Eris Brewery and Cider House

 

Stopped in for a taste before heading back into the Loop for a show (I wanna say Once on This Island, but I may be mistaken). Funnily enough, I hit the wrong L stop and had to backtrack a bit. Gotta love it. Meanwhile, this place sticks out a bit, with its three-plus-story brick exterior; inside, once up the stairs from the greeter (not used to this sort of layout, but it's not a negative), I was struck by the large, open space, bar to the right, seating to the left and upstairs. There's a modern industrial vibe mixing with some classic neo-deco elements, with exposed ducts melding with wrought iron fixtures and those hipster-y bulbs that don't provide the brightest light (you know the ones). Though it was a touch busy, once I was at the bar I was never ignored. They don't offer flights, but they do provide smaller pours of everything, so, being the completionist ticker I am, I ordered the ciders first, then the beers: each time, I was essentially walled into my seat by miniature snifters, providing some light-hearted snickers from my neighbors. The bartenders were all rather amiable, seemed to be knowledgeable about their offerings. Said beers and ciders were all generally pretty tasty (on a spectrum, of course, but out of over 20 offerings only one or two brought a negative reaction from me). I didn't try any of the food, but my quick glances over at the seating on my way to the bathroom a couple times made me wanna try some on my next visit. (Also, the bathrooms are nice.) Overall, this is a highly enjoyable locale that I could easily see becoming a regular haunt if I lived in the general Old Irving Park area. Good times, good times.

This is just a cool spot. Nice blend of regulars, hipsters, locals, family, on a date crowd. ... it has a bit of everyone. Excellent quality and very nice design & layout of the whole building. Very unique feel full of character. Lots of seating on different floors and levels. Good service with a descent selection of beers (mostly of average quality). Food is excellent. My wife and I come here almost primarily for the food.

This is a great spot for a night out. Have been here multiple times and plan to continue.

 

Opening night, Eris is finally open after 3 years in planning. The building is amazing. In it's former life, it's been a masonic temple, police station film set, and Korean church. Inside the chaos-arrowed doors, past the host station and up the stairs/elevator, it opens into large airy space, with a bar to the right and booths/tables in the center. A mezzanine with seating to the left and stairs to more balcony seating on the 2nd floor. The attention to detail is at a dizzying level, the space is immaculate and grand.

At least 5 staff were behind the bar including the owners. Drinks were flying fast and furious, as it was 2-3 deep at the bar. The atmosphere was jovial and fast moving. We got there early and got seats at the bar as others were leaving. When we left around 7 there was a big crowd to get in. Pro tip: go early to get a seat.

Beers were good, cider too. Tried the pedestrian dry cider and a blueberry one, all fermented with champagne yeast we were told. Fnord beet beer was tart and refreshing, and the NEIPA style Foiken Haze was very good as well. Looking forward to returning soon to try the rest.

Food was good, I had the crispy duck tacos which were tasty though not really crispy. Presentation was nice. My friend raved about the pozole, which i’ll be sure to try next time. Lots of veggie options and variety on the menu. Short ribs sounded great.

Overall it was a great experience from this promising new brewery, opening night went off without a hitch. It was packed with an eager crowd, there wasn’t an empty table in the place. Looking forward to making it a regular in the rotation.