Little Egypt Beer (Ava, IL)

No Longer In Business

Small place with 8 beers on tap. You drink right next to the shelves of grain at a couple of plastic tables. $10 for a 4oz sample of all beers. Pricier than I’d expect for somewhere in the middle of no where, but they’re just starting out. English pale, hefe, stout, IPA, golden were all, in my opinion, well represented. He also brewed an "Abt 6," which I had never heard of. Kind of a spicier Belgian golden. That was my favorite. The brewer was really nice and seemed to genuinely appreciate having people come by to try his beer. They’ve very recently started bottling, and you can get 22oz bottles locally. The winery has a deck attached, and the brewer had mentioned that they get bands out sometimes. I don’t know how kosher it is to take your beer and sit on the winery’s patio, but it seemed that would have been okay. I would come back. He’s doing some good beers and I think it’ll get even better.

On your way to or from Scratch don’t forget about this place. Now named Little Egypt brewing it is nestled on a hillside shared by the bluffs winery. A gravel road takes you up a hill to where the winery and brewery are perched. The winery has a wrap around porch with a nice view. The brewery is off to the right in it’s own building. Pretty bare bones operation but run by friendly folks. They have about 8 beers on tap for $5 a pint. Had the hefe and it was true to the style. They also have a red , gold, IPA and quad that I would have got but I was driving. Reminds me of Charleville in MO. A winery with a brewery on a gravel road where you can stare at nature for awhile.