Crust Brewing

Really big space. Feels a bit empty, sterile, and corporate. Beer selection was pretty limited to like 6-8 of the year-round staples with nothing else special offered. The Czech Dark Lager was surprisingly decent. Service was fine. This place works if you're nearby or by the airport but definitely not a destination.

 

 

 

 

Maybe it is the fact that this replaced Hofbrau house that is tainting my review, but I wasn't impressed. The pizza was dry and bland, the apps were solid though. The beer was watery and felt incomplete often. The prices were also very high given the proximity to the airport I'm sure. But it is a big nice space and the service was top notch. RIP hofbrau, I will miss you!

Stopped in for dinner and some brews before the Dogs game across the highway. Luckily, a fairly convenient shuttle bus route winds just past here from the Rosemont Blue Line station (and to the Dogs ballpark, as well, as luck would have it). The place sits where the Rosemont Hofbrauhaus used to reside, that slightly upscale-trending entertainment district (the one without the casino, if that's any help) abutting the highway and comprising a number of restaurants, bars/grills, and a movie theatre. Inside, it's a classed-up brewpub sort of affair, a bunch of tables and booths surrounding the central padded bar, all with relatively dimmed lights, muted cool/neutral colors, and a decent patio space out front. There are some screens over the bar, but they're not quite the focal point they'd be at other, more sporty spots. The range is fairly limited in scope, comprising about 6-7 offerings, and most of them are the standard brewpub styles, but they're executed fairly well, though none of them to the point that I'd want to grab a crowler or growler to take some with me (and, in fairness, I didn't notice if they offered to-go sales anyway, so potentially moot). The food looks to be semi-upscale chain fare (think an Olive Garden without the Italian bent), and the salad I got was rather good, if a bit too large for me to finish (a younger version of myself would be disappointed, but, dammit, I was stuffed just past the halfway point). The bartenders are all nice enough, and seemed - through overheard conversations with other patrons - to know enough about their wares to make solid-enough recommendations. Overall, though not anything like a beer Mecca of any sort, if you're in the area and looking to dine and drink, you could do a whole helluva lot worse.