The Daily Parker

Politics, Weather, Photography, and the Dog

Tonality Brewing, Mundelein

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

Comments (1) -

  • Yak

    7/8/2024 11:43:20 PM +00:00 |

    I remember a time before you had even tasted a single beer. That was more than 30 years ago. Now you wax rhapsodic about fruit flavors and "explosions of chocolate" in microbrews. Sniff. I'm so proud of you.

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