Crown Brewing

For us, a pleasant detour off the highway on a roadtrip to get a bite to eat, really not that far from Chicago either.
The courtyard was pleasant to linger in and the inside looked cozy.
Great place to hang, chill and catch up. Pizza on one side, beer on the other.
Business was swift on a Sunday despite, apparently because one of the few places you could get beer on a Sunday?
I struggled to find a beer that I was into because of sweetness or fruit, but my wife enjoyed several. There were some interesting combinations to be had.
Apparently the pizza is the thing there, some very interesting seasonal pizza combos to be had such as the corn beef and cabbage pizza - would love to try that but they were not featuring it. We did try the pulled pork pizza and it was good.
We were tempted and tried the beer shrooms, they were ok, but I would pass on them next time.
Tip - some righteous specials to be had - <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.carriagecourtpizza.com%2Fspecials-a-coupons&s=b548df3e8d8b3e5d77404fb450e3621fa996cd051febce094a9c7a49d18908f1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.carriagecourt…</a>

I really want to like Crown Brewing, but it's just not as good as it could be. The location is fabulous, the bartenders and servers are very friendly, and I love to support local businesses...BUT, the beer is just OK (lately their brews are between 3.5% ABV and 5% ABV) and the menu lacks creativity. My burger was overcooked and the app was really greasy. I was also irritated by the swarms of kids in the restaurant and on the patio. When the rug rats outnumber the adults 3 to 1, I become a bit testy. Although I'm just speculating, I'm fairly certain these little monsters were the reason our meal took forever to prepare and arrived cold. Ugh.
I'm not very eager to return to Crown Brewing. The dozen or so times I've been there over the past 3 years has been the same each time: mediocre at best.

Very cute little brewery tucked in the middle of a restaurant. Their beer line-up is pretty good. We stayed away from the IPAs since we don't like super hoppy beers, but enjoyed the Blue, Mango Saison, (surprisingly since I don't care for wits) the Orange Wit, and the Java Porter: Pecan Pie. The Crown Brown is very good too. Be sure to order the flight when you go since they let you customize the beers for it.

Beers: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Location: 4/5 - The direct door into the Brewery tap room is through the outdoor seating area, but if you walk into the door streetside continue walking toward the back and you will see it on the left.