One brewery in Chicago

I've gotten samples of all sorts o' beers there, both inside and outside of flights.

Anyway, I'd say Clybourne is a great bet, what with the pretty damn tasty food (Stilton burger, with some o' that truffle aioli on the side for the fries...I'm hungry for it now...), plenty of regularly-rotating taps (including seasonals, barrel-aged stuff, and chef collaborations), and a classy atmosphere. This is what keeps me coming back so often on my days off...

 

I'll third the votes for Haymarket. Personally, I'd check out all of their taplists (can be found on webpage or beermenus.com) and make my decision based on that.

 

Revolution!

Though it's worth pointing out about the closing party for Chicago's Craft Beer Week, it will be at the (still under construction) brewery rather than the current brewpub.

And just to echo other comments about the Goose Island brewpubs, they are independently owned/operated and have been even before the AB-InBev buy-out. Still, and at the original Clybourn location, at least, half their taps consist of beers coming out of (AB-InBev owned) Fulton (and/or wherever the IPA, Honkers, et al. are currently getting made) while other half are made on-site. I think Jared and the other pub brewers try a lot of different ideas and many are worth trying; few are worth seeking out, though. I agree, too, about the prices coming out a little high. Bottle prices are in-line with any other restaurant mark up, though at least you can usually take un-opened bottles home after purchase.

I remember reading a Tribune article about all the great beers still being produced at Fulton despite (arguably because of, actually) the buy-out and they mentioned a lot of beers from BelgianFest (like the Pere Winkle). What I found so frustrating, and I'm hopeful that the Fulton & Wood series will address this, is that all of this amazing beer shows up only at ticketed events/tastings/etc. Especially since the Fulton facility doesn't have a taproom (to say nothing of a restaurant), there's no easy way to try all of the amazing beer that they do make. I give Three Floyds all the credit in the world these days for sending out kegs of random beer - most of which, I'm sure, would have been held as pub-only a few months ago. Being able to try something different/new from a great brewery (like the black lager or the Hells Black Intelligencier) without dealing with a Tap Takeover or Special Expensive Dinner or whatever event is wonderful and I look forward to more area breweries following suit.

Um... end unexpected rant?

 

My bad they offer samples of most but specialty, high abv beers they usually don't. Maybe I was too hard, shit I'm a goose island MBA member but the last years specialties and seasonals haven't blOwn me away. But the farmers series was amazing and I was at stout fest last week, so I should take it easy On em. But rev's still better,

 

Mmm, the deliciousness...

 

+2 (to 1800 Clybourn) if for no other reason than the great atmosphere and the history behind the oldest (still in business) brewpub in the city.

 

Either Clybourn or Revolution.
Best two brewpubs in the city. Both have their pros and cons. Clybourn has more one-offs. Revolution has more guest taps. Food is comparable and consistently good at both (Revolution has the better burger while Clybourn has better fries). For lack of a better term, Clybourn is more “conservative” than Revolution while Revolution tends to draw a more diverse crowd. Clybourn offers tours, Revolution doesn't. Both are kid-friendly.

 

Revolution, and it's not close between it and Clybourn/Haymarket.

 

I'll add a vote for Haymarket. The Mathias DIPA is truly world class. And Haymarket has a lot of really friggin' awesome guest beers. That said, I also really like Revolution, Piece, and GI Clybourn.

 

If the day trip includes a Cubs game, then the easy choice is to hit Goose Island Wrigleyville for some good beers before or after the game (though you aren't allowed to buy bottles at the Wrigley GI on game day)

Has anyone mentioned Half Acre? http://halfacrebeer.com/ Kind of a neat place with great beers and is almost an indie rock to Three Floyd's Heavy Metal. They do tours ($10, comes with a pint glass and samples) on saturdays.

 

I spent last weekend in Chicago, and my favorite stop was Revolution. Absolutely hated the atmosphere at Haymarket, though all of the beers I tried were great. (I just can't stand places where there are more televisions than beers on tap) Granted, it was a holiday weekend, and most places were pretty crazy. Kind of kicking myself for not checking out Half Acre, but it's on my list for when I'm in town again next month.

 

I'm not a local but I'd put in a vote for Haymarket. They impressed me slightly more than Revolution on my last trip (although they may have just stepped up their offerings on that date given their proximity to the FOBAB venue).

I absolutely love Piece as well, but it never has quite as pleasantly beer-geeky an atmosphere as those two IMO.

 

You just read my thoughts. Was looking at the Half Acre site just now and didn't see anything that said they had a taproom. Any reason why they don't? No space or do they just not want the headache?

I was able to get 4oz pours at Revolution after I asked. (Though they fluctuated in price per beer.) Does Haymarket always have a sports bar vibe, or was it just because of the Holiday weekend that made my experience less than fun? I really enjoyed the beer (and the inexpensive 4oz pours) but I took off after one round.

 

Half acre simply doesn't have the room (it's not just a clever name). Still a neat place to visit, though.

 

I'm absolutely no help here. Totally agree about the 4 oz. pours. I'm at Haymarket most as it's in my neighborhood and the beer is fantastic, but I totally dig everywhere mentioned here. There hasn't been a better time to live in Chicago. So many great hometown breweries...

 

They're opening a taproom this summer.

 

Really? I thought another reason for no pub/taproom was licensing. Excited, though, for this -- so many of their beers are growler-only (which I tend to shy away from) that I'd love to be able to go in and hang out for a bit, go through a couple of pints.

 

Yeah they told us about it the last two times we went in. I'm not sure if they will be serving food, or if it will just be a tasting room. IIRC it was just the latter.

 

Agree with this 100% - I really enjoy many of the beers at Haymarket, but far and away my favorite thing about the place is the ability to get a 4oz (and fairly priced) pour of anything they have on tap.

That being said you can get sample sized pours at Revolution and Goose as well, but they aren't at quite as awesome of a price point...

 

Yeah supposedly they hope to open the taproom maybe in August if all goes as planned... as far as I now it will just be a taproom with their offerings on draft... didn't hear anything about food options.