A few weeks ago (fine, some time a lot longer than a few weeks ago) we set out on a mini bar crawl to visit some of the best neighborhood breweries and beer bars, primarily intended for those who are not from Chicago and may be interested in checking out the exploding beer scene here. It seems like every other day there is an article in a paper or blog talking about the number of breweries that will be opening up over the next year. For example, in case you live under a rock and didn't hear, the fine folks at Lagunitas will be opening up a Chicago-based brewery, hopefully by Fall 2013. This was by far the biggest announcement in the Chicago beer world...that is of course until our "best brewery in the world" neighbors to the East hinted at plans of their own to open a Chicago based brewpub.
Ok, back to the original point of this post - without further adieu, here are our reviews of some places in and around the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago (this was Jen's neighborhood for a few years, until just recently). A word of warning: the posts will be pretty light on details so we could keep this post fairly short. Additionally, we're still in the early stages of developing our beer palette, so as time goes on, we'll be adding much more substance to our beer-specific reviews.
First stop: Piece Brewery and Pizzeria (map)
Ah, Piece, we fell in love with you way back when you first opened back in 2001 and we managed to sneak in with fake IDs. You see, when Piece first opened, it coincided with the filming of the Real World Chicago, which was essentially right across the street. Rumor had it that some of the cast members worked at Piece, so at the time we were hoping to catch a glimpse of some of these "stars." We had one drink, surveyed the scene, and decided not to test our 18 year old luck more than that.
Fast forward 11 years, and we've since discovered Piece makes some of the best non-Chicago style pizza in the city - the place is almost always packed. But, as the name implies, Piece is one part pizza place and one part brewery. Head Brewmaster Jonathan Cutler has been perfecting his craft since 1996, and has a nice collection of medals and awards to show for it. Most recently, Piece's Dark & Curvy Dunkelweizen won a bronze medal at the 2011 GABF.
On top of this, Piece was named the #1 "Independent pizzeria of the year" by Pizza Today magazine. On this particular visit, Megan tried the aforementioned Dark & Curvy, and Jen had one of their new IPA's, Captain Kick Ass (not named after Jen, unfortunately). As Megan put it, "This beer reminded me of being at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany last summer…yes it was that fresh and that good!! YUM! Caramel flavors, but smooth and light finish."
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| Piece Beer list, March 2012 |
As for the pizza, we had a "red" pizza, made bbq style, with chicken and onions. We're both suckers for a good bbq chicken pizza. But, we've never been disappointed by ANY pizza we've ordered at Piece and they have a huge variety of toppings to choose from.
Bottom line: If you love good pizza and good beer, Piece MUST be on your list. Recommendation: Try to go at an off peak time such as lunch on Sat/Sun or on a weeknight. Or, take advantage of their killer carry-out deal on Sundays: Large pizza and a growler of beer for $25.
Second Stop: The Map Room (map)
A so-called traveller's tavern. It seems some people have a love-hate relationship with the Map Room (just read their Yelp reviews). No doubt, it is known as one of the city's best beer bars, with an ever-rotating tap selection of 15-20 beers (and hundreds more in bottles), but consensus is mixed when it comes to the service. Personally, we've never had a real an issue with service - we just avoid the one female bartender who seems a bit too snarky.
Anyways, we also love the Map Room because they actually take care to use appropriate glassware with your beverage selections, and like any good beer bar, let you taste a beer before buying. On this visit, we split a few beers: Green Flash Le Freak, Firestone Walker Union Jack, and Liefmans Cuvee Brut (sour). Its easy for us to say the Liefman's was our favorite. Just see the previous posts where we professed our love for sour beers.
Bottom line: This place was only 6 blocks away from Jen's apartment at the time, so it was a no-brainer when we wanted to try something new. At the same time, as one of the city's best, it is worth seeking out, regardless of location. Recommendation: The Map Room is cash only and doesn't serve food, but you are welcome to order food to have delivered, or if you're lucky, after 9pm, you'll get a visit from the Tamale Guy to satisfy your hunger. On (most) Tuesdays though, they have food brought in from a local establishment, which you can partake in with a 2 drink minimum.
Third Stop: Owen & Engine (map)
This is a new-ish spot in Logan Square with a British/Irish gastropub theme (we're beer chicks, not foodies, so please excuse us if that's not the correct identifier). The name of the bar comes from the owners son (Owen) and Engine, well, because they have beer engines! Sadly, the night we visited, their engines were out of commission.
We were getting hungry again, so ordered the charcuterie plate and the cheese plate. There were some interesting selections, and again, not being foodies, probably more exotic than we'd normally prefer. On previous visits, we've have had the burger, and the Bangers & Mash - neither were disappointing. On the whole, the food is more costly than average bar food, but we wouldn't call this average bar food either. They have small plates, as well as large plates, and as best as possible, the food is locally sourced. As for our beer choices, we ordered Lagunitas WTF, and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS). This was by far the most expensive 12oz. bottled beer we've had, but as one of the "whale" beers of the world, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it. We wish we would have been better able to appreciate this bad boy with all of its complexity, but nonetheless it was nice to be able to check this one off our list.
They have a newly opened patio on the second floor where we managed to score a table. While it was nice to be outside considering it was barely Spring, there isn't much to be said for the view, which is essentially just the side of the movie theater next door. Oh well. We Chicagaons love our outdoor dining!
Bottom Line: Owen and Engine is in kind of an odd spot where it probably won't ever be that place you visit regularly, but if you are looking for a place with good beer, food, and more of a date night atmosphere, you won't be disappointed. Recommendation: Stick to the draft list, or ask what beer they have on cask. The bottle selection is good and all, but they almost always have very unique/rare draft selections (3 Floyd's Ham on Rye, for example).
Fourth and Final Stop: Quenchers (map)
If there was an award for most underrated or easy-to-miss beer bar, we'd give it to Quenchers. When we first saw this place, we figured it was a rock club/dive bar. Well, turns out it IS partly both of those things, but with an insane beer list, organized by country for your drinking convenience.
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| Quenchers list o' bottles. Sri Lankan beer anyone? |
Bottom line: Don't be turned off by the somewhat rundown exterior facade - the place is really welcoming, and the few times we've been it hasn't been too crowded either.
Recommendation: Go there and try their "famous" Tater Tot Pizza, and report back to us with your thoughts. That culinary delight remains on our bucket list!
And with that, we officially ended our first local tour de beer. We actually made a few stops after the "final" stop to some corner bar establishments, but we'll spare you our reviews of Shock Top and Guinness. We'd love to hear your thoughts on some of these places if you've visisted, or even some places we might have missed and can check out sometime soon.
Keep on drinkin',
Jen & Meg
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