Chicago

[Cass]

Another quick update from Chicago...

It's been there for a couple of years now, but the Little Goat Diner is a top-notch spot. It's in the Fulton Market area, across the street from Haymarket and around corner from Publican. (Also across the street from Girl & the Goat, the famous first restaurant from the chef).

The Little Goat has a small bar/coffee shop adjoining the main diner area, and it's got 16 taps ("well curated") of many local breweries - Moody Tongue, Local Option, Three Floyds, Half Acre + more, event a "FoBaB special" of Founders Backwoods when I visited. There's also a collab beer with Little Goat & Haymarket.

The bartender told me that the bar staff and the owners are big craft beer fans, and it shows here. There's also a delicious looking takeaway counter for the bakery and a coffee bar.

This area of town is clearly one of the hot spots with a concentration of good bars and restos, so definitely worth checking out.

[atomeyes]

Another quick update from Chicago...

It's been there for a couple of years now, but the Little Goat Diner is a top-notch spot. It's in the Fulton Market area, across the street from Haymarket and around corner from Publican. (Also across the street from Girl & the Goat, the famous first restaurant from the chef).

The Little Goat has a small bar/coffee shop adjoining the main diner area, and it's got 16 taps ("well curated") of many local breweries - Moody Tongue, Local Option, Three Floyds, Half Acre + more, event a "FoBaB special" of Founders Backwoods when I visited. There's also a collab beer with Little Goat & Haymarket.

The bartender told me that the bar staff and the owners are big craft beer fans, and it shows here. There's also a delicious looking takeaway counter for the bakery and a coffee bar.

This area of town is clearly one of the hot spots with a concentration of good bars and restos, so definitely worth checking out.

that area is droolworthy. full of huge warehouse spaces. has a great vibe. Little Goat was a heart attack waiting to happen. it was neat to drink 3F on tap like it was no big deal.

[Chris]

A new brewpub is supposed to be opening ... And I'm as excited about the food as I am the beer:

http://www.rickbayless.com/meet-la-guar ... ship-beer/

The beer sounds pretty interesting too!

[Cass]

A new brewpub is supposed to be opening ... And I'm as excited about the food as I am the beer:

http://www.rickbayless.com/meet-la-guar ... ship-beer/

The beer sounds pretty interesting too!

Can't wait for this to open. I'll be sure to try the new beer when I'm there this weekend

[Cass]

As posted on the home page, I'll be heading to Chicago this weekend thanks to a new partnership with Porter Escapes.

I'll post up about what's new and exciting!

http://www.bartowel.com/the-bar-towel-e ... reat-beer/

[Cass]

Here's the post to end all posts about Chicago.

http://www.bartowel.com/chicagos-beer-s ... ying-high/

Summary, map, pics, hope people find this to be a good reference next time you're in Chicago.

[Masterplan]

Here's the post to end all posts about Chicago.

http://www.bartowel.com/chicagos-beer-s ... ying-high/

Summary, map, pics, hope people find this to be a good reference next time you're in Chicago.

Awesome. This will be quite helpful in my 5 day trip in two weeks.

[Cass]

Anyone heading to FoBaB this weekend?

[ercousin]

Anyone heading to FoBaB this weekend?

I wish. I expect an awesome blog post to read about your experiences there though!

Give 5 Rabbit a visit if you get a chance. Some really good beers, and a bit different from the more extreme DIPA/RIS trend.

[Cass]

Here's my review of Cruz Blanca, Rick Bayless's long awaited new brewery.

http://www.bartowel.com/warm-smiles-and ... uz-blanca/

I'm an unabashed fan of Rick's restaurants, so take that bias for what it is. But I really enjoyed it and it's on the must-visit list for Chicago now, especially in that area where there's so much great stuff.

[Provost Drunk]

I was in Chicago during the last weekend in April for a work function. I was stationed right downtown, with limited free time to do some exploring so I thought it was worth reporting back on a couple of venues that are closer to the core and worth a look if anyone finds themselves in a similar position without the time to check out some of the more remote beer stops.

Howells & Hood is a spacious bar located at the base of the Tribune Tower just north of the river off Michigan Ave. It featured an impressive tap list in terms of both length and quality. It was understandably busy on a Friday after work, but the space was big enough it wasn't rammed. I wish there was a bar of this quality in Toronto's financial district. Granted, I haven't yet checked out King Taps and I'm sure it's decent, but doesn't quite measure up.

A little further north up the Magnificent Mile and a couple blocks east of Michigan Ave on East Superior St., I also had a good experience at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap. Shorter tap list, but well curated. I saw that they were pouring 2012 Surly Darkness on beermenus, and so that alone was enough impetus for me to give this place a shot. Apparently, it was leftover from some sort of Surly tap takeover event. More of a sports bar vibe with tons of Blackhawks paraphernalia on the walls. I chatted up the bartender a bit and with my bill came an extra half-glass of Darkness that she "accidentally" poured, which was a nice touch and made sure that my tip was commensurate with the service!

I was able to hit up a few spots in the Fulton Market area and to the Revolution brewpub as well as a few other spots, but there's nothing really I can add about them that isn't covered by Cass' article or the other posts in this thread. This will not be my last trip to Chicago as I was instantly enamoured!

[Cass]

So where to begin with Chicago! I went back in August 2021 to break the ice on travel, as I had a massive hotel credit that I had to use up. Chicago was the pick, as it was close and if I was going to travel out of the country I wanted to go somewhere familiar. It seemed like reasonable logic. They had similar COVID protocols at the time to Ontario, and generally wherever I went it was pretty quiet - not many tourists around. I tested negative & got home safe.

The Chicago beer scene continues to boom, and there seems like there are breweries everywhere. I went to a lot of the old favourites which were great. But I had the time to explore some new places, which I mostly grouped by neighbourhood. Some highlights:

- Half Acre has closed their original taproom and have a new production brewery with a large taproom and patio. The inside taproom was closed due to COVID, but the patio was open. A really nice space and unlike the original taproom, lots of elbow room.
- Right next door to Half Acre, literally, is Spiteful. Another traditional brewery taproom & patio.
- A short walk from there is Urban Brew Labs, another classic microbrew. Empirical is there too, but it was closed due to some kind of construction/landlord issue.

- Pilsen is a great explore with wonderful food, and there are now breweries there, and I was able to visit Lo Rez and Alulu. I really enjoyed Lo Rez, a large taproom where you can bring your own food in - and I did with Carnitas Urupan! A great food & beer experience now in the Pilsen neighbourhood. Be sure to go to Museum of Mexican Art which is free.

- The West Loop area continues to be nightlife central with a ton of stuff around. The Ballast Point location there has closed, but it always had a weird vibe. Cruz Blanca continues to go strong, as does Haymarket. I enjoyed the new Time Out Market quite a bit, which is a massive, multi-level space that’s basically an upscale food court of hipster food pop-ups. But they also have a craft beer bar and you can take your beer and walk / sit anywhere you want. Great for Covid as I could find numerous quiet areas to myself. Lone Wolf continues to have 4-5 Three Floyds in rotation so always your best bet for 3F. The Little Goat, which still is a thriving diner in the area, no longer has their bar/taproom area as it has been converted into a pastry shop called Sugar Goat.
- The area west of West Loop has a bunch of beer stuff, including the Goose Island taproom (guaranteed to be able to get rare stuff - BCBS vintages, sours, etc.), Great Central (which is a contract hub a la Brunswick) and On Tour, all good stops. Nearby is District Brew Yards which is a brewery consisting of four distinct brewery brands where all the beer is self-serve.

- Dovetail is always awesome and one of my favourites in Chicago. It’s on what I believe is called “Malt Row” and Begyle is just down the same street. Always worth a visit.

- Piece is always a favourite, but now you can have a serious beer crawl up there including Pilot Project, Solemn Oath, Bungalow by Middle Brow and then Revolution’s Logan Square taproom which always has amazing stuff.

There’s even more that I wasn’t able to get to. I still like to check out regular taprooms, and enjoyed myself at Aberdeen Tap, Big Star, Map Room, Galit (not beer, but awesome food), Green St. Meats, HopLeaf with a special shout out to Sportsman’s Club which was cool. Off Color's tap room is a bit of an outlier as there isn't a ton around (GI's original location is though) but they're always worth a stop.

Anyway, a great time away and fun to explore some of familiar places and new spots as well. I always felt safe, they had mask mandates when I visited which everyone was abiding to. They didn't have capacity limits which was a bit odd, but now those are gone here too. I was able to get free rapid PCR tests downtown at CVS which made it fairly easy and cost-effective to do what I had to to fly back home. All in all a great trip.

[dale cannon]

Great posts in this thread Cass!

I’ll be in Chicago downtown late October. Any recommendations on hotels or areas to book for easy access to breweries/craft beer bars? Also going to the united centre, how is the craft beer scene around there?

Cheers!

[Cass]

Great posts in this thread Cass!

I’ll be in Chicago downtown late October. Any recommendations on hotels or areas to book for easy access to breweries/craft beer bars? Also going to the united centre, how is the craft beer scene around there?

Cheers!

Awesome! I'm heading back myself on the first weekend of November for FOBAB.

In terms of hotels near breweries, you could look at the West Loop area which has been the hot zone for bars and restaurants for some time now. There's Cruz Blanca, Lone Wolf, Haymarket and other beery things right there, and good access to beer stuff further west and north. There's a new Hyatt there, plus a Hampton Inn. There are some other fancier hotels there (Hoxton, Emily) if you'd like to check those out.

There's a Hyatt now in Wicker Park, which is a great neighbourhood where Piece is and easy to get to all the breweries around Logan Square and Bucktown. I haven't stayed there yet, but I've got it booked for my trip in Nov.

Around the United Centre, I'm not sure what kind of beer scene is in the immediate area, but on the map it looks like an OK walk to the new brewery area where Goose Island's tap room is, and Great Central, On Tour and some others. They don't stay open late so probably not good for post-game, but pre-game for sure.

[Cass]

Heading back to FoBaB again this weekend, first time since pre-covid. Excited to explore Chicago again, it's always a good time. I'm planning on doing some shooting like in Pittsburgh and cutting together another Quick Beer video. If anyone happens to be going this weekend, let me know!