Weekend in Chicago, April 2015

There's a bunch of threads on this with people who have more experience in some parts of the city than I, so I won't recap all that (you'll probably get those responses later anyway). Personally, I'd check out Goose Island Clybourn and Binny's Lincoln Park (across the street from each other) no matter what; one of the best beer places in the city right next to the original GI brewpub.

Same general area, you can also hit up Local Option (a few blocks away); great place to drink, and aside from having a really good beer selection, they also brew their own stuff (which you can purchase in bottles in the aforementioned Binny's).

In terms of can't miss beers...You'll probably want to check out whatever you can of Three Floyd's, since it's one of those things you at least want to get out of your system (whether or not you end up loving their stuff). If you're looking specifically for Zombie Dust, my advice would be to go on beermenus.com and follow the beer, along with a Chicago zip code, because a lot of bars will have it on tap more commonly than you'll see it sitting on a shelf in a sixer. Other than FFF, obviously give some Half Acre, Revolution, Pipeworks, etc. stuff a try (it's hard to be specific because I don't know what'll be on the shelves in April). Citra ninja is always a good bet, and Half Acre has some great one-offs (as does Pipeworks, who specialize in that sort of thing).

Depending on what type of neighborhood you like, you might find that Wicker Park or Logan Square have a lot of the better bars, but you'll also get a lot of the in the Loop area, and some in Lincoln Park, among others. It's really hard to narrow down things like this, because literally every part of Chicago is bursting with beer. Hope that helps a tiny bit, at least.

 

If you are into arcade style video games then Emporium is a must. Pretty big place so it should be able to accommodate a group that size with no issues. Last time I was there they had the barrel aged plead the 5th on the drip. money!

 

There are a ton of threads buried around here that will have more detailed suggestions, but the two places that I absolutely recommend are Hopleaf (excellent beer list and amazing food) and Local Option (almost always amazing beer list and food is great too). I hit both of those up every time I'm in Chicago. Beercade is also really fun if you'd like to drink beer and play free retro arcade games.

A lot of the best places are in Wrigleyville, so you may have to take a short subway ride up there.

And stay away from the viagra triangle...

 

The best places are in Wrigleyville? Really?

I second the emporium for big groups, but emporium wicker park has way better beer than emporium Logan sq., which doesn't have draft beer.

 

Cubs/cardinals for day time activities, west loop for all things night

 

No.

 

Food:

The Publican: http://thepublicanrestaurant.com/
Green Street Smoked Meats: http://greenstreetmeats.com/
Bavette's: http://bavetteschicago.com/
Maudes Liquor Bar: http://www.maudesliquorbar.com/
Smoke Daddy: http://www.thesmokedaddy.com/
Fat Johnnies: http://fatjohnnies.com/ (way out of the way down south, best red hots int he city)
Dusek's: http://dusekschicago.com/
The Roost: http://theroostcarolinakitchen.com/
Longman and Eagle: http://www.longmanandeagle.com/
Kuma's: http://www.kumascorner.com/ (Belmont location only)
Au Cheval: http://auchevalchicago.com/
Smoque: http://www.smoquebbq.com/
Revolution Brewing: http://revbrew.com/ (yeah, the food is pretty damn good too)

Bars:

Revolution Brewing: http://revbrew.com/ (duh, or course its a good bar)
Hop Leaf: http://hopleaf.com/
Marias: http://community-bar.com/ (phenomenal beer selection)
Skylark: http://www.skylarkchicago.com/
Sheffields: http://www.sheffieldschicago.com/ (phenomenal beer selection, and great BBQ)
Bad Apple: http://www.badapplebar.com/ (right next door to Half Acre)
Half Acre Tap Room: http://halfacrebeer.com/ (right next door to Bad Apple)
Fountainhead: http://fountainheadchicago.com/
Green Mill: http://www.greenmilljazz.com/ (a jazz institution)
Map Room: http://www.maproom.com/
Kaiser Tiger: http://kaisertiger.com/
SmallBar Logan: http://www.thesmallbar.com/logan/
Emporium Wicker Park: http://emporiumchicago.com/

Beer stores:

Craft Beer Temple: http://craftbeertemple.com (Chris Quinn is the man. Let him be your guide)

Breweries to look out for, or seek out, when in town?

Spiteful
Pipeworks
Half Acre
Three Floyds
Revolution
Solemn Oath
Penrose
Only Child
Temperance
18th Street
5 Rabbit

Neighborhoods? Lucky for you, Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Stay out of downtown and you'll have a great time. From the places myself and others have mentioned, you should have a decent idea where the most entertaining neighborhoods are.


For a hotel... with 8-10 guys... maybe just try to find a 3 bedroom apartment, or a house, on AirBnB in Wicker Park/Logan Square/West Loop. Otherwise most hotel options put you downtown and you are wasting time commuting everywhere.

 

What ^ he said.

And bring some Winter gear...there's a good chance temperatures will be in the 20’s/30’s.

 

Winter gear, and a lot of Nelson