Alter Brewing Company

First time visitor. Nice lighting inside the seated area of the brewery. Extremely limited parking (all of the parking in the front was taken on a Monday evening around 630ish when I arrived), however, I found out after I was served at the bar that all three levels of parking are permissble to park at. I got a flight which comes in 5 oz piurs (four of them). Blueberry Pie-Eyed (Fruited Sour Ale 7%) was a really good beer and the second best beer I tried (I could taste the blueberry and the tartness). Cukezilla vs Limekong (Kolsch, 5.4%) was the best beer I tasted (loved the cucumber and lime combination). La Roja (Red Ale, 6%) was not to my liking. I saw the pomegranate and biscuits in the red ale description on the beer menu and assumed it would be a good red ale beer but I didnt really like it. Framboise (Belgian Sour Ale, 6%) was also a good beer. This one tasted more like a light stout. I couldnt taste the raspberry or pink rose (if it was present in the beer then it was a really faint taste). I could definitely taste the vanilla. Overall, this brewery is an awesome place to hang out. While I like the stouty, fruity, sour type of beers, there are also light and IPA beers available on draft and via cans. Love the background music and noise level in the building. Keep serving the customer base!

Amazing experience celebrating my friends birthday! Staff was kind and friendly (thank you Ben) and we got 8th place in trivia! The vibes were there, people were great, and I WILL be returning🦖

First time in this fine establishment (been meaning to drop in for ages). As they are close neighbors of my son's forthcoming Blume & Ferris Public House just around the corner, felt it was time to say hi to these great people. Super well done -- great atmosphere, terrific folks, and tasty beer. Nothing to not like here!

Great place to get a delicious brew and hang out for a bit. Very spacious. Weekly events. Great service.

We had our wedding reception here, and it was absolutely perfect from start to finish! The staff was incredibly organized and attentive — everything ran so smoothly that I didn’t have to worry about a single thing the entire night. Our event planner (Ashley) was an absolute gem — patient with every question and detail leading up to the big day, and calm, supportive, and on top of everything when it mattered most. The bartenders (James, Aishel, Danyel) were a total hit — fun, friendly, and honestly felt like part of our family by the end of the night. They brought such great energy and made everyone feel welcome. I know there were so many staff but I can't remember everyone's names (I'm so sorry!) I can’t recommend this venue enough for anyone planning a wedding or special event. The people here truly care, and it shows in every detail.

5 stars all around! We had our son’s first birthday party at Alter Brewing and it was perfect! All the staff were super friendly, attentive and accommodating. Especially, Lisa (events manager). She made sure everything was perfect from start to finish. She was so helpful throughout planning and during the party. This is our second event at Alter and I highly recommend hosting your event there too.

My spouse and I have been coming to Alter for the last decade. It’s our favorite spot. We meet friends and family here for discussions from the weather to politics and religion. We play in the bags and euchre leagues. This was where we planned our wedding and the first outing we took with our newborn son. Our dog is always welcomed with ear scratches and water on the patio. Alter has made sure we feel completely home (though… message to the owners. If you really want to make the DG location “family friendly”, please get a changing table so all of us parents don’t have to change our babies in the trunks of our cars!). The beer and atmosphere deserve all the stars!

Great night at Alter Brewing in Downers Grove, always one of our favorite places! Fantastic band here tonight, “Form” !!!

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.

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.

Whether trivia on Tuesday nights, ordering from the Gnarly Knots truck or stopping in for a beer or on tap cider with my husband, Alter never disappoints!

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

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

(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)

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.

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

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

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)

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.

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!

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.

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

We went to AlterBC after a friend repeatedly invited us and Finally went. It's in a newer business park area, easily accessible and plenty of parking. Taco truck waiting outside that evening. Inside is typical industrial, metal walls, high ceilings, with the exposed tanks, but very clean and not smelly like some breweries. There was a game wall too and there was a lively group whooping it up playing a game, which was especially nice to see ppl having fun. Garage doors opened up to outdoor seating for a nice breeze. This evening the place seemed divided generationally with X'ers inside and young parents outside...although the latter seems common. As far as the beer was concerned, the Orange Whip, a citrus flavored milkshake like beer was really tasty, and hubby had a Cherry Wheat Ale, and the Golden Pale Ale, both which he enjoyed. Service was attentive and good. Overall a pleasant evening, and this is one of the breweries that I'd really like to go to on the regular.

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.

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 :)

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).

We worked with Lisa on an after party for our children's baptism- we couldn't have been happier with how it turned out! We used their barrel room and it was beautiful! The staff was extremely attentive and the beer was delicious! Lisa was so easy to work with, great communication, and you could tell she wanted everything to be the way we requested it. Highly recommend for any event you are thinking of!!!

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.

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!

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!

I stopped in to Alter Brewing in Downers Grove on Saturday to get a gift card for a friend. I waited at the bar until the bartender was done talking with the seated customers and asked if I could get a gift card. He was not friendly at all. He just processed my debit card and handed me the gift card. Didn't even acknowledge the $5 tip I gave him. If I had it to do over again, I don't think I would have tipped. It really takes no effort to smile and act welcoming. Needless to say, I won't be going back!

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

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 !!

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.

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!

Fun space, at first was a little difficult to find but once I sat down and grabbed a drink the environment was relaxing and had good vibes overall. The drinks were good and the staff was kind. I will be going back. Especially a nice place for a date night.

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.

a nice tucked away brewery in an industry zone and the place is clean and spacious looking like a modern big connected building brewery would look. The place is connected to other business but at night it appears isolated and alone with ample space and hood homemade brews and just of many great breweries in the suburbs of Chicago. This is one of the better ones and just has a great look a must stop for people like me on the random brewery tour visiting as many all before they collapse or Covid restrictions take them ouy

Great place to go and have a few drinks, especially after work. Beware.....parking sucks at peak times. They're in a pretty big industrial strip but the problem is you literally can't park in front of any of the other businesses. Just be prepared for a short walk. Place is kind of tight, so if you don't want to be rubbing shoulders with people just go at a non-peak time. They have ample seating, just beware that they get massively busy at times and you may have to stand in line at the bar. Beer is all fantastic. I haven't ordered anything I didn't like. You can do a take-home as well if you really like something. They give you large cans vs the glass jugs you get at Miskatonic. Lineup is varied with beers, although it's very sour-lite. Sours are kind of just becoming a thing so maybe in the future they'll do more of those. Service is great for as packed as they get. Never had to wait terribly long in a line and I expect that at packed places. Definitely recommend this place

Another craft brewery tap room, very similar to Noon Whistle, 350, solemn oath, urban legends, and all the other suburban tap rooms, it's byo food, or they have these $6 big bags of craft chips to buy, they have a good beer selection, I liked them all, the all terior motive was my favorite, the only downside was that they have a 48 oz limit of beer served for customers ://// Also on Wednesdays if you bring a board game you get a $1 pint, at least I think that was the deal, they have one big TV, and if weather is nice they open to big doors to the outside Worth checking out if you're a craft beer fan and live in the western burbs

I came here for a "Parks and Recreation"-themed trivia night last week, and I really have to salute the question master, because the game was difficult! I still had a lot of fun, though, because the atmosphere was so vibrant, and from what I learned that evening, Alter holds quite a few trivia nights -- so they know what they're doing here! I'd highly recommend getting here early on themed evenings, because otherwise you may not get a seat (you can also register on their website prior to trivia nights to guarantee a spot). However, if there are open seats at other tables, people seemed to be generally nice about giving up an extra chair... as long as you're brave enough to ask! Alter Brewery is much like other breweries decor-wise, which is very industrial, with dim-to-bright lighting depending on where you are in the room. They have a pretty extensive list of beers brewed on-site, and I choose a tart cherry beer that I enjoyed so much, I got a few more glasses of it (I'll admit, if I find something I love on a menu, I get a little attached!). Alter also sells food from various local vendors that changes quite frequently, but they allow outside food as well, so my friends and I ordered a pizza from Sarpino's nearby which was delivered right to the door. While employees walked around during trivia, it was mostly to collect trash. All ordering has to be done at the bar, which is totally fair! Just wanted to point that out in case you ever go and just sit down and are wondering what's happening. I'm a HUGE fan of "Parks and Recreation," and though the questions were difficult and at times made me question how much of a ~true fan~ I really am, I think this brewery paid great respect to the show and all the fans present had a great time. The host was very knowledgeable about the topic, and the GIFs shared on-screen were specific to each question and not just generic ones you see online all the time. Looking at their calendar online, it seems they do trivia here weekly. Again, you can register to guarantee a spot on their website! They also have a special Game of Thrones-themed one coming up soon, so if you're a Stark, check it out -- Lannisters may need to pay a fine. ;)

Nice brewery, super clean...solid beers, even if they lean heavy on the IPAs, worth a stop. Then hit Los Dos for the torta!!

Chicago and the suburbs have some really great craft breweries. Alter comes in with a pretty solid lineup. We had Alterior Motive which is an IPA with tons of Citra and Simcoe hops. A very tasty and hoppy beer. If you like hoppy beers you won't be disappointed. We tried the Mosaic Motive which is a nicely balanced hoppy beer that finishes with just a hint of sweetness from the tropical flavors. This was my favorite of the two IPA's. For our third beer we tried the King Balaton which is a cherry wheat beer. I'm not usually a fan of wheat beers but I was intrigued by the cherry aspect. I actually thought the beer style was more of a sour than a wheat. If you like slightly tart/sour beers give this one a try. I'm a bit of a typography/graphics nerd, Alter has a really cool ambigram logo which is easy to read and design wise is one of the best I've ever seen. The décor is the typical garage/industrial/diy which I love. The seating area is larger than some of the other tap rooms we have visited. I like that you can see all the shiny stainless steel brewery equipment from the taproom. The server was friendly but it would be nice if chatted up the beers a bit. Taproom only, no food so BYOF.

Popped in here before Christmas with a couple family members who also love beer. I tried the Batch and Dank You. Someone else did the flight of five. And another had the Dubbel and the Porter. I must admit based on what I had, I wasn't in love. The others both enjoyed the Dubbel and Porter. My loss. I severely had the munchies. This place needs food. I don't care if it's peanuts or a popcorn machine; something. I can't wait for special days for a taco truck. What I really craved were chicken wings. Do they make wing trucks?? Tbh I don't think I'll be back. I can get more enjoyable beers in the store. I'll see if they introduce some new beers (oatmeal stout or a milk stout? Hint)

Solid. Not spectacular. Good service and a passion for brewing. Hell Hazed Over NEIPA was best of what I sampled (Ambigram and Alterior Motive). Close to work so I may go back. But with so many other good options available now, Alter won't be my go-to either.

This Microbrewery is a big city material. It has a good selection of beers. We had the Alrerior movie which is a well balanced IPA. The Hopular Kid which is a good Pale ale. Plus it has a lot of seating area and amazing ambience. Most Check when in Downers.

Mike was our bartender tonight. Couldn't ask for better! We do many breweries and what a treat to be paired with a great bartender. The beer: Well okay now for the truth train to hit. We tried all 11. Only 3 hit. We are pretty picky since we literally travel and drink local .... my take ... the experience overall can make it or break it when the beer is decent and the staff and patrons hit a home run. (FYI I don't even like baseball) but it fits. Tonight it all worked and was a great time. I can understand it could have been different but timing can truly be everything. Thanks Mike! Thanks good beer drinkers we met!

Was in town visiting family & visited for a friend's surprise birthday. They don't serve food, so they allowed us to bring our own- we had a decent spread. My friends had reserved a small corner area & it was perfect for the group we had. I believe I was drinking a Mexican lager most of the night, as I'm not into ipa's & hoppy beers. It was a perfect night to have the large overhead doors open & the stills in the back are cool to look at. Service was quick & friendly... Definitely a cool spot for Chicago Burbs

I was really impressed by Alter Brewing. The brewery is located in an industrial park and, from the outside, I did not expect the spacious tap room that we walked into! It was very busy on a Friday evening, but we were able to find some seats due to the sheer size of this place. In nice weather, the overhead doors are open to enjoy your beer al fresco. Alter is BYOF, but I think food trucks stop here often too. The bartenders have the hipster look down, but their attitudes are nothing but down to earth and approachable. I tried the "Cham Wow," a chamomile rye saison, and the "Mandarina," a citrusy pale ale. I liked both of them, and I noticed that the beers on tap weren't as IPA-heavy compared to other breweries. Anyone who likes craft beer needs to check out Alter.