Cask places in Chicago

[Kalleh1]

Last night my husband and I went to Flatlander's (in Lincolnshire) for some cask-conditioned beer. For the first time, we experienced cask-conditioned beers that were awful! Mine (supposedly close to an English Ale) tasted like Budweiser without the carbonation. My husband's supposedly was similar to a Scottish ale; it was putrid with a horrible aftertaste. We each left over half our beer and headed for Mickey Finn's! Has anyone else experienced that there? Maybe it was just a bad night. We did notice that it was nearly empty on a Friday night.

What good Cask places do you know? We have a computer printout on places in Illinois where cask-conditioned beer is available. I got it from Steveh, and I think he got it from Chaz. My husband and I plan to try all the Chicago area places. Here are our thoughts about the ones we have been to:

Firkin in Libertyville - One of our favorites. They only have one hand-pull, so they can run out. Their 2 Brother's is to die for!

Mickey Finn's again in Libertyville (what is it about that place?) - Two hand-pulls, and a nice outside garden in the summer. I love their English style ale, and my husband had their strong (10%) barley wine...but also good!

Mac's American Bar and Grill in Wicker Park in Chicago - 2 hand-pulls; We have been their twice, and it is EXCELLENT! Again, we had a 2 Brother's there to die for, as well as some other wonderful ones.

Clark Street Ale House in downtown Chicago (Rivernorth area), and my favorite. With only 1 hand-pull, they can run out, but the beer is exquisite, and the atmosphere is wonderful.

Map Room in Wicker Park or Bucktown (I am not sure); They have a huge variety of beers, and only 1 hand-pull. Whenever I have been there, they haven't had anything on cask, but not to worry! They have large choices of excellent tap and bottled beers.

Rock Bottom in downtown Chicago - My husband and I (and Richard English was with us) just didn't like this place. It seemed more like a restaurant, the bartenders were clueless as to their beers, and they were out of their cask-conditioned beer. They only have one hand-pull. Maybe others have had a better experience?

[b3s]

rock bottom is a chain, and i've never really cared for a lot of chains, including gordon biersch...most are more restaraunty than pubby.

chicago's rock bottom is pretty bad from past experience. the rockbottom in westminster, co is pretty decent (even the wait staff are pretty knowledgable about the beers) and the pub part is the primary focus. the one in lodo denver isn't too bad. the one in milwaukee used to (don't know if it still does) has $10 thursdays (all the beer you can drink, all the wings you can eat) -- never went to the milwaukee one other than thursdays.

[chazwicke]

We have both Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch here in the DC area. As well as other "connected" breweries like DC Chophouse and Brewery. They vary from location to location. Rock Bottom in Arlington actually has a decent reputation. I've been to festivals in PA where one of their Rock Bottom breweries have participated. I think each one must be left to the discression of each individual brewmaster in the chain.

[fretlessman71]

I've heard very good things about Gordon Biersch in the past - is that reputation not really nationwide? More of a hit-and-miss sort of thing? I'd been looking forward to going there sometime soon...

[Beaver]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
I've heard very good things about Gordon Biersch in the past - is that reputation not really nationwide? More of a hit-and-miss sort of thing? I'd been looking forward to going there sometime soon...

There's one by Flatirons Mall. It was OK. I remember it being kind of pricey.

[b3s]

Originally posted by Beaver
There's one by Flatirons Mall. It was OK. I remember it being kind of pricey.

pricey, decent beers, but more of a restaraunt. amazing how many people go to a brew pub and order cocktails :rolleyes: the restaraunt motif of GB has been consistent across my ever so large sample of two. YMMV.

[Kalleh1]

With my list of cask places, how could I forget about the Clybourn and the Wrigley Field Goose Island places? Their beer is great. I don't know why, but I prefer the Clybourn bar.

Has anyone been to the Sheffield Wine and Beer Garden at 3258 N. Sheffield? My husband & I are going there tonight to see what it's like. It is supposed to have cask conditioned beer, too.

[steveh]

Kalleh, I'm sure I warned you about the decline in quality of beer at Flatlander's. The last time I visited there, a newly arrived patron asked about the cask conditioned ales and the bartender told him, "Oh, it's the same as our regular ale, but served warmer." Again, this was the last time I was in Flatlander's!

I'd like to add (the newly expanding) Emmett's and Govnor's Public House to the list of Chi-area establishments serving good cask ales. Both are in the far western suburbs, but Govnor's has opened a branch downtown (not sure if they have cask there yet) and Emmett's is opening a new brew-pub in Palatine and an "Ale House" in Downer's Grove - serving their fine beer from its Dundee brew-pub.

2 "untapped" sources are Brass Restaurant and Brewery and the Onion, both in Barrington (or one of the Hills, Lakes, Heights variants of the town) - good reports have poured in, but I don't know if they're kegging for cask at all.

B3 - my experience at the Chi Rock Bottom has always been good, but then I've always compared it to the RB in Cleveland - a real meat-market with less than mediocre beer at the time I visited.

S.

[Kalleh1]

Thanks, Steve. Darn, I didn't remember your comments about Flatlander's. That was a wasted trip. When Richard English was in town in April, we went to Govnor's downtown, and they didn't have cask-conditioned beer at that point.

My husband and I went to Sheffield's Wine and Beer and Garden[URL=http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Reviews/Sheffield's/Sheffield's.htm] on Saturday night, and it was delightful. They only had one hand-pull, and that beer was a Bell's Porter, not one of our favorites. However, they had a number of wonderful beers on tap (including two 2-Brothers, Dogfish, 3-Floyds, Goose Island of course, and Fuller's ESB), and they had a great selection of bottled beers...with a booklet describing them all. They had what is becoming one of our favorites, Maudite. The place was packed, but charming. The beer garden was full as it was a gorgeous night, but we enjoyed sitting at the bar anyway and talking to the knowledgeable bartenders (I feel as though I am writing an ad for the place!).

After a 2-Brothers there, we walked around the corner to the Twisted Spoke. Now, the atmosphere there isn't as nice (more of a motorcycle crowd), but they had two on cask! I had the Two Brothers' Bitter End, which was fabulous. My husband had Adnam's Regatta, which he liked, but I not so much. While they didn't have the bottle selection that Sheffield's had, they too had a nice selection on tap, including all of the ones listed above.

[threecb]

I've been to 3 Rock Bottoms and all three were decent places. I thought the Chicago one was nice, and the beers were solid for the most part.

It was a weekday afternoon and we were treated well by the bartenders, and the rooftop bar was cool.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Kalleh1
My husband had Adnam's Regatta, which he liked, but I not so much.

Regatta is the same Adnams we sampled at The Firkin a few weeks ago. I got some input from the brewmaster - just today, actually. Here's what he says about exporting Adnams' beers to the U.S.

"The beers are standard UK products with no tinkering ! It is one of the
strengths of proper cask conditioned beer that it is unfiltered and
unpasteurised and so retains its fresh taste. The trick is to get the beer
over to the States quickly and then ensure that the container, once
broached (on sale) is consumed within three days maximum.
There you are: no tricks, no magic, just good honest beer !

"The beer is shipped in a container and will get well mixed during its 11 day ride
from us to the port in US! We give the cask 8 weeks' shelf life, BUT once "broached" ie opened ready for serving, it has only three days of excellence."

S.

[chazwicke]

I have enjoyed most of the Adnam's beers I have sampled

[Kalleh1]

Thanks, Steve, for that information. Yes, I do remember that wonderful beer we had at the Firkin. This most definitely wasn't nearly as good. However, I will say that my husband liked it.

[Richard English]

Quote "...I have enjoyed most of the Adnam's beers I have sampled..."

Adnams are generally pretty reliable and I find the Broadside suits my palate best.

I was in the Rising Sun in Tottenham Court Road (London) a few days ago with an American friend of mine and she was drinking Broadside (English ale is one reason why she's moved to London!). I was drinking Young's.

She took one sip and said that it was off but she didn't know why. I tried it and the reason was quite clear - it was being served at Budweiser temperature (or close to it, anyway). We waited for fifteen minutes or so for it to warm up and then it was OK.

I told the manager that his beers were good but too cold and he really let me have it! "We use the latest high-tech in-line coolers", he told me, "And the beer is served at exactly 51 degrees Fahrenheit".

Well, it wasn't, it was nearer to 40 and I told him so. But he wouldn't have it. My half a century's experience counted for nothing in his youthful eyes. His beautiful equipment wrong? Never. So we left and went to the Two Tuns in Goodge Street (a Young's house) and had a wonderful pint of their excellent bitter.

Anyone visiting England should do the same; if you get a poor pint, tell the Landlord and, if he won't do anything about it, go elsewhere. There are around 5,500 pubs to choose from in London alone.

[Kalleh1]

There are around 5,500 pubs to choose from in London alone.

You are sooo lucky! I was recently in San Francisco, and my friend took me to 2 places, within walking distance, each with five beers on cask. Now, that is much better than Chicago. I think California wins the cask prize in the U.S.!

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by Kalleh1
There are around 5,500 pubs to choose from in London alone.

You are sooo lucky! I was recently in San Francisco, and my friend took me to 2 places, within walking distance, each with five beers on cask. Now, that is much better than Chicago. I think California wins the cask prize in the U.S.!

What were these places? i must say from reading this thread that im getting very nostalgic for chicago. i miss the great pubs and the city in general, but some good pubs (even better if nearby) in San Francisco might cheer me up.

[Richard English]

Ah yes. That visit to Goose Island...!

Today I was in London at a Fuller's house, drinking Chiswick and eating one of their fine steak and ale pies. On draught they had Chiswick, that fine session ale, London Pride, an unbelievably complex beer for its gravity, Summer Ale, Fuller's light and refreshing beer with everything that lagers pretend to offer - plus the favour that few deliver, and, of course, the incomparable ESB.

And what were the braindead morons sitting next to me drinking, at around a pound a pint more than Chiswick? Carling. One of the only chemical fizz beers that almost makes A-B Budweiser appear attractive.

What can one do with such people...?

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by Richard English
...

What can one do with such people...?

Hit them in the head with a ballpeen hammer is my suggestion.

Or maybe we start an exchange program - Americans that want English ale traded for Englishmen that want to drink AB crap. That's win-win because AB is cheaper here and English beer is cheaper there.

[fretlessman71]

I'll sign up for that! Do they need bassists in the UK? :)

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Richard English

What can one do with such people...? Not much. You know.... we can valiantly fight the good fight until we're bleeding from every pore, but at a certain point you have to just shrug and say, "Well, I guess that leaves more for the rest of us who appreciate good beer," and give up. And which would be more offensive - watching them enjoying their Carling pints, or ranting and raving about how BAD this Fuller's crapola is? I'm not sure I could stomach the latter...

[Richard English]

Quote "...I'll sign up for that! Do they need bassists in the UK? ..."

We surely do. An exchange programme between the LSO and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra must surely be possible.

[Kalleh1]

Dear Student,
We miss you here in Chicago, too! I am so sorry that we didn't get to join the party when you left.

The 2 pubs my friend took me to were the Tornado (http://www.toronado.com) and the Magnolia Pub and Brewery (http://www.magnoliapub.com/) . However, Steveh had sent me some links to all the cask conditioned bars in the U.S. (I think he got it from Chaz), and I went to SF armed with that. I have since given it to my friend in SF, but perhaps Steveh or Chaz could give us the link again? In that link by far the best state for cask beers was California, with something like 43 places. Illinois only had about 19, I think.

Student, I should have called you when I was there. Sorry!

[Stodbrew]

Magnolia is a great place to go for cask conditioned ales. It's right on the corner of Haight and Masonic. Definitely worth a trip!

[steveh]

This one? http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/us/statemenu.html

S.

[Kalleh1]

Oh, thanks, Steve! That's it. Remind me never to go to Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakata, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. However, besides Illinois, California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania (the winner by far!), and Washington are my favorite states!

BTW, it is good to hear from you again, Steve. Hmmm, don't we have a little unfinished business?;)

[Richard English]

Well, I'm certainly learning the names of the places in the USA where good beer is, and is not, available.

As I have said previously on this board, my next visit to the USA is next month - to Orlando - and I have never yet managed to find out anything about beer availability in Florida although I do know that Orlando has a brewery.

Can anyone help? Do any of our contributors live in that area? Is anyone visiting that area between 18 and 30 November?

[steveh]

Originally posted by Kalleh1
Remind me never to go to ... Nebraska ...

Well, just over the border into western Iowa, I found cask ale at a Rock Bottom - and it wasn't bad, IIRC.

Kalleh - work has been horrendous - I've been meaning to e-mail you, but I've been clocking in at 6:00 most mornings, and out at 6:30 most evenings! I only think beer at about that time. ;) I'm expecting a slow-down soon... I hope.

S.

[BigRed]

Originally posted by Kalleh1
Oh, thanks, Steve! That's it. Remind me never to go to Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakata, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. However, besides Illinois, California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania (the winner by far!), and Washington are my favorite states!

BTW, it is good to hear from you again, Steve. Hmmm, don't we have a little unfinished business?;)

The only reason, and I mean ONLY reason, to come to West Virginia is:

RIVER RAFTING!

If you are coming for good beer, you are out luck.

[studentofbeer]

ive been meaning to check both of those pubs out. they sound very nice. i think i will head to the magnolia this weekend. i continue to feel that midwestern beer is superior to west coast. that may be heresy, but id take bells, 3f, capital, great lakes and goose, among others, over lagunitas, full sail, deschutes, and even stone (tho stone is very good). perhaps a trip to the magnolia will provide a pick-me-up. 5 good cask beers sounds pretty good to me.

[Kalleh1]

Now, Student, it takes time to adjust to a new city. I have lived in SF, and really it is a great place to be. I can tell you that the beer at either of those places (and there are many more on that list) was at least as good as anything I have had in Chicago. Honest! I will say that the people, though, may not be quite as enthused about good beer as Chicagoans, but that may be because they already have it!

Richard, just print out the Florida part of that link that Steve posted. I see that there are 2 places in Orlando with cask ale: Cricketers Arms at 8445 International Dr. (1-407-350-0686) and the Florida Tap Room at 6409 Raleigh St. (1-407-296-9690). As you know I was recently in Orlando, but my meeting was way to busy for me to get out to one of those places. So, I don't know how good they are. They could be like that awful Flatlanders that I went to in the north suburbs here, I suppose.:mad:

Maybe post a question in the Florida section?

[studentofbeer]

well Kalleh, i took your advice, put down the books, got out of the house for a quick bus ride to the magnolia and i wasn't disappointed. 5 cask beers-- i sampled a pale ale and porter (shoulda tried the IPA) and also had a gruit on tap spiced with rosemary and other pre-hop herbs and spices, which was extremely good as well. tho the food prices were a bit steep for a starving student, the beer deals were good and it was just nice to sit somewhere and have a good drink.

now that i know it's just a short bus ride away, i definitely will be back, and will check out the toronado in the future as well. so there's good beer here, and at least at the magnolia the beer is diverse. i think that's my biggest problem with west coast beer-- i feel like you don't get the variety you do in chicago (in terms of bottled beers). im also just adjusting to not having a good paint store nearby, but the magnolia helped renew my faith.

[Kalleh1]

You know, I think you are right, Student. And, the same goes for England as well. It seems that when bars have great cask beer, they then don't have a big variety of other beers. I wonder why that is. I think of the Map Room or even the Clark Street Ale House. They might have only one beer on cask, but they have a lot of other choices.

[Richard English]

Indeed. Few pubs or bars in England have much in the way of decent bottled beers which is strange since we brew (and import) so many of them. Most pubs will have very few good bottled beers prefereing to stock the international mass-market swill.

The best place for good bottled beer is the local supermarket.

[chazwicke]

I view London as the beer utopia.

[Kalleh1]

I do too, Chaz. However, that may be because I like cask-conditioned beer so much. I can understand that if people want a variety of tap beers (our local establishment has more than 100 on tap) or very different bottled beers, they may like beer in other cities, too, such as Chicago. I really hadn't thought of it that way before, but I can now see Student's point.

[Richard English]

Just to ad to my last comment; although London pubs will not usually have much in the way of good bottled beer, there are many specialist bars around that do. Never forget, by the way, that pubs and bars are quite different places in the UK . This is very unlike most other countries where the terms are often interchangeable.

There's a Belgian bar near Covent Garden that has a huge range, both tap and bottled, which equals or exceeeds the range in many bars in Belgium itself (although not the staggering 2,400 in the Delirium Tremens in Brussels!)

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by Richard English
Delirium Tremens in Brussels

What a name :D

[Richard English]

And what a place, too. You can actually get pictures and information on their website here http://www.deliriumcafe.be

[MeridianFC]

Just a thought as to why a bar that serves real ale might limit the amount of bottled product or what not. Since real ale has a very limited shelf life it seems it would do to keep people focused on that so you could turn it over faster and not have to dump a half full firkin down the drain on a regular basis.

While like most folks I get excited to see 700+ bottles or 75 tap lines, I'd rather a bar do a few things very well than a lot in a half assed manner (I'm not casting aspersions on any bar in particular, just a general statement of belief for me).

We won't start the cask breather disucssion here btw. :)

[Richard English]

This is possible but, even so, all pubs keep a substantial range of bottled and tap beers all of which are "competitors" to their cask beer. It's just that they don't keep much in the way of good bottled beer - just the chemical fizz (except at the Garland where he won't have A-B swill in the place. And I'm off there right now!

[MeridianFC]

I agree somewhat though I don't think as a publican you lose a lot by carrying, say Fuller's London Pride on cask and Carling in the bottle (or even on tap). One is not usually going to get a drinker of one beverage settling for the other.

Enjoy your pint(s) and think of us poor cask refugees. ;)