Your fave bar or microbrewery in Chicagoland (Rockford, Oak Park: travel, house)

[Steve-o]

I figured Id start a thread for those beer aficionados who can recommend some bars/pubs/MBs/etc to hit up. Im not the biggest fan of beer in the world, but I know many are and might find this thread useful. Please be sure to include some suburban locales, as many of us live out there and dont want to trek into the city to grab a brew.

Cmon Drover, let em fly.

[via chicago]

i think the 2 undisupted champs in the chicago area for beer lover's are:

The Map Room - A Traveller's Tavern in Chicago -over 200 beers and 26 taps, as well as a handpumped wooden cask. dozens of new beers rotate in on a regular basis

Hopleaf Bar -another pretty staggering beer menu

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I figured Id start a thread for those beer aficionados who can recommend some bars/pubs/MBs/etc to hit up. Im not the biggest fan of beer in the world, but I know many are and might find this thread useful. Please be sure to include some suburban locales, as many of us live out there and dont want to trek into the city to grab a brew.

Cmon Drover, let em fly.

Ask and ye shall receive.

via chicago has my two favorite beer bars covered. Hop Leaf and The Map Room are inarguably the two top-tier beer bars in the city. They are nationally renowned among beer snobs. Honorable mention goes to Clark Street Ale House. There's a promising newcomer to town, Chicago Ale House.

Favorite area brewpub for beer quality: by far, Three Floyds in Munster. They are one of the most respected microbreweries in the country.

Favorite brewpub for "urban" atmosphere: Goose Island on Clybourn. Piece fits the bill pretty well too, and they happen to have darn good thin-crust to boot.

Favorite brewpub for "neighborhood joint" atmosphere: Lunar Brewing Co. in Villa Park. Small but solid guest-tap lineup at Lunar as well.

Good brewpub for its "Wisconsin Supper Club" atmosphere: J.W. Platek's in Richmond.

Honorable Mention because it's not really in the Chicago area: Carlyle brewpub in Rockford. Back when I lived in St. Charles I also spent a lot of time there. Since I lived on the western edge of STC, it was usually easier for me to get to Rockford than to Chicago. Carlyle is one of the most solid and innovative brewpubs in the state right now.

Will do in a pinch: Gordon Biersch, Emmett's, Flossmoor Station, and MAYBE Rock Bottom.

Places to avoid like STDs: Govnor's Pub; Ram; Taylor Brewing; Onion; Prairie Rock, and Millrose.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by Drover

Honorable Mention because it's not really in the Chicago area: Carlyle brewpub in Rockford. Back when I lived in St. Charles I also spent a lot of time there. Since I lived on the western edge of STC, it was usually easier for me to get to Rockford than to Chicago. Carlyle is one of the most solid and innovative brewpubs in the state right now.

Hear hear. My lady lives in Rockford, and this place is the best place in that 'burg to grab a beer.

In the city, Goose Island is my favorite brewpub, but Hopleaf is a great spot for beers in general. I also love the Heuttenbar in Lincoln Square because, though it doesn't have a ton of beers, it has the right beers. Nice selection of German brews on tap. 9 or 10, I think.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by via chicago

i think the 2 undisupted champs in the chicago area for beer lover's are:

The Map Room - A Traveller's Tavern in Chicago -over 200 beers and 26 taps, as well as a handpumped wooden cask. dozens of new beers rotate in on a regular basis

Hopleaf Bar -another pretty staggering beer menu

Yeah. Any beer discussion in Chicago pretty much ends at these two places.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Drover

via chicago has my two favorite beer bars covered. Hop Leaf and The Map Room are inarguably the two top-tier beer bars in the city. They are nationally renowned among beer snobs. Honorable mention goes to Clark Street Ale House. There's a promising newcomer to town, Chicago Ale House.

Forgot to give an honorable mention to Quenchers, another good second-tier Chicago beer bar along with Clark Street.

[mdz]

hopleaf is still number one, but best place near me is Poor Phil's in Oak Park. Large draft selection.

[Steve-o]

Sounds like a resounding THUMBS UP to Hopleaf and The Map Room.

Good ideas guys, keep em coming.

Anyone been to Bud's in St. Charles (off Randall Road)? Last time I was there they had an amazing beer selection. The only problem is that its in a huge sports bar. Just curious if anyone has sampled the beers there and what they thought.

[via chicago]

Has anyone had a chance to try Half Acre? I know they don't brew in Chicago (currently on contract in Wisconsin), but they are a new locally owned startup.
***HALF ACRE BEER COMPANY***

I would be awesome if they could eventually get the same success Goose Island has had, and build their own brewery in the city

[Visvaldis]

I miss living in Chicago, the city where I grew up. But for every visit I will go to an ordinary bar to have a bottle of Old Style. It's nothing special, but Old Style isn't available anywhere else.
For a good German draft beer I like The Huttenbar in the 4700 block of Lincoln Avenue.
I intentionally avoid suburban bars because I find them family oriented; the couples go there with their kids to eat, watch sports on TV, and when finished, they go home. In the city bars some people go to socialize and are open for conversation.
Cheers!