I flew into Chicago, aka The Windy City (due to the “talkativeness” of it’s politicians), aka The Second City (because it was rebuilt after the 1871 and 1874 fires) with a small craft beer agenda. I really only had 1 day to hit a few of the must-see’s on my list.
To my surprise, like my hometown of Portland, craft beer is on tap and easy to find. From our operational base near Wrigley Field, there was an Irish snug bar Guthrie’s that had local beer taps. The neighborhood pizza parlor, D’Agostino’s had a lovely list and $5 Lagunitas pint nights. (while there, I picked up a pint of the Chicago only Green Line from Goose Island which was very good. A session IPA from Ale Syndicate that was a bit underwhelming and a Hopthesis IPA that was past it’s prime).
The next day, I found a dimly lit bar and a selection of beer to buy (including Three Floyds and Founders in the basement of the massive Macy’s in the Loop. Do the Macy’s here in L.A. have that? Yeah, no. Why not? It would increase my visits to Macy’s by a 100%. And at the Cloud Gate sculpture that is an iconic part of the art scene in Chicago, there was a cafe with a Two Brothers cart! No art in L.A has that.
And the Jewel grocery store had a second level that was devoted to beer-wine and liquor. You could mix and match 6 packs or just pick up a sixer of locals like Half Acre or Metropolitan or 5 Rabbits.
I will get into details of Half Acre and HopLeaf and Revolution in later posts and next month in a Food GPS post I will discuss what Los Angeles can learn from Chicago’s beer scene.
But before I leave you, the favorite beers of the trip….
Lagertown Marzen from Half Acre – Nutty and hoppy with a touch of sweetness. Just great.
Green Line from Goose Island – Super easy to drink wheat beer with a touch of citrus hops.
5 Vultures from 5 Rabbit – A light hand with Ancho Chilis make this Oaxacan inspired beer delicious.
Krankshaft Kolsch from Metropolitan – Light and really fresh tasting. Very zippy.