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pjs234

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I'll be in Oak Brook IL for three nights during the week of 3/7 for business. Should be able to go to Chicago on the night of the 7th (Monday night), but not sure about any other nights, as i might be tied up with work stuffs. Either way, I have a few questions:

1. As i don't have a car, what's the easiest way to get to Chicago? Was planning on Uber, but couldn't get the app to give me a fare estimate. What should i expect to pay? Is there a metro option?

2. Once in Chicago, where should i go to drink? Really looking for the overall best beer experience. I'll do some leg work on this, but would love suggestions from some locals.

3. What should I look for regarding local distribution? I'm aware that Surley, Pipeworks and Three Floyds is in the area, but is there anything else I should be on the look out for?

4. If i have time to hit a bottle shop, which one should i hit? My guess is that if i do hit a bottle shop, it would need to be in oak brook...

5. Are there any bars in Oak Brook worth visiting?

Thanks in advance!!!

Cheers!
 
1. For this, I'd recommend taking the Metra in to the city. You can either go from Clarendon Hills (to the south of you) or from Elmhurst (north of you). If you go from Elmhurst, you'll go past the Oak Park stop, which has a good bar, Poor Phil's, close by the stop. I'm not sure of the cost for this off the top of my head, I think you won't pay more than $5 each way, so if you take the Metra plan on $10 total. An Uber or a cab is going to be ****in expensive.

2. If you take the train from Clarendon Hills, you can get off at the Western stop and go to the Lagunitas brewery. I like Revolution more, their tap room is on Kedzie, but it's going to be kind of north of where you're at. It's also closed on Mondays I'm pretty sure. Haymarket is also solid.

3. Revolution, Half Acre, Pipeworks, are all good choices.

4. There's a Binny's in Oak Brook just north of the Oak Brook mall with a decent selection. That's your closest bet since you don't have a car.

5. In the Oak Brook mall there's a place called Old Town Pour House (never been there). If you can cab it, I'd recommend hitting up Burger Antics in Brookfield (pretty close by, maybe a 10-15 minute cab ride) for delicious burgers and tasty beer. Another awesome place that's also 15ish minutes is Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, kickass authentic German food and an insane beer list.
 
5. In the Oak Brook mall there's a place called Old Town Pour House (never been there). If you can cab it, I'd recommend hitting up Burger Antics in Brookfield (pretty close by, maybe a 10-15 minute cab ride) for delicious burgers and tasty beer. Another awesome place that's also 15ish minutes is Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, kickass authentic German food and an insane beer list.
Burger Antics is a must if you don't mind cabbing it. It's run by dvelcich and just check out the burg porn here. It is closed on Monday's though so make sure to go another day.
 
Metra BNSF line or Union Pacific West line are your cheapest bets to get into the City with no car. http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home.html
Haymarket is an easy walk from either train station. Lone Wolf, Au Cheval, Beer Bistro, The Publican are all also easy walks from the train station. If you want to get out of the downtown, you can walk to the Blue Line and take that to Wicker Park or Logan Square. Or the Red Line to Lincoln Park/Lakeview. If you're going to cab somewhere try to pick a spot that has multiple options to avoid having to take multiple cabs. For example, cab to Wicker Park and go to Piece, Big Star, Links Taproom, Emporium. Or to Logan Square for Revolution Brewpub, Emporium, Hopewell, Longman & Eagle or any of the other multitude of places in that neighborhood.

Revolution Tap Room and Half Acre are both closed on Mondays

Some suburban locations that would be cheaper uber rides.
Burger Antics is closed on Monday, but would recommend for Tuesday.
Bavarian Lodge is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays unfortunately, but would be a great choice for your Wednesday night.
The Whole Foods in Willowbrook has a bar with 25 drafts, a lot of which are local stuff. Usually also have at least 1 or 2 that are only $3.50. https://www.beermenus.com/places/25062-the-brook-at-whole-foods-market-willowbrook
Lunar is an old school divey bar that brews their own beer, but also has a bunch of guest taps. https://www.beermenus.com/places/2162-lunar-brewing-company
 
Going to echo thewimperoo with regards to cheap ways to get into the city, and I suggest getting an Uber / Cab from Oak Brook to a close stop (Downers Grove off the top of my head might be your closest bet).

Again Dan is right on for good itineraries once you are in the city, but may I also suggest some of the better places out near where you are staying including Imperial Oak in Willow Springs for a good brewpub or Brixies in Brookfield for a low key bar with great draft options or Bavarian Lodge in Lisle for great food and an eclectic draft list (especially if you are looking for weird European stuff you don't see on at other places). None of these places are more than 20-25 minutes from where you are staying.

Not sure what Off Color you get in your area (or what it costs...) but there are a number of great beers out from them at the moment as well as fun stuff from Middlebrow or Marz if you are looking for something a little less well known.

There is a Binnys in Oak Brook IL or a Sals Beverage in Villa Park that will be able to satiate your bottle needs for the most part.

Not really much in Oak Brook itself, but if you are jonesing for a burger and beer (and can't make it out to Burger Antics) check out DMK Burger in Lombard IL which is just down the street from Oak Brook proper and has a decent draft selection and good food.

I work in Oak Brook myself if you are interested in grabbing a beer after work I wouldn't mind grabbing you and showing you around a few places in the Western Burbs (Imperial Oak, Buckledown, Miskatonic, Alter being my favorites in the area at the moment).

Cheers!
 
1. For this, I'd recommend taking the Metra in to the city. You can either go from Clarendon Hills (to the south of you) or from Elmhurst (north of you). If you go from Elmhurst, you'll go past the Oak Park stop, which has a good bar, Poor Phil's, close by the stop. I'm not sure of the cost for this off the top of my head, I think you won't pay more than $5 each way, so if you take the Metra plan on $10 total. An Uber or a cab is going to be ****in expensive.

2. If you take the train from Clarendon Hills, you can get off at the Western stop and go to the Lagunitas brewery. I like Revolution more, their tap room is on Kedzie, but it's going to be kind of north of where you're at. It's also closed on Mondays I'm pretty sure. Haymarket is also solid.

3. Revolution, Half Acre, Pipeworks, are all good choices.

4. There's a Binny's in Oak Brook just north of the Oak Brook mall with a decent selection. That's your closest bet since you don't have a car.

5. In the Oak Brook mall there's a place called Old Town Pour House (never been there). If you can cab it, I'd recommend hitting up Burger Antics in Brookfield (pretty close by, maybe a 10-15 minute cab ride) for delicious burgers and tasty beer. Another awesome place that's also 15ish minutes is Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, kickass authentic German food and an insane beer list.
Burger Antics is a must if you don't mind cabbing it. It's run by dvelcich and just check out the burg porn here. It is closed on Monday's though so make sure to go another day.
Thanks for the recommendations guys! No cab required though if taking the Metra BNSF. Burger Antics is literally right off the Brookfield Station stop.
 
I like Revolution more, their tap room is on Kedzie, but it's going to be kind of north of where you're at. It's also closed on Mondays I'm pretty sure.

Metra BNSF line or Union Pacific West line are your cheapest bets to get into the City with no car. http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home.html

Revolution Tap Room and Half Acre are both closed on Mondays

Thanks for the feedback, was just starting to do my research and I found the below on Revolution's website, where it seems to indicated that the brew pub is on N Milwaukee and is open 7 days a week and the brewery is on kedzie and closed Monday and Tuesday. when you guy say tap room, are you referring to the brewery? Is that a better destination than the Brewpub? I am also assuming their web site is accurate, which i am hesitant to do as i know how poorly CT's local breweries tend to update their sites. Let me know.

BREWPUB
2323 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-227-2739
Mon-Fri: 11am-1am
Sat: 10am-1am
Sun: 10am-1am

KEDZIE BREWERY

3340 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
773-588-CANS
Wed-Thurs: 2pm-10pm
Fri: 2-11pm
Sat: Noon-11pm
Sun: Noon-8pm
 
Thanks for the feedback, was just starting to do my research and I found the below on Revolution's website, where it seems to indicated that the brew pub is on N Milwaukee and is open 7 days a week and the brewery is on kedzie and closed Monday and Tuesday. when you guy say tap room, are you referring to the brewery? Is that a better destination than the Brewpub? I am also assuming their web site is accurate, which i am hesitant to do as i know how poorly CT's local breweries tend to update their sites. Let me know.

BREWPUB
2323 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-227-2739
Mon-Fri: 11am-1am
Sat: 10am-1am
Sun: 10am-1am

KEDZIE BREWERY

3340 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
773-588-CANS
Wed-Thurs: 2pm-10pm
Fri: 2-11pm
Sat: Noon-11pm
Sun: Noon-8pm
Yes, brewery = taproom.

The brewpub is a generally overcrowded restaurant with good food and the standard Revolution line-up (and the occasional special/one-off selection).

The taproom is a magical cavern of beery delights hidden among nondescript industrial buildings and self-storage facilities. They usually have at least one brewery-only selection, and I almost always stumble out of there wondering how the hell I didn't even notice myself sliding half into the bag.

Definitely call ahead though, the taproom is a popular venue for big parties, during which it's closed to the public.
 
Yes, brewery = taproom.

The brewpub is a generally overcrowded restaurant with good food and the standard Revolution line-up (and the occasional special/one-off selection).

The taproom is a magical cavern of beery delights hidden among nondescript industrial buildings and self-storage facilities. They usually have at least one brewery-only selection, and I almost always stumble out of there wondering how the hell I didn't even notice myself sliding half into the bag.

Definitely call ahead though, the taproom is a popular venue for big parties, during which it's closed to the public.
Thanks for the clarification. Sucks that they are closed both Monday and Tuesday. May not work for me this trip out. Maybe next time.
 
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