Maplewood Brewery & Distillery — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I came with my wife and a friend of ours after wanting to check out a new brewery, and found this one on Google. I had never heard of the place before, and did not do much research on it, so I walked in completely blind, and wow, what an awesome surprise this was!

As a disclaimer, I enjoy drinking a beer or two every other weekend, but I would never try and masquerade as a connoisseur of beer. Despite this, I absolutely found a couple of amazing beers that I would recommend to anyone, as they are just that great! Without getting to ahead of myself, when we first walked in, we expected a much more different vibe. Usually, the breweries I've been to are low-key and chill, however, this was essentially a bar with hype EDM music playing that happens to be a brewery. I'm game either way, so definitely not a knock against the place, just unexpected and worth mentioning in case you are looking for the former experience rather than the latter.

I bought a flight of beers to share with my wife, and our friend ordered the Lounge Lager. My flight included (from my best recollection) the following beers: Fizzle Drizzle Blu Razzberry, Charlatan, Son of Juice, and Willo. Again, not being an avid fan of beer, I thought 3 of the 4 were good, but nothing I haven't had before, however, the Blu Razz blew my mind right as it was being poured, as it's a Jolly Rancher blue color! I had never seen a beer that color before, and the taste itself was like a boozy raspberry Jolly Rancher! My wife, who is not a fan of beer typically, had a sip of it, and ordered a pint for herself. Our friend liked her lager, as did I, as it was good from the sip I tried, but I ended up ordering a pint of the Blu Razz, and a sample of the Fizzle Drizzle Pink Lemonade. The Pink Lemonade was good, but a tad more sour than the Blu Razz; my preference is the Blu Razz.

After this pint, I tried a couple more beers, and found another unique standout that I absolutely loved. The first sample I tried was the Son of Shakey, described as a Vanilla Milkshake IPA, and it was pretty good. The flavor is adequately represented by the description. The second, which was ultimately my favorite beer of the night, was the Mr. Shakey Peach (how could I not with such a whimsical name?). Another Milkshake IPA, this one tasted like a peach creamsicle, and the texture of the beer itself felt creamy like a milkshake! It totally blew me away, and had to take a 4-pack home, though, I had to go find this out in the wild instead of at the brewery as they had none available.

In summary, Blu Razz and Mr. Shakey Peach are forever engraved in my taste buds in a way I never would have expected from a beer. I'm so excited to go back and try the Mr. Shakey Strawberry when that is released since I love the Peach version that much! Whether you enjoy beer or not, I highly recommend checking this place out or trying to find these beers at stores to try...

Over the years, I’ve been hanging out at the Maplewood Lounge, back when it was still a small, humble taproom tucked discreetly into the end of the block. It had this undeniable charm — the kind of place where you’d walk in and be greeted by name, where conversations flowed as easily as the beer, and where the focus was clearly on community and craft. The beer and spirits was (and still is) excellent — inventive, well-balanced, and made with real care. It felt like our town’s best-kept secret, and a place you could always count on for a laid-back evening and a familiar face.

Fast forward to today, Maplewood has gone through major transformations. The addition of a full-service restaurant and a larger dining space has turned it into more of a regional attraction than a local watering hole. There’s now a full menu with a wide range of elevated pub fare — everything from seafood to Polish dishes, late-night bites to American bar food, and much more. I’ll be the first to admit: although the menu is a bit sporadic, the food is genuinely good.

While I’m happy to see a local business succeed and grow, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the soul of the old place. With growth has come a noticeable shift in vibe — it feels more polished, a bit less personal, and definitely more commercial. Wait times are longer, the atmosphere is louder, and the staff — while still friendly — often feel stretched thin during busy hours. It’s reminiscent, in a way, of Phase 3 Brewery, where a once-great stand-alone brewery has pivoted to the restaurant-first business model that also happens to sell its own beer.

In order to soak in some of that old charm of the Maplewood of the past, I enjoyed visiting on Mondays after work, when the taproom wasn’t too busy, the music was good, the staff were friendly, and an occasional Monday Night Football game or movie was playing on the TV. Unfortunately, Maplewood has recently made the decision to close their doors on Mondays. To be clear, Maplewood is still a great spot. The beer and spirits continue to shine, and the food adds another level of appeal. It’s exciting to see a hometown favorite take things to the next level. But if you were a fan of the old, intimate feel, be prepared for a different experience — one that’s more refined and restaurant-centered, but perhaps a little less connected to its...

TLDR; someone at this brewery changed my bill and I ended up getting multiple charges on my CC. When trying to call to reconcile the issue, the workers claimed to not be able to hear/understand me and screened my number.

I've always enjoyed their beers when seeing them at other bars and restaurants in the area, so it has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. Finally was able to make it in for a date the other night and again the beers did not disappoint. One complaint about the venue is they play the music incredibly loud and you have to yell to hear people in your group from just a few feet away. You're a brewery, not a dance club.

My main issue with this venue was when I was checking my credit card statement after the fact. Four beers (3x $7 + 1x $6 = $27), and two apps ($12 + $13 =$25), my bill should have been $52 before tax and tip. I always round up my tip so it ends up making the total bill a whole number, and is easy to keep track of. Yet I have two charges on my credit card statement, one for $69.90 and the other for $15.52 (my original tip), which ends up being $85.42. Someone went in and changed the dollar amount of the original bill and I got charged over $85 on a $52 bill.

I attempted to call multiple times and speak with a manager about the situation. Using two different phones and in different locations around the area, in case it was a spotty area. Yet, each time I called, they claimed they couldn't hear me and eventually started screening my phone call. Will end up doing a charge back for these charges. Buyer beware, something shady is definitely going on at this brewery. Very...