nr706 wrote:I have to disagree on your assessment of the beer. I met Rock Bottom's brewmaster Peter Crowley last year on the Chicago Beer Society's famous Brews and Blues Cruise, and he brought along a couple of kegs of his Belgian-style witbeer, which was exceptional. He used an appropriate combination of yeasts approximating the local airborne yeasts of the area around Leuven, and it was nicely flavored with the traditional coriander and bitter orange, for a very refreshing brew. One of the interesting things about Rock Bottom is that, while it's a chain, they give the brewmaster at each location quite a bit of latitude to determine what they want to make, in addition to the usual suspects that have to be made/offered to placate BudMilCoors drinkers.
IMHO, Rock Bottom, while not quite up the high standards set by Goose Island, delivers very good beers. (By contrast, I was out at Flatlander's in Lincolnshire last night to watch the Bears game, and was distinctly unimpressed with the flat, thin flavor of their stout, and their lager, pale ale and red ales were workmanlike, but commonly-available bottled versions are typically much better.)
d4v3 wrote:As far as Flatlanders goes, I used to really like the beer when Greg Brown was the brewer there. I'll have to agree that the brews have gone downhill signifcantly since his departure. While they still use Greg's basic recipes, I think they have dumbed down the flavors to make them more commercially acceptable. Although, I still like the Honest Abes' Ale (at leaast the last time I was there). I believe Greg is still the brewer at Mickey Finn's in Libertyville, where his arrival had just the opposite effect. The beer went from being boring and middle of the road to being quite drinkable after he started brewing there.
I think the last time I stopped at Flatlanders was a year ago. What I used to really like about the Honest Abe's is that it had a pronounced earthy peat flavor. I always assumed that was from a combination of some specialty malt and the type of yeast used. I don't know if it still has that taste. You probably noticed that most of the customers at Flatlanders are not the type to appreciate strongly flavored unfiltered ales. When they first opened they did not carry domestic bottles, and the most common question you heard was "What tastes most like Bud/Miller Light?" I think the market has influenced the taste of the beers. One of the good things about Flatlander's was that it was the first area Brewpub with edible food. I can't really say the same about Mickey Finn's. However, the Firkin across the street (and a block down), has excellent food, and a pretty good beer selection. So when I am in Libertyville, I will usually sit at the bar at Mickey Finn's for a few , then cross Milwaukee to the Firkin for dinner and to see if they have anything unusual on tap (or the other way around).nr706 wrote:I tried the Honest Abe Ale - both the traditional draft and the hand-pulled, cask-conditioned variety, and they were fine, no obvious flaws, but not worth going out of your way for. Despite my affinity for hops, I could have used a bit more malt flavor....
Next time, I'll go a few miles further north on Milwaukee to Mickey Finn's.
stewed coot wrote: I do have to say that it was very bad in the past, but I also must retract any criticism of the current operation-sounds like this guy is on top of his game, and I'm eager to try his stuff.
On a related note, has anyone else felt that the original Goose Island has slipped? The last 2 times I've had flat, warmish beers.
I forgot all about this place. I was there once several years ago, and was impressed with what they were doing. They had a really small setup, but as recall, the beer was quite good. It had that hand-crafted appearance and flavor, like good homebrew. I am glad they are still in business. I will have to make the trip out there soon.KSeecs wrote:Lunar Brewing in Villa Park is a great little brewery in a neighborhood bar, their only food is frozen pizza, but they brew amazing beers, particularly in light of the size and character of the operation.
Kuma's quit carrying 3 Floyds on tap also. A while back, because of an increased demand for their bottled product, Nick Floyd decided to temporarily suspend the production of certain kegged beers, until their production capacity caught up. It was probably a smart move, and I think all flavors of 3 Floyds are available again in kegs. Unfortunately, they lost a few loyal customers in the process. However, now that Bell's has halted distribution in Illinois, you may see 3 Floyd's on Tap make a come back at some places.EvilUs wrote:Floyd's, being basically a two man operation, couldn't keep up with the Tree's demand...you know Charlie... If Floyd couldn't deliver when asked...don't bring your product here anymore. Kinda sad but it's his place. I still go there all the time however.
kiplog wrote:Some drinkers might find some of these samplings overly sweet, for instance their Bourbon Cask Stout, or the Blitzen Belgian (made with amber candy sugar and orange peel) but they are deliciously sweet to my tastes and the 9 and 10%ABVs respectively keep them from being cloying.
djenks wrote:very much so - any opinion counts, really. I was trying to figure out where you're coming from - as any would do while debating. I just honestly wanted to know because, like i said earlier, there are many, many better places than GI. many
Unfortunately most brewpubs look at food as simply something to soak up the beer. After all, the markup on a pint of beer is about 1500%, whereas the markup on food might be 150%. Still, the pepper encrusted stilton cheeseburger at GI is quite edible (for a beer sponge). Although now that it costs $10.50, it is not nearly as appealing.leek wrote:Personally, I think that the beer is good at GI, but the food is merely OK>
nr706 wrote:So I'm curious about the "many, many better places than GI" that you're referring to. Can you provide a list, and tell us why they're so much better? Maybe I'll adjust my next scheduled trip ...
djenks wrote:nr706 wrote:So I'm curious about the "many, many better places than GI" that you're referring to. Can you provide a list, and tell us why they're so much better? Maybe I'll adjust my next scheduled trip ...
Great Lakes Brewing is one of my favorite breweries that I've had a chance to sample. Unfortunately again, i have not had a chance to go there, so I cannot comment on the food/atmosphere. The main lines that you can get here (say, at Lake View Liquors) are exceptional. Imo, better than the majority of what comes out of GI.
Great Lakes
KSeecs wrote:Great Lakes brewing is great, and their brew pub is also excellent with a great atmosphere, better than your usual brewpub food, and a good selection of seasonals. Nosferatu...mmmm...
And the Eccentric Cafe (Bells) is a must stop if on 94 through Michigan. The draught beer is ridiculously cheap and they just upgrade their general store and put it in front of the building with most of their beers, brewing supplies, and Bells paraphernalia available.
Is this place still in operation? Anybody been there lately? I went there once a couple of years ago, and really liked what they were doing. Say what you will about Illinois laws, but here is an example of an extremely low capacity small batch brewer that was able to open a joint that sells what is basically homebrew without much problem. Of course, if they tried to sell off-premises, it would be an entirely different story.KSeecs wrote:Lunar Brewing in Villa Park is a great little brewery in a neighborhood bar, their only food is frozen pizza, but they brew amazing beers, particularly in light of the size and character of the operation.
djenks wrote:nr706 wrote:So I'm curious about the "many, many better places than GI" that you're referring to. Can you provide a list, and tell us why they're so much better? Maybe I'll adjust my next scheduled trip ...
Sure -
Let's get the obvious out of the way - Bell's in Kalamazoo but i'm sure you've been there. Great in house beers, a good stage with some good music that comes through there, and like most brewpubs, decent food.
Bells
Another place that i stopped a night before i hit a ferry across the lake on the motorcyle trip would be Jamesport Brewing in Michigan. I've stopped there only once and it was typical - great beer and decent food. I have a hard time remembering leaving the placeThis one is more comparable to GI
Jamesport
When i lived in Colorado, i never actually visited New Belgium (stupid, i know) but we drank a lot of the brews out of there. So, can't comment on the food/atmosphere, but the beers were great. Except for the Sunshine Wheat, which imo, was horrid.
New Belgium
Great Lakes Brewing is one of my favorite breweries that I've had a chance to sample. Unfortunately again, i have not had a chance to go there, so I cannot comment on the food/atmosphere. The main lines that you can get here (say, at Lake View Liquors) are exceptional. Imo, better than the majority of what comes out of GI.
Great Lakes
Then, there are the couple closer to being local places that i am very fond of - more so than GI - and those two would be
Three Floyds. While some people don't like it, Gumballhead is just a beautiful take on the American Wheat. More hops than you would expect, but oh soo good.
and
Two Brothers. My two favorite year round accessible beers being their Ebel's Weiss, and Prairie Path golden ale - drink it with some pizza.
Adjusting a trip for any of these places would be something that i would do.
d4v3 wrote:Is this place still in operation? Anybody been there lately? Of course, if they tried to sell off-premises, it would be an entirely different story.