With so much amazing beer being produced by Chicago’s best breweries, it's really tough to select just six beers that sum up what makes our local craft scene so special. Instead of spending hours trying to narrow down the crowded field of worthwhile ales, stouts and IPAs, we reached out to some of the city's experts, including folks who run bottle shops, write about beer and manage breweries (though we did disqualify anyone involved with the actual brewing process). After asking our experts to name a couple of their all-time favorite Chicago beers, we narrowed the field to a perfect six-pack of locally produced creations, all of which are currently available year-round. From a funky gose to an aggressively bitter double IPA, we believe that these cans and bottles encapsulate the creative spirit and undeniably quality of craft beer in Chicago.
"Here's a brewery known for its wide variety of hoppy ales, yet it totally delivers on this clean, crisp, perfectly hopped lager. 'Perfectly hopped,' in the opinion of my bitter-averse palate." —Jess Straka, manager at Off Color Brewing
“Fist City pale ale reminds me of summer, whether it’s 90° F and humid or -10° F and blustery.”—Shawn Smith, creative director at Twisted Hippo
“A wild ale that’s refreshing, juicy and a little bit funky, which keeps me coming back for more.”—Charlyn Tara, captain of the Chicago Mikkeller Running Club chapter
"Packed with lovely notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and creamy oats, Fat Pug is an approachable stout that will certainly bring a smile to your face."—Patrick Bisch, co-owner of the Open Bottle
"Sometimes you want a beer that makes you think and sometimes you just want a beer that’s refreshing. Off Color’s beers usually do both, especially this gose-style beer that’s tart and funky with a smooth wheat backbone."—Sarah Freeman, managing editor at October
"One of the first local beers to gain national hype, Pipeworks’ flagship is a big, bold, bitter Double IPA that remains as aggressively delightful now as it was when it first made hopheads’ brains spin."—Austin Harvey, beer buyer for Beermiscuous
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