half acre brewing, chicago

I had whet my palate for Half Acre days before, at Blue Door in Armitage, and was pumped to visit the place. Half Acre is located north of downtown, east of Logan Square. It has a taproom alongside the brewery and store, and is very easily accessible from the L, Metra, and bus.

Half Acre is the local favorite, it seems, although it is probably a three-way-tie. They are a full production brewery that sells growlers and cans, too. The place is steeped in local with not a single tourist element present. A long list of takeout food is available, as are games and cards.

The Pony Pilsner and Lahaska Black Saison were up first.

With a pleasant German hop aroma and sourdough elements, the clear favorite of this duo was the Pilsner. Slight citrus and a crisp character meant for easy drinking with bright grass and earth notes. It possessed great carbonation and is almost creamy, but still delivered a dry finish.

Our palates were up for a second round, which involved the Space IPA and Chocolate Camaro. These two crowd-pleasing beers were happily poured by our server and we got down to business. The IPA was fairly classic with malt and hops in appropriate ratio. The majority of the hop character was herbal and resinous. Interestingly, the aroma was fairly off-putting with elements of basement and wet cat.

The chocolately number was very yummy. For a milk stout, it is a modest 6% ABV. The lactose and chocolate richness come together to highlight the roasted malt. Fortunately, it is not without some dry bitterness in the finish.

Half Acre is an incredibly unique space with great service and the lasting appeal of a good living room. Visit the neighboring store to take home 4-packs or swag. We left with Daisy Cutter in hand and walked briskly to our next destination of the trip, Begyle Brewing, a bit of an industry secret.

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