Old Irving Brewing Co.

Great beer. Great Service. Great food pretty much sums it up! Worth the visit.

 

I was glad to finally able to stop by after hearing so many good things about this place.

Located in a nice older building, the square center bar is massive with seating for a ton of folks. There is a second room with more seating and a large projector TV, so great for a group that wants to watch sport. I like the décor and think they did a nice job with the space.

Service was the only real hic-up. We were at the bar and it took forever to get our first beer order in and then to get our food order. It wasn't crowded, just a dozen folks in the barroom, but given the service challenges facing a lot of the industry, it certainly was not a deal killer. Both bartenders were very nice so kudos to them.

I liked their beers. Had a nice Kolsch, a great hoppy lager and an IPA. Good quality and great glassware.

Their food was very good. Lots of items I didn't get to try so a return visit is in order.

Hip replacement industrial space that is sneaky big, great square bar. Service is friendly and knows their beer but it is very slow expect at down hours, if making a spot while waiting for the train, ask to close out way before you think you need to. (We made the train both times don’t worry). Selection is odd in that taps and cans/bottle are mixed together on the same menu so read carefully, also doesn’t seem like all taps are used, but good variety of styles. Somehow underrated even though they put out high quality beers all the time. Haven’t tried the food, but heard good things

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great beer, food was good.

 

A large industrial space with a large full service center bar surrounded by stools for over 40 and, outside that ring, high op tables seating another 40 or so. To the right, past the hostess table, is restaurant style seating with booths and communal tables; easily room for 100 or more. In the back, just short of the visible brewhouse is a space for smaller parties of 30 or so with bags games set up.

The place is hopping on a Saturday night with multiple TV's for your favorite team and music instead of talking sports heads.

The service is attentive and well trained.

Selection includes about a dozen in-house pulls with a full range from berliner weiss to imperial stout. I enjoyed the several beers I had, especially the Imperial Krampus Cookies and the base.

Food was delicious and plentiful.

Downside is parking. Get a driver, or use public transit.

 

Top notch brewpub in Chicago.

 

An 8,500 square foot brewpub featuring house-brewed craft beer, wood fired eats, 14 televisions and a 10’ big screen showing sporting events, a relaxed bar area and an industrial beer hall with corn hole. The quality of the beer was quite good. The service was friendly and helpful. They had eight of their own beers on tap when I visited. Most of the food is cooked on a wood fired grill. My burger was delicious.

 

 

This is a cool newish spot for the Northsiders here in Chicago, and definitely worth a blue line trip to for tourists.
Massive space - high brewery ceilings with what looks like a lot of time and money that went into kitting out this spot. The bar when you walk in is a generous size and the side restaurant/seating area is decked out with 'bags' games and a ton of seating.

Service when we went was a little slow - still working out the timing and covering such a space I would say. Otherwise everyone was friendly and knowledgable.

Onto the beers - they had 6 of their own offerings on draft on my first and only visit so far. There was a kolsch - coffee stout - couple of IPAs and DIPAs with fruit added. Their DIPA was solid and the coffee stout was a revelation.

Food is very well made. Had brunch there which involved a note perfect eggs benedict. The dinner and lunch menus look outstanding also.

Very promising. Liked what I saw and sipped here.

 

 

May 2017:
I've been here probably a dozen times now since bocce league is in full swing. OIB has steadily improved and thankfully so has my throwing. The brewers are friendly and open to feedback, which is refreshing. Staff has been friendly and attentive. The bar staff are cocktail wizards.

Food has improved, and they recently expanded the menu with a bunch of new stuff. The ninja waffle fries, wood-grilled octopus, and fried zucchini are must-trys, the rotating burger specials are very solid too. Fried chicken and porchetta are both go-to entrees as well. Didn't love the wings. It's slightly overpriced for the area, but high quality.

Beer-wise, i've tried some good stuff coming out of here, lately the Trendi DIPA and Gimme Samoa imperial milk stout were highlights. For Whom The Bell Tolls was excellent, and I hope they re-brew that one soon. Overall i've been pleased with this place and hope they continue to improve.

Feb. 2017:
Tried a few more seasonals and various menu items, everything was pretty good. Porchetta sandwich special was tasty. The bbq sauce was pretty odd though, tasted like it had fish sauce in it. Looking forward to the bocce league starting up next month.

Sep 2016:
Visited here during the opening weekend, i'll definitely return to try for a more typical experience.
It was packed and loud, the bar was SRO and it took about 10 minutes to order a beer. Staff seemed to be very busy trying to keep up with the big crowd. We passed around a few tasters that were decent, but decided not to stick around very long. There's a square island bar just past the host stand, and a separate larger dining room off to the right. Everything is designed in an upscale industrial look, exposed brick and metal beams overhead, with large fermenters in the brewery towards the back. Shelves with growlers decorate the entrance, and a merch case full of shirts and branded stuff at the host stand. The slick polished feel reminded me of Finch Kitchen down the street, but the two are definitely different in their own ways.

Only tried 3 beers, they were out of my 1st choice, the Berliner weisse. IPA was a little sweet, but fruity from the Mosaic. Kölsch and APA were both on the nondescript side, probably wouldn't get them again. Didn't have time to try the food, but the menu looks fairly ambitious. Overall, i'll have to come back to get a better idea of the place once the opening crowds disperse.