ML - Michigan Avenue

2015 - Issue 4 - Summer - Art of the City - Hebru Brantley

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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Six-Pack In a city overflowing with spots to enjoy the perfect pint, here are a half dozen of Chicago's finest. The granddaddy of Chicago beer bars, Hopleaf boasts 326 bottled varieties from around the world, including its Maltese namesake, Hopleaf Pale Ale. Behind the BrewS The best way to get to know Chicago's scene is on a brewery tour. These are three of the best. Revolution Brewing Not to be confused with the brewpub on Milwaukee Avenue, the Kedzie production brewery and taproom, featured in the indie film Drinking Buddies, goes from big to massive this summer, spanning 90,000 square feet after expansion. No reservations are needed for the complimentary 45-minute tours offered Wednesday through Sunday, which kick off with a seven-ounce sample of a Revolution standby like Anti-Hero IPA or the newer Fist City. 3340 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-588-2267; revbrew.com Argus Brewery This South Side operation offers 90-minute tours on most Saturdays, touting its building (which once served as stables for Schlitz horses and carriages) and the nearby historic Pullman District. The tour includes three to five beer samples and an Argus Brewery glass to take home. Reservations are required; tours are limited to 16–20 people. $15, 11314 S. Front Ave., 773-941-4050; argusbrewery.com Greenstar Brewing For something much smaller in scale, make a reservation at this certified-organic brewery launched by the green restaurant Uncommon Ground at its Lakeview location last year. Brewmaster Martin Coad leads the tour, with each guest receiving a pint of beer (in a Greenstar glass to keep) and an additional tasting flight of beers in the bar post-tour. $10, 3800 N. Clark St., 773-929-3680; uncommonground.com Hopleaf With 63 beers on draft and another 326 in bottles, this Belgian- centric hangout is the granddaddy of Chicago beer bars. Standout fare, too—the mussels and frites may be the city's best. 5148 N. Clark St., 773-334- 9851; hopleaf.com first lager brewery opened in 1847, according to The Oxford Companion to Beer. When the Great Chicago Fire leveled most of the cit y in 1871, Chicago was home to 19 breweries and about 30 0,0 0 0 resident s —roughly one brewer y for ever y 16,000 people. A German immigrant named Dr. John Siebel began offering brewing classes in the late 1800s, and today, Chicago's Siebel Institute of Technology is the oldest brewing school in North America. During Prohibition, again according to The Oxford Companion, Anheuser-Busch sold more than 250,000 tap handles to Al Capone. Things quieted after the end of Prohibition, and it was not until 1986 that the city saw the opening of its first micro- brewery, Siebens Brewpub. Goose Island followed in 1988, and the modern era of Chicago brewing was born. Of course, the city's beer boom isn't just about microbreweries. Chicago also has ties to two major global players in the industry: The world's second-largest beer company, MillerCoors, is based in the city, and by the time Anheuser-Busch purchased Chicago- based Goose Island Brewery in 2011, the St. Louis beer giant had already merged with Belgium-based InBev to create the largest beer company in the world. "Chicago has always been one of America's most vibrant beer towns, dating back to the 1800s," says Andy England, MillerCoors's executive VP and chief mar- keting officer. "Chicagoans have a sophisticated beer palate, and that's why we moved our corporate headquarters here." Local beer importers and distributors such as Constellation Brands, Louis Glunz Beer Inc., and others also ensure a con- st a nt , abunda nt , a nd va r ied supply of bot h macro - a nd microbrews in a city that has loved beer for just about as long as people have called it home. "We're obviously very encouraged by what is going on," says Michael McGrew, senior director of communications for the beer division of Constellation Brands, which imports such labels as Corona and Modelo. "It's a great sign that the econ- omy appears to be healthy again, and that is lifting the water for everybody in the industry." To keep up with demand, some larger Chicago breweries— Half Acre and Revolution, to name a couple—are expanding, a nd ot her Chicago brewer ies have even beg un expor t ing their beers to Europe and Asia, a true testament to the quality of Chicago beer making. Revolution Brewing is expanding its brewing facility on the Northwest Side, tripling its capacity to 300,000 barrels annually and adding 15 new employees over the next few years, bringing the company total to 180. It was all part of owner Josh Deth's original business plan, which he Delilah's Don't be fooled by the abundance of whiskey bottles: This cool, dark, ghoul-rocking refuge is just as committed to beer, with a smart list that is heavy on Belgians and local brews. 2771 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-472-2771; delilahschicago.com Owen & Engine This Old World–style English gastropub features 20 rotating international and American craft beers on draft and another four in casks. 2700 N. Western Ave., 773-235-2930; owenandengine.com 122  michiganavemag.com

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