**** Official middle-aged man's Craft Beer thread ****

[big nuts]

Can anyone recommend good craft beer pubs in Chicago? I'm flying out October 15th. Checked online seems like a fair few, but wanted to know anyone's personal experiences.

 

[spring hall convert]

Can anyone recommend good craft beer pubs in Chicago? I'm flying out October 15th. Checked online seems like a fair few, but wanted to know anyone's personal experiences.

A friend of mine who is a craft beer nut spent a couple of weeks there last year and came back raving about it. I have asked him for some tips for you.

 

[spring hall convert]

Can anyone recommend good craft beer pubs in Chicago? I'm flying out October 15th. Checked online seems like a fair few, but wanted to know anyone's personal experiences.

Unfortunately as he was on a working trip he didn't get the chance to visit too many bars. However, he heartily recommends a bottle shop called Beer Temple and apparently both the beer and burgers at Kuma's Corner are sublime.

 

[Questions]

,

You may have already seen some of these, but they do make for interesting drinking.

The Malt and Mold is an interesting place – part store (cheeses etc) and bar. I really like it – and they do good sandwiches http://www.maltandmold.com/#!gramercy-home/c1ir6

I’ve only really discovered Tap Room 307 recently (3[SUP]rd[/SUP] between 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] and 24[SUP]th[/SUP]). http://www.taproom307.com/ but it’s become one of my favorites – over 40 beers on tap and a “Beer Rewards” programme – a must. Can get packed but they seem to cope. Great pulled pork sandwiches.

The Cannibal on 113 East 29[SUP]th[/SUP] is another bar / shop – seems to be a NYC thing. Apparently named after Eddy Merckx. Not cheap but has lots and lots of bottled Belgian beers and Timothy Taylor Landlord which was a favourite of mine in the UK. http://www.cannibalnyc.com/

Bit further afield - With a name like the Albion Bar you need to pay a visit - not in Grammercy (it’s on 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and 32[SUP]nd[/SUP]) but worth the hike, great choice of craft beers and extended happy hours, has Fullers ESB if you’re feeling homesick.

Rattle and Hum is a nice little boozer, on 33[SUP]rd[/SUP] between Madison and 5[SUP]th[/SUP]. It’s got about 40 beers on tap and 90 different bottled beers, so should be able to find something you like. http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/home

Couple there that I haven't heard about so will do some exploring. Especially the Taproom. Thanks.

 

[big nuts]

Unfortunately as he was on a working trip he didn't get the chance to visit too many bars. However, he heartily recommends a bottle shop called Beer Temple and apparently both the beer and burgers at Kuma's Corner are sublime.

Thanks Kuma's Corner looks good, no beer list but the burgers alone make it worth a visit.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You may have already seen some of these, but they do make for interesting drinking.

The Malt and Mold is an interesting place – part store (cheeses etc) and bar. I really like it – and they do good sandwiches http://www.maltandmold.com/#!gramercy-home/c1ir6

I’ve only really discovered Tap Room 307 recently (3[SUP]rd[/SUP] between 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] and 24[SUP]th[/SUP]). http://www.taproom307.com/ but it’s become one of my favorites – over 40 beers on tap and a “Beer Rewards” programme – a must. Can get packed but they seem to cope. Great pulled pork sandwiches.

The Cannibal on 113 East 29[SUP]th[/SUP] is another bar / shop – seems to be a NYC thing. Apparently named after Eddy Merckx. Not cheap but has lots and lots of bottled Belgian beers and Timothy Taylor Landlord which was a favourite of mine in the UK. http://www.cannibalnyc.com/

Bit further afield - With a name like the Albion Bar you need to pay a visit - not in Grammercy (it’s on 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] and 32[SUP]nd[/SUP]) but worth the hike, great choice of craft beers and extended happy hours, has Fullers ESB if you’re feeling homesick.

Rattle and Hum is a nice little boozer, on 33[SUP]rd[/SUP] between Madison and 5[SUP]th[/SUP]. It’s got about 40 beers on tap and 90 different bottled beers, so should be able to find something you like. http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/home

I'm off to NYC in October. Thanks, this is very useful.

 

[Questions]

I'm off to NYC in October. Thanks, this is very useful.

I'm there on the 5th....... They'll be none left for you HT.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'm there on the 5th....... They'll be none left for you HT.

I arrive on the 22nd. Will you still be around?

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

If either of you want to meet for a beer - let me know

 

[Questions]

I arrive on the 22nd. Will you still be around?

No only a 5 day trip till the 10th. I can't afford longer, what with my wife's passion for shopping.

 

[daveinprague]

Found a local restaurant that has a different beer menu each week! Beers from all over the country, from places ive not even heard of!
Half litre prices on the left, third of litre prices on right.

 

[Trufflehound]

Very little to do with "craft beer", of course, but it's always good to keep half an eye on what the corporate giants are up to:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34268632

A move probably sparked by the fact that SABMiller recently tried to propose joining up with Heineken, but Heineken told them to eff off (it's in Heineken's unwritten constitution that it remains a majority family-owned business, however big it gets).

 

[Questions]

Very little to do with "craft beer", of course, but it's always good to keep half an eye on what the corporate giants are up to:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34268632

A move probably sparked by the fact that SABMiller recently tried to propose joining up with Heineken, but Heineken told them to eff off (it's in Heineken's unwritten constitution that it remains a majority family-owned business, however big it gets).

They produce a third of the worlds beer between them ? Quite astonishing that. That figure might be different in 5 years though if trends continue - unless they start swallowing up craft beer producers. They obviously know what the market is doing.
On another note, amazing how many beers Green King are making for the big supermarkets under the guise of 'craft' beer. I nearly got caught out the other day with an American Pale. It was all in the small print though.

 

[Trufflehound]

They produce a third of the worlds beer between them ? Quite astonishing that. That figure might be different in 5 years though if trends continue - unless they start swallowing up craft beer producers. They obviously know what the market is doing.
On another note, amazing how many beers Green King are making for the big supermarkets under the guise of 'craft' beer. I nearly got caught out the other day with an American Pale. It was all in the small print though.

I think it might take more than 5 years before the giants get too worried (apart from in the US, possibly). One statistic for you: there are currently around 330 breweries and gypsy brewers in the Netherlands, and a new one opening every week on average. And yet one brewer still produces more beer in volume terms than all the other 329 combined - bet you can't guess who that is.

 

[Questions]

I think it might take more than 5 years before the giants get too worried (apart from in the US, possibly). One statistic for you: there are currently around 330 breweries and gypsy brewers in the Netherlands, and a new one opening every week on average. And yet one brewer still produces more beer in volume terms than all the other 329 combined - bet you can't guess who that is.

When we went on a brewery tour in Ghent recently (Gruut) the brewer told his stories of the rivalry with Holland in so much that they brew crap beer. ( I know that's not really true) Their Dutch counterparts came back with the taunt......"well you can't make cheese"
The brewer smiled and said , "you can imagine how that hurts us"

 

[Trufflehound]

When we went on a brewery tour in Ghent recently (Gruut) the brewer told his stories of the rivalry with Holland in so much that they brew crap beer. ( I know that's not really true) Their Dutch counterparts came back with the taunt......"well you can't make cheese"
The brewer smiled and said , "you can imagine how that hurts us"

Ironically, I would much rather drink Dutch beer and eat Belgian cheese than the other way around.

The Dutch haven't really grasped the idea that cheese can be anything other than hard and yellow - the Belgians have. The Belgian brewers (some honourable exceptions apart of course - such as Alvinne, Struise, Dochter van de Korenaar*) haven't yet really embraced the concept of flavouring beer with aroma hops - Dutch brewers have.

It caused much ruffling of feathers on both sides of the border a few months back when the number of Dutch breweries officially exceeded the number of Belgian breweries for the first time in 100 years.





*I use the term Belgian loosely there. Dochter van de Korenaar is in Belgium, but the brewer is a Dutchman.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I think it might take more than 5 years before the giants get too worried (apart from in the US, possibly).

It is encouraging the way that things have changed in the States. When I first arrived in the States the supermarkets and delis were predominantly full of Budweiser, Miller and Coors. I’d say it’s now shared 50 / 50 with the craft beers and imports. There are still too many people drinking the mass produced crap but things do seem to be moving in the right direction. And you have to remember that a lot of smaller craft breweries rely on word of mouth whereas the giants like SAB Miller and Anheuser Busch have multimillion dollar advertising budgets

 

[Trufflehound]

It is encouraging the way that things have changed in the States. When I first arrived in the States the supermarkets and delis were predominantly full of Budweiser, Miller and Coors. I’d say it’s now shared 50 / 50 with the craft beers and imports. There are still too many people drinking the mass produced crap but things do seem to be moving in the right direction. And you have to remember that a lot of smaller craft breweries rely on word of mouth whereas the giants like SAB Miller and Anheuser Busch have multimillion dollar advertising budgets

I was in California and Arizona in April and was impressed by how pretty much every gas station shop had banks of fridges crammed with craft beer. But the US has a much bigger potential market, and so craft brewers there can afford to take more risks in terms of scaling up, than certainly here in Benelux, probably the UK too. The American concept of 'micro' and 'nano' breweries is an order of magnitude larger than in the Netherlands. That leads to a problem of economies of scale here. Many of the smallest Dutch craft brewers can't afford to discount their craft beer to such an extent that your average bar owner will buy it. Specialist beer bars and shops will because they know the customers don't mind paying a bit more for a quality product. But bog-standard pubs would rather fill their shelves with cheap stuff from AB InBev, SABMiller and Heineken. That leaves most of the smallest brewers having to schlepp around the beer festival circuit in order to get themselves known.

 

[Trufflehound]

Which reminds me, anyone with a free few days around the weekend after next (25th/26th) could do worse than get themselves to the Netherlands for the 2015 Borefts Beer Festival.

It's one of the top 2 or 3 (alongside Alvinne, possibly Copenhagen) beer festivals in Europe. BrewDog, Redchurch, Magic Rock and Burning Sky all coming from the UK this year.

Full brewer and beer list here (and no, I'm not on commission):

http://brouwerijdemolen.nl/en/borefts-beerfestival/brewer-and-beers/

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Which reminds me, anyone with a free few days around the weekend after next (25th/26th) could do worse than get themselves to the Netherlands for the 2015 Borefts Beer Festival.

It's one of the top 2 or 3 (alongside Alvinne, possibly Copenhagen) beer festivals in Europe. BrewDog, Redchurch, Magic Rock and Burning Sky all coming from the UK this year.

Full brewer and beer list here (and no, I'm not on commission):

http://brouwerijdemolen.nl/en/borefts-beerfestival/brewer-and-beers/

I remember your comments last year and I put a reminder in my diary....only to get invited to a wedding.