I'm in town for a few days (Thursday afternoon to Monday morning) for a martial arts seminar (I'll be staying on Belmont Ave. if that helps) and I think I can manage one brewery stop, but I'm unsure of which one to visit - I'm probably going to use Uber so I don't need to figure out public transportation. I'd appreciate your thoughts very much. Not sure if I'll have much time to visit too many bars; however, Sheffield's is about two blocks away from where I'll be staying, so I know I'll be able to scratch my itch for some Bells and Three Floyds. Thanks in advance for your help!
As I'm sure many others will point out, Pipeworks does not have anything that is open to the public. I voted Half Acre, but the others are all solid. HA is simply my personal favorite. One plus with Goose Island is its proximity to Binny's Lincoln Park, which has the best bottle selection in the city plus a bar.
Half-Acre is pretty good no question, but Goose Island Clybourn Pub is awesome too IMO. Great foods, tons of good beers that are brewed and served on premise only.
Thank you all for the suggestions. Looks like both are within a couple miles of where I'm staying, so I'm shooting for Half Acre on Sunday afternoon and GI Clybourn for lunch or dinner.
I live right by where you're staying, and would first recommend Goose Island Clybourn (remember there is the brewpub on Clybourn, and then the taproom on Fulton - people here are referencing the Clybourn brewpub). I like Half Acre, but have never been intrigued to even try their food really, whereas I enjoy Clybourn's food. I think the beers are relatively close, so the option with better food (IMO) and proximity to the best Binny's around makes GI the winner (@prior2two was wise to point out the Binny's has a bar as well, which may have some better beer options than you'll even find at GI/HA). I like Revolution's food the best, though - I think it's quite a step up from the others, but find the beers to be a step or two behind.
Goose is my wife, Half Acre is my sexy mistress. You can't go wrong with GI Clybourn, that is where you want to be for a quality, nice relaxing night at home. It's like going to the bar in the show Cheers. Large variety of traditional styles. Half Acre is the place to go when you want to go out and get some hoppiness loving. Loud, crowded, but excellent modern beers. It'll wear you down after a while, but she keeps you coming back for more.
I always vote Goose Island Clybourn myself (large variety of good beers, good food, and across the street from the mecca of Chicago liquor stores), but if you do think you might want to go to Half Acre, just check what they've got on tap. I love Half Acre, but a lot of the time their taplist is a little samey for me (a bunch of IPAs). This weekend should be DDC, so you'll probably be fine. Also, you may want to keep an eye on Goose Island's Fulton taproom, as I'd imagine there's a decent chance Bourbon County will be on tap at some point this weekend.
Thanks for the suggestions. Ended up hitting Half Acre and had a great time. Had an amazing oak-aged Marzen.
Does the Goose Island Clybourn traditionally have a better tap list that the Fulton location? I am headed to Chicago in a few weeks..
Yes and no. I think Fulton tends to have a more "hip" taplist, and Clybourn's is larger but also more traditional, style-wise. However, this is the time of year where Fulton almost always has some sort of BCS on tap, and the staff there are really nice, so I'd still give the taproom a shot. I have a feeling we're going to be pointing this out for a looooooooong time. I'm worried they're going to open much later than anticipated (because this usually happens to places I like).
To be clear, I wasn't making fun of you not knowing; aside from not being from around here, it's not like this is news that's being shouted from all the highest buildings. Just a tip if you have a good deal of time here: You should check GI's website and/or their Instagram account, because they typically will tell you what's on tap that day (so if there's nothing you want, maybe hold off for another day). Also, I believe tours sell out pretty quickly, so if you're trying to do one, buy tickets (or however it's done; I've never been) ahead of time.
WHATEVER!!! You're a dick!! No, I know you weren't. Thanks for the tip. I definitely only want to go if I can grab something great.. I'm not going to go and drink Honkers Ale all night. Haha
The Fulton taproom usually has done cool one-offs that make it worth the time to visit. For a example, this was yesterday, and honestly one of the weaker tap lists I've seen, but still pretty damn good.
I forget, is Koval Cuvee the same as last year's BCS Cuvee of Darkness, or is it literally only BCS aged in Koval barrels? Either way, I love that sort of one-off shit at the taproom.
