Revolution Brewing

As Josh Deth, Revolution Brewing’s founding father tells it, his goal from the first pour was to create a fiercely independent brewery, with the scale and capacity to compete with the city’s biggest brewhouses, but without sacrificing the small batch perfectionism of craft brewing.

A native of Boston, Josh arrived in Chicago in 1996.  He ascended from cellarman at Goose Island to lead brewer at their Clybourn brewpub. In 2000, Josh began his independent journey — detouring through a vegetarian restaurant startup — before convincing investors of his brewing vision.

Located in Chicago’s Avondale, Revolution Brewing is now the largest independent brewery in Illinois. Beer devotees come from all corners of the globe to experience their brewpub and taproom, where they produce dozens of beer styles to quench every conceivable thirst — IPAs, porters, pilsners, Belgian-style, pale ales and barrel-aged beers.

With master brewer, Jim Cibak, leading the charge, Revolution Brewing blends quality with an unrelenting desire for freshness. Their persistent attention to detail starts with the harvesting of the malt, and extends to the moment when you crack open the can, or the barkeep pulls the handle on the tap. This has created one of the most impressive beer menus in the Chicago pub scene—or anywhere in the U.S. —as recognized by Revolution Brewing’s place on the Brewer’s Association’s Top 50 craft beer list.

If you’re thirsting for something original and inherently Chicago, raise a can of Fist City Pale Ale or stop by the Revolution brewpub for a seasonal one-off poured at the long mahogany bar. Join the Revolutionaries on a tour of their 90,000 square foot Kedzie Avenue brewery, powered by over 200 solar panels that save over 50 tons of greenhouse gases annually. It’s just one more reason to pour a cold one straight from the source of America’s most refreshing revolution.

Discover more Illinois Artisans at Illinois Made.