15 Most Important Chicago Beers Ever

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by FBarber, Mar 30, 2017.

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  1. croush

    croush Pooh-Bah (2,371) Mar 20, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Everyone pretty much counts FFF as a Chicagoland brewery. Maybe you just have to be around here to understand it, but if you don't like that, you may want to just move on.

    And there aren't Chicagoland places 2.5 hours away from Chicago...so your Kalamazoo argument does not hold water.
     
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  2. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Great thread! I like how if you click the link you are stuck behind the paywall, but if you just google the title it lets you in....

    These make my list:
    BCBS
    DL
    Matilda
    Gumballhead
    Zombie
    Honkers
    312
    Daisy Cutter

    The others do not.

    Anti-Hero is late to the party Daisy Cutter, not even their most iconic beer.


    Off Color shouldn't be mentioned for a single beer. They don't have anything iconic to Chicago. No game changers, but taken together as a body of work they proved they can sustain a brewery that doesn't cater to the tastes of the masses and introduce new styles to the public in an elegant, refined, playful way. If they had to have a beer on the list it would be Dino'Smores as it is the most famous graham cracker stout in chicago.


    Pipeworks is similar to Off Color. They make big, over the top beers and aren't afraid to experiment with flavors on popular styles, but nothing iconic about a single beer. Abduction, Ninja series, Unicorn Vs series, those aren't defined by one beer....If any beer they had would make the list it would be Close Encounters which I believe would be the first black ipa/hoppy stout of its sort a few years before these started popping up here and becoming popular...



    Big Shoulder Porter? If you haven't heard of it, it can't be that important. Just because the guy at the Hop Leaf liked it? DL and BCBS have perpetuated a whole industry of waiting in line and having beer release days, this company has done no such thing.

    GI bought Baderbrau? What was the name of the beer they made with that recipe? How do they not still own the naming rights and how is someone else allowed to use the name now?

    Edit: And GI's IPA should be on that list. How many people were exposed to IPAs through the brewpub drinking that?
     
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  3. ChiCubs78

    ChiCubs78 Initiate (0) Jan 2, 2015 Illinois

    Now now, don't be a poopy head again :wink:
     
  4. Benjolovesbeer

    Benjolovesbeer Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2016 Michigan
    Deactivated

    I'm order to consider something to be in something it has to be there, Chicago has GI and that's it for I'm concerned. Indiana has FFF til the day they decide to close shop and relocate to Chicago
     
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  5. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yea, I'm pretty sure three floyds has always been tied to Chicago(land) beer epicenter. Bells/Founders/etc have always been part of a separate beer epicenter in Michigan.

    I mean, if you use the loop as the arbitrary center of Chicago(land) Three Floyds is actually closer to the loop than Two Brothers. Its not like its a huge stretch ...
     
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  6. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You could even include the fish series in there ... but I think N vs. U is the one that most people outside of Chicago know when they hear Pipeworks. I know I've sent some Pdubs stuff out for friends in other states and they either ask for N v. U or a fish beer because that's all they really know.
     
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  7. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Actually, Bells should be a Chicago brewery. Larry Bell lives here- he is the company, where the CEO goes is where the company is. Same with Tony Magee from Lagunitas. Same with Nick Floyd from FFF.

    FFF is less than 10 miles from Chicago, Two Brothers is 32 miles....
     
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  8. croush

    croush Pooh-Bah (2,371) Mar 20, 2015 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Everyone's entitled to their opinion...even if it's wrong. :wink: See others' comments about FFF distance to Chicago as compared to other breweries that are actually in IL. Just because it's across the state line doesn't mean it's still not part of the metro area.

    Guilty as charged. :slight_frown:
     
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  9. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    And at the time FFF was founded, it was in Hammond, IN which literally touches the SE border of Chicago.
     
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  10. ChangSing

    ChangSing Zealot (640) May 5, 2013 Illinois
    Trader

    If you read the article the author states clearly that this list is about beers from "Chicago (and its suburbs)". Lake County Indiana, where Munster, IN is located, is a suburb of Chicago Metroland Area as defined by the US Census Bureau.
     
  11. ChiCubs78

    ChiCubs78 Initiate (0) Jan 2, 2015 Illinois

    *Drops mic
     
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  12. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,629) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Lol, you know when someone pulls out a US Census "it's" getting real.
     
  13. Scalawags

    Scalawags Initiate (0) Jun 18, 2013 Michigan

    I know this won't be popular on this website, but if you're talking about the most IMPORTANT beer in Chicago's history, isn't is clearly Miller Lite?
     
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  14. ChiCubs78

    ChiCubs78 Initiate (0) Jan 2, 2015 Illinois

    I'd have to say it's Old Style.
     
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  15. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I think the author was looking at the craft beer scene, otherwise, yea, Old Style should be on there and maybe Schoenhofen.
     
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  16. lloydboss

    lloydboss Initiate (0) May 9, 2014 Illinois

    Chicago metro area

    [​IMG]
     
  17. ChangSing

    ChangSing Zealot (640) May 5, 2013 Illinois
    Trader

    Haha. Sorry, normally I'm a pretty congenial guy, but I guess I found this a little irritating after 5 posts. Good beers to be had by all this weekend, I wish for everyone.
     
  18. Benjolovesbeer

    Benjolovesbeer Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2016 Michigan
    Deactivated

    Look 3 Floyd's brewed in Indiana not Chicago even if in the area or on border glit's Indiana so get over it. Sure Chicago wants to claim 3 Floyd's as there's but it's not it's Indiana get over it. It's fine if we were discussing Sierra Nevada as it's in NC and California but it's 3 Floyd's and it's in Indiana end of story. Chicago you have GI and about half of GI's selection is good and high end the rest is just neh such as their IPA's. If Chicago wants more breweries create them but I'm sorry to inform you 3 Floyd's is not yours, it's Indiana's because the owner probably didn't want to pay high tax in Chicago oh well. I didn't create the geographical lay out of where Chicago lies and Indiana ends but 3 Floyd's is an Indiana brewery end of story.
     
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  19. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,161) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    LOL, ok.

    I think we can just all agree to disagree with you.
     
  20. Benjolovesbeer

    Benjolovesbeer Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2016 Michigan
    Deactivated

    Fine but my argument has fact in it i'm right and the rest of you aren't because 3 Floyd's is Muncie, IN and not Chicago, Chicago has no right to take Indiana's credit. My argument is all based on geography and nothing more. Yours is based on wishful thinking of undesired pride of trying to claim something Chicago that isn't which in reality is offensive to Indiana. Sure you live in Chicago and you like drinking 3 Floyd's but just remember it's Indiana beer not Illinois.
     
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