Double Clutch Brewing Company

 

10-15 mins north of Chicago…chill neighborhood feel, a smaller parking lot and then street parking, smaller outside eating/drinking area, several larger rooms, high ceilings, upscale feel, fun atmosphere. Lots to engage the eyes and ears.

Lots of actual race cars and other interesting vehicles as you enter and all round the place. !6 or so of their own on tap, plus cans to go. Friendly staff.

Fun place with a date or a group…or with the guys…tvs on with the game. Highly recommended

Didn’t pay any attention to the food situations here

 

This place had been on my bucket list ever since they won crowd favorite at the CBS Brewpub Shootout for their smoked Helles. At long last, I happened to be in the area and stopped by.

Space is really nice, L/shaped bar and seating with garage door windows, airy wooden ceilings, skylights, with classic cars in back and a live music stage in a 2nd bar room in back. Nice collection of petroliana, gas station signs and stuff like that. Across the alley appeared to be a storage space/chop shop for the owner’s classic cars. I was told they have a mechanic on staff, that’s a first.

Smoked wings were good, crispy with a mild smoke flavor. BBQ sauce was odd, tasted like it had cinnamon and applesauce in it.

Beers were good too, I really like the Helles Rauchbier. They seem a little too adherent to the Reinheitsgebot for my taste. Token IPA’s, shandy, and red ales were skipped. Lagers were good quality, nothing too experimental.

Overall it was a quality stop, and i’d definitely return.

Beginning my Evanston trek in earnest up north with Double Clutch, high expectations in tow for some German-inspired goodness. Just down the street from the closest bus stop, and really only a twenty-minute walk or so from the city center, the place is a surprisingly large space, a bar/restaurant off to the left of the entrance, and larger spaces for bigger gatherings off to the right. The bar and such surround the brewing equipment, and plenty of natural light gets in from the windows, something of a rarity these days (look, I prefer the dank, but I'll note how nice the sunshine is on occasion). The range on offer is, as previously noted, mostly German-leaning, plenty of lagers. Two smoked beers, thank you very, very much! It's all very solid at the worst, rather tasty at the best. The staff are all rather nice and attentive, and the food, though I didn't try any, looked pretty good (and vegetarian options, to boot!). Pricing seems pretty solid on the drink side for the area. Overall, this place is great, and I can't wait to be back in the area to give them another look-see.