Locale: Avondale, IL (Chicago)
Craft Circa: 2012 (Expansion of Revolution Brewing's Brewpub founded 2010 in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago)
ABV: All over the board
*** There’s a revolution a brewing here in Chicago. These fists of fury are out to take down the common beer drinker. It’s an insurrection of artisan beers out to overthrow macros and micros alike. Revolution Brewery hit the scene in 2010 and was a bustling neighborhood brew pub gem that bloomed into a regional success, prompting an expansion of a brewery and taproom.
The reason B&B found itself in the taproom on this particular day was that Rev Brew announced that a couple of their brews were being bottled and hitting the market for the first time ever this first week of August, and were available for purchase at the taproom a week prior. These bottled brews included a seasonal specialty Coup d’Etat; as well as a World Beer Cup gold medalist winner Cross of Gold (Category 66). Well discovering this I dropped my day job items, and headed on over.
As you walk in, sit yourself down within this Hop Mecca of Chicago, you realize this is a serious drinker’s watering hole. A building constructed not only for the production of Rev Brew crops, but also for the hardcore happy hour enthusiasts. Upon walking in the stage was set. There was a huge chalkboard on the wall, great indicator of any place. There were about 12 taps for your enjoyment, with anything from tart summer ales to bourbon barrel infused concoctions. And The Last Waltz was sounding on the speakers… only the greatest rock and roll concert documentary ever made. Life is grand.
As I’m enjoying my Double Fist DPA, a guy walks in with a Dampf Loc Bierwerker shirt on. Impressive, it’s a diehard crowd indeed. There’s no food served here, even though you are allowed to order in some grub, you still recognize that the patrons are here for the brews and brews alone. Hardcore indeed. It’s a great atmosphere, filled with people looking to test their palates with flavorful beers. There were people who were there out of mere curiosity, running through flights of each beer on tap. Then there’s me, coming to simply get my hands on a couple 22 ouncers because I was too impatient to wait the following week.
What makes this place great, among the crowd, among the atmosphere, among the barrels and barrels of beer fermenting around you is quite humbly the quality of beer. That’s what makes it when it’s all said and done. They are consistent in each batch I’ve tasted thus far, and I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg for what brews are on the horizon with Rev Brew.
A Snifter of a Review:
1. Double Fist DPA – smooth and probably in my top 5 doubles to mind.
2. Faustenstein – This is aged for 36 weeks in Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve barrels. Phenominal beer. Quite thick for a summer day, but so happy I tried it. In addition, the wife and I love Woodford and it’s our favorite standard bourbon. Always a plus. We even had a portion of our wedding events at the Woodford Reserve Distillery. Yah, it’s that good.
3. Bottom Up Wit – Quite refreshing after the Faustenstein. Solid Belgian-style wheat beer.
So venture out to this hub to experience what Revolution has to offer. Round up a caravan if you have to…
Items to note: The Anti-Hero IPA, Eugene Porter, and the Bottom Up Wit (their canned selections) are expected to be out on the streets about 2 to 3 weeks. The Double Fist Double Pale Ale is scheduled to be bottled in the next week or so. The Oktoberfest is in the making, scheduled to be released this September along with their Oktoberfest bash scheduled this fall. There’s definitely a revolution a brewing here in Chicago.
~gY
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