The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [96]
3258 N. Sheffield Ave. • Chicago, IL 60657 • (773) 281-4989 sheffieldschicago.com • Established: 1980
SCENE & STORY
With three distinct bar areas and a beer garden for fair-weather days, this well-established Windy City watering hole in the Lake View area of town is known for both its great beer lists and its “Backroom BBQ.” The whole place has red tile floors, warm, mustard-yellow walls, antique trim, old craftsman-era light fixtures, and an incredible selection of beers (38 taps; 150 bottles) from close-by favorites like Bell’s and Goose Island to West Coast cult beers and abroad to Belgian, German, and Japanese imports such as Hitachino.
PHILOSOPHY
Options make the meal. Late founder Rick Hess worked hard to give diners the choice of the best Memphis-, Texas-, and Carolina-style sauces to dress the house-smoked ribs, brisket, and other barbecue fare, and the mostly American draft beer list reflects a similar attention to detail and quality, with cask-conditioned beers, growler sales to go, and a “new and notable” list for customers.
KEY BEER
Furious, from Surly Brewing in Minnesota is, a 6.2% ABV American IPA. It’s perfect for cutting the tangy spice of the ribs.
THE PUBLICAN
837 W. Fulton Market • Chicago, IL 60607 • (312) 733-9555 thepublicanrestaurant.com • Established: 2008
SCENE & STORY
All together now! Among the most impressive aspects of the Publican is the huge square of walnut-hewn, communal table space in the center of the dining room, which seats one hundred and is ringed by tiered booths and walls glowing with an earthy ochre color and lit by striking, globe-like light fixtures. The space was designed by James Beard Award winner Thomas Schlesser, and the bar area is a marvel of polished steel and brass fixtures, chic wooden tap handles, and gleaming delicate glassware for the carefully curated list of twelve taps and eighty-five bottles. Impressively, all servers, managers, and bartenders have achieved at least level-one certification on the dauntingly long path to becoming Cicerones, the beer equivalent of master sommelier.
PHILOSOPHY
Beer and food deserve equal thought and care. Executive Chef Paul Kahan and Chef de Cuisine Brian Huston’s beer-centric menus center upon sustainably sourced seafood, certified organic pork from Dyersville, Iowa (made into, among other things, terrines and charcuteries), seasonal vegetables and daily aïoli. Other beer friendly specialties include house-made black and white sausages, steak tartare, pork shoulder, pot-au-feu, and wood-roasted chicken with frites. Special beer dinners are common, with recent appearances by Los Angeles’ the Bruery and American barrel-aging pioneer Allagash.
KEY BEER
Order up Thiriez XXtra (Brasserie Thiriez, of Esquelbecq, France), a wonderfully aromatic and spicily food–friendly beer in 750-milliliter bottles (4.50% ABV).
GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO.
1800 N. Clybourn • Chicago, IL 60614 • (312) 915-0071 gooseisland.com • Established: 1988
SCENE & STORY
The original Goose Island opened in Lincoln Park and has racked up over one hundred prestigious brewing medals for a huge variety of styles under brewer Greg Hall, whose father founded the company, and who attended the prestigious Siebel Institute of brewing before making several trips to Europe for inspiration. In the handsome wood-paneled pub with its huge central oval-shaped bar, there are at least twenty taps of Goose Island’s highly rated beers available, many only available there (including occasional cask-conditioned ales), in addition to bottle and growler and keg sales to go, and merchandise. The pub grub consists of higher end pub fare including duck and rabbit, mussels, andouille, and cassoulet, among other hearty fare. There are often beers on tap that have been created as collaborations with local chefs including Rick Bayless and Paul Kahan of the Publican. A second brewpub, in Wrigleyville, opened in 1999. Tours of both locations ($7; about an hour) can be arranged on weekends at various times; reservations required.
PHILOSOPHY
Good, green, and innovative.