Chicago has AMAZING Breweries: Eight Beers to Break Passover With
by Jaclyn Nagel
Depending on your diet, the eight days of Passover can seem a little like wandering in a (food) desert for 40 years: no bread, no pasta, and definitely, no beer. However, after an 800-year hiatus for the Ashkenazis, just two years ago the Conservative movement changed the rules to allow for kitniyot, which includes corn, legumes, rice, beans, and more to expand your post-Seder noshing to more than just leftover charoset. While you can now feel free to join your friends for an all-you-can-eat sushi night, you’re going to have to pass on that Sapporo. If you’re like me, and sipping a cold, hoppy beer is your idea of a perfect night, here are eight beers to break Passover with, no matter what kind of beer drinker you are.
If you like your Passover dark and heavy…
Ask any bartender about their favorite brewery, and if their answer isn’t Maplewood, you should probably find a different bar. Maplewood is Illinois’ first combo craft brewery and distillery located under a single roof – it’s cool, unpretentious, and should absolutely be on your list of places to visit ASAP. If you’re lucky though, you can find some of their core beers, including their Charlatan American Pale Ale, Son of Juice IPA, and Fat Pug Milk Stout, on draft throughout the city. With heavy notes of dark chocolate and coffee, Fat Pug is the perfect beer to end your night with – that is, unless your lactose-intolerant…
If you haven’t eaten all week…
Dovetail Brewery is one of those BYOF (Bring Your Own Food), BYOD (Bring Your Own Dog) kinds of places. They specialize in classic German beer styles, one of which is the Dovetail Lager, my personal favorite during the springtime. Pick up a hot “Uncle Rube” sandwich from Steingold’s and walk the four minutes to Dovetail to make your night as wheat-filled as possible.
If you’re “not really a beer person”…
If ditching beer for four glasses of wine sounds good to you, you need to RUN to Forbidden Root to try their Sparkling Rosé Ale – a Belgian-style ale made with grapes and just a dash of hibiscus. Forbidden Root opened a little over a year ago as Chicago’s first botanical brewery, incorporating everything from bark and leaves to flowers and spices during their brewing process.
If you can’t imagine breaking Passover with anything but a wheat beer…
The best way to welcome wheat back into your life is obviously with a wheat ale. Assuming we will be welcoming warmer temps by April 27, it’s time to pop Revolution’s seasonal Sun Crusher – a hoppy wheat ale with just a hint of bitterness and a distinct citrus aroma. Founded in 2010, Revolution Brewing is a staple in the Chicago craft beer scene, and sits 40th on the country’s largest brewery list.
If you need to break Passover RIGHT NOW or you’re going to lose it…
Are you so over Passover that you can’t imagine breaking your bread fast anywhere other than your kitchen pantry? Located in Lakeview on Broadway, Dryhop Brewers is the epitome of a neighborhood bar – except with excellent beer and an even more impressive food menu (full of bready carbs, I promise). For a more aromatic take on a cream ale, order Bossy, Dryhop’s Strawberry Milkshake IPA.
If you like your IPAs with a lil’ sumpin sumpin’…
Assuming you drank a decent amount of wine at your Seder and your tolerance didn’t completely plummet over the last eight days, go for Lagunitas’ A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’. It’s the perfect mix of an IPA and a wheat ale with quite a punch at 7.5% ABV. Best enjoyed while sitting in sunshine, but Lagunitas’ 300,000 square foot brewery and taproom should do just fine.
If you can only enjoy beer if it’s 60 and sunny #patioszn…
With Passover being so “late” this year, at least with Passover’s end we can look forward to nicer weather. While it’s not a brewery (I know, I know, I’m sorry), Kaiser Tiger in the West Loop offers one of the best patios in the city and extensive list of unique beers both on tap and available by the bottle. Ignore the bacon-stacked menu, and order Three Floyds Alpha King, a citrusy pale ale, and one of Three Floyd’s flagship beers.
If you aren’t into craft beer…
Some people just aren’t into craft beer. They’re okay with their 110 calorie Bud Light and that’s that. Does this sound familiar? Grab a pint of Bell’s Oberon. It tastes like a better version of Blue Moon, usually comes with an orange wedge, and in Chicago, it’s on tap EVERYWHERE.
Written by Jaclyn Nagel
Everything Passover from seders to shopping on the Passover Guide
Find all the Passover 2019 food and events and more on ChiTribe’s Event Calendar
