Mundelein Craft Beer Festival returns with 40 Chicagoland breweries

Mundelein’s downtown beer scene got its biggest annual jolt on Saturday, June 6, when the 13th annual Craft Beer Festival filled Courtland Commons from 1 to 5 p.m. with up to 40 craft brewers from across Chicagoland. For drinkers, that kind of lineup turns one afternoon into a fast track through the region’s beer map.

That scale matters. Up to 40 breweries is enough to show real range without turning the event into a stampede, which is exactly why these downtown festivals work so well for local beer discovery. Attendees could sample broadly, compare house styles side by side, and leave with a short list of taprooms to hit later, whether the pull was hop-forward IPA, lagers, sours, or something more seasonal from a nearby brewery.

The festival was presented by Mundelein Community Connection and Tighthead Brewing Co. at 444 E Courtland St. The mix of live music and food made it more than a tasting tent, and that broader draw helps explain why the event has held its place on the calendar for 13 years. Earlier festival listings also pointed to unlimited samples from Illinois craft breweries, a souvenir tasting glass, and food from local restaurant vendors, all signs that this is built as a proper afternoon out, not just a quick pour-and-go stop.

Mundelein is also using the festival as part of a larger downtown strategy. Downtown Mundelein says year-round events like farmers markets, craft beer festivals, arts festivals and holiday celebrations are meant to drive consistent foot traffic to the district. Mundelein Community Connection describes the beer festival as a partnership that brings together business, local government and a nonprofit volunteer-based organization, which gives the event a civic purpose beyond the beer list.

That is what makes the festival distinct in a crowded summer calendar: it puts a wide slice of the Chicagoland beer scene into one downtown setting and asks people to spend the afternoon there. For a town trying to build a clearer beer identity, that is not just a fun Saturday. It is a statement about where Mundelein wants its beer culture to live.