Tribes Beer Company

Tribes Beer CompanyTribes Beer Company
Tribes Beer CompanyTribes Beer Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

11220 W Lincoln Hwy
Mokena, Illinois, 60448-8208
United States

// CLOSED //

Closed down in April of 2023
BEER STATS
Average:
3.93
Beers:
35
Ratings:
96
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.37
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
56
pDev:
10.3%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by redsand22:
Photo of redsand22
Reviewed by redsand22 from Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.4%
Excellent Beer bar with a great staff, one of the best in the Chicagoland area!

*Great food
*excellent bar staff
*amazing beer list

I could go on and on, but it's one of my go to beer bars for sure!
Sep 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.54 by IPADrone from Illinois

May 27, 2017
Photo of GrumpyGas
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois

4.41/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Bar with several pulls, both in-house and solid guests. Restaurant featuring great burgers. Brewery with a wide variety of well crafted styles.
15 seats at the bar surrounded by 8 four tops. Beer memorabilia and draft pulls adorn the walls and ceiling.
40 draft pulls highlight their consistent house brews and leave room for lots of local: Pollyanna; Haymarket; and Solemn Oath regional: 4 Hands; Founders; Ale Asylum and national: Ballast Point; Lagunitas; North Coast.
Bottles and cans are strong and deep, you can even get Coors Light for the kids.
Space has three separate rooms. The bar area, the Brew House, which is behind glass, and a middle room for about 50.
Service is attentive and knowledgable.
As for food, I enjoyed my Wisconsin q burger and I heard several compliments from other patrons.
May 19, 2017
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Rated by wdberkley from Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Great food, takes pub grub to a foodie level. Awesome selection of beers on tap and they brew their own.
Nov 04, 2015
Photo of TrapJaw77
Reviewed by TrapJaw77 from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -25.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4
Went here yesterday. New space with the brewery is nice; lots of their stuff on tap.

Food was good; much better than their other location.

What I can't understand is that they charge $6 for regular pours of their own beer. That's way overpriced IMO and to the point where I just won't even order their stuff. Maybe I'm shallow minded, but I'd rather pay $6 for a brew made by Deschutes than by Tribes. No other brewery in the area charges this much for their own stuff.

Food took awhile to come out, but believe it was because it was made fresh so I'm good with that. The other location the food comes out quicker, but just slopped together and the fries are rarely freshly cooked.
Oct 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.88 by myuncle from Illinois

Sep 19, 2015
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Reviewed by BlackBeerPirate from Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Good vibe, great tap selection, I had a friend come with me who is a master chef and he liked his dish as I did.
All the four ales I tried were solid. He said the same. G.M. and staff were very nice. I will get other friends to come if they have not before. I will try and visit the other location in Tinley Park, IL. soon
Aug 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.36 by Ryannel24 from Illinois

Aug 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by cducap from Indiana

Jul 06, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by Havok0425 from Illinois

May 11, 2015
Photo of bolognasuave
Reviewed by bolognasuave from Illinois

4.66/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Great food, great selection that changes daily. special events for tappings, or holidays. great vibe and very knowledgeable staff. food selection is awesome and tastes great as well. quality of service second to none. definitely worth the trip, and far better than the other location in Tinley Park.
Apr 20, 2015
Photo of 30MinutesSouth
Reviewed by 30MinutesSouth from Indiana

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
The service was exceptionally great despite being understaffed on a Sat. afternoon for our first visit here. Great space with food good enough to stand on it's own merit. I've seen past tap lists online and more often than not they are very good/great consistently; I just had bad timing being in the area when the list didn't offer much out of the ordinary.
Mar 21, 2015
Photo of Burgman08
Rated by Burgman08 from Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Good beers, food is standard fare
Jan 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by Irishace9 from Illinois

Jan 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by spointon from Illinois

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by TheRealPour from Illinois

Nov 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by iliketigersalot from Illinois

Oct 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.83 by Eman17 from Illinois

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by barnzy78 from Illinois

Sep 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by birdsellam from Indiana

Sep 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Bearshawks85 from Illinois

Aug 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by BUNZILLA from Indiana

Jul 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Kevinpitts from Illinois

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by schuler from Illinois

Jul 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by JIMTRK16 from Illinois

Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by HOPSareKey from Illinois

Jul 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Dexterityviking from Wisconsin

May 06, 2014
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Reviewed by WITTBEER from Illinois

4.94/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5
Mokena Tribes is a great combo of great food, beer, and service. The place itself is a little on the small side, but it has a "Cheers"-like homey atmosphere. 40+ taps and great food. You can get anything from a burger or sandwich, all the way up to a really good steak. Taps change frequently and there's usually a special tapping every Wednesday. The volume level is very good here. Not overly loud. Tribes is definitely the go to place in the sw burbs!
Apr 10, 2014
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Reviewed by BrewThru_29 from Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75
Service at the bar is great. Service elsewhere is a little hit or miss. That is really my only complaint.

Food is good with a nice variety of appetizers and entrees. Outstanding burgers.

Beer selection is rotating and there's always something for just about any taste with 40 or so tap handles.

Gets crowded quick on the weekends, and the bar area is a little small. Overall, a great place, and I stop in regularly.
Mar 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by enelson from Illinois

Dec 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by creepinjeeper from Missouri

Oct 10, 2013
Photo of pointyskull
Reviewed by pointyskull from Illinois

4.69/5  rDev +7.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
There may be two locations now, but Mokena is my favorite.

Looking past the awesome rotating tap beer selection for a brief moment the atmosphere is one of the main reasons I love coming here. The bar area is comfortable and the whole place is intimate, warm and friendly - just a like a neighborhood pub (only one with a world-class beer list).

The specialty tappings/events only make this place all the more excellent.

And without question: the best reuben sandwich I have ever had....
Oct 02, 2013
Photo of ruckus232
Reviewed by ruckus232 from Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -19.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
The selection of beers is great at this place but I feel like the food is only alright. I have been there a few times and there wasn't anything bad about the food or service but it wasn't spectacular either. I would go back to try some more of the beers they have though.
Aug 10, 2013
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Reviewed by DrinkurWheaties from Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
I love the atmosphere of this place! They have cool chalk board art work depicting the logos of several craft brews as well as craft beer metal-like signs! I especially like it when they have a the newest Fat Tire bike on display....wonder if they ever consider raffling it off? hhmmm... Quality is outstanding, from the service to the beer to the food options! The service that I have experienced on my visits has always been attentive, friendly and helpful with suggestions of what to drink and/or eat. My last visit I had the blackened catfish sandwich with mango salsa. The catfish was tender and seasoned just right, add the touch of sweet with the spicy and it was delicious! Overall this place has something for everyone and the staff are more than willing to educate you about the different brews, as well as make appropriate suggestions to those who are veterans as well as virgins to craft beer. If you can make the trek to the south suburbs it is well worth the drive! Enjoy!
Jul 31, 2013
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Reviewed by DownDaHatch from Illinois

4.61/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
This place is a solid little gem in the southern suburbs. You can definitely get a nice "city-like" vibe. I haven't been to the new location in Tinley Park and I hear it is much larger. I will give it a go, but I tend to like the classic friendly, low lit alehouses with well informed staff and even better beer and food. Friendly and cozy are two words that come to mind when describing the Mokena location. Steaks are outstanding and pairing it with one of the many imperial offerings on the ever-changing list make the dining experience complete. Watched a Hawks game here and it did not have the typical "meathead" sports bar atmosphere or attitude. It is nice to go out and watch a game and drink some fine beers while chatting with others. Staying squirrelled up at home watching the games some times leaves me a bit flat. I'm sure I'll be back next time I am in the area or even up for a little side trip. Getting home safely can be a challenge with all of the high-gravity beers offered. Top Notch place and well worth the visit.
Jun 02, 2013
Photo of CORKSCREWFISH
Reviewed by CORKSCREWFISH from Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -9.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
Nice little place in a newer strip mall in Mokena.
Beer selection is always quite good,plenty of less common beers,and special tappings on Wednesdays. These tappings can be quite nice,and have included. beers such as CBS,Black Note,Darkness,to name only a few.
The service is quite nice even if the food can often leave something to be desired. The variety and overall selection of the food is great,the quality is unfortunately not there much of the time.
Overall,the place is nice to have available in the SW burbs.I go here often,the beer keeps me coming back.
New Tinley location opened somewhat recently,but I have yet to try it,
May 14, 2013
Photo of dcsoke
Reviewed by dcsoke from Arkansas

3.98/5  rDev -8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I've been here a few times already and each experience is great, mostly due to the selection of brews and consistency of good service. Downside is that this place is in a remote area in the far southwest suburbs.

A: This place will fool you! The building Tribes is in is a strip mall and there a tanning salon next door, wtf?

Q: Food is amazing, enough said. They have a high quality selection for a bar and it's much larger than the typical brewpub someone would go to. The beer is fresh and from what I can tell they clean out the beer lines from time to time because there isn't the noticeable funk that some places have in their draft selection.

11/1/2012 - Editing the quality to average since my most recent visit to the Mokena location. There were quite a few empty taps, both our burgers were ordered Med but came well done and the burger meat was very salty. I did complain so they could correct the issue going forward. After visiting the new Tinley Park, IL location twice since it opened, it seems as though they took the quality away from the Mokena location and put it in Tinley.

S: The waitstaff here are very attentive, even during peak hours when it's standing room only. Always a smile and quick to get drinks.

S: The menu says it all, they have EVERYTHING. Special tappings each Wednesday and the beer selections change with the seasons to follow the breweries' releases. Food selection is decent too (There's even some vegetarian dishes for those types.)

F: Covered already
V: Warning, can be expensive depending on the type of food and beers ordered. Dinner and drinks can easily run $35-60 a person.
Nov 01, 2012
Photo of sleuthdog
Reviewed by sleuthdog from Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Great little place tucked into the south suburbs of Chicago. Tribes has a nice selection of taps available and seem to update these often. All are priced very well and served in the proper glassware.

Food is better than your average brewpub and selection is, too. Prices for food are on the pricey side to me but hey, you get what you pay for right? I think the food quality is better than average.

Atmosphere is good for a craft beer pub but me being a sports junkie I guess I'd like more sports played and where we can actually hear the game. That's just me being picky, though.
Oct 13, 2012
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Reviewed by BeerOps from Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Tribes Mokena is my local go to option for craft beer and good food.

Visited on a Friday night after a long day of work. Located in a strip mall, parking is ample. The place was packed upon arrival and we ordered a few beers at the bar while we waited for a table. After a short wait, we settled in to a table overlooking the dining area. The server promptly greeted us and seeing we already had drinks, offered us water and a few suggestions on the menu.

Tribes has a nice rotating selection of about 40 drafts and always updates regularly on BeerMenus. The choices range from local standouts to hard to find limited and seasonal releases. Glassware is always appropriate to the selection.

We had the mussels, fish and chips, and a burger. All the food was well prepared and very good. Menu choices are far better than the traditional bar food, so bring an appetite. Service was good and we never felt rushed even though the bar was crowded.

I look forward to the new Tinley Park location to open soon. It will be hard to follow the high standards set by the original location.
Sep 16, 2012
Photo of jeonseh
Reviewed by jeonseh from Indiana

4.05/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Went to Tribes for the first time yesterday. I have to say this is quite the gem in the South burbs as it definitely stands out as one of the better beer bars. When you first walk in, the look of it reminds me of an Irish pub meets FFF. What I mean is that it has the big wooden bar and beer paraphernalia all over the walls (including chalk drawings of the logos what they have on top) but instead of it being all traditional beer logo (think Guinness etc.), it's craft beer focused.

The place gets pretty packed as I was there on a Wednesday and around 7, there was a pretty decent wait. The service was pretty good once I got the waiter to realize that I had arrived and meet my wife, which took awhile.

The beer selection was really good here and is what makes this worth the trip. They had fresh Hopslam, a variety of Stone, Founder's RIS, some FFF beers and a few others. They also seem to partner with the breweries to do release nights and promotion nights as well.

The food was solid. We both had burgers which were good and large. They also have poutine as an appetizer (who doesn't love a place with poutine). Dessert we had a piece of chocolate cake as big as your head.

Overall, a nice place and worth stopping by if you're in the area.
Jan 26, 2012
Tribes Beer Company in Mokena, IL
Brewery rating: 3.93 out of 5 with 96 ratings