Visiting Chicago

Limiting yourself to a single neighborhood will be tough. You could do a far north day - Hopleaf, Acre, Fountainhead, Half Acre, Bad Apple, West Lakeview, Long Room or go from Hopleaf down the red line to Sheffield's and Local Option. You could also do a blue line day with Revolution, Piece, SmallBar division, Bangers and Lace. In river north Jake Melnick's is my go-to. You may want to check out Farmhouse as they have a decent beer list that is entirely Midwestern (Boulevard is listed as an "import").

Hope this helps.

 

Try not to miss Revolution! You won't be sorry.
Most these places are pretty easy to get to with the public transportation (train or bus).

 

Rest assured, us rubes in podunk flyover country are not easily swayed by exotic West Coast beers!

Hopleaf is full of Belgian beers, but that's kind of their thing. They also try to have at least one beer from every local brewery. You'll find that most bars here are full of local/regional beer (with maybe one tap from Stone or Lagunitas... though I've been seeing Union Jack everywhere lately, as well). The Map Room (no food, cash only) is a must-stop; I'd also look into The Local Option (they tend to get a lot of European craft, too -- think Shelton Bros. offerings). Kind of an odd place to go for beer, but Chicago's flagship Whole Foods has a great craft beer bar with plenty of locals. It is certainly more grocery store than bar, but the prices are good. In River North, there are a couple of bars that should have plenty of Midwestern beer -- Clark Street Ale House and Jake Melnick's (though the latter tends to be a bit more of a hodgepodge -- and checking beermenus.com right now, Melnick's current tap list is pretty killer, especially with local beer).

As far as brewpubs, try to fit Piece in, as well. It can get crazy on weekend nights, and any time there's a game on, but the beer is solid and they've been in Wicker Park for a long time now. The pizza is pretty great, too. Revolution is really the strongest overall brewpub in the city right now (IMO) and really is a must-stop. They have a couple of guest taps, usually local/Midwestern.

For different neighborhoods, you have plenty of options. Wicker Park/Bucktown is home to Bangers & Lace, SmallBar (Division), Jerry's, Big Star (not really a beer destination, but still awesome), Piece, The Bristol and the Map Room. You can walk easily between all of these spots - some are more bar-like than others, while others are more straight-up restaurants. Moving a little to the Northwest towards Logan Square, you'll find Revolution, Longman & Eagle (again, more of a great restaurant with great beer more than a beer bar, per se), Owen & Engine and Quenchers. The last two aren't quite as accessible via public transportation but they have great beer, just the same (though no food at Quenchers). Hopleaf is kind of on its own up in Andersonville (Acre notwithstanding), but it's a short train/bus ride down to Lincoln Park and Lakeview, home to Sheffields, Local Option, SmallBar (Fullerton), Goose Island (both brewpubs, actually -- but skip the Wrigleyville location) and that Whole Foods I mentioned above. The city's North Center/Ravenswood area is home to Half Acre (small tasting station only), Bad Apple, Fountainhead and West Lakeview Liquors (amazing liquor store with a strong craft beer focus). Haymarket is in the West Loop along with the Publican.

Many of these bars use BeerMenus (though not all!) and you can try using that before heading out to see if a particular restaurant has a more attractive list to you than others.

The city's public transportation system (CTA) is well integrated with google maps so it's pretty straightforward to find out how to get around. The trains tend to run frequently, though only two lines run 24 hours/day (red and blue lines). Buses are fine, too, though they can be frustratingly slow. Cabs are cheap and plentiful, too.

 

If you're going to spend one night where the focus is beer, I'd suggest starting at the Map Room and then heading to Revolution. Revolution doesn't accept reservations and will most likely be crowded at peak times. You can order food while at the bar, and you might find two seats pretty quickly. If you wanted to go to a third location, I'd check out Quenchers (or maybe Owen & Engine, but that would be two buses or a cab); alternatively, from Revolution, you can head towards SmallBar or maybe Bangers & Lace.

Another option is to start at the Goose Island Clybourn brewpub, then hit Local Option and then either the red line to Hopleaf or the brown line to Fountainhead. The former does not accept reservations and will most likely be packed, even as early as 6pm on a weekend (unless they have completed their expansion by the time you visit -- then, maybe, it won't be as bad); not sure about the latter.

I think the Publican is a great spot, though it can get pricey. They do accept reservations and you could easily swing by Haymarket before/after.

 

Strictly in terms of beer, which is better: Jake Melnick's or Clark Street Ale House?

I prefer imperial stouts, strong ales. I checked beermenus and it doesn't look like Jakes has a single imperial stout on their menu.

 

I think you answered your own question there. If you want to drink strong ales and imperial stouts and Jake Melnick's has not updated BeerMenus to show any...

Take a look at Farmhouse, a couple blocks from Clark Street Ale House. Judging by what's currently listed as available on tap, there will be more options to your liking. Never been to this bar, though, so no clue about atmosphere/vibe/etc.

 

Thoughts on Monks Pub or Caseys Tavern?

 

Lots of useful info in the Places/Beerfly directory.

Here's the page for Chicago: http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/6

Monks: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25646
Kaseys: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20346

Check out beermenus for current taplists.

 

Lots of great suggestions in here already, i'll try to keep it brief.
I'd suggest exploring a few brewpubs and surrounding beer bars, then hit a place or two near the hotel.

The Logan Square/Wicker Park option: Blue line to Revolution for brunch (side options to Rocking Horse or Smallbar), Map Room (afternoon is best), Piece (ditto). From there there are a few options south on Division like Jerrys/Smallbar,Bangers&Lace.

Andersonville to Lakeview option: Red/Brown line from Hopleaf/Acre, south to Fountainhead/Bad Apple, Long Room, Northdown/Green Lady, Sheffields, Local Option, Goose Island Clybourn.

Near the hotel: Farmhouse & Clark St. both have a strong Midwest focus, also Jake Melnicks and Waterhouse.

This map will help you plan your trip.

 

wanted to add my 2 cents.... Revolution for lunch, Maproom for afternoon drinks and Fountain head for dinner and drinks and a nitecap at Longroom

 

I'm a visual person so I use beermapping.com to map out how close things are to each other. That way you spend less time/money on cabs and more on brews.

 

That's odd, the last time I was at Monk's they had virtually no craft beer at all.

Stocks and Blondes on North Wells has a damn fine selection, and it is a true Chicago Dive bar in a great old building.

 

Question: your "couple of weeks" doesn't mean you're going to be here the weekend of the 17th, does it?

 

You might consider Revolution for dinner and neighboring Hot Chocolate for dessert. Your wife would almost certainly thank you. Unless she's diabetic. Because then she might just drool on you shortly before sinking into a coma. A great pastry/dessert restaurant, that itself has craft beer...