There are many different activities happening around the city during Chicago Craft Beer Week (CCBW). Jen and I decided that we were going to make the most of it this year, attending the opening at Beer Under Glass, continuing on by checking out the fun around town, and going to the "closing" party at the Revolution Brewery grand opening on Friday, May 25th. We already had tickets to the Revolution party, but what we didn't know before, was that we could earn early VIP entrance into the event by visiting bars in 6 different neighborhoods around the city before next Friday. So our mission was set, and we knew what we had to do!
The key to the 6 neighborhood challenge, is that you have to visit a specific bar in each area to obtain a map. You then get a sticker from the bar for drinking a specific beer that they have on special for CCBW. You must obtain at least 2 stickers from each neighborhood.
We started our tour in the Lakeview area at the Northdown Cafe and Taproom. It's a nice bar with large windows so that you can enjoy the fresh air while you indulge in a craft brew. We tried and interesting blended sour beer by New Belgium called Tart Lychee. We then headed to The Green Lady. We both enjoyed a Founders All Day IPA, which was a great start to the evening. We had a long night ahead, so I didn't want too drink anything to heavy, too early! Now that we had our two stickers, it was time to change neighborhoods.
We then headed up to Andersonville, home of Hamburger Mary's, the location of that areas map. Hamburger Mary's was a new experience for me. It is a unique setting with lots of energy. Not to mention, they brew their own beer! I tried the "Gangster", which was an amber beer, very drinkable. We also indulged in some of their famous hamburgers, which I think we ate before we even realized what happened. Definitely a place I'd return to again. Beer and Burgers, can't get much better than that! Staying in the Andersonville area, we went to Acre. Acre is a more sophisticated setting, definitely date-night style, but very comfortable. Jen and I both had the Boulevard Saison Brett. Not being much of a saison fan myself, it was a nice light beer that I would recommend trying.
Next stop was Bucktown, and Quencher's Saloon was the location of the next map. We've been to Quencher's a few times because Jen used to live in the Bucktown area. Quencher's is a lot of fun, despite it's outward appearance, the bartender's are friendly, they often have live bands, and there is a popcorn machine (I'm sure Jen mentioned that before, seeing as she gets very excited about popcorn on a beer crawl!). I had the Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge. Once again, my love for sour beers came out and this is one of my favorites. Quencher's has over one hundred beers to choose from, but I tend to stick with their "on tap" menu, as it's always changing and has a great selection. Since we decided to hang out there a little longer than the other places, I also tried the Kostritzer Schwarzbier. This is a german style dark beer that packs a lot of punch and flavor in a smooth drink. Definitely a must try! Our next stop was at the Map Room, another place that we have spent a lot of time, probably too much by some standards! Here we both tried the $4 special for the week, Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale by Southern Tier Brewing. For a long night of drinking, this was a great way to finish the night.
Overall, we checked out three of the neighborhoods and we are half way to our goal! This is the truly fun part of CCBW. Checking out different neighborhoods and going to new bars, meeting new people, and of course, trying many different styles of beer, leads to fun times all around!
We're headed out again together on Thursday to get the remaining two maps/stickers, and our destinations are to be determined. As always, we'll consult the master CCBW schedule, and see where the night takes us!
Cherio!
Meg & Jen
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