)  

ABV – 6.2% , IBUs – 61

Milk House Stout – Milk Stout 

Named after (and brewed in) the 150-year-old milk house on our property where Hickory Creek Brewing was founded, this stout has hints of coffee and chocolate. It uses lactose, a sugar derived from milk, to give it a sweeter finish. Lactose intolerant? Beware! 

ABV - 5.1%, IBUs - 18

Just in time for Valentine's Day -- or whenever you need something sweet. Dark chocolate taste with a sweeter finish. Contains lactose. ABV - 4.1%. IBUs - 18

Chip Monk -- Belgian Tripel

A tripel is a modern version of the beer that Trappist monks first brewed in Belgian abbeys more than 200 years ago.  Brewed with Continental pilsner malt, Belgian candi sugar, and spicy yeast, this deep golden-colored ale has distinctive hints of clove and packs a deceptive punch with a high ABV content. ABV - 8.2%, IBUs - 25.1

Elwood Blues – Blueberry Wheat                           Beer

I was working on a nice wheat beer, then this guy comes along with a harp and a briefcase full of blue-berries. Goes well with a cool water sandwich and a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ bun.  ABV – 5.8% , IBUs - 18.8

Offspring of the Korn - Spiced                         Cream Ale

This corn-based brew is spiced with coriander and orange zest to give it an extra kick.  ABV - 5.7%, IBUs - 17

Don't let the name fool you! A barleywine is a very strong, intense beer with ABVs similar to wine, ranging from 8% to 12%. Our version, named after the street where Hickory Creek Brewing was founded, is heavily hopped and features a bold barley flavor. A little boozy on the nose. This one is not for the faint of heart! ABV: 8.3%, IBUs: 98