Great service, very dog friendly, and excellent beers! We hit up 5 breweries in 2 days and this was our favorite one! Gimme more of that Midnight Mariachi! Thanks! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

"Bougie brewpub" is probably the best way to describe this spot. Compared to the Downers Grove location, this one has a full kitchen, plenty of indoor seating, an outdoor patio, and TVs everywhere, perfect for catching a game. At first, I thought it was on the pricier side, but after a few visits, I don't mind paying a bit more for the nicer ambiance. Happy hour runs weekdays from 3-5 pm with $5 beers and some food specials. The burgers are always a solid choice, and they've got a great draft list with options you don't usually see in stores. I'm especially a fan of their pales and IPAs. 'Til next time, cheers! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Alter Burger with fries - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Bought a few beers at this brewery in Downers Grove. It has a few locations with this being the first of these. Alter has kind of a funny way to get to it. Kind of hidden on the side of a warehouse in some industrial park. The prices are pretty good for local stuff. A busy place in spite of how hard it can be to find. It's one of those breweries you find in unexpected places but get rewarded when finding it. There's a good amount of space inside so it can handle large groups and parties. Good prices for the beers. It's about $7 a pint. Best we had of these was the Altetior Motive. This is an IPA that has notes of pines and raisins. It's about $2 for snacks like potato chips. The food here is limited except when a food truck has a visit, usually on weekends. Has various events. Trivia night is on Tuesdays, and they have live music. For sure it's worth looking for and getting beers. It's located close to the Belmont Metra station. There's not really anything to eat but they often have food trucks. read more

Alter Brewing Company - Alterior Motive And Potato Chips - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

This is a neat spot, though parking can be tricky on busy nights as it is within an industrial park where nearly every other spot is reserved for the business in front of it. The beer selection is varied and changes with regular frequency. They do a lot of events and collaborations with other local businesses, and Monday nights are usually benefiting a local non profit organization. read more

Alter Brewery is a great place to grab a brew and spend some time on a Friday night. Alter makes great beer. Lots of cool fruit-infused hefeweizens. You can bring your own food, which is a great way to go out. We ordered delivery from Dans, which was great pizza. The combo was perfect. Other than the high-decibel golf bros surrounding us, it was a very good experience. They eventually mostly left and ordered a massive number of Domino's pizzas, which was their loss. They have a lovely covered patio with "live music" that night (I'll be kind). You can't do much about 90-degree heat and 90% humidity, but that's not their fault--it's Illinois in the summertime. The sausage, pepperoni, Barbecue bacon, onion, and sausage pizzas were thin, crisp, and delicious. Great beer, great pizza, and air conditioning--it all rocks! Bar service was fast and efficient. Highly recommended wherever you choose to eat and drink it. read more

Alter Brewing Company - Stuff - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

On a recent trip to the Chicago area, we visited Alter Brewery. Plenty of beer choices, and you can bring your own food. I ordered a King Balaton, Cherry Wheat Ale, and my husband ordered a King Squeeze, a lemon and cherry wheat ale. Both were tasty and refreshing. They offer some appetizers, plus a kiosk to order from Dan's Pizza, which was a great choice. The covered patio has live music on weekends, and the indoor space is large and lively. It was hot, so we sat inside with a noisy but festive post-golf crowd. Great place. Great beer. read more

See all

Outstanding brew selection. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Fun vibe with colleagues after work one Thursday evening. After 2 beverages, discovered a bags tournament on the back side of the building. Didn't expect that! Will return soon! read more

Fun time, good options, a great choice for your night! Service was really good as well! If you are looking for a solid choice, I'd give it a try! read more

Nice brewery in Downers Grove, tucked away off of Belmont Ave and parking can be a bit hard to find but I've never had issues when it comes down to it. They have amble seating inside as well as patio seating in warmer months. The beer is always good and staff is friendly. read more

Love the outdoor space and light lager is my favorite....light & refreshing! Don't forget your friends and games when you visit this brewery read more

Alter Brewing Company - Something girl - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

Met friends Tuesday night for Trivia Night with my daughter and I. Parking was easy, outside seating was nice, plenty of seating in the initial entrance of the brewery as well as once we worked our way to the back to where trivia night was. The crowd unfortunately wasn't that diverse, which ultimately also explained why trivia wasn't as well, however that was completely separate from the brewery experience itself. I'm not a beer drinker so I had an Arnold Palmer however my table really enjoyed all of their different flavored beers. Very nice establishment read more

See all

I visited this place with a few of my family members for a fun night out. I was there for 30 minutes and no one greeted me, nor asked me if I needed anything. It was a very uncomfortable atmosphere and not a pleasurable experience. I love alter brewing company in Oakbrook and will continue to patronize that location. read more

The server was really nice and everything came out really quick. It was not at all crowded and the very spacious. The drinks have a large variety for every taste. I'm big on wheat ales and IPAs. The food was pretty good and fresh! read more

With the onset of the governors mandate, I decided to visit my favorite place Alter for a beer, Alter Brewing in Downers Grove. It's been a long work day and a wake to attend, I thought I'd take in a good beer before dinner and the first game in the World Series. I had the delicious and appropriate named F.U. Covid beer. I wasn't disappointed. Met with the best bar tender Mike. Greatest guy and attentive to business. Mallory, the event planner was filling me in on all the goings on and decided to make a change to my upcoming event. Easily personal distancing and with a few TVs it's the place to be. Stop in and let them know I sent you. read more

See all

My review is based upon my experience during COVID. (Yes I have been here during normal times as well, but wanted to write a review during this time). I was playing online trivia with baig of tricks and the host discussed how delivery was available. I decided to go to the alter website to see what was available. The ordering process was straight forward. The next morning staff called to collect payment information and review order. It was nice to have the ability to tip right there. I was given an hour window when delivery would arrive and order arrived during that time. Beer was nice and cold. Recommend for anyone that lives within their delivery area. If not, they do have pickup available too. I can't wait until we are allowed out and about again so I can support the business in person. read more

A large outdoor and indoor seating available the indoor is filled with wood and metal to give it an industrial look with amber lighting for a relaxing feel. Outdoor seating is comfortable with the lights giving it a nice feel. The beer selection is good along with the cider food is available also they are large with three levels great for an event read more

See all

Brewery crawl this weekend... this was voted best brewery and best beer for our group. Friendly service, great beer. Looking forward to next time I'm in the area! read more

First time in and it is very comfortable. Not to quite, not to loud, just right. Looks like they keep a good rotation of beers going. They dont have a kitchen so they do the food truck thing once a week. Typical board games available if you want to just kick it with some friends Pros: - good beer, 12 taps all variety of beer. - people are friendly and engaging - comfortable atmosphere - all beer brewed on site Cons: - no kitchen - not much for the kid's to do - could have a couple more Hazy 's ( but that's on me) read more

Alter Brewing Company - This is the DIPA sweet. - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

(3.75) ~ Good Overall Craft Brewery BEERS TRIED: ** HVAC = (4.25) Very good & My fav:) It's a Barleywine at 12% ABV. ** Alto Porto = (4) very good ** Blueberry Flip = (4) very refreshing Hard Seltzer * Heavy Squeeze = (3.75) Refreshing * Red, Wheat + Blue = (3.75) Good * Center Line = (3.5) good * Ambigram = (3.25) pretty good aroma, but too hoppy for me. * Hopular Kid = (3.25) too hoppy for me *** Festbier = Next time since it's only in 6-pack (cans) read more

I love a beer place with plenty of sampling options. You have the option of 5, 12 & 16 oz pours. They also offer crowlers & growler fills. They also have a barrel aged flight. My husband had that & enjoyed all. I had the IPA, very solid IPA. They offer bar snacks & special events. Space is open and clean. There was a couple w a baby in around mid afternoon, environment was totally chill & appropriate. read more

Alter Brewing Company - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

Good beers, friendly server, and great outdoor dining tent. We brought our own pizza from nearby Dans to their taproom. We decided to try this place in conjunction with the pizza place because they were in the "Illinois beer passport" program this year. Alter has a big outdoor tent with tables. The night we went was also a food truck there. All and all a nice experience, glad we made the trek down to Downers Grove. read more

Pretty solid line up of beers. Several options in cans and they fill growlers and crowlers too. read more

Alter Brewing Company - Menu - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Pleasant place with wide ranging selection of beers and easy parking . Enjoyed the fruit beer very much. Food can be brought in. The brewery has lots of comforty couches to hang out on. read more

Great beer, great food. Wonderful atmosphere. Whether it's for lunch, dinner or just drinks, I've never had a bad experience here. They're baby and child friendly, offer high chairs and aren't too loud/crazy of an atmosphere if you're going for a weekend lunch. When the weather permits, their patio right on the river can't be beat! Great, attentive service, and for the beer drinkers they have select six packs and two sizes of growlers to go. Highly recommend. read more

Really delicious Beer. Fun trivia Night. Clean spacious space. Great staff.

Great beer and great service. We spent the evening listening to a talented musician playing guitar, keyboards and singing (Mike Rago). This was a fantastic evening in a very fun setting. Will definitely be back! read more

My hubby threw my 40th surprise party here at the end of January. Was amazing!! Everything was great, staff was wonderful, place was super clean- they were able to decorate- hire in another bartender- cater in food- turned out awesome! We didn't hit our minimum in beer, which meant we would get it in cans. My husband went the next day to pick it up and they had everything all ready to go for him! We enjoy the beer and all of our guests did too! Highly recommend their party room area! Was a blast!! Thank you Alter! We can't wait to come back! read more

No food the beers are ok nothing special and we ordered a flight of 4 and it was over 15 dollars which was expensive Probably wouldn't go back read more

Another great local brewery that we finally got around to visiting. I will say that we've tried to come back several times- but because the inside is so small, we haven't stayed every time because we couldn't find seating. It seems like they try to create new brews constantly, as I noticed that there were a few new ones when we went back. There's definitely a beer for everyone here. Like most other breweries, there are board games to select from (a pretty decent variety), as well as a few TVs around- so I'm sure this place would be great to watch a game. No kitchen at this brewery, but there's a ton of places that will deliver in the area. I really like that Alter has so many trivia nights and other events in the community. read more

This is a local brewery that has an ever changing selection of beers. Some friends and I came here for a small party to drink and play board games. We grabbed a six seat table (the largest they offer) and hung out a couple hours. I tried a flight to get a taste of the different selections. Even though a few caught my interest my overall favorite was the King Batalon - Made with cherry juice. Now it wasn't fruity per day but it walked a delicate line as a beer. I strongly suggest you get this but more so get it as a shandy (they add in some ginger ale). I think it's best this way. The staff were friendly and they let you bring food or have it delivered. They do offer snacks such as jerky and bread sticks but not much else. If you plan to host a large group here I say get here early. Earlier the better. We arrived around 6:30 on a Saturday and just got lucky in getting a table. By about 7-7:30 the place was packed the rest of the night. Overall a great place to try some unique beers in a fun atmosphere. I just wish they had more seating. (Oh and more parking). read more

See all

I hosted my husbands 40th birthday party in one of their private rooms. The entire process was so easy! Mallory, the event coordinator, was amazing, efficient and friendly to work with. Mike, our server, could not have done a better job. Thank you to the entire team! I could not have pulled this off with such ease without all your hard work. Highly recommend ... the beers are great too :) read more

Alter is another suburban brewery nestled in an industrial park but the interior is absolutely gorgeous. The Edison bulb lighting over their beer list, while nice in theory, made reading the selections a bit difficult but we managed to get by. Beers we sampled: Alter Porto Porter (6.8%) My hubs twice ordered a full pour of this guy. With hints of coffee, caramel, and chocolate, it's definitely one of the tastier porters I've tried. Hopular Kid pale ale (6%) My first pour, it's your standard light, crisp beer. ALTERior Motive IPA (6.5%) This was my second pour; it has a very smooth and slightly sweet taste. I'm a fan of this for sure. We've also had their Dimension Dubbel (7.2%) which is a tasty Belgian Dubbel with toffee notes and a gorgeous caramel color, but it is no longer in production. We managed to get a pour from a friend's growler the day he purchased it last January. The interior is very clean, and there's plenty of seating. But the service wasn't the greatest. When we first sat down at the bar, it took the female bartender a few moments to approach us. Once she did, her greeting was lackluster and her attitude implied she'd rather be anywhere but there. I get it - it's 5 p.m. on a Sunday evening. But a friendly hello, asking if we had been there before, and a quick run-through of what's on tap is generally how you encourage repeat business. Luckily when we ordered our second round, we interacted with a nice young man who was much friendlier. He filled a growler (Porto porter) and grabbed two shirts for us in between our conversation about the Naperville Ale fest from the previous day. Really nice guy, I wish I had gotten his name. I definitely look forward to returning again. read more

Alter Brewing Company - On tap 2/26/17 - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

Craft beer expert, a liker of more than 3 drinks at a time, or a however you wanna define "experienced drinker" I feel overly qualified to label this brewery nothing short of excellent. "This place is the tits!" A saying I often heard during my alcoholic training days at Arizona State during the pre Instagram era that made me into the drinker that I am today... Anywho... Anyways... This place is done right and has a unique feel compared to the plethora of breweries out there. So what separates this place from the others? How does any establishment that doesn't serve food deserve a 5 start rating? Well here's why/how... Alter creates complex brews with a multitude of flavors packed into their constantly changing beer rotation. Each beer has different notes and their IPAs aren't just basic, boring, and bitter. They have a great open space with high ceilings that makes for a great atmosphere. They have board games. And last but not least they have a byof (bring your own food) and delivery menus that deliver fast. Dans Pizza is probably the number one choice. But, you gotta try for yourself in order to understand. PS. Tuesday is trivia night! One more thing. Please bring back the collaboration beer with Kumas. It was a bourbon beer called "Altered Beast." That was my favorite and it hasn't been available for the longest! Cheers! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Catch flights not feelings - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

This is a great find in Downers Grove. I've been coming here for over a year, and I have no intention of stopping. The beers are fantastic; they have great staples on the menu and an excellent selection of rotating beers. My favorite is their tart cherry wheat, King Balaton. To make it even better, they have a barrel aged program... they age the King Balaton in red wine barrels to create King's Blood and it is fantastic. They have snacks for purchase (try Colleen's Breadsticks!), and you can bring food or order delivery straight to the tap room. They have events fairly regularly, ranging from trivia on Tuesdays, food trucks on the weekends and they also had AlterFest during the fall which was a great time. Definitely take time to check out Alter; try a flight if you're not sure where to start! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Alter one year anniversary glass. - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Came here last night with a group of friends. It was busy!! Good vibes and great beer. The oatmeal stout was super super good! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

What a great place ! The inside is beautiful and beers are great. The only complaint was how slow service was. Took awhile after we were seated to get menus and then took even longer before anyone took our order. We ended up walking to the bar every time we wanted a drink. It's bring your own food and occasionally there are food trucks. Check out their Facebook page for updates read more

Alter Brewing Company - View of the bar area - love the industrial look. - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

Great staff , Great service , Great beer. This place never lets you down . Great selection of brews , classy crowd with a family vibe . Food trucks scheduled, trivia night , comedy nights Ect . If you haven't been here before, check it out !!!! I promise you will be back !! read more

Alter Brewing Company - Devils Pumpkin Ghost sauce , Snacks , Center Line , Roasted Garlic sauce ..... BOOM!!! - Breweries Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

See all

4 stars only, cannot give 5 stars because of your parking situation-horrible! Had to drive around several times to wait for someone to leave in order to park. That was very frustrating and because of that, not my first choice to come back here. Beer was amazing-service prompt-great atmosphere-tv's had the Cubs game on which was awesome! I loved it-I felt like I was in the Lincoln Park area. Great-Great-Great Brewery! Delicious beer! Kills me not to give you 5 stars because of your parking. read more

Great beers in a super cool/exposed brewery! They provide a few table games and bar snacks. Everyone around us had ordered food from somewhere nearby. The staff was really friendly and the bathrooms were super clean! I love that they offered fruit beers into their mix. We will definitely be back! read more

See all

If you like going to a local no frills brewery that changes its lineup, this is the place for you! While they are a brewery and will only serve beer, they do let you bring your own food. I love coming here with a good pizza and playing one of the board games they have available. They also have trivia nights on Tuesday which are real fun with a group of friends. Great beer selection if you enjoy good no frills beer. Like I said, they change their lineups of beer but don't come here expecting crazy beer selections. Come here to enjoy the brews and chill atmosphere. read more