Lunar Brewing

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

Updating my old review from last year this time:
Neil Armstrong was on tap again last night (12/27/07) and was strong and wonderful as ever. Nice belgian yeast and spicing -- started sweet, ended dry. 9% ABV

Also on tap is their Kosmonaut which is a Russian Imperial Stout. It was sweet and dark, a little thin with a touch of roasty bitterness. 10.5% was well hidden. It didn't really taste that strong! Other house beers on tap included an Amber Rye which was a nice Rye IPA and a Raspberry Cream ale.

The guest tap selection also showed great range and quality including Kalamazoo Royal Amber (i.e. brewed by Bells), Lindemanns Frambose, Goose Imperial IPA (both 2006 and 2007 vintages so you could do a vertical tasting!), Lagunitas Brown Shugga, Lefthand Blackjack Porter, and Ommegang Ommageddon Saison.

Also FYI new web site (new to me) seems to have relatively recent tap listings
http://www.myspace.com/lunarbrewingco

Great selection, excellent service, friendly locals. Great place. Highly Recommended -- also other nearby beer destinations include Lombard/Yorktown Rock Bottom and Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge in Lisle.

Old review from 12/23/06 visit:
This was my second visit out to lunar. The first was during summer a couple years ago and the beers were okay but not really worth the drive out from Chicago.

No longer true. They have a new brewer since then and he's doing some wonderful things. On tap on 12/23? they had both the dubbel and the Neil Armstrong. They also let me have a snifter of the Barley Wine although it was not presentable (i.e. very cloudy and not on the menu).

The dubbel was fine and although a little thin in flavor, a nice showing.

The Neil Armstrong and Barley Wine were both exceptional. The Neil was clear and golden. Smelled strong and sweet. Had lovely spice and bubblegum. The Barley Wine looked like home brew, very cloudy in the snifter due to a transfer issue or some such thing. No matter. Close your eyes and it was very very good. Also had an interesting bubblegum thing going on which made it a lovely cross between a strong belgian and a strong british beer.

The fruit beers (blueberry and mango) were interesting but not quite my thing. A pint was a bit much. Maybe on a hot summer day I'd feel differently. Still, they were made well and the selection of house brews and guest taps was pretty impressive. Also, great service.

Recommended excursion out of town!

01-02-2007 21:46:33 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

Chrixsus

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

"No B.S. Just Good Beer." I should copyright that quote and sell it back to Lunar, because it sums up their entire philosophy. Is Lunar a dive bar? Yes. Is that OK? Yes. Do they brew/stock good beer? Yes. And that's really all that matters.

Est. in 1998, Lunar is a neighborhood spot to be sure, but one that fits the definition nicely. The interior is a no-frills environment that is dominated by the color black and dim lighting. A long bar with stools stretches half the length of the place, the other half has tables, and there is a stage in the very back for bands to play on. Beer posters cover the walls and 2 TV's sit on either end of the bar. One feature that stood out was the old-school jukebox in a corner near the entrance of the bar.

Charlie, the owner/brewmaster, knows how to turn out some solid, quality brews. My favorite so far has been the Chili Pepper Porter brewed in collaboration with Carlyle Brewing Co. out of Rockford, IL. While these beers may not change your life, they are good and inexpensive considering their high quality. Most of the house taps are $5; the most expensive I've seen there was $6.

In addition to the house brews there are 11 guest taps that are constantly being rotated. The bottle selection is substantial, featuring rare/hard-to-find/obscure offerings from breweries around the country.

No food is offered except pub-snacks (chips, nuts, etc.). Frozen pizza is available and you can make up for the lack of taste with a drenching of Sriracha sauce. Last but not least is the...PICKLE-IN-A-BAG!!! The staff allows (and encourages) those with a real strike of hunger to bring in whatever cuisine you like or order out food from any of the surrounding restaurants. A few reviews down mentions a Mexican restaurant that is just up the road that is supposed to be delicious.

Service was what was to be expected at a dive bar. The bartender will be happy to inform on the different types of beers available and hook you up with a sample on request, but don't expect them to initiate conversation or have a long chat with you. Most of the patrons are locals who come here because it's good and it's close. I am not saying that this is an unfriendly place, but you might get the cold-shoulder-vibe if this is your first time coming here. Remember that it's a dive bar and a neighborhood bar and that is what dive bars and neighborhood bars are like. Knowing this going in will make your experience much better.

This is a great place to come and watch any sports game while having some quality beer. Perfect for taking in a baseball game and getting out of the heat on a hot summer day.

One of the best dive-bars-come-brewpubs I've ever been to.

06-20-2012 15:42:00 | More by Chrixsus

steamboatbrewer

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 1.5 | $$

Lunar is my local craft brew pub, and personally love the atmosphere. They always have a fresh tap list that changes weekly sometimes multiple times in a week. TV's on the north and south side for the cubs and sox. The house brews are also consistently excellent. The food list is something to be desired but i don't go there to get food. If the tap list isn't to your liking they have a ample selection of bombers and bottles and are also listed on beermenus.com If you are in Villa Park this is a must stop.

05-24-2012 03:46:26 | More by steamboatbrewer

mjmbeer

Illinois

4.74/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

You want to find the ultimate mix of corner bar with that homey feel and those high end really tasty craft brews? Then you want to stop here. Lunar is a great beer their house brews are fabulous. The guest taps are a rotating list of excellent choices. Heck the bottle list alone makes this place worth the stop. Ok so they serve frozen pizza but who cares. you come for the beer and the friendship not the food. Brad the brewer is always looking and experimenting on new ideas but their normal line up of constant and seasonal is out of this world.. in Lunar orbit so to say! ;) They are not a snob bar by any means. Drink a little kings if you want. Drink a A miller like if y ou like. if that is what you need to do. But you you want then expand your world Try one of the awesome brews that this talented crew creates. Stop in and say Hi to Chuck Charlie and Brad.

05-20-2012 22:25:40 | More by mjmbeer

chetripley

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

A beer bar in one of the truest sense of the word. The decorations, the layout, the selection, the look of the employees all say that its time to drink good beer.

Having a nice selection of their own homemade stuff, from a delicious Wee Heavy Scotch Ale served in a 21 oz thistle glass, to a tasty Cream Ale that is similar in name to a familiar one across the border, even though this was darker and creamier, to a simple lager that was not at all on the far side of goodness.

Plus, the guest taps are various and balanced, with a lot of familiar choices and some I had always said I would like to try. I even had a SNPA in the middle just to settle things down.

No food except for bar food: Pickle In A Bag!

But what gets me is the dedication to letting you know this is a beer bar. Over the tables are framed layouts of beer labels (just like my beer fridge at home) plus signs, flags and banners for every local and import, but not a single one of them made of BM or C.

Will go back any time.

04-17-2012 02:35:00 | More by chetripley

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I've been to Lunar a couple of times and will definitely be returning. Lunar is far from the glitz and trendiness of the City's brewpubs. These are the blue collar, West 'burb guys who got ahold of a homebrew kit and figured that shit out a couple of decades ago.

It is a dark, dank, faded creature that's a felt-shorn pool table and a condom machine away from being a true dive. That being said, it is clean, simple, and surprisingly homey.
The regulars consist of mildly hipsterish twenty-somethings and working class guys having their nightcaps. Sports on the TV and that typical barroom soundtrack on the speakers.

There is no food, ok? Beer nuts and frozen pizza to not qualify as a menu. I'll repeat a previous review's suggestion to drive for a couple of minutes and hit up "Rosticeria Los Fernandez". MY GOD, those tortas are excellent! Back on topic...
The beers at Lunar are always good, sometimes great, and never (yet) terrible. They've got a knack for making exceptional fruit beers, which is a rare talent among American brewers. All their beers are extremely reasonable and their guest taps (Chicagoland locals) are properly priced as well. Service is solid. Its order at the bar and the tender is a chill guy who will shoot the shit with you and anyone else about, sports, politics, beer, etc.

Overall, Lunar is a cool, unpretentious neighborhood establishment that provides for a great, straightforward hangout for beer lovers.

11-06-2011 13:00:38 | More by JohnnyChicago

bigkingken

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -13.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 2 | $

I love the vibe this place puts out. It's a dark, hipster-ish almost-dive located just outside of Chicago. There's a wide range of different types of people all congregating in the same place to drink some beer. A chalk board proudly proclaims the immense selection offered by the guys who buy the beer, who must have excellent taste. Some of the hardest to find beers in the country somehow find their way here either in the bottle or on tap, including their own.

Unfortunately, they were sort of between brew masters when I dropped by, and only had four of their own beers on tap. It featured a fairly standard stout, an unremarkable German alt, a barley wine I declined to try and an excellent blackberry imperial blonde. This impressive concoction was smooth, light, slightly fruity and an impressive 8%. Not that the number is really that high, but it certainly is for a fruited blonde.

They don't serve much food here, so I decided to pass on a taste. What they do offer is a small assortment of peanuts, chips and thin crust pizza that is probably frozen and popped into an oven somewhere.

But that's okay, they're not here for the food. They're here for the beer, and the servers are happy to tell you about them. I enjoyed the bartenders, so I'm giving them high marks as well.

03-03-2011 19:33:19 | More by bigkingken

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Went on down here with my boy TMoney2591 to see what all the hullabaloo was about. First of all the faded sign made it look all the more rustic in appearance. Thank god I kinda knew where I was going. The atmosphere of the place would be considered a dank bar with some ornate wood used to disguise the place from its true form. The quality of the beers there were pretty good especially for a small brewpub as this was. For being a Tuesday afternoon the bar itself was still pretty full up of rowdy locals. The bartender that served us was a cool dude, answered our questions, but pretty much kept to himself. There was about 6 beers from Lunar that they had on tap plus 4 or 5 from other breweries such as Metropolitan. They had a pretty nice bottle list and a series of large refrigerators to hold the vast amounts they had. I always prefer them on tap, but you still have to respect the list. Not a bad place. I wouldn't mind going back for some new brews.

11-24-2010 03:30:19 | More by Vdubb86

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.64/5  rDev -12.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Dropped in down here on a lark with VDubb. The sign outside is quite faded, so unless you're really paying attention (or have a good GPS) you might miss it driving by. Inside, there is the bar and a small bit o' room that doesn't look as though it's seen too much action in a while. I will be harshly frank: Were it not for their brewing their own beer, this place would be one short step from a straight dive bar. But they do make their own beer, and it ain't that bad. They had six of their beers on-tap and a small but nice smattering of guest taps. They also had a fairly decent selection of guest bottles. We didn't get any food, but the menu wasn't really much anyway: bags of chips, beer nuts, and frozen pizzas. There was a TV present, but it was off. The people at the other end of the bar (the usual locals, from what I gather) provided a bit of entertainment via the dropping of eaves. Overall, the beers and everything else were pretty good, but nothing all too great. A nice bit of a stop, though I'm not sure I would make too many trips out here specifically for a visit.

11-24-2010 03:06:23 | More by TMoney2591

bonsreeb85

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

I was recently on an outing in West Chicago for a week, and in desperate need of a watering hole, thanks to some fellow BA recommendations(as we as some from the locals) I found LUNAR, too bad there was only 2 days left in my trip before i did, because I loved this place.

The atmosphere was homey and very laid back. Kind of a smaller bar, w/ not a lot of tables, but ample for the clientel on the evening I was there. Lots of beer posters on the wall made a sud -lover like myself feel right at home.

The service was ok, nothing great, but considering the place was relatively busy, i'll cut them some slack. Not overly friendly, but not complete assholes either, just another day on the grind for the employees i guess...

The selection of bottled and draft beers isn't the best that I have seen in terms of quantity, but let me go ahead and say that nearly everyone of the beers that they do offer, are more than worthy, they had a solid Belgian line-up too. The in house made beers seemed to be the fave of the locals though, I was lucky enough to try 3, the Rasberry Cream, Spacecadet Stout, and the flagship IPA who's name i cannot recall. these were all solid brews. I didn't have any of the food, but the focus here was definately on beer. The menu looked like typical bar food, including peanuts and popcorn, and what could of been frozen pizza!

Overall value -reasonable prices, ok staff, and a very very solid list of beers and some kick-ass in house ones, back this up by a welcoming atmosphere...and we have a winner. I wish that i Lived in Illinois

07-15-2009 11:01:34 | More by bonsreeb85