It's Good To Be A Beer Lover In Chicagoland

By John Dodge

CHICAGO -- Mmmm ... beer.

It is good to be a beer lover in Chicagoland.

According to the map posted recently on Reddit, there are hundreds of breweries within a short road trip of the Chicago area--one of the most concentrated regions for brewers in the country.

The area has seen an explosive growth in microbreweries in the past six years. As of 2012, there were 423 breweries in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

That includes 83 in Illinois, which is more than double the number from eight years ago.

According to the Brewers Association there are more small, craft breweries now than ever in the United States. Outside of prohibition, it was a pretty sad time for the brewing craft in the 1980s.

Craft brewers sold an estimated 15.6 million barrels of beer in 2013, up from 13.2 million in 2012. The growth in volume of beer has risen steadily over the past five years.

A total of 2,768 craft breweries operated for some or all of 2013, composed of 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries.

Do you have a favorite craft beer (or two, or three ...) Head to our Facebook page and share your opinion.