Geneva Brewery Named Among Best In U.S. By New Survey

GENEVA, IL — A Geneva brewery is among the 30 best breweries in the country, according to a new survey of beer writers and others who know a good beer when they drink it and the value having a craft brewery brings to a community.

VinePair, an online media company covering wine, spirits and beer culture, asked 30 beer pros — writers, educators, historians, community leaders, authors and a cartoonist — to name the best breweries in the country.

The panel's choices, released Dec. 17, range from long-time favorites to hot new arrivals, and from high-volume producers and neighborhood taprooms, VinePair said.

Art History Brewing, at 649 W. State St., joins Alulu Brewery and Pub, in Chicago, as the two Illinois breweries selected for the list.

"We are humbled to be mentioned in this year’s lineup," Art History Brewing staff wrote in a post on Facebook. "Cheers friends!"

Virginia Thomas, a craft beer specialist at Beer On the Wall in Park Ridge, told VinePair she's had several beers during her 14 years in the beer industry but has never had a bad beer from Art History. The brewery opened in March 202 and quickly sold so much beer they had to pull back on distribution until they could expand their capacity, Thomas said.

"While they do have a lager-forward focus, you can find everything from Rauchbiers to DDH double IPAs and Belgian saisons on their roster," Thomas said. "They also make one of my all-time favorite beers, Wenceslas, a dark Czech-style lager paying homage to Wenceslas the First, Duke of Bohemia and star of the classic Christmas carol 'Good King Wenceslas.'"

Tom Rau, confounder and president of Art History Brewing, told Patch the brewery is honored to be picked by VinePair as one of the best breweries in Illinois.

"We are always humbled to see a publication list us or one of our beers as a favorite. We’ve had several beer writers write articles about us over the past few years and we live to get that feedback. There are so many great breweries, especially in Illinois, so having us named as one helps validate the work that our team puts in every day."

Patch editor Amie Schaenzer contributed to this report.