Chicago breweries that don’t need their own thread (2023)

Is Lake Bluff Brewing any good? I'll be getting off the Metra about 30 seconds away...

 

Guess you’ll be finding out shortly…

 

Decided to pass. My journey took me to Mickey Finn's instead!

Their kellerbier is...uninspiring.

I'll be back through Lake Bluff tomorrow, perhaps I'll stop then.

 

No. I literally lived behind it for 4 years and stopped going because how meh every single beer is. It basically survives by being the only option in the area and getting Metra foot traffic

 

Having a milk stout at Lake Bluff Brewing and...


Yeah, what @osseo222000 said. Not bad but extremely forgettable.

 

Lake Bluff definitely sucks. Mickey Finns is definitely solid. Broken Tee is worth a stop for sure.

 

Haven’t been to Corridor in years but I saw they have a new head brewer and are bringing back Cosmic Juicebox and Squeeze It soon

 

Remember when people would like up for their can releases…

 

I used to be about as a big a homer for them as you'd find, but that location is so perfectly placed on Southport that they don't need to push their beer to fill seats, and the last few years it's felt to me like they knew it, and focused more on the dining crowds than the craft beer fans. Never releasing cans to distro, and only even rarely releasing cans at ALL kinda tells you their gameplan.

Also, I think they had more interesting beer lineups back in the day, but I was also trying their stuff weekly back then, so maybe that was just my sample size being way larger...

 

For the last 6 months I tried to visit often as I go to the Music Box about twice a week...and the beer was below average 90% of the time.

@Nbrock24 can you provide a link / info about this new head brewer?

If it's the same person that's been there for months = full pass for me. If it's someone brand new, I'd give Corridor another chance. Hopefully they don't JUST resurrect hazies.

 

It’s in an Instagram video post. His name is a Chris from Crushed by Giants. I don’t know anything else though. I always liked their food so I’d be willing to give the beers another shot.

 

I wouldn’t hold my breath if he’s from Crushed by Giants then. I have yet to have anything I’d want twice from there. Of that family of breweries (Dryhop being the other) Corridor was the only one I would continue to go to. But as mentioned, mainly for the food and location.

 

I remember going there for lunch before the VSOJ b1 can release. They released Cosmic Juice Box cans and they sold out within 15-20 minutes of us being there. That room had a disproportionate amount of BAs from the old Forbidden Root shares there. They was a fun day.

 

The early hazy scene with Corridor, Forbidden Root, and RAM was fun before someone left RAM to start their own brewery and Hop Butcher set the standard with massive haze output straight to distro.

 

Surprised to see Lo Rez closing. Too bad, we finally got over there this year and enjoyed it