It has started raining in downtown Chicago, so it looks like Cassie and I will get wet on the walk home, as I feared. I still have a few tasks before I leave. I just hope it stays a gentle sprinkle long enough for us to get home from doggy day care.
Just bookmarking these for later, while I'm drying out:
- Researchers concluded that the problem with online misinformation and epistemic closure comes from people, not technology. Apparently we generally look for information that confirms our existing biases. Who knew.
- Chicago has more lead pipes than any other North American city--and more regulation, labor issues, and general corruption, too. We might replace all the pipes by 2075; not so much the corruption.
- Shocking absolutely no one, a study has found that drinking alcohol on an airplane is worse that doing it on the ground.
Finally, former US Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) died today, just as climate change once again contributed to a massive storm flooding neighboring Texas. I mention that because Inhofe, who served in the Senate until he was 88 years old, refused to believe that the planet had gotten warmer, and did his best to keep the US from entering the 21st Century by any reasonable measure. Oh, and he was also an asshole pilot who once nearly hit a bunch of construction workers because he wanted to land on a closed runway. He may be mourned somewhere, but the Daily Parker is glad to see him underground. So, presumably, is the FAA.
Welcome to stop #109 on the Brews and Choos project.
Brewery: Bosacki's Brewery, 610 E. Hawley St., Mundelein
Train line: North-Central Service, Mundelein
Time from Chicago: 68 minutes
Distance from station: 800 m
Don't let the façade dissuade you from visiting this place; it's an absolute gem. Greg Bosacki loves brewing beer, and he has made some unusual and surprising ones over the years. I spent so much time talking with him about beer and the other breweries in Lake County (including a few that have closed) that I forgot to take notes on the beer until after I left.
He let me try four of his beers (no charge) so I could decide which pint to get. I started with the Improper English Ale (4.6%, 19 IBU) that tasted just like a real ale in the Ancestral Homeland. (This prompted a discussion about the Real Ale movement and how you have to ask for a cask beer if you want the real thing in central London.) His English IPA (5.3%, 54 IBU) could have gone around the Horn on a packet ship, and yet it was eminently drinkable and not as bitter as the IBUs would suggest.
Then Greg got to the real passion projects: the Frumentum (Corn) Lager, from a mid-19th-Century recipe he developed to elicit how beer would have tasted on the western frontier (i.e., Chicago) in the 1850s. Last, he gave me a taste of the Uncommon Kentucky Ale, one of the more common styles of beer from before prohibition, traditionally made by moonshiners who wanted something more for sippin' than their 100-proof hooch.
Don't even get me started on the puzzles. I spent several minutes trying to figure out one of the metal ones at the bar, and didn't even attempt these Rubik's cubes. I did manage to get the two bent nails untangled, and get them back together again. Greg will give you clues if you ask him.
Who knew Mundelein had such a treasure? Next visit to Mundelein, I'll get dinner at Tonality, then a unique beer at Bosacki's.
Beer garden? Yes
Dogs OK? Yes
Televisions? One, avoidable
Serves food? BYOF
Would hang out with a book? Yes
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes
Welcome to stop #108 on the Brews and Choos project.
Brewery: Tonality Brewing, 169 N. Seymore Ave., Mundelein
Train line: North-Central Service, Mundelein
Time from Chicago: 68 minutes
Distance from station: 400 m
One of Chicagoland's newest breweries, Tonality opened in November in the shadow of Mundelein's water tower, ensuring they will always have enough of their principal ingredient to keep making great beers. They also have really good food, which their house manager claimed is 95% made from scratch. I can only attest to the potato chips, which were really good.
But the beer is worth the trip. Beermiscuous in Lakeview has some of their beers while they work out other distribution deals, but only a few of them, and not the best of the tastes I had.
On the left we have the Rich Life Bohemian Pilsner (4.2%), which has a lot of flavor for a Pils. (The haziness of my sample is merely because it was near the end of the keg.) The Notoberfest festbier (6.2%)—so named because they missed opening in September last year—had big malt with honey and apple notes, and a long finish. Next came the Cosmic Wolf NEIPA (6.6%), which had peach and banana notes, and drank more like a lager than a double dry-hopped IPA. I rounded out my official flight with the Fadeaway West Coast IPA (8.8%), a dangerous, flavorful beer I would drink very carefully. Mo, the bartender, also let me try a swig of the Crepuscular Russian Imperial Stout (12%), which exploded in my mouth with chocolate and vanilla flavors that completely concealed the alcohol. I also got a taste of the Faraday Phenomena IPA (5.5%), a solid, well-balanced ale I could sip outside on their patio.
I would love to go back to Tonality, if only Mundelein weren't so far away. Perhaps, on my way back from Wisconsin next time I go up.
Beer garden? Yes
Dogs OK? Outside only
Televisions? Yes, avoidable
Serves food? Full menu
Would hang out with a book? Yes
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes
Welcome to stop #107 on the Brews and Choos project.
Brewery: Harbor Brewing, 136 Cedar Ave., Lake Villa
Train line: North-Central Service, Lake Villa
Time from Chicago: 91 minutes
Distance from station: 100 m
The North-Central Service doesn't have the worst schedule in the Metra system; it has the third-worst. With only 7 trains a day, and only one train going in the reverse-commute direction, it takes some planning to get from downtown Chicago to Lake Villa. And, sadly, the return train comes only 45 minutes after the Antioch-bound train drops you off.
Still, Harbor Brewing knows how to create a great beer garden and taproom. Like their Winthrop Harbor location (much easier to get to), they have lots of room outside, and lots of beers inside. The Lake Villa taproom opened in 2022 after they outgrew the Winthrop Harbor spot west of the tracks. (The lakefront location is still open.) Lake Villa is one village over from Wisconsin, so the train passed through some soybean and corn fields on the way up. But that far from the city means it's quiet and quite relaxing—even if you only have 40 minutes to spare.
Because of the short connection time, I only got two half-pours. The Full Sun New England pale ale (5.6%, 25 IBU) was decent, with nice hop/malt balance and a little bitterness that I liked. I also enjoyed the Nature Walk pale ale (4.7%, 32 IBU) as a drinkable, easy beer for a summer afternoon.
I would definitely go back. And I may need to stop by their lakeside beer garden again this summer.
Beer garden? Yes
Dogs OK? Yes
Televisions? Yes, avoidable
Serves food? No, BYOF
Would hang out with a book? Yes
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes
Welcome to stop #106 on the Brews and Choos project.
Brewery: Industry Ales, 230 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago
Train line: All of them
Time from Chicago: not applicable
Distance from station: 100 m from Adams/Wabash, 1.6 km from Ogilvie Transportation Center
Chicago's newest brewery opened in April in what used to be Kramer's Health Foods next to the 125-year-old Central Camera store in the Loop. I am impressed.
My Brews & Choos buddy and I went there Wednesday directly after visiting Chicago's oldest continuously-operating brewery around the corner. She had a light lunch earlier in the day so she could save room for the vegetarian pierogis on Industry's all-day menu, which were definitely worth the wait.
We shared a flight of four beers. We both found the Zeal for Zielke New Zealand pale ale (5%) surprisingly bitter, but very clean for a pale, with along finish, an even palate, and no big flavors. The Out of Focus hazy IPA (5.5%) was lighter than expected, with some melon and orange notes. The County Clare Irish dry stout (4.6%) had a very dry, light mouthfeel, with coffee and chicory flavors that I loved and she did not. Her pick, the Hinomaru Japanese red ale (6.0%) was surprising (I don't typically like red ales), dry, light, balanced, with a quick finish. ("Light" came up in every discussion; maybe the pierogis affected our perceptions?)
The only odd note to the late-afternoon visit was the armed guard at the door. I asked co-founder Dan Rook about it, and he reminded me that the Loop has had some incidents in the last few years, not least of which when rioters burned out the Central Camera store next door in 2020. Fair point; but I can't imagine Spiteful needing that kind of security.
Still, we both liked Industry Ales a lot, especially its vegetarian-friendly menu. Given its proximity to Symphony Center, the Auditorium and Studebaker Theaters, and Millennium Park, I expect we'll get a bunch of people over there soon.
Beer garden? Sidewalk patio under the El
Dogs OK? Outside only
Televisions? Yes, avoidable
Serves food? Yes, full menu
Would hang out with a book? Yes
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes
Welcome to stop #105 on the Brews and Choos project.
Brewery: Adams Street Brewery, 17 W. Adams St., Chicago
Train line: All of them
Time from Chicago: not applicable
Distance from station: 100 m from Adams/Wabash, 1.3 km from Ogilvie Transportation Center
The Adams Street Brewery traces its history back to 1887, and has existed in the same location in the Chicago Loop since 1898. It stopped brewing during Prohibition, but the Berghoff Restaurant above the brew works remained open throughout. I doubt much has changed in the past 126 years except the prices and the clever beer names.
I decided against having lunch there when I visited yesterday, only because I had plans to meet friends later in the evening and I didn't want to gorge on the authentic German food from the Berghoff. Who doesn't want a $26 Wiener Schnitzel on a hot July day?
Instead I tried two beers, and a sip of my Brews & Choos buddy's as well. The What-Duh Helles Lager (5.3%, 24 IBU) was a solid Helles, light, with banana notes, a long finish, and a malty but not too sweet body that would have gone great with the aforementioned Schnitzel. The Dat's Da Joose New England hazy (6.2%, 25 IBU) was...eh? Definitely juicy, not particularly hoppy, and not much of a finish. My friend ordered Da Drizzly dry-hopped sour (4.0%, 10 IBU), which surprised me, as I don't typically like sours. It was clean and refreshing, not too sweet or sour, which my friend declared "very exciting." I thought it was OK.
I didn't find any mention of flights on the menu until after I'd ordered, when the bartender mentioned it in passing. (It's actually one of the only breweries I've been to that offers beer by the liter.) I might have tried a couple of others had I known. But given the brewery's location, and how long it has been there, I think I can find a way back...say, in mid-September?
Beer garden? No
Dogs OK? No
Televisions? Yes, avoidable
Serves food? Yes, full German menu
Would hang out with a book? No
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes
I'm about to leave the office for the next 4½ days. Happy Independence Day!
And who could forget that the UK will have a general election tomorrow? To celebrate, the Post has a graphical round-up of just how badly the Conservative Party has screwed things up since taking power in 2010:
There’s a widespread feeling among voters that something has gone awry under Tory government, that the country is stagnating, if not in perilous decline.
Nearly three-quarters of the public believes that the country is worse off than it was 14 years ago, the London-based pollster YouGov has found. More than 46 percent of people say it’s “much worse.” And to some extent, economic and other data back that up.
Before Brexit, a different word hung over Conservative policy: “austerity.”
Cameron pushed spending cuts intended to reduce government debt and deficit. The goal was never achieved — public debt this year hit its highest rate as a percentage of economic output since the 1960s — but austerity had many side effects, including huge cuts to local governments that hit services such as schools and swimming pools.
Britain’s beloved National Health Service was one of the few places to see funding rise in real terms during this period, but it mostly failed to match pre-2010 trends, let alone keep up with spiking inflation, immigration and the needs of an aging population. Under the Conservatives, waiting times for treatment have surged.
I'm sorry I can't be there tomorrow, but I will be there in September, eagerly questioning my friends about the election and its aftermath.
For this weekend, though, expect some Brews & Choos reviews, and probably some blather about other things as well.
Apparently everyone else got over Covid yesterday, too. Or they're just trying to make deadline before the holiday:
- Peter Hamby pulls the fire alarm after reading a leaked polling report showing President Biden's support slipping in key states after last week's debate catastrophe.
- Constitutional scholar Lawrence Tribe fumes that yesterday's decision on presidential immunity "reveals the rot in the system." Ruth Marcus simply calls the Republican majority on the Court "dishonorable."
- In her dissent in yesterday's presidential immunity case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor (I) skewered the Republican majority by quoting directly from the Dobbs decision that "[t]his official-acts immunity has ‘no firm grounding in constitutional text, history, or precedent.’"
- Josh Marshall reminds our side that "[t]he election is about Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, the two forces working to overthrow the American republic."
- The Court, meanwhile, declined (for now) to hear a challenge to Illinois' assault weapons ban, though both Justices Alito (R) and Thomas (R) said they can't wait to review it later.
- Paul Krugman would have you say what you want about the tenets of National Front, Dude, but at least it's an ethos.
- The tariffs against Chinese goods put in place by both the convicted-felon XPOTUS and President Biden have started to cost Chicago businesses real money.
- A volunteer group has formed to rescue drowned Divvy bikes from Lake Michigan.
- Chicago restaurant burglaries have jumped in the last two years.
- Hurricane Beryl, now about a day and a half from leveling Jamaica, has become the earliest Category 5 storm in history.
- My alma mater, Duke's Fuqua School of Business, has a new paper explaining why major airlines have switched back to buying planes after leasing them for decades.
- National Geographic explains why alcohol gets harder to clear from your system as you get older.
Finally, the Post analyzed a ton of weather forecasts and determined that forecasting Chicago weather is a lot harder than forecasting Miami's. The only glimmer of good news: today's 7-day forecasts are at least as accurate as the 3-day forecasts from the 1990s.
Thank you, Pfizer-BioNTech, for helping my body recognize and eliminate the SARS-Cov-2 virus in only five days:
I've got 5 Brews & Choos stops planned over the long weekend. This helps immensely. And stay tuned: this summer I'm also planning to investigate some of the 12 breweries and distilleries in downtown Milwaukee. (It's only 80 minutes away by train!)
The last three days—i.e., the first three days of Summer—have shown us most of the weather we can expect this season. It rained most of Saturday, yesterday we had cool, sunny, and eminently walkable weather, and today it's hot and sticky with thunderstorms on the way. At least Cassie and I got to spend most of yesterday outside.
In other news:
Finally, a really fun video from Berlin setting an old German tongue-twister to a beat has garnered more TikTok views than Beyoncé. Apparently Germans, especially those named Barbara, really love their rhubarb pies.