Roadtrip through the area

Yeah @hopfenunmaltz you're totally right... I was considering the cost and time from Grand Rapids, with the initial drive south to Chicago... my bad.

Sounds like even if were driving from GR the Badger might save you a little time but probably not money...

 

I have never used the Badger, but my experiences taking ferries around Puget Sound was that it is one way to travel if time Is not an issue, and you can't get there otherwise. From my house in Oakland county I don't think it would save much time going to my sister's place in WI.

 

A lot of good places to go in Indy. A quick forum search will return plenty of info to you, there have been a lot of threads lately.

 

Just a friendly tip, when crossing the border into Wisconsin, make sure to not speed from Kenosha up to Milwaukee, they radar all along the Interstate corridor, especially in Racine County.

If looking for a bite to eat in Wisconsin, Uncle Mike's in Kenosha is just off the Highway 50 exit, easy off and back on to the Interstate. They have 86 taps running.

 

Not in my experience. Early on Saturdays, traffic through Chicago and up the corridor into Milwaukee isn't the worst it could possibly be, but it can still be pretty bad.

Unless you're going to spend time in Chicago, I would take the route that Tsar_Riga linked. You're not missing much by skipping Three Floyds (they make some good beer, but your odds of finding any of the better stuff when there are slim, and service at their attached pub is notoriously bad), and it will entirely avoid the excruciating mess that often is Chicago-area traffic.

 

Tenuta's in Kenosha makes an awesome sandwich as well. No place to eat it this time of year except in your car heading wherever is the next stop. Decent beer selection as well. And awesome deli overall.

 

If you decide to go through Dayton, Paste just did a profile on the city for beer purposes:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articl...o-an-underrated-beer-vacation-destinatio.html

 

I couldn't disagree with these FFF's comments more. I swing by whenever I'm in the area. The taproom always has multiple great things on, and the food is $. Poor service? There are stories, but I've been going there for 10 years with very few issues and none in recent memory. Only "issue" I've really ever had is carry out options can be hit or miss, but you can find out what's pouring and what's available for carry out on their website. It's definitely worth a stop. 18th st is worth going to in that vicinity as well and is a small detour off 65 which would take you on your way down to Indy.

I would not sweat Chicago traffic unless you are planning to drive through downtown. If you are just heading to/from WI, be sure to take 294, which will swing you around downtown Chicago to the west and you'll encounter few, if any, problems. I lived in Chicago for 7 years and my family is up there still. I make the drive back and forth regularly and while you can encounter some slow down, it's rarely TERRIBLE. Where it gets bad is when you are messing w/90, 94, and 290 heading downtown. On a Saturday, 294-S should be pretty smooth too.

 

I'll second quimby's words. Floyds is worth the trip. The beers to go options are hit/miss, but I don't think I've ever been there when they didn't atleast have zombie dust on tap. For some people, that alone is worth the trip.

As far as the roads, if you avoid downtown, you'll be absolutely fine. It's not like traffic in Chicago is the 7th circle of hell.....unless it snows. Then it is....and you'd be better off just staying at floyds and drinking zombie dust.

 

I wish this was the case. Admittedly I've only visited a half dozen or so times, but not once when I've been there has the "Beers to Go" section on their website accurately reflected what was for sale at the counter.

 

I'm in Chicagoland at least one weekend every two months, and usually more often (especially now during the holidays), courtesy of my girlfriend having family there. We've never once stopped at Three Floyds, and never even been tempted to try.

Of course, both of us hate hop-forward beer as a general rule, and as that describes literally every beer I have ever seen in that brewery's portfolio not called Robert The Bruce (and maybe Dark Lord, which we've never tried; never will put in the effort required, given the rest of the portfolio), your mileage may vary. For my girlfriend and I, their penchant for making virtually every beer so hoppy all either of us can taste is perfume, combined with their reputation for a loud heavy metal atmosphere, unpleasant staff, and no reliable means of predicting what's even available, means we won't even detour the short blip down Calumet from our usual 65-to-94&90-to-290 route.

TL;DR - If you go out of your way for Three Floyds, be sure you really enjoy hops. You'll kick yourself if you don't. OP, I looked at your beer rated here, and I saw 0 IPAs, so just bear in mind - for Three Floyds, even Blot Out The Sun and Blakkr are basically black IPAs called stouts/porters.

Also, regarding the roads, if you're willing to pay the tolls to use the various tollways all around Chicago, you're usually fine (EZ Pass or compatible system helps). If you're relying on the junction of 290 and 90/94 to get through the city...let's just say I've hit backups there even on a Wednesday night after 11 PM, in the middle of summer, with no precipitation of any kind anywhere within 100 miles and no sporting events concluding. The one lone interstate highway toll-free link between the western suburbs and the Loop / eastern side of Chicago is one lane (each way), and perpetually under construction (at least for the last 2.5 years) - almost like they'd prefer more people make use of the toll roads, or dodge around that little bottleneck as best they can via the downtown streets.