Illuminated Brew Works

So, I guess now we're a Used Bookstore here as well? IBW LODGE #1 & USED BOOKS!!

We really only sell 1 used book: "The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality". (OK, we also sell too, but we can talk about that later).

Of all the people writing on the field of human potential, I consistently find Mitch's work to be the most exciting. There isn't another writer that I'm aware of who does the important work of surveying the technologies available and finding the most effective techniques to use. Stilled down from cultural baggage, outdated tradition and ignorant biases, Mitch does the work of experimenting with these modalities, provides the most effective paths and offers them simply, clearly and with one intention: for the reader to TRY them.

I've followed Mitch's work for years and have worked with many of the techniques he articulates in this book. And, for me, they've worked. Not always, but often enough that I continue to return to them. I use a few of them daily, not only to help shape and create desired outcomes for my life, but also to help me navigate the on-going stresses and mental health traps that are ripe in owning your own business, especially one that deals with our lovable though at times pernicious demon Alcohol.

Whatever, this post is not for 93% of you... and that may even be optimistic. But for that charmed 7% who are open and hungry, looking for simple and effective ways to improve your life, we are offering used copies of "The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality" here at our little beer hovel, IBW Lodge #1. They're here until they're gone.

If this sounds like something for you, give it a shot, TRY IT, you will not fail.

THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5th it's the 4th ANNUAL MOCKTURTLEFEST at America's favorite IBW LODGE #1!

Oom-pa-pa music!

Our delicious MockTurtlenecks Marzen!

German spelling bees!

Stein holding contests!

Brats! Kraut! Pretzels!

Maybe there will even be some KRAUT ROCK!

Get a free pint if you come dressed in your best German drag of lederhosen or that St. Pauly Girl thing or, of course, a MOCK TURTLENECK!

All of this and... so much more!

SEE YOU THIS SATURDAY AT 4PM!

CHERRY BRAINWASH IS BAAAACK!!

Each can comes pre-licked by Jason Monk for a LIMITED TIME ONLY!!

There's an on-going and heated DEBATE (in my mind) about which is better: GRAPE BRAINWASH or CHERRY BRAINWASH??? It's very hard to say and there's only one good way to find out: Buy it, Drink it.

CHERRY BRAINWASH is available RIGHT NOW at IBW LODGE #1 and will star seeding out to bottle shops later this week.

HAPPY LOBSTER FOOD TRUCK ( ) is making it's final stop at IBW Lodge #1 for the strange and wonderful year of 2024.

They'll be here from 5pm until they sell out.

Get a sandwich, grab a beer....

It's that suspicious time of the week again when Mr. King leaves his home.

Fortunately for us, he's leaving his home and coming to AMERICA'S FAVORITE BAR & LUTEFISK EMPORIUM... IBW LODGE #1!!!

Drink the beer, eat the weird fish jello thing And play... TUESDAY NIGHT TRIVIA w/ MR. KING!!

John Forbes will be performing his interpretation of the Dance of the 7 Veils by way of spaghetti dancing tonight and tonight only! Don't miss this truly staggering homage to dwindling memory of Salomé.

The game starts at 7:30, so show up by 7p to secure your swerves. The dance will be performed at half time.

THANK YOU TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL HUMANS WHO MADE YESTERDAY A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!!

And, of course, a HUGE THANK YOU to all the vendors and bands and tarot readers and astrologers and puppet makers who helped make it a memory I'll have to work very hard to beat out of my broken brains.

If you forgot to pick up a 3 Year shirt yesterday and want to grab one, they are now on the site at https://www.ibw-chicago.com/cult-propoganda/3-year-anniversary-t-shirt

We open at 2pm today. Somehow John Forbes will be dragging his old ass out of bed to service you in all of your brain bending needs.

We've got a Frenchie meet-up at 2pm and we've got THE BLACK OIL BROTHERS performing a FREE live set at 5:30pm

See you later!

Our 3 YEAR PARTY is TODAY and starts at 2pm!!

GET OUT HERE!!

Our 3-Year Anniversary party is THIS SATURDAY September 21st from 2p until midnight!!

In addition to live music and the return of the ALMIGHTY DUNK TANK, we're going to have some of Chicago's most wonderful small businesses here slinging their wares, chatting you up and plugging you into some of the great classes and events they've got coming up.

Among this elite cabal of fine human beings are & two fantastic stores doing a knock-up job of continuing and carrying the rich tradition of great occult book stores in the city of Chicago.

Both Alchemy Arts & Malliway Brothers carry an intelligently programmed collection of books ranging from everything from Hermetic history and practice, to Witchcraft, Chaos magick, Thelema, Santeria, I Ching, Tarot and a ton more. They both have a strong candle, herbs and oil game and they both have great classes and events.

But, be clear, these shops, while they share enthusiasm for the rich histories of all of these practices, each have a very specific tone and flavor of their own. And they both deserve your support and interest. If you don't know them already, make a day of it and check them both out. Your sure to find things you love at each one and you can decide then which one you resonate more towards. Or maybe you'll dig both. I sure do!

Come to DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE this Saturday and meet the lovely folks from Malliway Brothers and Alchemy Arts and a ton of other great stores, vendors, artists, tarot readers and astrologers here to make this little party one for the ages.
Folks like and and and and and and plus many others.

will be serving slices around 5pm and you can get your cards read by and .glam.witch or have your birth chart analyzed by

And then, at 9:30 we've got some of Chicago's finest metal from DRUUNA, C.O.M.A. and BECOME DEATH.

WEAR A COSTUME, we'll be giving out prizes for that and you'll stick out less.

TONIGHT!

Skip the cooking and dishes! Stop by TONIGHT from 6 to 8 PM for some delicious BBQ from Smoke Staff! Then stick around for a glass of wine or beer!

Our 3-Year Anniversary party is THIS SATURDAY September 21st from 2p until midnight!!

In addition to live music and the return of the ALMIGHTY DUNK TANK, we're going to have some of Chicago's most wonderful small businesses here slinging their wares, chatting you up and plugging you into some of the great classes and events they've got coming up.

Among this elite cabal of fine human beings is Sideshow Gallery has all you need for your Witchy bender or life-style or curiosity or obsession... however that might be shaking out for you right now.

They have everything from books, to tarot decks, to taxidermy and Frazetta prints. Cherie & Anne have lovingly assembled a playful but deeply informed little faery ring to slip into for days on end.

They also curate some incredible classes with local artists and writers as well out some hot-shot out-of-towners.

Come to DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE this Saturday and meet them and a ton of other great stores, vendors, artists, tarot readers and astrologers here to make this little party one for the ages.

Folks like and and and and and and plus many others.

will be serving slices around 5pm and you can get your cards read by n or your birth chart analyzed by@souljerky

And then, at 9:30 we've got some of Chicago's finest metal from DRUUNA, C.O.M.A. and BECOME DEATH.

I've probably forgot a bunch of things, but you'll hear from me again. Oh, if you're not super bashful WEAR A COSTUME, we'll be giving out prizes for that and you'll stick out less.

We've teamed up with our friends at TrueRest Float Spa in Skokie to host a little gathering of flotation tank enthusiasts THIS THURSDAY 9/19 at 7pm.

We're going to play this one pretty loose depending on the needs of those showing up - do you want to learn about floating or do you want to share your experiences.... or both! - but, one thing I can say for sure is that everyone who comes to this meet up will receive a FREE FLOAT at TrueRest. That is a screaming deal worth updwards of $60.

I love floating, I do it at least twice a month and have been doing it since the late 1990s. Not only is it exceptional for meditation and consciousness exploration, I've also found, in my older days, that it is an exquisite analgesic and cure for minor aches and pains (the kind a brewer picks up now and again). I can't say enough great things about the benefits I and others have derived from floating. If this at all in interesting to you, come by, talk to some folks who have done it and get a free float out of the deal. Come on!

This is Thursday @ 7pm.

There's no greater treat than spending time with funny, smart, interesting & powerful humans that get s**t done in the world. This weekend I was blessed by spending time with two of my favorite people doing just that: and .

Nicole runs events for and . Not only is Nicole, hands down, one of the best hangs out there, she's also an insanely talented event producer who makes a thousand different pieces assemble without ever breaking a sweat or being a monster. Make no bones about it: This is Nicole's world, we're all just paying rent!

And the incredible Jodi Wille... director of and , not to mention book publisher and all around giant, delightful humanoid.

"Welcome Space Brothers" is Jodi's newest doc making its way around the festival circuit. hosted 2 screenings of this little masterpiece of human potential this past weekend.

"Welcome Space Brothers" brings the viewer into the world of Ruth Norman. Inhabited by the Archangel Uriel, she lead The Unarius Academy of Science on personal journeys of self-discovery & healing by harnessing that creative force inherent in everyone to make 16mm films where they acted out stories from their previous incarnations to heal themselves in this life. These were 100% DIY films made by people with no training and yet they created a library of 100s of films that are charming, visually striking and, most importantly, brought so many of these folks back from truly dark and devastating places in their lives.

I really wish everyone could see this film. More than that, I wish every human could find the inspiration to dig out from the bulls**t of their own narratives & find that creative light within themselves. I got a little glimpse of my light this weekend through this wonderful film and, I'll tell you, as fu**ed up as this world is, the Awfultudes wouldn't stand a chance if folks could harness their Lights.

So, thank you Jodi for all your hard work, your incredible inspiration and great hangs!!

GO SEE "WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS"!!!!

Just finished packaging BUCKLAND BOCK our collaboration with the wonderful folks over at the BUCKLAND MUSEUM OF WITCHCRAFT & MAGICK (). It's tasting fantastic and the cans are PURDY!!

Make sure to come out to IBW LODGE #1 next Saturday, September 21st for our 3 Year Anniversary Party and release of the beer. We've got great local vendors like and and and , local artists as well as Steven and Toni from the museum doing a talk on the museum, showing photos and telling stories. And then at 9:30 we've got 3 great local metal bands: BECOME DEATH, COMA & DRUUNA to tattoo your DNA with thunder.

Oh, and yes, we will have, once again, THE UNHOLY DUNK TANK for your watery aggression pleasures.

We open at 4pm today, come on out and fill your face full of beer!

Super excited for tonight's premiere of the new doc from , as part of the .

Tonight's screening is sold out, but there's another one on Saturday that still has a few tickets available. DON'T MISS THIS!!

"WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS unveils the true story of The Unarius Academy of Science, an extraterrestrial-channeling spiritual school in Southern California who in the late 1970s became a wildly prolific filmmaking collective under the direction of their outlandish spiritual leader Ruth E. Norman, AKA “Archangel Uriel.”

I got to see some excerpts from this at 's Lilly Dale symposium and it is phenomenal. These films were entirely DIY from the lovely Unarians: they made their own costumes, made the special effects, shot and edited everything. These films are wonderful little adventures into the potential of human imagination and ingenuity uncorked and unedited and Jodi is the perfect person to tell their story.

There's a party tonight after the screening at the where they'll be pouring IBW beverages YOUR SOUL, A UFO and SLUSHY 666. And for you insatiable w**d creeps, the wonderful humanoids from will be on hand to open that portal should it be required.

What a night! What a world!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT YOUR WHOLE LIFE CHANGES WITH THE FEATHER.

Mr. King.
John Forbes.
Humanity run amok.
There is no hope in salvaged grace.

The bloodsport begins at 7:30. Get here at 7p to secure a seat.

ITS THAT TUESDAY TIME OF YEAR ONCE AGAIN!!!

GET HERE AT 7PM TO SECURE YOUR SEAT. THE MELEE BEGINS AT 7:30PM

The inesteemable John Vernon Forbes, "The Proctologist of the Proletariat", is behind the bar tickling the fineries.

BE BOLD AND INVISIBLE HANDS WILL BRING YOU GATOR-AID.

HAPPY LABOR DAY! IBW Lodge #1 opens at 2pm to help you celebrate the Labor Movement in the best way possible: with IBW beer and... Chili Dogs!

That's right, your benevolent bar keep Mr. Monk has made bean-free chili dogs that are available until they are gone.

Ok, go get 'em!