Chicago Downtown

Jake Melnick's has an interesting selection, quite a few Mikkellers and other foreign beers. Plus tons of TVs for hockey.

 

Haymarket Pub is right around the corner for Publican and it rules. Don't sleep on Timothy O'Tooles either. Downtown closer to the lake and has really stepped up their craft beer selection in a nice way. Monk's Pub is right in the Loop and frequently surprises for being a hole in the wall. Haymarket is my first pick though. Enjoy Chicago!

 

It's either a long walk or a short cab ride to Publican from River North and you could also hit Haymarket from there. If you've got the time it would be a nice walk, if not I can't imagine the cab ride being more than $10

 

I second & third the other posts. Haymarket has good beer & food. The PublIcan has great food &beer menu.

 

though i try to stay out of river north as much as possible, i'm going to recommend stout and public house. both have good beer lists and have a bunch of tvs.

 

Haymarket Pub sucks. I just don't get why people go there.

Lately its been Farmhouse for me. Its in River North check it out.

 

You could go to Goose Island Clybourn. Added bonus is that the Lincoln Park Binny's is right across the street if you wanted to buy stuff to take back with you.

 

you can buy anything including guest beers in samples, that is fantastic how could you say that sucks? And if you don't like their reg lineup they do bring in some awesome guests.

 

Not sure of the crowd you are looking for, but old town pour house has a large selection and lots of TVs. I've never been, but Howells & Hood has 100+ different beers on tap. Both should be relatively easy to get to from River North.

 

Try Three Aces...its an easy cab ride to the little italy neighbor hood...the food is killer...the atmosphere is chill and the beer is real good....Marias in the bridge port neighbor hood but its a little more south and slightly more expensive cab ride but awesome beer there...The water shed which is in the basement of Pops for champainge...havent been there in a while but they have a small but solid selection of beers....Jake Melnicks is suprisingly descent for a sports bar....

 

Only been to Haymarket for a beer while waiting for a table at Au Cheval and had some nice Firestone Walker stuff, but it's very much a sports bar atmosphere.
Au Cheval is right across the street, it's a bit hipster, but they have a nice beer list and great burger and fries.

 

I'm going to second the 3 Aces rec. That place is awesome. The food is phenomenal.

 

Pardon the thread hijacking just a bit: I'm also coming to downtown Chicago in July, but only for about 24 hrs. I know I wanna hit GI Clybourn, but will probably only have time for 1 other. Still the same suggestions as above? And will I be able to find any BCBS either on draft or bottles to take home? Thanks all!

 

Hey MadDogMD. It's probably unlikely at this point in the year you'll find any BCBS bottles still shaking around in any shops.

Bar-wise, considering your tight timeframe, I'd suggest hitting Local Option after you've been to GI Clybourn. You can actually walk there from GI in about 15 minutes or take a 3 minute cab ride there. ALWAYS a stellar lineup of beers and they've actually had BCBS on draft quite regularly this year. Not saying they will when you're in, but it's worth a shot either way. Chicago bars are great about updating BeerMenus, so let that be your guide as well.

 

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it. Cheers!

 

There are a few shops that still have BCBS but not near downtown, you would have to venture out into some of the neighborhoods on the edges of the city limits where there is not much reason to go. Some liquor stores still have 4 packs but not in convenient locations.

Check beermenus.com to find it on draft.

Map Room, Local Option, Twisted Spoke are some good bar options

 

Just came back from a conference, stayed at the Sheraton Towers downtown, 4th yr in a row. Howell's & Hood was pretty good, not as many local beers as I would have thought for a place touting 100+ taps. Ask for the seasonal list. Big Shoulder's Hopapalooza was pretty good as was Revolution Rosa and Anti-Hero. Also liked Finch's stout. Jake Melnick's is a standard stop for me. Bartenders are knowledgeable and will talk if not too busy. Lots of Mikkeller on tap, again, not a whole lot of local beers. I like Haymarket a lot, 1st year I haven't been. Revolution is pretty great, but it's a good cab ride from downtown.

 

The Blue Line gets you very close to Revolution at the California exit.