What to drink while in Chicago

Anything from Haymarket or Piece breweries. Neither have sours but guaranteed you will find something enjoyable at both places. Id say Revolution too but i havent looked at their tap list lately so dont know what they have going on right now. U can check out Haymarket and Revolutions tap list on their websites but u have to call Piece to find out whats flowin over there.

 

You'll want to try both of the year round Three Floyds DIPAs, Dreadnaught and Arctic Panzer Wolf. Personally I think Panzer Wolf is both better and drier. You'll also likely enjoy Zombie Dust, which is dry as, well, dust.

If you end up at Goose try out some of their Belgian series. Sofie is a saison that people enjoy. You can probably skip Matilda, Pere Jacques, and Pepe Nero, as they're sweeter. Their sours are good by all accounts: Juliet, Madame Rose, and Lolita. Also see if they have some of their smaller batch Belgian stuff like Marisol or Dominique around, those are interesting.

The suggestion to get up to Revolution Brewing is an excellent one. Good food, too.

 

If you really, really, really want to try Dark Lord, you can go to Twisted Spoke -- they may still have some bottles available. Be prepared to spend ~100, though. Probably isn't worth it. Fork is also showing bottles of CBS available for $75.

Lolita hit store shelves a week or so ago -- depending on how soon your trip is, you may stumble across a store with some bottles left (or show up in time for the latest release of Juliet). Better beer bars restaurants may have this newer Lolita in stock (probably costing ~$30/22oz. bottle). The Clybourn brewpub still had a fair amount of 2010 Madame Rose last time I was there for $25 -- and you can carry-out bottles. Hopleaf has all three of the 3 Sisters, also for $25 (I think - maybe it's $30). You might find bottles of Fleur, as well - it's a wild ale with hibiscus and kombucha. It has been retired, however, and I wouldn't expect to find it on draft. If you haven't had Bells' Oarsman, try that.

Other than these offerings from Goose and those from Jolly Pumpkin, I don't know if you're going to find much in the way of sours/wild ales. Mentioned above, I'd seek out additional Three Floyds beers, too. Also, they have been running out of taps at the brewpub and sending out kegs of random beers all over the city. Belgians, IPA's and double IPA's -- all well worth trying, I'd imagine. Revolution's Anti-Hero IPA is very good, as is their new rye IPA. Local Option (the bar -- they also contract brew beer) has released a double IPA called American Muscle -- super sticky, I also found it a little sweet. Still interesting, however. Half Acre's most well-known beer is probably Daisy Cutter - it's a hoppy pale ale in the West Coast style so you may want to pass. Metropolitan makes German-style beers that are uniformly excellent. Their kolsch (Krankshaft) and alt (Iron Works) stand out, I feel, and I've enjoyed this year's dopplebock (Generator), as well. 5 Rabbit also contract brews - their new seasonal (Huitzi Midwinter Ale) sounds pretty tasty but I haven't been to a bar yet to check it out).

Other regional breweries to check out include Boulevard (Missouri), Dark Horse (Michigan), Tyranena (Wisconsin), Central Waters (Wisconsin), Founders (Michigan -- Double Trouble might be on draft, though that may also have more tropical fruit than you normally enjoy; Centennial IPA and All-Day IPA are both pretty tasty), New Holland (Michigan) and Great Lakes (Ohio). I'm sure I'm leaving out many, many more - these are just the ones that stick out in my mind.

 

Agreed, in the city definitely visit Haymarket, Revolution, Piece, and Goose Island (certainly for your wife!) brewpubs. Rev's food is just as delicious as the beer. Sorry to say that sours and wild ales (except GI's) are going to be a hard find. Three Floyds Brewpub is just a short trip southeast on I-90 (I've made it in about 35 mins), so for me it would be a must visit as well. They have 17 of their own brews on tap in various styles, many that have never found their way into a bottle. Check out this current tap list. You'd definitely dig Hessian Smog. Also, Lord Admiral Nelson a special ESB they brew from time to time is available in bombers as of today. If they are still around, you'll have to pick some up when you're there and check it out. Overall pretty well-balanced, although admittedly it leans a bit to the fruity side...

 

Three Floyds is much easier to get to from I-94 than from I-90. I prefer 90 for everything except going to Munster.

 

Actually, I've taken both routes depending on day and time. On weekdays especially around rush hour I prefer the Skyway; much less rush hour traffic. However, you'll pay a fairly expensive toll.

 

GRAVEDIGGER BILLY AT REVOLUTION BREWPUB. Sorry for the all caps, but it is that epic of a beer. It makes Backwoods Bastard taste like Raspberry Michelob Ultra

 

Grave digger Billy is awesome!!! Check out goose islands website for event, I am able to go to two tastings of bcs and the variants in my short stay here. When else are you gonna get bcs coffee on tap?!??

 

Given what you like you should definitely stop at Haymarket for some beers. The food is hit-or-miss (it's better now than it was a year ago) but their brewmaster Pete loves doing hoppy beers and Belgian beers, sometimes together, so there should be plenty of stuff for your tastes. Ideally their Angry Birds Belgian IPA will be on tap when you show up -- they usually seem to have it, and they won a GABF gold for it. One really nice thing about Haymarket if you're trying to go multiple places: each beer is available in a 4oz size that is priced the same per-ounce as the 12, 16 or 20oz sizes that are also available (some beers aren't sold in 16 or 20oz sizes). You can try every beer you want on the menu at the smaller size so you aren't hammered when you move on to the next place. They even offer the 4oz pours on all the guest drafts.

As noted above, Goose is really the only one that does sours, if they're available (haven't been to the pub in a few months). Piece usually has a few hoppy beers. Revolution is supposed to have a fresh batch of Double Fist being released this week just in time for you to show up and I'm assuming the Rye IPA they tapped a couple weeks ago is still around so there should stuff there in addition to the pale and IPA that are part of the regular lineup. Three Floyd's DIPAs and pales aren't all that malty, if you see Zombie Dust, Dreadnaught or Arctic Panzer Wolf all of those will be worth a try for you. Alpha King (their standard lineup pale ale) will be more commonly seen.

Metropolitan does outstanding lagers, but I'm not sure whether or not those are your thing. Half Acre Daisy Cutter will almost certainly be up your alley and it's pretty easy to get on tap as a lot of bars have it, not just the beer bars at this point.

 

There is a Three Floyds sour brown called Sobro in bombers at Small Bar Fullerton right now, presumably straight from the brewpub.

 

Ever had any beers from Great Lakes Brewing in wonderful sunny Ohio, lol? Dortmunder Gold totally fits your bill for dry and bitter. Still the best beer they make. Might have on tap at the Map Room Chicago, possibly....but be sure to read all the caveats for visiting there.