Cademon Brewing Co. Reviews

After being open for one year, I decided to give this place a visit. In the small town of Genoa, IL, many businesses don't make it past one year, but this one keeps on going. Little did I realize what a asset to the community this brewery and tap house would become (more on that later)!

The brew master has a true passion for beer. There are many different beers and sodas on tap (and sometimes bottled) and they change frequently based on the season and what the brew master decides to experiment with. I've seen sours, ales, stouts, etc...(the normal stuff) along with infused and brewed combinations such as mint, orange, pineapple, ginger, black cherries, and many more. The brew master is often there and more than willing to talk about his products and how he makes them.

The price is more than reasonable for craft beer. The feel of the tap room and the brewery itself is that they care about the customer and listen to your feedback. The beers themselves can be found in many craft beer locations along with large chains within a 50 mile radius which tells me that if say Buffalo Wild Wings, BDs Mongolian Grill, and other microbrewers want to sell Cademon's beer, they believe the product is good and will sell.

Just recently, the tap room got some amusements like an electronic dart and jukebox along with a sound system upgrade which it needed. They also have a couple of big screens to watch local (Chicago) sports. Food is not served, but available nearby or for delivery from other places.

Lastly, Easter weekend 2016, the City of Genoa has major issues with their water supply system. Large quantities of iron was present in the City's water supply causing a boil order for drinking water. As best I can describe it, my sink look liked I filled it with toilet water #yum ! Cademon has a state-of-the-art filtration system and 1000's of gals. of water in reserve and decided to step-up and help the community by providing drinking water to any and all who needed it. I'm not talking a glass of water, they actively encouraged residents to bring whatever size and quantities of jugs to their tap room! They were the ONLY business in town to do such a thing!!

In summary, the beer is great, and if you find one less than great to you, there are others on tap to fit your beer palette and other beers are always in the works. Most of the beers are available to take home in howlers and growlers. The tap room addressed their audio issues and now provide amusements. Chicago sports are shown on big screen TVs if you're looking for a place to watch the game. Bring your own food or eat before you go. There is ample parking for the tap room. For updates of special events and beer releases, I find the fb page is the most updated and has the most recent news.

Unique beers and sodas from scratch, brewer/owner who embodies the theme of art and science, and a cool atmosphere. We'll be back!

Love the atmosphere of this place and the bartenders and good with knowing about what they are serving. The ability to bring in your own food along with the available board games make this place good for a group. My only critique would be that there never seems to be enough variety in the beer menu when I visit.

I'm generally not a big beer drinker, but I was introduced to Cademon by a family member and I've become a big fan. The variety of novel and interesting flavors has a lot of options even for someone who's not generally a beer drinker, especially the Vanilla Demonic and Eve's Tuition.

Nice friendly brewery. Beers was interesting and very tasty. Katie was a wonderful bartender and a joy to talk to. Worthy of a visit. Owners grandmother makes fantastic cookies.

Great atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and plenty of parking. I really enjoy this place, its a cool small business that uses as many local ingredients as they can and the prices are on point for the quality/quantity of a great craft beer. While there are a couple beer the seem to be staples in the taproom, there's also flavors that rotate so there is usually an option of something new to try. The choices vary or seem to be "seasonal" but, I enjoy that as sometimes trying something new/different can become your new favorite drink. (who new a Peanut Butter infused brew would be so delicious). I spoke with Andrew (Owner/Founder) in the taproom the last time I visited and, as a person who has never been a big beer drinker, he did an excellent job helping my find one that I would enjoy after a quick conversation (It was Nitro Demonic Stout by the way). He was very passionate about his craft and was willing/excited to answer any questions I had about what they do. I feel Cademon Brewing Co. will be a landmark in Genoa for years to come. Until the next round, cheers and keep up the good work.

Nice small town place to stop for a brew made there. Very friendly staff. Old time feeling with the tin ceiling, industrial look where the wort cooks, with artsy flair in the air. Check this place out.

I love the atmosphere in this place with its big gaming table and ridiculously tasty beers. The bartenders are friendly and they've got excellent recommendations for drinks and other foods to order in the area. My only issue is the music, which is kind of negligible when the place fills up but awkwardly silent when there aren't that many people.

Had the Bloodshot. I may be weird, but was, quite possibly the best beer I've ever had. I cried...

I've been here a couple of times. Once before they shut down temporarily and once after I supported their Indiegogo return. I went for their Second Wind release, of which I purchased a case as a perk. The three beers I tried were less than stellar and I would not order again. While the bartender was doing his best to make up for the poor tap lines, spooning foam from every glass with the same spoon and using the same towel to wipe of every glass after pouring is something I have never (thankfully) witnessed before. The place just seemed unorganized and several perks weren't ready to be picked up by other patrons. While I don't live nearby, I like to try to support local businesses. Unfortunately, I don't think this one will survive in its current state. Lack of focus and organization seemed to be an issue with them needing to close a few months back and it seems those problems still exist. Hopefully they can straighten things out.

So I got a chance to visit Cademon this weekend. I went in with every intention of wanting to like the place. It has a cool look and feel to it. Second Wind was out and I really like stouts with coconut. Ordered a couple and when the bartender brought two brown beers over I thought it was a mistake, nope, it was a brown stout (maybe at the bottom end of the style color). Smelled great, mouthfeel was thin and the coconut was there but that was about it. Opted to go with The Green Fields English Pale Ale next and it was equally dissapointing. The Spring Fling Blonde ale w raspberry & grapefruit was lacking everything I would expect from a beer with those ingredients. It was a low ABV beer but it really didn't taste good.
Again, I want to support local guys and their efforts but they really need to tighten up everything about the place. While the interior was decorated cool, there was random things scotch taped to the wall which seemed tacky af. After a while watching the bartender pour beers i couldn't figure out what he was doing. Their lines were not adjusted right so everything was pouring foamy, which the bartender would then spoon the foam off the big glass then use that to pour into a flight glass, at that point he would grab a gross looking bar rag and wipe the glass before serving it! Same spoon went into every beer type and same rag wiped every flight glass.
These guys need to step up their game bigtime if they want to compete for peoples hard earned dollars. I hope they do. IMO they need to get on board with current trends in beer, clean up the brewery and above all be ready to open when they are open. That means bottles you offered your contributers are ready before you open, your beer and soda lines are functioning properly (I mean thats how you sell your product), your bartender knows how to serve a beer and if you are going to have the brewery open to viewing that it look organized and clean like you own it.
I hope they tighten up their practices and succeed but at this point they seem to be a long ways away. Good luck