In case you didn’t know, May 10-16th is American Craft Beer Week.
That’s a great thing if you live in and around Oak Park, because we have four world-class breweries to help you get a taste of what’s on tap.
And just in time, Visit Oak Park’s new Oak Park Craft Beer Trail is here to help you celebrate even more.
The breweries in Oak Park are each unique in their own way. Whether you pack them all into a day, or take a more leisurely pace, they’re sure to play a part in a perfect day out in Oak Park. So lace up those sneaks, and hit the Oak Park Craft Beer Trail with us.
One Lake Brewing, located in a renovated bank on the corner of Austin and Lake Street, has built a reputation on its flavorful beers and tasty food. But something else that brings folks in is their spacious rooftop deck. Here you can enjoy great food and drinks. Their beer menu consists of amazing flavors, like the OLB Lager Beer, their version of the classic everyday American backyard lager, or the Lando IPA, along with many other interesting mixes. Their food menu is filled with fun eats like hop corn, which is popcorn mixed with amarillo hops, coriander, and orange. And their mac and cheese made with rotini, mornay sauce, and herbed panko crust will put a smile on your face no matter how old you are. This summer you can even enjoy the Brews n’ Bahhs event in conjunction with GlennArt Farm, which includes an hour of playing with their fun-loving goats before settling back with a flight of craft beers on the rooftop of One Lake Brewing. Not a bad way to spend your afternoon.
Next up is the Oak Park Brewing Company. Here you’ll find a fun beer house with board games, and a library full of books from famous authors. But these unusual bar trappings shouldn’t be your only draw inside. After all, Oak Park Brewing Company has a stellar line-up of craft beers on tap. Enjoy crowd favorites such as their Helles Lager Saison, Rye IPA, English-style Porter, Sour Brown Ale, Mibock Witbier, or a refreshing Kolsch. And what goes better with all this beer than food, which the Oak Park Brewing Company has in spades. Fill up on deep-dish pizzas, burgers, wraps, or even their hardy appetizers.
Back on the trail is The Wild Onion Tied House. This one-hundred-year-old building used to be a theater house, but today it’s entertaining people with what’s on the menu, not on the silver screen. There’s an ever-changing list of seasonal beers. Currently on tap is a Barrel-Aged Salted Caramel Porter, as well as a Barrel Aged Peanut Butter Porter; both of which sound as delicious to taste as you would think. There’s a lighter Beggars Brown Brown Ale, and a Back Pocket DJ Cream Ale for those looking to have a few more. From Milk Stouts, to Ciders, Hefe-Weizens, and even Hard Seltzers, The Wild Onion Tied House knows a thing or two about the art of crafting beer. Their seasonal food menu is as colorful as their beer menu. Enjoy a cheesesteak sandwich with beer cheese sauce, fried chicken and waffles, even pastrami bite appetizers or cinnamon sugar sweet potato fries. There’s so much food and beer to order at The Wild Onion Tied House, you might get tongue-tied ordering.
Finally, it’s not a craft beer trail without Kinslahger Brewing Company. While the taproom is currently closed, you can still order their tasty ales online. Pick up a few cans of their famous Prohibition Pilsner, or their well-balanced Dunkel beer. And if you like a heavier German beer, you’re in for a treat with the Mediator Dopplebock. Enjoy a Chicago Common with its rich chestnut red color, or a Baltic Porter with its opaque brown color and creamy body taste. While you wait for the tap room to reopen, you can try Kinslahger’s latest brew creation down the street on Roosevelt Road at the new Babygold Barbecue, located at the famed FitzGerald’s. Their new Babygold Coldbeer – named after the owner’s first child – pairs perfectly with all their smoked meats for some awesome “Berwyn-style” barbecue.
The fun at Oak Park’s craft breweries doesn’t have to end when American Craft Beer Week is over. Later this month, you’ll be able to download a new digital pass for the Oak Park Craft Beer Trail on Visit Oak Park’s website so you can enjoy great deals and discounts all year long. Keep checking VisitOakPark.com for more information. In the meantime, see you soon on the Oak Park Craft Beer Trail.
Cheers!
