Chicagoland breweries

I'll leave it to the local folks to know a bit more, but as someone who visited Chicago last year I may suggest visiting the awesome beer bars in the city. I'd recommend Revolution Brewpub, Map Room and Hopleaf, plus the Goose Island pub as its not owned by AB. If there is a brewery you want to hit I guess 3 Floyds has to be it. But as a bang for the buck thing I'd go to the local places that would allow you to try a bunch of stuff, and then hit up Binny's to bring bottles home.

 

Make Revolution one of the two, it's truly one of the best places to go in the city.

 

3 Floyds is fine if you LOVE lines. Their tour is only on Saturdays and you need to get there at least an hour early, and wait in line outside. By the sound of it you're coming in December and you're from california, so have fun waiting an hour in line when its 20 degrees outside. They also cancel their tours for private events with little notice. I live in Chicago and have tried several times to do their tour already, never quite worked out. Did pick up cases of Zombie Dust (which just went up in price I hear) so thats good.

Pipeworks are awesome people, but they don't exactly have a brewery that you can "visit." All their staff is busy making awesome beer.

I'd recommend Revolution, they have a great tour, and on weekdays theres no wait at all, just show up 10 minutes before 5 or 6pm, I forget which. Unfortunately the next best tour is Half Acre, who has the same problem as FFF. They offer one tour a week, and you have to wait outside for about 40 minutes to get it. Probably less in the dead of winter though, I only went in the summer.

The best bar for good beer that will be playing MNF is State out on Webster I think. They have a HUGE draft list. This one is also walking distance from arguably the best beer bar in the city, Local Option, however they arent the type to play football. But after the game you can walk a few blocks and check out what they're pouring. Also check their selection on Beermenus. They usually have great bottles listed on there that they don't advertise in the bar for some reason. 3F gueze is typically on there.
Theres also Yard House up in Glenview which will play the game but thats a bit of a hike. Worth it though, as their draft list is the biggest I've ever seen. They always have 3Floyds and other local goods + a rotating list of "special drafts" which often include BA variants.

 

Oh and message me if you want to set up a small trade or anything

 

I would definitely make 3 Floyds one of them but be prepared to wait in a line. Still, it's worth it. Pipeworks is great but as far as I know they don't yet have a brewpub or anything. I've heard mention of them working on a growler fill station but as far as I know, they don't really have a physical location that you can go to and drink their beer. People will be quick to correct me if I'm wrong. Revolution is a cool place with good food but if the focus is beer, Id probably go with Half Acre over Revolution. Going to craft beer bars though is a good way to get a more diverse selection of local beers. I'd recommend Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar in addition to the ones previously mentioned. They usually have a good selection of good local brews as well as a bottle store up front. I wouldn't leave without loading up at a Binny's though.

 

Ha atomic beat me to it.

 

Not a local, but go to Chicago every June for a conference and hit as many places as I can. Revolution is great, well worth the stop. I'm also a fan of Haymarket. Always leave there impressed. For a sports bar downtown, check out Jake Melnick's. Lot of TV's and a pretty good tap list.

 

Half acres is awesome, http://halfacrebeer.com/tours/

 

Three Floyd's is about a 30-45 minute drive from downtown, not sure if you're going to have a car or not. Tours are crappy and not worth the wait. Walk 10 feet into the brewery. "Hey, this is where we make beer." Walk 10 feet out of the brewery. But the pub is good and the to-go window is your best bet to buy any of their products.

Pipeworks does not have anything to visit at this time. They're working on it.

I'll agree with the posters above. The best production brewery to visit is Revolution. Half Acre is also an option. I haven't done their tour, but the tap room is very nice.

Do Haymarket for MNF. Every bar in Chicago is a Bears bar. Haymarket near downtown and has tons of TVs.

 

If you are looking for an actual tour then by far Revolution on Kedzie (not on Milwaukee) is the place. Tour start at 6. They are NOT open Mondays and I "think" not until 2pm other days.
http://revbrew.com/

 

liking the revolution recs above. You could do a revolution and piece run up the blue line. piece has a decent amount of tv's and good beer and good thin crust pizza.

If you're staying at the sofitel, public house for beers and tv's (http://www.publichousechicago.com/drafts.html, i'd say similar vibe to atomic's suggestion of going to state but downtown instead of lincoln park). You are also pretty close to Clark street ales house which always has a nice draft selection and somehting on cask, often fff (currently dragon's milk, http://www.beermenus.com/places/2731-clark-street-ale-house).

There is a Binny's on Grand that is not far from your hotel that should have half acre (at the very least daisy cutter) and pipeworks products. otherwise, http://pdubs.net/retailers/

 

It's been said a lot already, but Binny's is the store to go to. As far as the liquor stores I've been to in the Chicagoland area, Binny's has the best beer selection, especially concerning local beers.

 

If you're going to be downtown. Watch the Bears game at Haymarket. Drink at Howell's and Hood or Little Goat. If you're willing to take the train or a most likely expensive cab ride hit up Half Acre's tap room and Revolution's pub.

 

All the craft beer locations will have that stuff. Binnys of course has all that stuff, but other places that are less obvious are Bottles and Cans, Capones, The Beer Temple, Fischmann's, all get the goods from Pipeworks and Half Acre in about the same quantities and time. Don't expect anyone to have Citra Ninja just chilling though unless it just got released in the past week or so. All the Half Acre canned stuff you can find in any of those locations at any time. Their bottle offerings are more rare and get released from time to time. Right now their Octoberfest is out in some places.

 

Pipeworks is a production facility and do not offer tours. Revolution brewpub is good but will be rammed on the weekends, but always a go to for day drinking. The taproom is also fun and has daily tours at 6 and which are never rammed, and is open wed - sun. Wednesday is new release day.
I don't know about haymarket, but I can imagine with the neighborhood it is in. They will be slaves to the tv and will have sports on. Revolution at the brewpub is an ask to watch basis and it is up to the bartender. Piece pizza is yum and they have good beer and is off the Damen stop on the Blue Line. Rev brewpub is two stops away just off the California ave stop.
Half Acre is about equidistant from the brown lines Montrose and Western Avenue stops. That's like a 10 minute stroll at most. From the Montrose stop, you can hit up Fountainhead which is on Damen and Montrose. From the Western Stop you can be distracted by Lincoln Square, Old Town School of Folk Music and some other stuff.
Also, if you have a day to kill, some reading to do or some work you gotta get done. There's the Two Brothers Roundhouse, which is actually cake to get to from downtown. Just hit up the Metra BNSF train at Union Station and take it till it kicks you off. Also, flossmoor station is another deceptively easy brewpub to get to if you take the Metra and have some reading to do.

 

One more note on Revolution. No food at the tap room but plenty of tables and they encourage you to bring in
your own chow. I recommend.
http://smoquebbq.com/