Hops Aboard

NEW FOR 2025: Join IRM the evening of Saturday, September 13th for the first annual Hops Aboard, an adults-only beer festival celebrating local breweries and beer's long history with the railroad.

Sample brews while exploring all that IRM has to offer. The event includes:

• Eighteen tickets per person for use at 20 different brewery tents. Each ticket is good for one 5 oz. pour.
• A special collaborative brew from Scorched Earth Brewing, inspired by IRM's own Chicago Burlington & Quincy 504 locomotive. Enjoy this tasting aboard a coach train pulled by CB&Q 504 itself!
• Discover how the railroad helped grow Milwaukee's beer industry with a Beer Line-themed exhibit from the Center for Railroad Photography & Art.
• Delicious bites from local food trucks, including Uncle Cam's
• Live music

Hours / Admission / Operating Schedule Information:

Electric and steam or diesel trains will be operating.

Event Hours:
Saturday, September 13th, 6:00PM to 9:00PM (last train 8:00PM)
IRM will close at 4:00 PM following general admission hours. The museum will reopen at 6:00 PM for Hops Aboard. All attendees will be carded at the entrance.

Admission Rates:
Adults $45, "Designated Driver Tickets" $20
ALL attendees must be age 21+

• This event is only open for holders of event tickets. Everyone, including museum members, will need a ticket for admission to the event.
• There is a 100% ID check for all attendees. Designated driver attendees will receive a different color wristband than those who are planning to drink.
• Please drink responsibly. Local police will be on site in case of any emergencies.

Participating breweries include:

• Scorched Earth Brewing, Algonquin, IL
• Sew Hop'd Brewery, Huntley, IL
• Tighthead Brewing Company, Mundelein, IL
• Phase Three Brewing, Lake Zurich, IL
• And many more!