Middle Brow Beer Co.

Arrived in town a few days early for the trade show and saw some sights, as they are. Went up to ‘consin and got our Glarus on, returning to Chicago yesterday after hitting some places in the outer ‘burbs. New morning, what will this day bring? Well, thems other guys won’t be in for a few hours yet, so we have some time to mull about town suspiciously, and I had heard some things about this place as I do. We Uber’d, drove, trained, & walked this Sunday snowy morning out here to this corner, I don’t know, something long & low…

Enter along the pen and in; a long room, split into 3. Bar to the left, kitchen on center, and the seating area & breweryings to the right. Pebbled concrete floors, white rafter corrugated ceiling with ductwork, skylight, and cool fabric sheets suspended blowing in the wind. White brick inner wall and white cinder block outer walls with paneled windows forward. Track spots along the back & front walls. An old piano for you to please not play & a small tree plantered.

If you want me, I’ll be in the bar; straight white with black spider web marble topped, vertical slat wood base, & wood foot box. Seating for 6 on slight wood chairs and a few stools past there on the end. An 18 alt size block handled row on a multi-hued blue-green tiled backing. Shelving aside and above with glassware, booze, & wine. More glassware below atop the coolers there. Mad coffee on the end of the barback. 2 picnics behind us for the sitting at, and a corner bottle & can cooler.

The center area holds an ‘L’ shaped bar like the other with a blue vertical slat wood base. Seating for 10 split 5 & 5 fronting the prep and pizza kitchen action. The smells and the good food looks, they emanate from here.

And further down, 3 rows of tables square, rec, & long shared on chairs and shared benchings; 15 of ‘em in all there. Potted plants riddled about, framed windows with mirrored panes on the back wall, and a trio of horizontal foeders stacked on the end of the end.

Went on walkabout. Outdoor space with a few tables under awning, bench seating along the perimeter, and (like) 9 tables in an enclosed space with a little bar. Strung lighting, sunshades overhead in sections, plants, general outdoorsiness.

9 beers up, quite the spread across styles (Bungalow, Lager, 4%; Cottage, Mexican Lager, 4%; West Coast Crush, WC IPA, 4.5%; Superdelic Anchovy Crush, IPA, 4.5%; Bloc Party Pom, Pomegranate, Raspberry, & Vanilla Sour, 4.5%; Next Five Years, Foeder Aged Mixed Culture Saison w/Blackberry, 6%; Inlaid Vol 4, Beer-Wine Hybrid, 8%; Ad Astra, Wee Heavy, 7.5%; The Milk Eyed Mender, Imperial Milk Stout with Cacao, Vanilla, Sweet Orange Peel, Cinnamon, & Peppers, 9.5%).

Got into a few (Bungalow Lager, light, crisp, pleasant, easy drinking: West Coast Crush WC IPA, dank, piney resin, citrus, very good; Next Five Years, Foeder Aged Mixed Culture Saison, tart, actual fire, goddamn; Ad Astra, Wee Heavy, malt, sturdy, tasty; Inlaid Vol 4, Beer-Wine Hybrid, floral, sour, lovely). West Coast Crush WC IPA, Next Five Years, Foeder Aged Mixed Culture Saison, & Inlaid Vol 4, Beer-Wine Hybrid for the wins, but there was nothing of the suck going on here.

I was in need of a snacky snack and went with the charred rustic hearty bread of awesome with cultured butter. It slammed. Brophy did the Nduja Calzonetti (potato, cheddar, scrambled egg), and said it was more like an empanada, but quite good.

Gracetender today, and Morgan brought forth the know-ledge. Tunes are good. Tom Waits, Fairport Convention, Bowie, it’s a good brunch Sunday mix. Great staff, excellent eats, good beer. I find the place to be amazingly warm & comfortable, and would do a lot of time here if I were a local. Beer, wine, pizza, bread, good coffee, yes, please and thank you.

*** Returned with the unusual suspects 6 months later while out for beer & baseball. A few beers; Nice, French Pilsner, 4.5%, & White Light, Witbier, 5%, and a couple of pies; Margherita & Soppressata (or, Sunday afternoon on a patio in Bushwick, 2008). It was a good day.

I couldn't think of a better way to continue my day after spending some time at the Lincoln Park Zoo than hitting up a brewery or two. First up was the Bungalow, coming to us from Middle Brow. Through a well-endowed patio section, the inside of the place is warm, decked out in glazed tile and woods, coming across a cross between a café and a cozy seaside shanty. I hit the bar to the left, with what appeared to be a bread-baking operation to my right and some seating and the brewing apparatus further beyond that. The tap list isn't all that long, though there are some wines on tap and some cocktails and such to round things out a bit more. I settled on a lager and a wild saison, with some IPAs and other lagers not making the cut (already tried 'em, and I am a ticker at heart, after all). The beers were both rather good, making me wish more of their kin were available for the slaughter. The bartenders were friendly, affable, and ready to describe their wares without much provocation. As a living space heater, I do wish the place was more air-conditioned (the fan in the upper corner was a godsend when it was finally turned on near the end of my visit). As it stands, though, the place is a solid destination, one that just isn't entirely within my preferred aesthetic.

Patio-only during the post-pandemic transition times, it was kind of a disjointed experience ordering everything by phone and drinking out of plastic cups at picnic tables. Buzzing little picnic patio with some overhead coverage, and a nice vibe overall. It seems like it’s time to transition back indoors, although industry-wide staffing limitations could be holding them back from this.

Beer selection was good, the highlight was Maya: Kumquat, a barrel-aged fruited wild ale that was outstanding. The solera mixed culture beer Someday had a ton of THP unfortunately. Wild ales have been generally uneven. The IPA options were good, and I love their wet-hopped Fresher Crush when in season. We tried a house-made wine that was also pretty good.

Tried 3 pizzas that were all unique and delicious. One with lamb, turnips, and pistachio, another with a ramp & spinach arrabiata, and a classic margherita. Great crust and innovative toppings.

Service was prompt and very friendly. Their website is very confusing and doesn’t have a straightforward menu. Gardening tools pop up first, then pizza dough, etc. Ordering everything by smartphone was a little difficult, again it would be nice (and quicker) if they just had staff taking orders. No need for contactless ordering anymore, but I understand the industry-wide issue of staff shortages too. No plates or napkins with the pizza, we realized afterward there was a communal area for that, and the bathroom was communal too, oddly enough.

I’d love to return when they are firing on all cylinders again, as the potential is high. Wild ales have been hit or miss in general over the years, but the Maya: Kumquat bottle tonight was outstanding.

Place is very modern and bright. During the day, at least, kid friendly. Always an interesting beer or two that catches my eye. List typically leans lower ABV beers. The food and the smells are the real star here - all bread and pizza crust are so great. The Bungalow is a fun place to come eat and have a few beers with friends. Staff have always been friendly to me.

Nice taproom, comfortable layout. Bar and various tables.

Service was friendly and helpful.

Vibe was kind of hip, so may not be everyone’s style.

Pizza is main food option. High end yuppie style pizza. Very tasty, very good quality ingredients.

 

I am a big fan of Robyn, Middle Brow's flagship saison, and have enjoyed five other ales of theirs.
So, I was excited to learn they had opened a brewpub. But it took a couple of months for me to get there, despite it being only a mile from home. Looking on-line at a somewhat simple menu (that started with breakfast), I figured I would, at minimum, enjoy the beer.

Instead, I enjoyed everything, The 125 year old storefront was thoughtfully renovated. They had some brewing equipment in the back along with two foeders. They will have a large patio in the summer on a side lot. A very cool feeling as I walked in and it only got better. At 6PM on a Friday, we barely got a table. When we left, we could barely get out it was so packed.

The two ales were very good. Staff were unusually helpful; particularly given my extensive questions. While they have one guest tap, I'd prefer more. The pizza was excellent and the bread -- also baked there -- was so delicious, that I bought a loaf to bring home. Rare is it outside of Belgium that a brewer understands how to make yeast make both great beer and great bread. Middle Brow has a very good start on combining the two.

I also want to comment that Middle Brow's accomplishments confirm that not only for the last two decades has Chicago been one of the best cities to eat in for the price-quality ratio, but that its brewers are catching up with its restauranteurs.

Back to Middle Brow... Super kudos on a job well done. In the great Chicago tradition, I can't wait for summer to try the patio.