Hop Butcher For The World

 

Clearly a regular occurrence, we were redirected to their taproom after entering their first door off of West Collum (free parking!). The taproom actual gives a small coffee shop vibe with uniquely warped wooden walls, though there is a second stand only room between the retail shop and the taproom with a little more space in front of the brewing equipment.

To absolutely no one's surprise, the taplist is heavy on haze, which is also unsurprisingly of the highest quality still. It's cool to be able to finally visit, but I'm the least hop headed of my friends, so it was a last stop for us. That said, everything was quite delicious, and service was simple and quick, even coming to our table so as to keep the bar from getting cramped.

 

 

Final stop of my Chicago craft beer walking tour and worth the trek. Given what to me is their outsized reputation, I was pleasantly surprised to find the brewpub itself had more of a neighborhood watering hole feel. Big props as well to the to-go side for being so friendly and family-friendly.

5/8/24 Latest Visit (Chicago, IL): I really was only familiar with their IPAs, primarily NEIPAs, which I thought were good to excellent. However, my first and subsequent visits have been a real eye opener in terms of the breadth of quality offerings across many styles they are dedicated to serving and brewing. They took over the space and opened to the public in November 2022. I started coming shortly thereafter, and this has been one of my top / favorite Chicago breweries since.

The space is comfortable except for the cement based bar table. Believe the bartenders select the music which is very good. They offer at least a dozen taps, and while several will be various PAs and IPAs, they always have at least 3 or 4 of other styles. To my tastes they brew quality to excellent beers across just about all the styles I tried. Love the staff and service, friendly, willing to answer questions, and the owner(s) are typically there in the afternoon chilling and interacting with staff and patrons who engage. They have a great to go selection of 12-18 beers, including several only available at the taproom. Bottom line, this is a must visit, whether you live here or are visiting from out of town.

Idk man. Hop Butcher just doesn’t do it for me. One trick pony and it’s overplayed. Their IPAs all taste the same, but for what it’s worth, they are well made. If you’re a haze boi you’ll love this place.

 

Had three 10 ounce pours on a Sunday afternoon. Sat at the bar. Bartender I talked to was engaged, interested in the beer and the local beer scene, had plenty he wanted to say and was curious about my perspective.

Beer was quite good (though apparently "hop burn" is a big feature in their hazy IPAs -- I only had two, but if that's an important factor for you, you might want to pay attention). I had two hazies and one WC IPA.

They have non-IPA styles, though their menu is clearly dominated by IPAs.

With Half Acre moved over to Balmoral, their former stomping grounds have allowed Hop Butcher to move in and have a presence in Chi-Town. The merch area/growler-fill station is still there, just with new stuff to peddle. Next door, so to speak, it the tap room, a fairly small area with plenty of wood paneling, a stone/cement bar (I can't fully tell the material, but you get the point, I think), and some nice skylight lighting. I miss the bear's head that adorned the wall in the Half Acre days, but, hey, you gotta move forward, right? The tap list, as one might expect from Hop Butcher, emphasizes the hoppy options, heavy on the haze; still, a few stouts, a collab saison, and a rather tasty zwick'l shove their ways on the menu as well. The bartenders are cool and chill; I feel as though, if the place were busier on this afternoon, the greeter (for lack of a better term for her) likely would have shown me to my seat (if the sign at the door instructing me to wait to be seated is any indication), but she only warmly greeted me as I made my way to a bar stool. Overall, though I wanna see plenty more than the hazy offerings, I am looking forward to stopping in here more often now that they have a true dedicated tasting area. Good times.

 

Visited on Sunday, November 19th, 2022. 4257 N Lincoln Ave. still feels very much like Half Acre to me, and probably always will. From drinking Daisy Cutter out of mason jars, to picking up Keeping Together and HA's Wyld Cove outside during the pandemic, countless fond memories occurred here from 2008-2021. Witnessing Half Acre open here and now Hop Butcher, i'm reminded of the old maxim "the more things change, the more they stay the same".

The taproom is still pretty new, just opening weeks ago, and generally packed as a result. Waiting in a line in the cold is for the young and more dedicated, so go at off times during the week if you just want to pop in for a beer. The retail area is a great option if you're short on time. Free samples and a nice variety of beers to go and various swag items, mostly shirts, hats, glasses, and silkscreened posters of label art by Dan Grzeca.

Beer selection is heavily haze oriented, but they also had a nice West Coast APA and a collab Saison with Is/Was Brewing. They are planning to rotate more traditional styles in the taproom as well.

Staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Service was efficient and the place was comfortable if not a little cramped.

Overall a great new addition to the "old" North Center beer district, including Bad Apple, Bottles & Cans, Dovetail, Begyle, Long Room, Resi's Bierstube, and Laschet's Inn all within walking distance.

Taproom visit 1/8/23:
Loud. Small. Nice to be in the OG Half Acre taproom again, but could’ve done without the guy directing me to an open bar seat, shouting like he’s on the tarmac at the airport. Bartender was friendly and helpful. Babies in the bar, check. A few traditonal beer options like pilsner, saison, and ESB for the haze-averse.