Chicago Beer Scene

I guess I should preface this with: I thoroughly enjoy visiting new places and sampling the "beer of that area" if you will...

I am headed to Chicago for a long weekend/mini vacation with my wife at the end of this month. I have been in Chicago on business a few times but never really stumbled on any really solid beer joints. We will be there for Chicago's Oktoberfest, but I was curious if there are any "must-sees" as far as pubs and or bars go with a solid beer selection and chill atmosphere. In other words - I am not looking to play beer pong with a bunch of college kids.

Let me know if anyone knows of anything - we have no agenda and nothing but relaxing on the agenda.

**And I know the Cubs are in town, I am working on tickets.

If you are up by the Cubs, The Globe Pub is great fun. Also Hopleaf has a great beer selection. Piece is a brew pub that has outstanding beer and pizza.

Lots of great breweries - Goose Island, Metropolitan, and Half Acre are in the city. Two Brothers in the burbs, and Two Floyds in the northwest Indiana portion of the metropolitan area.

Oh and for dinner, go to Publican, best belgian selection in the city and they do food/beer pairings. http://thepublicanrestaurant.com/

There is no doubt that there is a great selection of quality beer there! I appreciate the suggestions!

Depending on where you are staying, you can hop on the Metra electric line and take that directly (literally) to Flossmoor Station Brewery and Restaurant. Although the restaurant is nice, it is first and foremost a brewery with some excellent brews

My trip to Chicago was absolutely amazing. So much beer there. Hop Leaf, Map Room (though I didn't make it out there), there was a place I went with a group that had 'Street' in its name, I think... and then my last day there I went to Metro to hang out (I asked first; they don't have a tour or anything), then Half Acre (who I guess put in a kickass tasting room), then Rock Bottom. That was the definition of a good day.

Flossmoor Station is a *great* suggestion!

With all due respect to Pappers, it's Three Floyds, not Two Floyds - unless one of the Floyds left?

Regardless, their beers are great and it's an excellent brew pub.

Good luck in Chicago.

try to make it to three floyds, the Flossmoor Station Brewery (my old home town)... dunno about places in the city though

2centswort said:

With all due respect to Pappers, it's Three Floyds, not Two Floyds - unless one of the Floyds left?

Regardless, their beers are great and it's an excellent brew pub.

Good luck in Chicago.

Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I think I had just typed Two Brothers, but early onset alzheimers is a real possiblity, too

Three Floyds, Two Brothers, One Knob... er no... two...

http://www.chicagobeermap.com/FullMap.jpg

Start at these places. If you're on the south side, University of Chicago (NOT UIC) has a hidden place in the basement of one of the buildings called The Pub, and they've got a bunch of oddities and local stuff.

Try Revolution Brewery. I've been there twice this year. The beer and food is good.

It's about 15 minutes from downtown on the Blue Line.

http://revbrew.com/

I really need to try Revolution, it looks really great and I am very committed to supporting local brewers. Thanks for the reminder!

Glad I came across this. I will be in Chicago that same weekend and already planned on stopping by some of those bars listed. I believe the map room and hop leaf were on the "100 bars to drink a beer at before you die" list. I love the map.

Can't wait to get my hands on some Three Floyds Alpha King, hopefully 2 or 3 before I go watch my Cards take the Cubbies with an $8 Bud Light in my hand.

jakead said:

Glad I came across this. I will be in Chicago that same weekend and already planned on stopping by some of those bars listed. I believe the map room and hop leaf were on the "100 bars to drink a beer at before you die" list. I love the map.

Can't wait to get my hands on some Three Floyds Alpha King, hopefully 2 or 3 before I go watch my Cards take the Cubbies with an $8 Bud Light in my hand.

Click to expand...

Alpha king is awesome.

Make sure you try the following:

Two Brothers Resistance

Metropolitan Copper Lager

Goose Island IPA

Goose Island Stout

Goose Island Matilda

Goose Island Sofie

Two Brothers Domaine Dupage

Two Brothers Heavy Handed (I'm going to make sure this shows up at my wedding)

Pappers said:

I really need to try Revolution, it looks really great and I am very committed to supporting local brewers. Thanks for the reminder!

Click to expand...

Yeah, I've gotta try and get up there soon, before it starts to get cold.

If you're out in the Plainfield area, check out Finnegan's Irish Pub, which has a great selection of beers. About a mile away from Finnegan's is a Limestone Brewing. Also, in the Orland Park there is a brewpub called Harrison's with some great food and beer, which is a stone's throw away from the Rock Bottom out that way.

DrawTap88 said:

If you're out in the Plainfield area, check out Finnegan's Irish Pub, which has a great selection of beers. About a mile away from Finnegan's is a Limestone Brewing. Also, in the Orland Park there is a brewpub called Harrison's with some great food and beer, which is a stone's throw away from the Rock Bottom out that way.

Click to expand...

Wow, I had never heard of either Limestone Brewing or Harrisons. This is like an explosion of breweries in Chicago.

No love for Half Acre's Over Ale? I loved that beer.

Goose Island and Rock Bottom give you AHA discounts, by the way. They had a special on goblets of Matilda (I think - maybe Sophie? It's been a year) while I was there, which was a great way to end a night.

I've been meaning to get up to Half Acre for about 3 months now, so I haven't had a chance to try any of their brews yet.

Never been to Goose Island...but will eventually. Too busy enjoying my own beer on the weekends.

Pappers said:

Wow, I had never heard of either Limestone Brewing or Harrisons. This is like an explosion of breweries in Chicago.

Click to expand...

You'd never know Harrison's is a brew pub, since the back of the restaurant faces LaGrange Ave. Heck, I wouldn't know it was unless my buddy and I decided to bring the women there one day after playing hockey and not wanting to do the Buffalo Wild Wings right across the street.

I believe the Limestone has been there for about 2 years, but my first time in there was only last week. Pretty darn tastey Hefe.

Forgot there is also a Gordon Biersch in Bollingbrook. Haven't been there yet, but I've been meaning to check it out.

I think Limestone isn't even a year old yet. We went there one of the first days they opened and I think it was right around last Christmas. They've put out some good beers, too. A definite thumbs up to Two Brothers, too. Gordon Biersch isn't bad, either. It's been awhile since I was there, but I think they were more on the "safe side" in terms of beer styles.

Guys - great info! I am loving all the recommendations. Keep them coming if there are any honey holes that have not been named. I appreciate the help.

MistyMountainHops said:

Guys - great info! I am loving all the recommendations. Keep them coming if there are any honey holes that have not been named. I appreciate the help.

Click to expand...

I think we need a suburban beer map!

I'm all over the place for work and keep finding places I need to make trips out of. There's a place on the north side with more than 100 taps!

Ask and you shall receive Crazytwoknobs. Craft Beer Locator.

There are so many great options- all my favorites have been listed. I definitely have to mention Revolution Brewery again- it is a great brewpub. If you like kick ass hop aroma without tons of bitterness, make sure to drink lots of Half Acre Daisy Cutter. That s**t is amazing!

If you're looking for the beer scene in Chicago head to the 5th Annual Windy City Cornhole Classic. This event is known for its casual and fun atmosphere, as well as being a great place to get a buzz with a brew. Grab your sack and get some wood at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on July 9. We have 4 divisions for people of all different levels of bag playing. There's kids, BEER N BAGS, social and competitive. We are having live bands and karaoke all day! So you don't want to miss this event. A great excuse to chug and chuck on a summer day. Check us out to register and learn more information at www.chicagocornholeclassic.com.

"Cornhole"
"Grab your sack"
"all different levels of bag playing"

What kind of event are we talking about here?

Owen and Engine, GI Clybourne, if you like food and have at least $1

It's not Chicago, it's really close.

http://www.3floyds.com/