We first learned about Skeleton Key when we visited Bengston's Pumpkin Farm and fell in love with the Octoberfest beer offered onsite from Skeleton Key Brewery. Intrigued, we found our way to Skeleton Key Brewery and have been in love ever since! The moment you walk into Skeleton Key, you feel welcomed by the staff and inviting space /ambiance. With the main bar area and a part space, there is plenty of room to spread out. Clean, open, and quirky decor, we really enjoy being physically inside of Skeleton Key. The seating is also well spread apart and very comfy! For this reason, we often come to hangout, do some work, and watch games. It is a great place to come and spend some time with others! But, most importantly, the beer is delicious and well priced. The Octoberfest is scrumptious and what brought us to Skeleton Key. But Saudade, Frog Splash, and Migratory are some of our other favorites. My husband has loved all of the IPA's he has tried. Adam and all of the other staff are absolute delights! They make the experience even more positive and something we look forward to! We always look forward to our next Skeleton Key Brewery visit! Cheers! read more

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We went here after a trip over to IKEA. We sat near a window in a booth. We had a few beers which were pretty good. We also had good service. A good pit stop while shopping. read more

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My first visit to Skeleton Key! I decided on a flight consisting of: In the Limelight - Lime Lager Migratory - Toasted coconut golden ale Luminous Monk - Belgian blonde Ale Instamatic Focal Point - Raspberry Wheat Ale All great tastes! There was a reading nook, event space, family den, and the main bar space. They also have outdoor seating available. Highly recommend a visit to support local! read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Event Space - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

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Frustrating and unnecessary experience in the back room at Skeleton Key. The bartender working that area created conflict where none was warranted. If a brewery wants to cut someone off -- it should be handled quietly and professionally, not in a way that escalates the situation or puts guests on the spot. A discreet notice or brief, calm explanation would have resolved the issue without incident. Instead, the interaction reflected poor judgment and insufficient training in de-escalation. Conflict like this is not appreciated, and it's not worth the hassle when there are many other establishments nearby that appreciate and manage guest interactions. Management should review their staff procedures that lead to escalating conflict with guests and possibly rogue bartender who enjoys to escalate scenarios to clear guests out of the space. read more

If I can give ten stars I would !! I love coming here with my future mother-in-law as it is only 7 min drive from her place!! They have the best draft beers on tap and always warm and welcoming! I pretty much stop here every time I am in downers grove! In about a week I shall get someone a special Xmas gift here that will be an annual membership for the entire year of 2025 .so that someone will have more prestige and recognition when she visits! Thanks to Adam and Walter for making this place professional and fun. Also Amy at the bar is a real sweetheart! They have events all the time with snacks like pretzel and cheese bites to go with the craft beer! read more

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Great space and a wide variety of beers, even for a smaller quantity of tap handles (having 24 beers doesn't help places, when 16 are Hazy IPAs). Staff is always friendly and the vibe is relaxed. read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Noir Wall. Left turn at Khanrads Wall. Up two floors. - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

I came here for a book club gathering. I was impressed. This is a nice brewery with enough space for large and small gatherings. There's also a private event section. There's a good selection of beer and overall a relaxing environment. There's also games and books for use for any interested. There's no food options, but you're allowed to purchase from other locations or order delivery. Highly recommend to check out. read more

Great brewery with good beers and a huge variety of events. There is usually a good crowd here and friendly staff (and great pop up food vendors as well!) read more

Had the chance to check out skeleton brewery yesterday!! And let me say, what a cool freaking spot!! The inside is super cute and modern. We went on a Saturday night and it had a good amount of people but, not too crowded. The vibe was super chill and relaxed. There were people of all age groups so definitely a very good place to just grab a drink after work, go on a weekend, or meet up with friends! We are not huge beer drinkers but wanted to try it out because we did hear great things about the variety at this brewery. Ended up getting 3-4 different kinds of beers but the crested gufo beer was def our favorite! It was so light and refreshing! Would definitely get it again! Overall, really good experience for the first time!! We would definitely go back again! read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

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Cool interior, great staff and equally good beer and events. Gogogogogogogogogogogogogogo

Great time Easy to find a table Great decor Good variety of beer Food truck available Bartenders attentive Adam at bar was very kind, gave good suggestions for what beer type I liked read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - The bar and menu - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

Cool place - been here a few times now. We're from out of town but pass through Woodridge a few times a year to see family, and we like to grab drinks here. Good beer, friently service, spacious with an outdoor area as well. Decent to-go options too. Food truck they recently had was pretty good. Solid option when you're in the area. read more

UPDATED: This establishment's response should show who they truly are. Please also keep in mind that this beer fest that we attended actually included a Skeleton Key booth where their representatives were more than happy to continue to serve us. Interesting... I suggest as a business, it may not be worth participating in these events to advertise your beers for sampling if you don't want people to visit your establishment to consume more than one beer and spend money. We are more than happy to not return here. Multiple people this day had the same experience from the same bartender. It sounds like these bartenders are welcome to go on power trips and be blindly backed by the owners. Mind you, the shuffle board table being taken over by 4-5 grown men who were severely intoxicated remained being served after we left. It is also not appreciated to speak down to me to suggest I have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I appreciate the consideration of "looking inward" and hoping that today would be a new day, but I have just become more comfortable with not supporting this establishment further. Also, the person who I was with whose order was comped did NOT apologize for the behavior, just demanded a refund for full beers that were poured while also being asked to leave. It was your husband who was profusely apologizing, which felt more appropriate. It seems he is also having to blindly support these decision makers. I am happy our order got refunded as I do not want any of my money going to these specific owners. These are people who want to claim they are thinking about "safety" but were happy to ask a single female who was (in their eyes) intoxicated to leave alone but were happy to keep her friends and drivers there to continue to purchase alcohol. In the owners words "I'm sorry, I'm not asking for you to leave. I'm asking her to leave." -Amanda Slayton (thankfully, no relation) What a disappointment!!!! We went to this brewery after a beer fest at Hollywood Boulevard and after one beer, we were cut off. The older bartender, upon ordering a beer, maybe 65 years old with a Batman logo shirt, gave me a glass of water to drink and I was then told by a different person that I was cut off. I was not inebriated or aggressive by any means, so confused on why I was cut off. Whats the point of going to a brewery if you're told you can no longer stay after ordering one beer? There was a group of older men playing shuffleboard that was getting rowdy and yelled at by the same older bartender, so not sure if this was an instance of misplaced emotion. What a shame. Such a nice brewery and it's a shame that this instance id what will prevent us from ever coming back. Other visitors had the same experience on the same day, which is so disappointing. This was not the same experience I had in the past or the experience I was expecting. The fact that was told that the cops are going to be called if I stuck around is truly strange after being served one beer. Such a scattered establishment and clearly no understanding of the staff being on the same page. This older bartender clearly runs the show and dictates who makes the decisions. Confusion on who the real owner is. I'll never be back. What a weird place. Suggest going to Black Horizon Brewing which is only a few minutes away read more

Nice brewery off of I-55 in Woodridge. I stopped here a few weeks back with my wife and we really enjoyed the few beers we had. The brewery has a ton of space and a family section if you're bringing kids. I'll be back! read more

Everything looks gorgeous since the remodel! Staff is super friendly. I like their ipas as well as the coconut ale! read more

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK LAGER? This beer-only establishment has scary good stouts and ales so pale, you'd swear they were ghosts. As one of the major microbreweries in the area (the other being Miskatonic off of Cass Ave), this place is hidden pretty well. Unless you know to look on the west side of Lemont Rd about 1/2-mile south of 75th St, you're likely to drive right past Skeleton Key. Meeting my buddy Jason K on 4/27/19, I quickly noticed that this doesn't look like anything special from the outside; it's a very plain, nondescript red brick building. No exploding neon marquee with showgirls out front, just a little sign for the small industrial complex. Right away, you can tell that the space was intended for offices, not a brewery. Several large 300L stainless steel tanks loom in the back, and a friendly -- possibly mustachioed -- barkeep will pour your choice of frothy beverage. They rotate their taps seasonally, I'm told. We enjoyed an American Pale Ale, English brown ale, and an imperial red Belgian IPA, all with amusing names like "Friends Don't Lie", "Fix the Sun", and "Mayor Wilson", which I'm assuming is a BTTF reference. Prices are a reasonable $6-7 depending on size/style of draft. There's no kitchen to speak of, however they're more than happy to let you bring in food or have it delivered. Sometimes there's even a food truck parked outside, though on our visit inclement weather forced the pierogi guys to sell their wares indoors. It's nice that they have a shelf of card games for customers to play. The table next to us got into a heated match of Risk; I could definitely see coming back here with a deck of Secret Hitler or a good old fashioned cheater's edition of Monopoly. Kids are allowed in the front room during daylight hours, great for families or thirsty parents. Seeing toddlers running around took me out of the whole brewery experience, if I'm being honest. Dogs are strictly 'verboten', unlike Beer Shop's pet-friendly policy in Oak Park. SK also features live music on alternating weekends. I was stunned to see that one of these acoustic performers is none other than Mr Denton, my (former) junior high school language arts teacher! I'm gonna have to stop by and say hello next time Billy D takes the stage. * TL;DR * You don't have to be a member of the Midnight Society to enjoy a cold brew here......although the creepy campfire stories might spice things up. The beer is great and service is dandy, plus the BYO snack policy means you're saving some $$. The wide open, repurposed interior is all well and good, but the exterior is seriously bleak. Improving their curb appeal would do wonders to pull in more business, cuz right now Skeleton Key Brewery is relying pretty heavily on word-of-mouth. Recommended! read more

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Wow, Skeleton Key truly exceeded the good things we had heard about it. Our first visit was a wonderful experience on all fronts, from the skeleton-themed art to the refreshingly friendly staff to the comfortable outdoor patio. And yes, the beer was excellent, with a solid mix of styles represented. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.... read more

Our sons threw us a 50th anniversary party here and it was a wonderful venue for the celebration! Attached patio and the bar was great. Two wonderful bartenders for the full three hours. Plenty of parking, too. The beers were vary tasty as well. read more

We say this in jest because we love this place. Husband ripped his pants on a broken chair and another patron who acted like a cat, licked our arms, she had to be carried out. Beers are great, patio was awesome to be on to enjoy such a nice day. read more

I have no idea how this place is even in business. Their craft beer is absolute garbage compared to other breweries in the area. Staff is ignorant and rude. There is no food and they will complain about it if you ask for food and will throw some stale chips at you. This place is always empty which should be a clear sign of how terrible the ambiance is. Do yourself a favor and go visit Ike & Oak for an actual brewery experience read more

The beer was good and trivia night here was fun. They had a few golden ales, an IPA, lager and a stout when I was there. There was a vendor selling cute handmade key chains of different characters. They don't have food inside, but there was a food truck outside. The building just looks like a plain warehouse on the outside. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) read more

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Really unique brewery with a solid tap menu that were all impressive! Respected the Covid precautions in business and staff were really great...super helpful and cool. We had the praline hazelnut, coconut golden, american lager and american porter .. all excellent! Will be back and spread word to others! read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - American porter, american ale, golden coconut and hazelnut praline- all great - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

Great beers, Cool atmosphere, nice people, had good time with friends, definitely will be back

This establishment is tucked away near other businesses. So definitely hard to see from the street so take your time as you're driving. Once inside, it a relatively small place - so very intimate. Very friendly staff and my drink was AMAZING. I attended a lettering event here and had the opportunity to try one of their stouts. The menu sounded very interesting so I asked the bartender which drink I should try, since they all had interesting names. Whatever I tried...it was GOOD - very tasty. As the event went on - I sipped and I sipped and I sipped! I'm coming back to try more! read more

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The remodel looks fantastic! Great to see these guys make it through the storm (literally) and come out the other side looking this good!

Paul and Emily are the kindest individuals and business owners I know. They offer a variety of hand-crafted beers and great NA beverages and mock tails for those who don't drink (me included). Food trucks weekly, new launches, beautiful ambience and live music and shows really make this brewery a wonderful place to visit and spend your day. You deserve it! read more

This place is amazing. The service is fantastic. Taylor is our fav. She's talkative and knows her drinks. Their merch is pretty dope too. I will say, I love that they started serving some cocktails. Such a good spot to catch up with friends, have some drinks and just enjoy the energy. read more

Cool place, good folks, beer is ok. Had some traditional lagers and they were solid. Schwarzbier was the best of the bunch. read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - a glass of beer - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

Nice little brewery out in Woodridge. Very tasty beers albeit a smaller selection. They don't have their own kitchen but do have vendors that come out and sell stuff although they were out of food by 8 pm on Saturday. The staff is very friendly. The space itself is split into two sections. The front room has longer tables where you can sit with your friends and play one of the many board games they have while you enjoy your brew. The back is where the bar is at with smaller high tops and at least when we went, was much more crowded. Overall a very cool spot. read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Tap list - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

I really like dark beer and they didn't disappoint! Very nice crowd and the staff was excellent. Especially the new beertender, Taylor. They have live music and food trucks on certain days. read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Yum! - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

Strong brew - nice casual atmosphere. The service friendly and quick. The venue is large with 3 bar areas.

Great place, super friendly staff! Beer was excellent! Plenty of room for social distance and a good time. New bar area was open and ready for your next big party. Most importantly clean bathrooms . 10/10 Can't wait to come back! read more

I might be a little bit biased but I think that it's the best place to get a real good beer and the people are so friendly a all around good time and when they have live music, it makes a very good evening from time to time they have pop-up food and some people bring carry out read more

The beer was good the service was great. We went with neighbors and brought a pizza and some games. It was very enjoyable place to hang out. read more

Our brewer/bartender here was so friendly!!! It was pretty quiet on a Sunday afternoon, so we got to chat and ask questions and all that good stuff. We absolutely loved the interior - the decor is all so intriguing and it's like you see something different each time you look around. Also, since I was super thirsty, the help yourself water cooler was extremely beneficial to me. My fiance sampled 7 beers. While he enjoyed all of them, he really liked the toasted coconut one and their Scottish ale. They're coming up on their one-year anniversary, and I really hope they continue to do well! The brewer said that they just recently started canning/bottling to be able to see from within the brewery only at this point. He said selling in the grocery stores is planned for in the future, but one thing at a time (which I totally understand). I really like that this particular guy was so supportive of other small breweries in the area. He even said what's the point of trying to talk down about any of them. That's why we love the independent breweries - they just love what they do and enjoy the same from others! If you want a great atmosphere, friendly people to spend time with, and some good craft beer, head on over here! read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - So many things appeal to the eye here! - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

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Really nice atmosphere and drinks! I don't remember the bartender's name but he was really nice and drew pictures for our flights. Would love to go back and try more of their drinks. read more

Skeleton Key has been around for just under a year. This place has really come a long way in their first year, and I can't wait to see what else they do in the future. Getting there: easy to pass up. My uber drivers have had to turn around sooooo many times! Just be aware! The location: awesome. Tons of parking, or tons of room for your Uber to drop you off or pick you up! Ha! The beer: pretty good. It's def gotten better over the year they've been open. Can't wait for new beers to try, I think I've tried them all. Faves: Friends Don't Lie, Captain Tragedy, and Knobhead. The people: freaking awesome! You are not going to be treated any better at another brewery than the way the owners treat you! These owners are one of the reasons my husband and I keep going back. Atmosphere: whatever you want. If you want to be in a pub-ish area, you have the bar space with stools, barrels as tables, and games over looking the brew space. Or perhaps you'd like it a lil' more quiet to chill out: there's another room with tons of tables, think picnic style, to visit. Food: the owners schedule food trucks on the regular (check on FB or the brewery's website), which is seriously one of my favorite things ever! I honestly look up when food trucks are at breweries...it's my weekend jam! They also have snacks behind the bar if you are feeling snacks, or an entire folder (just ask to see it!) with menus of surrounding establishments that will deliver. Additional things: they have various beer/brewing classes and events (like trivia) to make things super fun. Overall, this place is really cool and my husband and I love coming here. The clientele is also pretty awesome, we just randomly strike up conversation with others and no one thinks you're weird :) read more

Skeleton Key Brewery - Beeer..... mmmmmm :) - Breweries Near Me - Woodridge, Illinois

I hosted my sister's baby shower here after frequenting the taproom for years and had the best experience. From the beginning planning stages, Emily went out of her way to make things as simple as possible for us and was able to guide us down to the smallest details, including things we wouldn't have thought of on our own! The space is beautiful, the service was excellent (we didn't have to worry about a single thing), the beer was a huge hit, and my guests raved about the experience and ambiance. read more

I absolutely enjoyed myself at this brewery! I came here on a Saturday afternoon with a buddy and we immediately found some space at their smaller sized bar. The two gentlemen who were working at the time we arrived were super friendly, hilarious, and of course, knew their beers. My friend and I tried a few beers that we enjoyed (Migratory, 7th Evil Ex, Dumb as Einstein) and grabbed some Mexican food at the food truck that is parked right out in front of their building. The food trucks switch up every day I believe - if you keep up with their Facebook page they do announce the more specialty food trucks like Muju Ramen. Once the time started getting closer to 5PM the bar was jammed packed, along with their high top section, and the sit down and chill section (right when you walk in). I will most definitely be back. Cheers! read more

Slow down while you're driving, otherwise you might miss some of the delicious flavor notes that Skeleton Key is brewing. Located in Woodridge, the brewery is a little difficult to find, but it's absolutely worth coming in for a pint of beer. Inside, the first room contains long, wooden communal tables that are perfect for larger groups, to share a bite of food or make a new friend. Additionally, the room is nicely accompanied by Skeleton decor. Just on the other side of the tap room, their bar welcome's thirsty patrons and is where the magic happens. A couple of wooden barrels are perfect for small gatherings while additional seating is at the bar as well as facing their fermenters. Soft lighting is staged throughout, and gives the space a nice glow that pairs well with the brewery's theme. The beer itself has significantly gotten better since the day they opened their doors. Distinctly different from each other in taste, the Passion Wit has been one of my favorite's by far. Most of their beer doesn't have a high ABV, and they offer a well rounded selection from Ale's to IPA's. Getting a flight is highly recommended. Staff is awesome - they love what they do and it shows. Can't wait to see what their creative minds continues to showcase in the months to come. read more

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