Lake County’s oldest brewery, Mickey Finn’s has been serving handcrafted beer since 1994, and great tavern food dating back to the 1930’s. Relocated just one block south on Libertyville’s Milwaukee Avenue the new location offered much-needed space to expand the restaurant and brewery.

The 27,000sf L-shaped building features a new state-of-the-art brewery, restaurant, bar, and banquet facility on Milwaukee Avenue and mixed-use office and retail space on Cook Avenue. In purchasing the building, the Mickey Finn’s owner wanted to uncover the historic character of the space, while integrating additional space for a banquet facility with capacity for 300, and an expanded kitchen and brewery.

With a nod to Belgian influence on architecture and brewing, design elements include a stepped gable brick front, art-nouveau iron canopy, and exposed steel framed entrance and windows on the building’s exterior. The building interior features a soaring barrel vault ceiling and massive bowstring trusses that have been sandblasted and restored. Paint was stripped to expose the century-old brick walls, and smooth concrete epoxy floors contribute to the industrial feel of the restaurant and brewery. Ten-foot garage-style doors provide access to the beer garden and windows that open to the street to allow an airy feel. A 60-foot main bar of rough-hewed white oak provides ample space to showcase Mickey Finn’s craft beer selections.

The final result…a brewery with the emphasis on craft.

© The Photographic Artwork of Jacob T. VanVooren