Light The Lamp Brewery

Good beer and hockey atmosphere. Everyone was very polite. Tried the strawberry ale. Very tasty and light for summer.

Even if you don’t like hockey, go for the beer!
They make it all on the premises and it’s fresh!

Seriously a hidden gem (for now) in Lake County! The beer is very top notch and the service is seriously great. When I came back to the tap room a few weeks after my first trip, everyone behind the counter remembered my name and what my favorite beer on tap there was!
If you’re a hockey fan, this is the place to be. You’ll feel right at home. There are rumblings that the operation will be expanding sometime this year, and that’s a great thing for Grayslake!
Locals need to continue to support this brewery!

Only started coming into LTL in last few months. Good beer and I can walk to and from. Small place so you can socialize with everyone at the bar. Has 3 TV’s so they can have on a couple different games on. Place gets a consistent crowd for Hawk games and Friday nights. All the owners are bartenders and very friendly. Hope they get a bigger location in town next year and start serving food. That would be awesome.

Great spot with a very nice selection of beers! and free popcorn. Do a sampler then grab a growler of your favorite to take home.

Stopped in and found the beer and service was very solid. Their popcorn is ayce! It just makes you drink more!

Fun Blackhawks bar! Really nice owner! I just wish they had more beer options, but I believe they are expanding!

We were invited to join a friend of ours to watch the Blackhawks game at his local brewery. The Light the Lamp Brewery has been around since 2011. They are truly hockey fans here and they craft different styles of been all year round you’ll have to check out their website.
When we entered the establishment, there was tons of Hawks and hockey related items all over the room. They had high top tables, regular tables, a bar and a lounge couch. The place is small and cozy.
They don’t serve food here so you are encourage to bring your own food from home or by one of the local food joynts around. You can even have food delivered here. I saw a lot of pizza orders coming through the door which was cool. They do provide napkins/​plates/​utensils just in case you didn’t get any. If you just want to drink, they do offer unlimited fresh popcorn (taste like movie popcorn yum).
They have 3 flat screen TVs so everyone is able to watch and they have speakers all around the room. Their bathroom is a shared one, yes one bathroom for everyone. They should have at least two of them. So if you gotta go, don’t hold it too long or else.
The one thing I wish they did was to play the hawks goal song with all their red lamps all, but maybe they weren’t working that day. They did have a tambourine being drummed throughout the game… let’s go hawk, lets go hawks!
Since this is our first time here, we wanted to try their sampler which they gave us 8 sampler glasses. We thought one was good enough but nope, another round please yup pretty good drinks and buzzing in the 2^nd period geez lol!
Individual beer was bout $ 5-​$ 6 each and they do offer to sell them for carry out if you have your own container or buy one from them.
The service was very nice and explained each drink we ordered. Funny gal, keep it coming. Our sampler was 6 for $ 12 not bad but we were able to get in 2 newer ones sweet! Yes we tipped well!
For this month we tried the following and I liked all the light beers while hubby took the dark beers. But we tried them all and they were all pretty tasty:
Red Line Ale-​ABV 5.3%
This amber ale malt generous amount of hop bitterness and aroma it was brewed with English and American malts.
Bench Minor Blonde-​ABV 5.7%
A light American Blonde Ale. Brewed with pale malt and a touch of flaked wheat. Fruity esters brought on from the yeast.
Sin Bin Stout-​ABV 5.8%
7 different malts with added oatmeal create a complex, roasty, drinkable Stout. Notes of coffee, dark cocoa and toasted biscuit.
1980 Miracle American Ale– AVB 5.7%
Their American Pale Ale balance of specialty malts and hops. Cascade and Centennial hops used in both the boil and for dry hopping. A pinch of light Munich and Victory malt give the beer a kick.
Shorthanded IPA-​ABV 6.7%
Power Play IPA– ABV 6.7%
Overall good atmosphere, they also have a lounge area up front for smokers but not sure if you can technically take your drinks outside though. Since it’s kind of small, I would come early to get a good table 30 mins-​1 before the game starts. If you prefer the bar area, then come earlier lol! I would come back if I’m in the area nice place.

This is an update to a previous review. The beer is gotten much much better. I still think the Decour needs help, as are still typical breakfast tables like a mom-​and-​pop breakfast shop. They just added pub trivia, so it makes it a fun place to hang out.

Highly recommended — friendly, comfortable tasting room with top-​notch beers on-​tap. I’d recommend any of the 6 beers I tasted yesterday, though I’m partial to the stout. No food, but several options for delivery.

Best god damn beer in Lake County. Hockey games get rowdy. Super laid back atmosphere. Owners are all very cool and super friendly. Bar has a very Cheers like atmosphere. A lot of the regulars all know each other. Great selection of locally crafted brews. Bench Minor Blonde and the Heffe are excellent. Try a Blackhawk if you get the chance. They usually have a good selection of limited brews as well, but get them fast as they usually run out quick. Growlers are available as well so if you want to take some with you can. Very much worth the price of beer ($ 5 a pint). No food there (other than the pretzels and popcorn) but you are welcome to bring/​order in. Awesome place to go, highly recommended if in Lake County and especially so if there is a Hawks game on. Ill continue to go until they kick me out!

My boyfriend and I love this place! And all of the staff is awesome and friendly. Always willing to strike up a conversation and make sure your glass is full. I like the small corner brewery vibe. Some people are just a bunch of sticks in the mud!

Excellent IPA.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! Im all about small, quaint bars, no discos or clubs. This is the perfect place where you can enjoy some GREAT brews and interact with others while not screaming over obnoxious music and clubgoers :)

Great little place owned by people who actually care. They’re putting out some very solid brews in a very cozy corner unit of an apartment building.
Follow them on Facebook to keep filled in on their frequent events. I see a great future for this place. Go hawks

Light the Lamp has a lot of potential at some point in the future. I got a flight because I was excited to try all the different varieties of beer I saw listed on their website. My excitement was short lived when the girl waiting on us quickly told us they were out of 3 beers, including the one they released a few hours before we got there. At first I found it hard to believe they could have been out of a beer they released a few hours ago, but understood when she said they only made 5 gallons of it.
Like several other reviews have said, the taproom looks like man-​cave meets single guy’s kitchen. The staff were very nice, even replacing a beer that got knocked over, but we could tell who the regulars were by the bowls of pretzels they had and we weren’t offered anything. Due to the fact they were out of so much beer, I’m wondering if maybe they should have focused on their brewing operation before opening a taproom. In my mind I’m imagining their operation consisting of dozens of 5 gallon plastic buckets and home brewing kits in some backroom.
I’d go back to the taproom when in the area because they did have some good beer (1980 miracle pale ale), but with all the regulars and feel of the place, I felt like we were crashing someone’s house party.

We love this place. They have a new (ish) brewmaster that started in May, and he makes some excellent beer. They always have new limited quantity brews they’re trying out too – they usually post details in their Facebook page. We have 3 favorites, the blonde, 1980 miracle, and their wit beer.
Also, I think the atmosphere is great. It isn’t anything fancy, but the owners really make you feel welcome. Also, I’ve never had any problems with the service. Sometimes it’s crowded, and you might wait a few minutes for a beer but never anything crazy. The atmosphere is the best during Blackhawks games.
We also like getting the growlers when we aren’t necessarily in the mood to be at the bar but would like some good beer.

A few of us tried LTL for the Hawks at Red Wings game. I am happy to say that the Hawks won again! What a season.
The reason to come to LTL is to enjoy a hockey game with other fans– the fact that they have fresh craft brews on tap is a bonus– but a much appreciated bonus for sure.
The place starts filling up about an hour before the game so don’t expect that you will stroll in 5 mins into the 1^st period and get a table. Parking in the adjacent lot can be a challenge if you are a late comer, but there is ample street parking for those willing to walk less than a block. After 5 PM it is OK to use the nearby bank parking lot also.
I liked the hockey oriented decorations including jerseys representing the «original six» teams on the wall opposite the bar. There is lots of energy in the air while the game is on and it was a great deal of fun cheering and enjoying the broadcast.
As someone mentioned– no food (but you can bring outside food and some local places will deliver) and really nothing other than beer available to drink. The bartender was nice and put some cans of soda that other customers brought in on ice. I forgot to ask if you could BYO if someone wanted wine– will ask next time.
I had no trouble with service but I am not afraid to speak up if I want something. Perhaps other people had trouble knowing who was «staff» since pretty much both patrons and servers wear Hawks gear! I can understand how it might be confusing!
Overall we had a great experience– by far the most fun I have had on a Hawks game day outside of the United Center.

This place is like a matchbox. The hockey theme is fun, and during the Blackhawks games things can get a bit loud. I went here for the Blackhawks opener. The atmosphere during games is great. The owners are very friendly. The beer varies from average to great depending on the style. It is a new smaller than microbrewery, so they are going through some growing pains (i.e. slow service or running out of certain beers); but if you want an exciting, fun place to watch a ‘hawks game and have a good craft beer, this is your place.

Decent beer but it felt like I paid money to spend time in someone’s man cave.
I’m happy to see a brew-​pub open up in Grayslake.
This new brewery is on the right path. There were 6 beer options and all reasonably priced ($ 5 or $ 6 a pint).
The beer flavors were hit or miss. My tastes may be different than yours, and that’s a-​ok, but a couple really stood out while a handful were hard to finish. But, this place is a work in progress that, if business keeps up, should get better to the eyes and mouth over time.
Our server was very friendly and quick to talk to us and serve us (always a nice thing).
A couple of small downsides were the stale pretzels they provided as a snack. And, there’s only 1 bathroom. Not one for guys and gals — just 1 unisex bathroom. Eee…
On any note — if you’re in the mood for brew and no food then drink local and see if there’s a variety you’re a fan of!