Mickey Finn's Brewery

Mickey Finn's BreweryMickey Finn's Brewery
Mickey Finn's BreweryMickey Finn's Brewery
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

345 N Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyville, Illinois, 60048
United States

(847) 362-6688 | map
mickeyfinnsbrewery.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.64
Beers:
87
Ratings:
339
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.8
Reviews:
31
Ratings:
58
pDev:
11.32%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of WiCowboy79
Rated by WiCowboy79 from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Always a busy place especially during happy hour. Love the food and the beer selection. One of my go to spots.
May 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Aug 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by tommy5 from Michigan

Aug 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by joshdaut from Illinois

Jul 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.95 by Stezz420 from Illinois

Jun 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.81 by CreedeSon from Illinois

Jun 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by Purp1eOne from Illinois

May 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.15 by bfrank8 from Illinois

Mar 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by ktarns from Illinois

Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by ralerwen from Illinois

Feb 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by 1eyed_jack from Illinois

Feb 05, 2015
Photo of AuntBea
Reviewed by AuntBea from Illinois

4.56/5  rDev +20%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25
New location is very nice but, really loud when there is a big crowd. Quieter for lunch. Good selection of beers. Menu is pretty much the same as it was in the old location.
Dec 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.61 by OKFine from Michigan

Dec 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Beerguy1977 from Illinois

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.12 by SAEmick from Illinois

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by TheRealPour from Illinois

Nov 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Davit from California

Sep 15, 2014
Photo of stouts4me
Rated by stouts4me from Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.3%
Good beer, very good food, good atmosphere, nice outside patio.
Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bowzer4birdie from Illinois

Aug 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by MilkaStout from Illinois

Jul 03, 2014
Photo of Beric
Reviewed by Beric from Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Atmosphere: Your standard normal brewpub, but with tons of distracting large-screen TVs spread throughout the entire restaurant. I would prefer that the TVs stay limited to the bar area, but that's just not how they do things. New location is open and airy, but rather loud.

Quality: Good brews and great food. Mickey Finn's brews are nothing that will blow you away and demand worship, but are a great addition to the northern IL microbrew scene. Solid offerings that are tasty, but nothing that will blow you away.

Selection: Always have a handful of home-made microbrews on tap, along with two or three guest taps. Styles vary between the safe (wheat ales and amber ales) to the adventurous (smoked porters).

Food: Average pub food choices. Excellent hamburgers.

Value: Good pricing for both beer and food. Great atmosphere and always busy. They know what they're doing here, but it's a shame they chose not to get in on the craft beer scene (in terms of bottling/canning or offering true growlers) while they had the chance. Mickey Finn's has been a staple in northern IL for years yet it seems they are behind the eight ball in the craft brew scene.
Jun 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by MikeThumel from Illinois

Apr 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BigBadBaptist88 from Illinois

Apr 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Apr 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Candydandyliquorquicker from Illinois

Mar 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by JVB from Illinois

Jan 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by maxcoinage from Illinois

Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Stoutfan23DJ from Illinois

Oct 26, 2013
Photo of kjc51478
Reviewed by kjc51478 from Germany

3.4/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Mickey Finn’s is a pretty standard brew pub restaurant in downtown Libertyville. The atmosphere is nice except on weekends when it can get pretty loud. Food and beer can be hit or miss. I"ve had some good beers and some not-so-good beers here. Food selection can also be an adventure - but the burgers here are usually a safe bet. In an area that doesn’t boast many brew pub options, this is certainly worth a visit. But, it in no way can stack up to the kind of pubs you’d find in Chicago proper.
May 20, 2011
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
I went here while getting my car serviced in Libertyville after having a pint at the Firkin.

It is a two part place, a bar/pub area, and a restaurant. I sat at the bar. It has a loud sports bar feel with tons of basketball on the tv.

I tried a sample of 7 beers, with one of them being the nitro version o the other. The beers ran the gamut of horrible (847 Suburban Wheat) to pretty good (Czech Pils).

The food I got was the sausage plate and it was pretty good and hearty.

The bartender was nice.

Overall it is a nice little brewpub not too far from home.
Feb 01, 2011
Photo of t0rin0
Reviewed by t0rin0 from California

3.94/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Visited 10/11/2010 on Columbus Day. 9 house taps including both versions (nitro/CO2) of Big Head APA and a couple of casks (Q-Dog and left over Summer Ale).

This place is in another nice looking quiet country side town. The bar is across the street from a park so parking was easy. The restaurant is kind of stretched out into an L shape. It was sort of dark inside and a bit warm but over all nice. Not many people inside at 11 am on a holiday.

I tried the sampler, although I'm still not sure if they normally offer this. The sampler included the regular beers but when I asked to include the nitro Big Head, the seasonal (Oktoberfest), and the 2 casks the bartender happily obliged. After leaving me with my drinks he went to hang out with one of the waitresses. Fine with me as I was only making a quick stop on the way back to Chicago and I was paying cash so I didnt need him around.

The beer wasn't bad with the standout being the 847 APWA and the variations of the Big Head Pale (nitro, CO2, and Q-Dog which is cask Big Head with some extra dry hops).

Not even sure if they offer food but at a friendly neighborhood bar like this I wouldn't mind hanging out a bit.
Dec 22, 2010
Photo of BeerLover99
Reviewed by BeerLover99 from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
This little gem in the North suburbs of Chicago (Lake County) offers a wide selection of beers. They have standards available throughout the year, as well as, seasonal offerings. You can purchase growlers.

Small, quaint pub, restaurant feel with a separate bar section, along with live music area upstairs.

The pub fair is very good and after visiting this place many times, have tried many different things on the menu. Mickey Finn's has something for everyone concerning beer (weaker to heavier) and also food.

This is a must for IL and WI residents. Support local beer.
Dec 10, 2010
Photo of vlad1456
Reviewed by vlad1456 from Illinois

4.95/5  rDev +30.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Mickey Finn's is a great place to get a few beers and have a nice meal. They usually have many different varieties on tap, including, amber, hefeweizen, and oatmeal stout. The beers are top notch and the service is every bit as good. There is also a reasonably priced menu, mostly comfort food. This is the place to go to in Libertyville. It is a great place to go with a large group or to take a date to. My personal favorite is the oatmeal stout. I also like the hefeweizen, especially in the summer, great banana and clove flavor.
Nov 02, 2010
Photo of RMC
Reviewed by RMC from Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +15.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Had some friends in town from the Northeast, and we headed over to Finns to sample their beers. These guys know A LOT more about beer than I do, and all 6 of them praised the beers as VERY good. One of them told me how difficult it is to get a decent Kolsch in his area, and that I was lucky to have Finns so close with such a variety of VERY good beers. (The six of them took the train from downtown and exclaimed it was well worth the trip.)The service and selections are great, and the atmosphere is exactly what you'd like for a friendly neighborhood pub. I recommend it highly!
Nov 02, 2010
Photo of Czap
Reviewed by Czap from Illinois

2.81/5  rDev -26.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3
I would not recommend this place at all. I have been there a few times, never by choice, always because a friend is having a party there. The beer is just lazy or boring or sometimes just plain offensive. I don't like to complain, but there is no excuse for some of the swill that is being brewed in this place. The service is good and Libertyville is always a fun little town to check out. But please, I urge you, go across the street the The Firkin or The Tavern, spend a few extra bucks, get some great brews and hang out in a more inviting atmosphere.
Oct 14, 2010
Photo of Vdubb86
Reviewed by Vdubb86 from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
This is a good place to go for a local brew. Not many places brew there own beer in the northern burbs of Chicago. There's usually at least one beer style to suit everyone in your party. The seasonals are usually some of the best, but I don't know anyone who doesn't like their 847 suburban wheat ale (clone of goose islands 312). My personal favorite was their Märzen Madness which was seasonally available in March. For those who don't understand that you are supposed to get good beer while you're there they have that macrobrews as well. The food is typical bar food, there's a good selection of German style foods, but that is far from the only style available. Reasonably priced on all aspects. Fairly decent atmosphere. Band room upstairs for decent live local music. The staff is knowledgeable about the craft beers they make. Open fairly late on weekends when the restaurant turns to a decent bar scene. I enjoy and frequent this establishment. Greatly recommended.
Aug 26, 2010
Photo of KTCamm
Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
An overall good find in Libertville, IL. Good atmosphere, including an outdoor beer garden. Long picnic bench tables with outddor heaters for when the weather is too cold for some.

The sampler included 8 or 9 tasting sized samples, more than enough to keep me happy. The waiter knew waht each of beers was and was able to answer some questions on it.

Had a good variey of lunch items, including sandwiches, pizzas, and good appetizers.

Worth a trip, a good find, some quality brews and good food.

Prices were quite reasonable, for both the food and the beer.
May 31, 2010
Photo of TMoney2591
Reviewed by TMoney2591 from Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
A quaint little microbrewery in Libertyville. I've been here both in the restaurant portion and in the bar portion, so both will be dealt with in turn. In terms of the restaurant, it is comprised of a small interior space in front of the fermenters and a smaller outdoor bistro (or, rather, beer garden). The food is decent, but I don't think it would stand up on its own without the beer. As for the beer, these guys know what they're doing, with a number of styles available on a seasonally rotating schedule and a constantly changing lineup with new and fun styles. One of my personal favorites is their smoked porter, which complements the barbecued meats nicely. As for the bar area, it's somewhat cramped, taking up a long room in the corner of the restaurant (it's especially cramped on weekend nights). The taps have the usual macros alongside the homemade brews, but the number of taps isn't very high. The music is generic and played rather loudly (now I sound all curmudgeonly). And, if you are so inclined, there is an area upstairs where they have a dancefloor and stage that hosts a number of local bands.
All in all, an enjoyable place with good-enough food and tasty brews.
Feb 02, 2010
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
This has a younger and more boisterous crowd then the nearby Firkin. As you walk in, the bar is in a room on your right and the large dinning area is on the left. The bar room is a bit narrow and get crowded, but it is a fun crowd. The dinning area has lots of large tables; it would be great for groups or families.

There is a bar and music room upstairs. Minor complaint, the white leather bar stools looks like something out of some 1960's James Bond movie. We did see a band while we were there. It was fun and they keep the music at a tolerable level.

Our waitress was friendly and quick however she did not know anything about the beer. I asked her about the rye porter and she said she only drinks lite beer and hates anything dark. However, she is starting to like the wheat. At least our beers came quickly!

Speaking of beers, I enjoyed everything I tried. My personal favorites were the Fifth O'Rye Stout IPA. They have a pretty wide range of styles that they tackle and seem to do seasonals.

I did not try the food this time, but lots of folks go there to eat and I will do lunch or dinner here next time I'm in the neighborhood. This makes a nice one-two stop with the nearby Firkin.
Jan 28, 2010
Mickey Finn's Brewery in Libertyville, IL
Brewery rating: 3.64 out of 5 with 339 ratings