Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Craft beers are booming in Illinois, with the state fair implementing a festival and competition for the best craft beer in the state.
“For the past ten years, we went from about forty breweries to over 300 breweries,” said Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, “and a lot of that has to do with the good work being done at the legislature: to relax liquor laws, to allow for breweries not only to open and operate, but also to reach consumers in smart, modern ways.”
Stout says if you are enjoying a craft beer right now, it just may be an India pale ale. But other microbrews are popular, too.
“IPA is definitely the best-selling craft beer right now by leaps and bounds,” Stout said, but right here in Illinois, we are actually seeing a huge revival in lighter styles, like lagers and pilsners; those easy-drinking, lower-alcohol beer becoming very, very popular in our state.”
Thirteen Illinois breweries, mostly from central Illinois but with a couple from the Chicago suburbs, participated in the event. Fairgoers could purchase a ten-sample punch card and vote for their favorite.
