FIB War Room

[Gonzoillini1]

You guys do realize that FFF’s menu changes every 4-6 months, right.
I’ve had many “favorite” dishes disappear only to realize one of the new dishes is just as good in a different way.
They do anamzing job constantly changing the menu with amazing item. It’s been that way for like 10 years, which is really impressive for a restaurant.

I'd argue that certain stretches of those 10 years were much stronger than others (after the great chef from Blackbird left it was a wasteland for a good 18+ months, and I'm still mourning the Scotch Eggs leaving the menu), but in general I agree with you.

When they were doing the pizzas and ramen dishes all the time and I was (occasionally) seeing Alum and yeahnatenelson on Tuesdays was my favorite 3 Floyds era (even if I did buy Bully Guppy during this time period).

 

[capnmike]

What ever happened to that raffle they started? Not to sound insensitive but feel like I donated to that almost a year ago and never got any update. Anyone win?

I’ve been in there within the last month or so and they still had some rar stuff in a shelf labeled raffle prizes and a big jug of tickets...not sure if the same raffle, no drawing info, didn’t ask.

 

[trickytunadicky]

I'd argue that certain stretches of those 10 years were much stronger than others (after the great chef from Blackbird left it was a wasteland for a good 18+ months, and I'm still mourning the Scotch Eggs leaving the menu), but in general I agree with you.

When they were doing the pizzas and ramen dishes all the time and I was (occasionally) seeing Alum and yeahnatenelson on Tuesdays was my favorite 3 Floyds era (even if I did buy Bully Guppy during this time period).

I have a few favorite items from past menus:
My original FFF era was the pepperoni and jalapeno pizza. They also had a kickass sausage and fennel pizza at this same time. I never even ****** around with the burgers that I heard was also good. I have made both of these at home to much success, so I can see why they went to the wayside. I also once got a rabbit dish during this time for $14. Who does that?

Pizza phase 2 included a black garlic and fig pizza. These ingredients are a little tougher to find at the local Jewel. I have not made this at home.

All time favorite dish: trout a la plancha and spring pea soup. I don't recall if these were on the exact same seasonal menu, but were on roughly the same time, just before the remodel, so probably the same chef. I can't crispy skin like that. The soup I could make at home, but that crispy skin on the trout is something I have only encountered at top notch places like Vie.

The only thing I have loved that much on the modern FFF menu is the pickled watermelon that comes with the wings. Wings are on the menu every summer, and sometimes in the winter. It was on the app menu last time I went. If I can figure out that pickled watermelon, I have no reason to go to FFF. Someone help.

 

[Scalzo]

FFF service makes you long for Ed Debevics

 

[lb304854]

FFF service makes you long for Ed Debevics

Eh. Steve was my boy. Even if he probably wouldn't remember me.

Then again, I also had great service and a couple rounds bought for me at Toronado SF from a supposed legendary *******.

 

[trickytunadicky]

Eh. Steve was my boy. Even if he probably wouldn't remember me.

Then again, I also had great service and a couple rounds bought for me at Toronado SF from a supposed legendary *******.

I see Steve every year at TBBW slangin for Pipeworks. He remembers.

 

[mjohnson171]

I'd argue that certain stretches of those 10 years were much stronger than others (after the great chef from Blackbird left it was a wasteland for a good 18+ months, and I'm still mourning the Scotch Eggs leaving the menu), but in general I agree with you.

When they were doing the pizzas and ramen dishes all the time and I was (occasionally) seeing Alum and yeahnatenelson on Tuesdays was my favorite 3 Floyds era (even if I did buy Bully Guppy during this time period).

Agreed That period in 2012 was the best era for FFF menu. Everything on the menu was a banger. I miss the scotch egg and the shortrib stuffed burger. Even when they but it back on the menu a few years later is wasn't quite the same.

 

[adhdjon]

Revolution setting trends

I went to the pre-release party thing last night. It was really laid back and well-run. The Heaven Hill was the best of the bunch. Tons of Whoppers Malt Balls, vanilla, and fudge. The Coffee Maple was my second favorite, they loaded that up with maple. Bramble has good intentions but is a shadow of Backyard Rye or BCBS Bramble. !La Sorpresa! was a reminder that making a good Mexican-chocolate stout is actually really hard, and the handful of breweries that really do it well have really practiced and dialed it in.

I'm all for the cans tho. Those sweet sweet cans.

 

[lb304854]

I went to the pre-release party thing last night. It was really laid back and well-run. The Heaven Hill was the best of the bunch. Tons of Whoppers Malt Balls, vanilla, and fudge. The Coffee Maple was my second favorite, they loaded that up with maple. Bramble has good intentions but is a shadow of Backyard Rye or BCBS Bramble. !La Sorpresa! was a reminder that making a good Mexican-chocolate stout is actually really hard, and the handful of breweries that really do it well have really practiced and dialed it in.

I'm all for the cans tho. Those sweet sweet cans.

When are these shipping out?

 

[adhdjon]

When are these shipping out?

I dunno...they are doing the release today so I would expect to see them around town. I'm not sure how much they brewed, but I love the mixed 4-packs. They also mentioned something last night about selling 2-packs of the same beer.

 

[SecretSquirrel]

Hachi Machi

solid tried it Sunday night.

 

[jakeox]

I will report back after I drink all of it and house a shrimp and gumbo burrito tonight.

Fruit Truck Peach was really killer and apparently they really didn't get much out of this batch so if you want to try it you should probably head over. It had a gentleness and depth reminiscent of JK fruit beers. And I wasn't even drunk when I had it!

This might be one of the stronger lineups they've ever had -- Life on Land is really good, I dug Burial and Daisy Capra, and Infinite Portal might be the best Pale Ale I've ever had. So much flavor at 4.9%. Wish they'd can that one.

I didn't even get to revisit Lars, which I though was a solid-ass porter.

Lest you all think I'm just raving, the shrimp and sausage gumbo burrito was just OK.

 

[capnmike]

I dunno...they are doing the release today so I would expect to see them around town. I'm not sure how much they brewed, but I love the mixed 4-packs. They also mentioned something last night about selling 2-packs of the same beer.

4-packs were sold out by the time I got there at 3...they let me buy one each 2-pack of bramble, coffee, and chili (no Heaven Hill 2-packs). Hadn’t even considered distro, that would be cool.

 

[lb304854]

4-packs were sold out by the time I got there at 3...they let me buy one each 2-pack of bramble, coffee, and chili (no Heaven Hill 2-packs). Hadn’t even considered distro, that would be cool.

Dammit, people weren't supposed to know about Might Meets Right.

 

[Mugatu]

Dammit, people weren't supposed to know about Might Meets Right.

FT: Might meets Right (pre), ISO: Fou

 

[thewimperoo]

Fruit Truck Peach was really killer and apparently they really didn't get much out of this batch so if you want to try it you should probably head over. It had a gentleness and depth reminiscent of JK fruit beers. And I wasn't even drunk when I had it!

This might be one of the stronger lineups they've ever had -- Life on Land is really good, I dug Burial and Daisy Capra, and Infinite Portal might be the best Pale Ale I've ever had. So much flavor at 4.9%. Wish they'd can that one.

I didn't even get to revisit Lars, which I though was a solid-ass porter.

Lest you all think I'm just raving, the shrimp and sausage gumbo burrito was just OK.

Headed over tonight around 8:30, and was told both locations were already out of the Peach Farm Truck

 

[Mugatu]

Headed over tonight around 8:30, and was told both locations were already out of the Peach Farm Truck

Don’t despair I heard there will be a blueberry fruit truck soon

 

[Alum]

Life on Land was very good.

Earth Dweller was a standout.

Bought my 3rd growler fill of Infinite Portal. And i never buy growler fills.

We were there at open on Sat and they only had about a case of Fruit Truck left at Lincoln.

 

[zieglemt]

How much were they charging for a bottle of Fruit Truck? Was it a 750?

 

[Mugatu]

How much were they charging for a bottle of Fruit Truck? Was it a 750?

$21.99 and yes

 

[capnmike]

I went to the pre-release party thing last night. It was really laid back and well-run. The Heaven Hill was the best of the bunch. Tons of Whoppers Malt Balls, vanilla, and fudge. The Coffee Maple was my second favorite, they loaded that up with maple. Bramble has good intentions but is a shadow of Backyard Rye or BCBS Bramble. !La Sorpresa! was a reminder that making a good Mexican-chocolate stout is actually really hard, and the handful of breweries that really do it well have really practiced and dialed it in.

I'm all for the cans tho. Those sweet sweet cans.

What’s your critique of La Sopresa? Drinking a can right now, and I like it a lot. This style is hit or miss for me, as you indicated - this ones a definite hit for me.

Great nose, sweet up front, cinnamon and spice on the back, not too spicy in the taste, but my stuffy nose is running a bit.

Just curious.

Also, other site said 40 cases to distro (yikes!) - not sure if accurate.

 

[adhdjon]

What’s your critique of La Sopresa? Drinking a can right now, and I like it a lot. This style is hit or miss for me, as you indicated - this ones a definite hit for me.

Great nose, sweet up front, cinnamon and spice on the back, not too spicy in the taste, but my stuffy nose is running a bit.

Just curious.

Also, other site said 40 cases to distro (yikes!) - not sure if accurate.

I enjoyed it enough. It reminded me a lot of the almond-flour forward Stout from Une Annee/Hubbard's Cave, El Zacatón. I was looking for a little bit more peppery heat, but otherwise I thought it was good. It is one of my favorite styles of beer, so I am not sure I would put it up there with Imperial Blud, Abraxas, Hunahpu’s, Mexican Cake, 5 Rabbit's Cacao, Big Bad Baptista, etc. but I'm looking forward to revisiting the can I have when my palate is fresh™.

It was interesting because the brew masters were talking about how the first batch was very spicy and they carefully dialed in the second batch that ended up being canned (if I recall correctly). Overall though we are just mincing nuance between personal preference and good vs really good. It is a GOOD time to be a Chicago beer lover.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Checked out the new Elmhurst Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, and was pretty impressed with the place after only being open for a couple weeks.

The NE IPA which was the only miss of the beers I tried, apparently the head brewer (Cam) has a German brewing background and the Helles, Schwartzbier, Pre-Prohibition style Pilsner, and Baltic Porter were all good to very good.

15 bbl system with fully automated control panel, and they really maximized their space by tucking the boiler into the smallest space imaginable.

15bbl fermentation tanks with glycol setup for another 5 tanks on the opposing side.

3bbl pscyhobrew system to keep their draft line 13 constantly full with experimental beers for their mug club membership, and helped get the opening lineup of beers brewed.

They are using the 10bbl stacked brite / serving tanks ala Corridor which I've always thought looks pretty cool if you are a beer nerd. Maybe not so much for your average consumer.

Pretty large food menu and as they are not distributing they have a taproom license allowing them to serve wine / spirits.

12 beers on draft (The Roggenbier was out sadly), and good pricing as almost everything was $5 for a 16oz pour.

I'm a fan and nice to have another option in the area, family friendly (they have a dedicated kids section in the back of the dining room), and they will have a 60+ person beer garden open come Spring.

 

[Thorpe]

Checked out the new Elmhurst Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, and was pretty impressed with the place after only being open for a couple weeks.

The NE IPA which was the only miss of the beers I tried, apparently the head brewer (Cam) has a German brewing background and the Helles, Schwartzbier, Pre-Prohibition style Pilsner, and Baltic Porter were all good to very good.

15 bbl system with fully automated control panel, and they really maximized their space by tucking the boiler into the smallest space imaginable.

15bbl fermentation tanks with glycol setup for another 5 tanks on the opposing side.

3bbl pscyhobrew system to keep their draft line 13 constantly full with experimental beers for their mug club membership, and helped get the opening lineup of beers brewed.

They are using the 10bbl stacked brite / serving tanks ala Corridor which I've always thought looks pretty cool if you are a beer nerd. Maybe not so much for your average consumer.

Pretty large food menu and as they are not distributing they have a taproom license allowing them to serve wine / spirits.

12 beers on draft (The Roggenbier was out sadly), and good pricing as almost everything was $5 for a 16oz pour.

I'm a fan and nice to have another option in the area, family friendly (they have a dedicated kids section in the back of the dining room), and they will have a 60+ person beer garden open come Spring.

Will echo that this place is great and I’m glad to have close to home, especially with the kid options.

Too bad that the Roggenbier was out. It was quite good.

 

[Gonzoillini1]

Also apparently I haven't done a writeup of Mikerphone Brewing here yet, and we checked them out after Elmhurst on Sunday.

Cafeteria style ordering which actually works well for the limited space in the taproom, and not sure if they aren't doing / enforcing the 48oz per person anymore but there were no wristbands this time.

8 beers on draft at the moment, couple of double dry hopped IPAs, a double dry hopped Helles, a milkshake IPA, couple of infused Berliner Weisse, a really tasty coffee oatmeal stout, and the first beer I've ever had with cake mix as an ingredient.

Lots of beers to go and was nice to see them using the 4pack (albeit only for a single offering)

Cool decor for a music guy, and lots of folks sitting around playing board games while enjoying beers around 5 on a Sunday afternoon.

While Mikerphone is certainly not the kind of place I'll be at very often due to the styles / pricing, it is a good stop on a non-release day if you are in the area.

 

[danbanana]

Checked out the new Elmhurst Brewing Company on Sunday afternoon, and was pretty impressed with the place after only being open for a couple weeks.

The NE IPA which was the only miss of the beers I tried, apparently the head brewer (Cam) has a German brewing background and the Helles, Schwartzbier, Pre-Prohibition style Pilsner, and Baltic Porter were all good to very good.

15 bbl system with fully automated control panel, and they really maximized their space by tucking the boiler into the smallest space imaginable.

15bbl fermentation tanks with glycol setup for another 5 tanks on the opposing side.

3bbl pscyhobrew system to keep their draft line 13 constantly full with experimental beers for their mug club membership, and helped get the opening lineup of beers brewed.

They are using the 10bbl stacked brite / serving tanks ala Corridor which I've always thought looks pretty cool if you are a beer nerd. Maybe not so much for your average consumer.

Pretty large food menu and as they are not distributing they have a taproom license allowing them to serve wine / spirits.

12 beers on draft (The Roggenbier was out sadly), and good pricing as almost everything was $5 for a 16oz pour.

I'm a fan and nice to have another option in the area, family friendly (they have a dedicated kids section in the back of the dining room), and they will have a 60+ person beer garden open come Spring.

Have family friends just down the street from this that have given it high praise so very pumped.

A few years ago, I was in an online discussion (ugh) about why Chicago hadn't adopted a system like you see in Denver or the PNW where seemingly every town/neighborhood has a local brewpub. My argument at the time was cost of land. Getting space in the city was just too much, and some burbs aren't much cheaper. But the last couple of years have certainly made that look like a dumb reason. Now we're catching up because I guess people are just figuring out that there's enough business to support something like that.

And I'm not complaining at all. I'd MUCH rather see places like this than another place jumping right to packaging.

 

[Thorpe]

Have family friends just down the street from this that have given it high praise so very pumped.

A few years ago, I was in an online discussion (ugh) about why Chicago hadn't adopted a system like you see in Denver or the PNW where seemingly every town/neighborhood has a local brewpub. My argument at the time was cost of land. Getting space in the city was just too much, and some burbs aren't much cheaper. But the last couple of years have certainly made that look like a dumb reason. Now we're catching up because I guess people are just figuring out that there's enough business to support something like that.

And I'm not complaining at all. I'd MUCH rather see places like this than another place jumping right to packaging.

Absolutely and this coming from someone who wishes we could do more than just package.

Elmhurst also really nailed as I’ve been more and more looking for places locally that do a wide range of styles and all really well. Plenty of that in the city but not much out by me, at least not close enough that I can swing by for whatever I’m in the mood for on a random weekday night.

 

[thewimperoo]

Visited Eris on Saturday night. As has been said, the space itself is gorgeous. Pretty well packed around 9pm, and stayed mostly busy by the time we were leaving around 11. Tried a couple of the ciders and a couple of the beers. All of them were average to slightly above average. The Blush Cider being the best of the bunch to my tastebuds. Beer prices were a bit high for my liking.

Also, hit up Cruz Blanca before dinner at the Publican. I don't get here a ton, but every time there's at least 2 total gems on tap. This time it was the Coffee Imperial Stout and a Hazy IPA. The coffee stout used Sparrow coffee and was so rich in coffee flavor. Better than something like Sump to me. There was a blend of barrel aged barleywine made up of Bourbon, Brandy, and Rum that was quite good also.

 

[Tooch4321]

Visited Eris on Saturday night. As has been said, the space itself is gorgeous. Pretty well packed around 9pm, and stayed mostly busy by the time we were leaving around 11. Tried a couple of the ciders and a couple of the beers. All of them were average to slightly above average. The Blush Cider being the best of the bunch to my tastebuds. Beer prices were a bit high for my liking.

Also, hit up Cruz Blanca before dinner at the Publican. I don't get here a ton, but every time there's at least 2 total gems on tap. This time it was the Coffee Imperial Stout and a Hazy IPA. The coffee stout used Sparrow coffee and was so rich in coffee flavor. Better than something like Sump to me. There was a blend of barrel aged barleywine made up of Bourbon, Brandy, and Rum that was quite good also.

I was at Eris exactly at the same time, picked up the wife and went straight there from The Mousetrap. Crowd died out by the time we sat at the bar, bonus points for us was the lone gentleman in the last seat of the bar throwing up on himself...

 

[thewimperoo]

I was at Eris exactly at the same time, picked up the wife and went straight there from The Mousetrap. Crowd died out by the time we sat at the bar, bonus points for us was the lone gentleman in the last seat of the bar throwing up on himself...

Sorry I missed that