Shared Brewing

 

Cool set up with basically a super nice patio with retractable walls for when it is cold or rainy, and then you order at the window, like a good midwestern ice cream stop. Didn't try the pizza place built in, but man the table next to us had a pie and it smelled great! Nice arrangement of styles on a modest sized tap list, SP bottle list is nice too. Service was super friendly and quick to find you recommendations to try. The best outside space of the 3 in the SP/Shared empire. Split a nice bottle on a warm night here with people you love, you will thank me later

Ok, so this place is a large covered patio with about ten tables. And guess what? It totally rocks. Or at least it does on a Friday night in April. The game is on TV, the dusk sky is lovely, the ambiance is full of life. Oh, and they serve about 10 Shared beers on tap and more Shared/Side Project beers in bottles. Go up to one door and order some world-class beer. Go up to the other door and order a slice of pizza. Wait—are cars going through a drive-through? That’s awesome. The place probably sucks in bad weather, and might get weird on a weekday afternoon if no one is there. But I get it, and I’m sure locals do too.

 

My first drive-thru brewery experience...

Shared Brewing recently opened it's own satellite space earlier this year across the street from Side Project, a minimalist all-weather patio with a kitchen and drive-thru for pick-up orders. Atmosphere on a weekend was a little chaotic with a youth sports team taking up most of the tables, but there were a few others just enjoying the beers on a sunny day. Fledgling hop plants around the patio perimeter will grow bigger in the coming years, hopefully covering the overhead trellis eventually.

Beverage selection was great, a dozen drafts around $7-8 and a couple expensive bottle options too. High quality beers overall, the two Shared lagers i've had were really good. Enjoyed the Ludwig Festbier on slow pour, SP Biere Blanche, and Lane Change, a hoppy lager. Rotating selection of small batch and seasonal stuff keeps things interesting.

Staff at the window gave good recs and chatted for a minute when it was slow. They still use QR codes here, which can be a little annoying, but they just rung me up at the "Drinks" window when I asked.

Pizza Champ runs the kitchen side, slinging quality pies directly to your table. Pies are all 18" and easily feed 2 hungry people. The Margherita was excellent, crispy exterior, soft pillowy interior. Sauce was tangy, high quality mozz and basil. Extremely good, maybe a new contender for best pie in town alongside Union Loafers and Monte Bello... more research is required.

(As this is the same location and group of brewers as Side Project, I’ve simply transferred my ratings and review from my experience at Side Project).

Unfortunately the week was so busy with the Invitational that I only had time to pop by the brewery for a second (spending most of my time at the Cellar). The space was beautiful, very open with tons of natural light coming in from all angles (great for beer pics lol). Selection, as I've usually seen, is almost exactly the same as the cellar, sometimes only differing in what's being offered as far as on-site bottles or to-go stuff. If you're in the area I feel as though you'll end up favoring one location over the other, but both spots are awesome. My only complaint is that I wished they did short tours of the brewery itself! I always love seeing the operations these master brewers are working with behind the scenes. All in all, a great trip and as predicted an awesome space!

 

nice outdoor patio vibe that can be (and has been) transformed into a winter-proof patio with walls and heaters. order at the window for drinks but a server will bring them out to you. nice selection of SP and shared beers on draft as well as on-site bottles. kind of a nice spot to get to try on-site imperial stouts without the hustle and bustle of the brewery or the cramped (some will say cozy) confines of the cellar. i’ve never used it but i’d have to imagine as a local, the drive-thru option for four packs and bottles would be pretty sweet.

note: i did not comment on the food because that’s technically a separate entity operating within the same space.

 

 

 

 

 

this is a joint venture with side project, who i have to commend for bringing this into the fold, its neat to share the space, the equipment, and the notoriety with some other brewers who have something liquid to say, what a wonderful platform to afford them, so well done there side project folks! so far, the beers i have had have been incredible, every bit as good as the side project stuff to be honest. the base weight porter on tap there is one of the best porters of any persuasion i have ever had. the single origin coffee beers they have done have been delicious, and the saison and table beers have been expertly executed as well, mostly cleaner stuff, but thats awesome! the only ones that havent floored me have been the hoppy ones, but ive only had a couple, and others seem to be really digging them, so ill get back on them when i get the chance and see. like side project, same space same staff behind the bar, both awesome. if there are far more shared than side project offerings on tap when you visit, dont be disappointed, their beers are just as delicious! again, its incredibly cool this project exists, its a neat model and it appears to be working! way cool!