Our Year-Round Beers

American Lager

A classic, double mashed, American Lager brewed with Riggs-Grown 6 Row Barley and Riggs-Grown Low Oil White Corn. It’s fermented, conditioned, and lagered in our brewery for a full six weeks for an unbeatable smoothness.

ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 17
Boil Hops: Magnum, Crystal
Grain: 6 Row Barley Malt (Riggs Farm), 2 Row Barley Malt, Low Oil White Corn (Riggs Farm)

Hefeweizen

This German style wheat beer is brewed with Riggs-Grown Wheat. It has a rich banana aroma, but finishes clean, slightly tart, and refreshing. Brewed by a German certified brewmaster wo learned his craft in Bavaria, so you know you’re getting the real deal.

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 11
Boil Hops: Mittelfrüh
Grain: Pale Wheat Malt (Riggs Farm), 2 Row Barley Malt, Carahell

Red Lager

Dark German malts are used to create a red color and subtle fruitiness that is unlike any other beer on the market. A healthy dose of American aroma hops accentuate the fruitiness and provide a refined bitterness that leaves you ready for another drink.

ABV: 6.0%
IBU: 27
Boil Hops: Magnum, Mosaic Cryo
Whirlpool Hops: Magnum, Mosaic Cryo
Dry Hops: Magnum, Mosaic Cryo
Grain: Red X, 6 Row Barley Malt (Riggs Farm), CaraAmber

IPL

Being big fans of lager fermentations, we used a German Lager yeast in an American IPA recipe to create a truly blank canvas for the finest aroma hop varieties to shine through. Our IPL allows you to experience Citra and Centennial hops to their fullest.

ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 47
Boil Hops: Magnum, Cascade, Columbus
Whirlpool Hops: Cascade, Columbus
Dry Hops: Citra, Centennial
Grain: 6 Row Barley Malt (Riggs Farm), 2 Row Barley Malt, Low Oil White Corn (Riggs Farm), CaraHell

Our Seasonal Beers

Schwarzbier

Schwarzbier, is German for “Black Beer”. It is an extremely dark, well hopped, medium strength lager. Schwarzbier‘s complexity is derived from its heavy use of dark, roasted, and smoked barley malt. It’s a roasty beer, with a hint of smoky sweetness that’s balanced with a robust hop bitterness. Staying true to its German Lager heritage, it has an incredibly clean, crisp finish.

ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 30
Grain: Munich, Pilsner, Smoked Barley, Roasted Barley
Hops:Magnum, Hersbrucker, Mittelfrüh

2024 Release Date: 12/5/2024

Citraweizen

Citraweizen’s recipe is based on our Hefeweizen, but we lightened up the color a bit and dry hopped it with a whole bunch of a hop called Citra. True to their name, Citra Hops give this beer a citrus aroma and flavor that pair perfectly with our wheat beer’s traditional banana character. Citraweizen is the ideal beer to help you beat this Illinois summer heat.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 12
Grain: Riggs-Grown Wheat Malt, 2 Row, Carafoam, Acidulated
Boil Hops: Magnum
Whirlpool Hops: Citra
Dry Hops: Citra, Cascade

2024 Release Date: 6/6/2024

Wet Hop

“Wet Hop” is named after the process of brewing with hops on the same day that they were harvested. Freshly harvested hops retain more of their natural oils, which give Wet Hop beers their unique character. This lager was brewed with 100% Illinois Grown Ingredients. We used a blend of Riggs grown barley and wheat to give this beer a soft malt body that carries the wet hop character without getting in the way.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 30
Grain: 6 Row Barley, Pale Wheat, Crystal Wheat (100% Riggs grown)
Boil Hops: Cascade, Wet Crystal (100% Hallowed Hops from Lewistown, IL)
Whirlpool Hops: Wet Crystal (100% Hallowed Hops from Lewistown, IL)

Illinois Kölsch

Kölsch is a light and pale German Ale that is known for its extreme drinkability and slight fruitiness. Each year, we brew Illinois Kölsch with 100% Illinois grown ingredients.

ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 17
Grain: 100% Riggs-grown Pale Malted Barley and Pale Malted Wheat
Boil Hops: 100%
Hallowed Hops farm grown Chinook and Crystal hops

2024 Release Date: 3/7/2024

Maibock

Maibock is a German springtime lager. First off, it should be noted that this is a strong lager. Don’t let its golden color fool you…. this is a 7.2% beer. It has a floral aroma and honey-like malt backbone. A gentle, warming alcohol character is the foundation of this beer. In true German Lager fashion, it has a crisp finish. Celebrate the coming of spring like the Germans…. have a Maibock.

ABV: 7%
IBU: 22
Grain: 2 Row, Carahell, C 20
Hops: Magnum, Hersbrucker, Mittelfrüh2

2024 Release Date: 4/4/2024

Weizenbock

Weizenbock has a higher ABV, is slightly darker, and has more body than its little brother, Hefeweizen. Weizenbock’s banana aroma will remind you of Hefeweizen, but due to its higher alcohol content, Weizenbock also has notes of vanilla and rum. Our wheat beer yeast’s spicy character helps to cut through a mild sweetness to deliver the balanced finish that you’ve come to expect from a Riggs Beer.

ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 15
Grain: Wheat Malt (Riggs-Grown), Munich, Barke Pilsner, C20, Acidulated
Hops: Magnum

2024 Release Date: 10/10/2024

Doppelbock

Doppelbock is the quintessential strong German Lager. It delivers loads of grain derived complexity; dark toasted bread, notes of figs and raisins, and just a hint of roast. But what makes Doppelbock so special is – in true lager fashion – it finishes dry and incredibly clean. This beer was brewed in traditional German style, without compromise. Double decoction mashing and months of cold lagering give this beer both a depth of character and balance.

ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 18
Grain: Pilsner, Munich, CaraHell, Roasted Barley
Hops: Magnum, Hersbrucker, Mittelfrüh

2024 Release Date: 2/1/2024

Dunkel Lager

Dunkel Lagers originate from Munich, where they’ve been brewed for over 900 years. They are possibly the best example of a beer style that showcases a single ingredient, in this case: Munich Barley Malt. In order to achieve the deeply layered, yet incredibly clean malt depth that the style is known for, we employed a double-decoction mash for this beer. As with all Riggs Lagers, we gave this beer the traditional German Lager treatment: precise dosing of fresh lager yeast along with a very slow and cold fermentation schedule.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 18
Grain: Munich (Type I and II)
Boil Hops: Magnum, Mittelfruh, Hersbrucker

2024 Release Date: 1/4/2024

Red IPL

Red IPL is a “West Coast IPA Style” beer that was brewed with a large dose of locally grown Red Corn. This beer was heavily dry hopped with Mosaic and Cascade. It has a powerful citrus and blueberry aroma. It has an assertive bitterness that is the hallmark of west coast style IPAs. Due to its use of corn, the beer is medium/light bodied and has a dry finish. If you love hops, you’ll love Red IPL. If crazy hoppy beers aren’t your thing, you can always order another keg of American Lager or Hefeweizen…. ain’t nothing wrong with that!

ABV: 7.7%
IBU: 68
Grain: Red X, Rick Davis’ Bloody Butcher Corn, Pilsner, C40
Boil Hops: Magnum, Cascade, Columbus
Whirlpool Hops: Cascade, Columbus
Dry Hops: Cascade, Mosaic

2024 release date: 11/7/2024

Oktoberfest

Riggs Oktoberfest is a true “Festbier” style, which is crafted to emulate the beers that are served at the Oktoberfest in Munich. We prefer this modern, golden style lager over the darker “Märzen” style that is commonly made by American brewers. Here at Riggs, we take brewing German beers seriously. That’s why we don’t release this beer until exactly the right time of year. As always, we’re releasing this beer at the same time that the Oktoberfest starts in Munich. Honey graham cracker sweetness from the German Malts pairs perfectly with the floral contribution of Hallertau Hops. Riggs Oktoberfest finishes very dry, giving this beer an amazing drinkability. Prost!

ABV: 6.0%
IBU:21
Grain: Pilsner, Munich, Carahell
Hops: Magnum, Mittelfruh, Hersbrucker

2024 release date: 9/19/24

Barleywine

Barleywine is the strongest beer style that we ever make here at Riggs. We brew this beer exclusively with malted barely that was grown in a single field on the Riggs Family Farm. Due to the varying local weather conditions from year to year, each year’s Barleywine is unique. This year’s version has a delicate aroma of honey and toast, with a hint of white grapes. Barleywine‘s flavor is deep and layered. Dark bread blends into malty sweetness. The finish is clean, except for some lingering alcohol warmth…. just enough to remind you that this beer is nearly 9% alcohol.

ABV: 8.9%
IBU: 52
Grain: 3 types of Riggs Grown barley malt: Pale, Choko, and Crystal (malted by Mammoth Malt in Thawville, IL)
Hops: Magnum, Cascade

Amarillo IPL

We brewed Amarillo IPL with a malt character and ABV that’s consistent with a West Coast IPA. But, as we usually do here at Riggs, we threw in a bunch of Riggs grown grain and then cold fermented the beer with our German Lager yeast. The result is clean, crisp, and aromatic. It has a well defined, yet balanced bitterness.

Amarillo hops bring a wide range of pleasant aromas: orange citrus, melon, and a light floral bouquet.

ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 54
Grain: 2 Row, Riggs 6 Row, Riggs Corn, CaraAmber, Acidulated
Boil Hops: Amarillo
Whirlpool Hops: Amarillo Cryo
Dry Hops: Amarillo and Amarillo Cryo

Pilsner

Riggs Pilsner is a dry, crisp, and refreshing beer. We used 100% imported German barley malt and Hallertau hops to create this summertime classic. It’s hoppy, but not in the American sense. Classic German hop varieties, Hersbrucker and Mittelfruh, give the beer a uniquely floral and herbal aroma and an elegantly bitter finish.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 34
Grain: Pilsner
Hops: Magnum, Hersbrucker, Mittelfrüh

2024 Release Date: 5/2/2024

Session IPL

SIPL (short for Session India Pale Lager) packs all of the hop flavor and aroma that you expect from an IPA into a beer with only 4.6% ABV. It has a wonderfully delicate aroma of citrus and pineapple. The light body of this beer is still able to carry its pronounced hop spiciness and bitterness. Simply put, SIPL is a showcase of American Hops on a low alcohol, thirst quenching canvas.

ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 46
Grain: (100% Riggs Grown) Pale Malted Barley, Corn, and Pale Malted Wheat
Boil Hops: Magnum, Simcoe
Dry Hops: Citra, Simcoe

Dunkelweizen

Riggs Dunkelweizen has a distinct advantage over other dark beers. Just in time for brew day, we had our local maltster custom roast some Riggs-grown wheat. The use of freshly roasted wheat gives this beer a truly unique fresh roast character. This year’s Dunkelweizen has an incredibly smooth “roasty” aroma and flavor up front. Its medium body carries nutty and cocoa flavors nicely. As is typical in wheat beers, Riggs Dunkelweizen has a noticeably “clovey” finish and virtually no hop character.

ABV: 5.2% ABV
IBU: 13
Grain: Munich, Dark Wheat, Riggs-Grown Pale Wheat, CaraHell, Riggs-Grown Roasted Wheat, Acidulated
Hops: Magnum

Helles

Helles is the official beverage of Munich’s beer gardens. This German Lager is light in color, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks flavor. In fact, that’s what makes Helles so special. Its delicate floral and herbal hop aromas blend perfectly with a subtle malt sweetness. That grainy sweet flavor is followed by a dry, almost champagne-like finish.

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 18
Grain: Barke Pilsner, CaraHell, Acidulated
Boil Hops: Magnum, Hersbrucker, Mittelfruh

2024 Release Date: 7/11/2024

Double IPL

Double IPL is not a balanced beer. It is high in alcohol and is extremely bitter. It has a powerful citrus and passion fruit aroma that comes from the reckless amount of exotic hops that we dumped into the fermentation tank. Although the inspiration for this beer was the West Coast Imperial IPA, we couldn’t help ourselves from putting our own spin on this style. Instead of adding sugar to the boil kettle to help dry out the beer’s finish, we used a hearty dose of whole kernel corn from our farm. Instead of using the typical American Ale yeast strain, we used our house German Lager yeast. If you don’t love hops, you’ll hate this beer. But, if you are a confirmed hop-head, we think you’ll really enjoy our take on this modern American classic.

ABV: 9.0%
IBU: ~100
Grain: 2 Row, Champaign County Corn, CaraHell, C20
Boil Hops: Chinook, Cascade
Dry Hops: Citra, Amarillo, Cascade

Centennial IPL

Centennial Hops are awesome. One of only a few “dual purpose” hops, Centennial has both a powerful bitterness and an amazing aroma. And here at Riggs, some of our favorite IPAs from other breweries are brewed exclusively with Centennial Hops. So, after very little deliberation, we decided to brew an all Centennial hopped version of IPL. The nose of this beer is classic Centennial: Grapefruit and Pine. Its strong bitterness (55 IBUs) is balanced by just the right amount malt sweetness.

ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 55
Grain: 2 Row, Riggs Corn, CaraAmber, Acidulated
Boil Hops: Centennial
Dry Hops: Centennial

Legends Lager

This is a house beer brewed exclusively for Legend’s Bar and Grill on the U of I Campus. The recipe is similar to our American Lager, but it’s a bit darker and has a bit higher ABV. The main difference is that we give the Legends Lager a big dose of fruity, Cascade Hops in the Whirlpool.

ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 17
Grain: 6 Row Barley, Riggs Corn, CaraAmber, 2 Row Barley, CaraHell
Boil Hops: Magnum
Whirlpool Hops: Cascade

Mosaic IPL

This is a house beer that we brew exclusively for Flight Deck in Rochelle. The recipe is very similar to our standard IPL, but we tweaked the hop additions just a bit. A heavy dose of Mosaic Cryo in the dry hop gives this beer its delightfully complex aroma. The nose has notes of blueberry, pine, and citrus.

ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 47
Boil Hops: Magnum, Amarillo
Whirlpool Hops: Amarillo
Dry Hops: Mosaic, Amarillo
Grain: 6 Row Barley Malt (Riggs Farm), 2 Row Barley Malt, Low Oil White Corn (Riggs Farm), CaraHell

Black IPL

Roast. Coffee. Smoke. Pine. And black as night. It’s appropriate that we’re releasing this beer on the day of the winter solstice. We used a large dose of custom roasted Riggs-grown malted wheat to showcase a fresh roast character that commercially sourced grains simply can’t deliver. For all of its upfront complexity, our use of Riggs-grown Corn and German Lager Yeast does its usual trick; this beer is dangerously drinkable. Our Black IPL is a perfect example of the seasonality of beer.

ABV: 7.3%
IBU: 65
Boil Hops: Magnum, Cascade, Columbus
Dry Hops: Cascade, Columbus
Grain: 2 Row Barley Malt, Roasted Riggs Wheat Malt, Low Oil White Corn (Riggs Farm), Smoked Barley Malt

Smoked Lager

This Smoked Lager was lovingly crafted from exclusively locally grown grain and hops. Like all of our American focused lagers, this beer uses a big dose of our homegrown, ultra low oil corn. What makes Smoked Lager so unique from everything else we’ve ever brewed is that half of the grain used to brew it was first cold smoked over beechwood.

Our Smoked Lager brings out all of the mild, pleasant sweetness from beechwood smoke without the harsher flavors and aromas. This pale, moderate ABV lager was specifically brewed with summer heat in mind. It eloquently walks the tightrope of being full flavored while also being a sessionable thirst quencher.

ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 18
Hops: 100% Illinois-grown Chinook and Cascade
Grain: 100% Riggs-grown beechwood smoked 6-row, 6-row, white corn

1874 Pils

Brewed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our family farm, 1874 Pils was brewed with 100% Riggs grown grain and 100% Illinois grown hops. It’s a bold American Pilsner. A robust grain body carries this pilsner’s formidable hop charge. Our use of locally grown Mackinac and Crystal hops does something special in this beer. The hop character is almost noble and Germanic, with a pleasant hint of melon.

The best way to describe this beer is that it’s both balanced and unique. We’ve been brewing with our homegrown grains for over 8 years now, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. We hope that you agree.

ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 30
Boil Hops: Hallowed Hops Mackinac and Hallowed Hops Crystal
Grain: Riggs 2-Row, Riggs 6-Row, Riggs Corn

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