| « New Grocery at Damen/Milwaukee | If Only All Schools Were Like This » |
Drink Sun Jan 25 2009
New Beer on the Block
On Friday, Chicago's newest craft brewer, Metropolitan Brewing, debuted its beers at three local bars: Hopleaf, Handlebar, and Risque Cafe.
I got a jump on the rest of the city on Thursday, when Gapers Block hosted a "staff-tivity" at the brewery in Ravenswood. We got to sample two of Metropolitan Brewing's delicious beers, the Dynamo Copper Lager and Flywheel Bright Lager, while noshing on sandwiches and fries complements of Hopleaf. I loved the Dynamo, a beautifully balanced beer with a crisp finish -- very drinkable. The Flywheel is a bit sweeter up front, but still has a smooth, dry finish befitting a German lager.
Entertainment was on point: to help celebrate Metropolitan's kick-off, the Neo-Futurists are using the brewery as a stage for the aptly-named "Beer," running Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between Jan. 31 and March 7. We got a sneak peek at the show, which tells the story of 10-year-old Boon, who passes out drunk after drinking his stepfather's crappy beer, and awakens to find himself and his puppet buddy, Puke, in a mysterious brewery. To get home, they must learn how to brew delicious beer. It's a great idea -- the Wizard of Oz meets Willy Wonka, for beer-lovers -- made that much better by staging it at a real brewery.
So, to recap, here's an idea for a fun night out next Thursday: check out "Beer," and then go drink some (of Metropolitan's) at one of the lucky bars featuring Chicago's newest brew.
Carfree Chicago / January 26, 2009 8:16 PM
I'm excited to see a local altbier!
It would be great to see at least one of our Chicago breweries (Goose Island, Half Acre or Metropolitan) lead the way toward locally sourced ingredients, like Capital Brewery has done: http://www.islandwheat.com . We have so many great farms nearby, and I'd love to enjoy some of the fruits of their land in my beer glass.