Haymarket Pub and Brewing -- Brewpub in Randolph corridor

Second time I've heard about this place in two days, so might as well start the thread.

Construction is currently underway on Haymarket Pub and Brewing, in the former Bar Louie space at 741 W. Randolph. The project is a partnership between Pete Crowley, senior brewer at Rock Bottom Chicago, and his friend John Neurauter.

....

Crowley said that Haymarket will focus on "classic Belgian and contemporary American ales and lagers paired with hand made sausages, pulled pork, pizza and rotisserie chicken." There are plans for an outdoor beer garden, full bar, dining area with pool tables and games. About 600 square feet downstairs will be allocated for a barrel room for aging and blending.

Full article from Chicagoist

Haymarket Pub and Brewing (due to open late Summer '10)
741 W. Randolph

SSDD

I'll be honest, I'm pretty excited about this. It starts to fill a nice geographic gap in the brewpub scene.

That geographic gap being "place I can easily swing by on the way from my office to the train station." I am excited too

I was actually thinking south of Piece/Goose Island and north of Flossmoor Station, but that works too

Just a quick update...

The brewing system is being delivered this week.

I don't have a firm opening date yet but it's expected to be some time mid-September to mid-October.

Joe

Time Out Chicago ran a quick preview of Haymarket (available here). It looks like they're going the Map Room route and opening early to serve coffee and pastries until the clock strikes beer o'clock.

The proposed beer list leans toward Belgians and IPA's, though I hope they find some room for other styles from time to time:
specifically, a “single” pale table Belgian, a “double” seasonal spiced Trappist ale, a “triple” Trappist-style Belgian golden, a witbier, a Belgian-style IPA, and up to three American IPAs

danimalarkey wrote:Time Out Chicago ran a quick preview of Haymarket (available here). It looks like they're going the Map Room route and opening early to serve coffee and pastries until the clock strikes beer o'clock.

From the first line of the linked article (emphasis added): "In a city overrun with brewpubs, how will Pete Crowley’s Haymarket Pub & Brewery stand apart?" What city does she live in?

sounds good--they need some Imperial Stouts up in there, which i'm sure they'll add at some point

Matt wrote:

danimalarkey wrote:Time Out Chicago ran a quick preview of Haymarket (available here). It looks like they're going the Map Room route and opening early to serve coffee and pastries until the clock strikes beer o'clock.

From the first line of the linked article (emphasis added): "In a city overrun with brewpubs, how will Pete Crowley’s Haymarket Pub & Brewery stand apart?" What city does she live in?

I liked the first comment. There's like 4, apparently that is a lot to this author.

Excited for this place to open. Pete knows his way around the barrel, and with an entire basement full of barrels that should prove to be awesome.

I agree, "overrun"?! At the rate things are going, maybe in five years, but today? Piece, Goose, Rock Bottom, Revolution, Moonshine (personally, as a technicality only), Flossmoor and Two Brothers (neither of which are in the city proper), and... now Haymarket? Maybe the author just meant 'bars with beer'?

Technically also in the city, and technically also a brewpub believe it or not, Hamburger Mary's. And not doing a terrible job of it either based on my one visit. Also they were incredibly friendly when I went in to check them out.

Also Half Acre, while not a brewpub really, does have a tap room.

I was unimpressed with the beers at Hamburger Mary's, although Brandon Wright seems like a nice guy. I expect a lot more from Pete Crowley.

I was going to say, Hamburger Mary's isn't much more than a glorified homebrew set-up, at least volume-wise. I'm sure the beers are better than the ones I put out, for sure. Sadly, the one time I was there was in its pre-brewing days.

Also, I thought newcomer Argus had a tasting room, but it appears I am mistaken, as per their website.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery wrote:Haymarket will feature handcrafted beers brewed on-site by award winning brewer/owner Pete Crowley, as well as handmade sausages [by John Neurauter], rotisserie chickens and much more.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery opened on Christmas Eve. I stopped by last Thursday to find no brewed-on-site beers and no sausages. The chickens were in attendance but I didn't sample. The large rooms were extremely crowded but I managed to squeeze in for a couple guest beers (including a Jack & Ken's). I think they may now be serving house-made bratwurst and the first of their beers are scheduled to be ready in one week. I'll probably give them a while before I return but I wanted to mention this Wednesday (5 January, 5pm) they're having some sort of Founders Brewing event featuring 12 draft beers from the Grand Rapids brewer.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery
737 W Randolph St
 (SE corner of Halsted)
Chicago
312-638-0700
11am-2am (to 3am Sat night)

Rene G wrote:

Haymarket Pub & Brewery wrote:Haymarket will feature handcrafted beers brewed on-site by award winning brewer/owner Pete Crowley, as well as handmade sausages [by John Neurauter], rotisserie chickens and much more.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery opened on Christmas Eve. I stopped by last Thursday to find no brewed-on-site beers and no sausages. The chickens were in attendance but I didn't sample. The large rooms were extremely crowded but I managed to squeeze in for a couple guest beers (including a Jack & Ken's). I think they may now be serving house-made bratwurst and the first of their beers are scheduled to be ready in one week. I'll probably give them a while before I return but I wanted to mention this Wednesday (5 January, 5pm) they're having some sort of Founders Brewing event featuring 12 draft beers from the Grand Rapids brewer.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery
737 W Randolph St
 (SE corner of Halsted)
Chicago
312-638-0700
11am-2am (to 3am Sat night)

Yeah, they couldn't start brewing until all the licenses were hashed out, and decided to open with just guest taps (good ones, mind you) and a smaller food menu likely to get some cash flow and to work out some kinks. Makes sense, really, no sense in staying closed for another month when they're already paying for the space and were planning on having guest taps anyway, although I suppose it might turn someone off who went and wasn't aware that what they're experiencing isn't the finished product yet. This isn't a fine dining establishment where everyone would expect them to be outstanding from day one.

In any event, I know the beer will be very good and worth going there for that reason alone, so I'm curious as to the food once they get fully up and running.

Stopped in, briefly, tonight. The place has no signage, and so was a little hard to find, yet it was packed at 6:30PM, three deep at the bar, long wait for tables, and as noted they're even not serving house-made brews yet. Getting these crowds is quite an achievement at this time of year (saw many open tables tonight at Sixteen, Province, Blackbird, Saigon Sisters, etc.).

David Hammond wrote:Stopped in, briefly, tonight. The place has no signage, and so was a little hard to find, yet it was packed at 6:30PM, three deep at the bar, long wait for tables, and as noted they're even not serving house-made brews yet. Getting these crowds is quite an achievement at this time of year (saw many open tables tonight at Sixteen, Province, Blackbird, Saigon Sisters, etc.).

The Founders tapping they were having tonight probably had a lot to do with the big crowds. Beers like Canadian Breakfast Stout and Black Biscuit are rare on tap around here so they tend to generate a lot of pub.

Also, they posted on Facebook the sign should be up on Friday

AdmVinyl wrote:Yeah, they couldn't start brewing until all the licenses were hashed out, and decided to open with just guest taps (good ones, mind you) and a smaller food menu likely to get some cash flow and to work out some kinks. Makes sense, really, no sense in staying closed for another month when they're already paying for the space and were planning on having guest taps anyway, although I suppose it might turn someone off who went and wasn't aware that what they're experiencing isn't the finished product yet. This isn't a fine dining establishment where everyone would expect them to be outstanding from day one.

On Facebook on Dec 29 at 5:08pm Haymarket Pub & Brewery wrote:Haymarket's in full force tonight! Just put Allahash Black on tap. Come on out!

On Facebook on Dec 30 at 12:16pm Haymarket Pub & Brewery wrote:Sausage! [with a photograph of someone cooking dozens of sausages]

I showed up a day after the Haymarket's in full force tonight! message and about six hours after the Sausage! message thinking I might be able to get some house-brewed beer and/or house-made sausage but neither of their signature items was available. Somewhat misleading messages if you ask me.

AdmVinyl wrote:In any event, I know the beer will be very good and worth going there for that reason alone, so I'm curious as to the food once they get fully up and running.

I've enjoyed Pete Crowley's brews at various tastings and festivals so have been looking forward to Haymarket. I'm sure I'll be back but not for a while.

David Hammond wrote:Getting these crowds is quite an achievement at this time of year (saw many open tables tonight at Sixteen, Province, Blackbird, Saigon Sisters, etc.).

Is there any doubt that there's a demand, a thirst, in Chicago for good brewpubs?

the wimperoo wrote:The Founders tapping they were having tonight probably had a lot to do with the big crowds.

I'm sure the Founders event brought out plenty of people but it was unpleasantly crowded last Thursday too. I purposely chose the evening before New Years Eve thinking it might be empty, with everyone at home saving energy and money for the following night.

Rene G wrote: I purposely chose the evening before New Years Eve thinking it might be empty, with everyone at home saving energy and money for the following night.

I made the same mistake that night, thinking there would be no way I'd need a reservation at the place I wanted to have dinner. Turned out they, and lots of other places in town, were completely slammed. New Years Eve is not usually a company holiday for most people, but this year it was because the Day fell on Saturday. Therefore the world was out Thursday night because it was essentially a weekend night.

On January 3, Rene G wrote:I think they may now be serving house-made bratwurst and the first of their beers are scheduled to be ready in one week.

I'm not sure what I wrote is quite correct. Last Monday, shortly before I posted, I phoned and was told their first beers would be ready on Monday, January 10. Now I notice on their Facebook page they wrote, "Anybody looking for something to do next week wednesday? Belgian Pale and Abbey Dubbel on tap at 6pm!!!!!."

Anyone try the sausages yet? By the way, the menu lists Sweet Potato Tots, which sound interesting.

Kennyz wrote:

Rene G wrote:I purposely chose the evening before New Years Eve thinking it might be empty, with everyone at home saving energy and money for the following night.

I made the same mistake that night, thinking there would be no way I'd need a reservation at the place I wanted to have dinner. Turned out they, and lots of other places in town, were completely slammed. New Years Eve is not usually a company holiday for most people, but this year it was because the Day fell on Saturday. Therefore the world was out Thursday night because it was essentially a weekend night.

Actually I stopped by the day before too, but it was even more crowded so I didn't even try to find a seat.

Rene G wrote:

On January 3, Rene G wrote:I think they may now be serving house-made bratwurst and the first of their beers are scheduled to be ready in one week.

I'm not sure what I wrote is quite correct. Last Monday, shortly before I posted, I phoned and was told their first beers would be ready on Monday, January 10. Now I notice on their Facebook page they wrote, "Anybody looking for something to do next week wednesday? Belgian Pale and Abbey Dubbel on tap at 6pm!!!!!."

I may try to get a sip next Wednesay (have meeting downtown that goes to mid-afternoon -- maybe if I get there at 4 I'll be able to snag a seat...or two).

David Hammond wrote:

Rene G wrote:

On January 3, Rene G wrote:I think they may now be serving house-made bratwurst and the first of their beers are scheduled to be ready in one week.

I'm not sure what I wrote is quite correct. Last Monday, shortly before I posted, I phoned and was told their first beers would be ready on Monday, January 10. Now I notice on their Facebook page they wrote, "Anybody looking for something to do next week wednesday? Belgian Pale and Abbey Dubbel on tap at 6pm!!!!!."

I may try to get a sip next Wednesay (have meeting downtown that goes to mid-afternoon -- maybe if I get there at 4 I'll be able to snag a seat...or two).

MikeG, jimthebeer guy and I will be meeting up at Haymarket tomorrow, later afternoon/early evening. I've got a table reserved. PM me if you're interested in meeting up, or just call my cell 708-902-3969.

Brewmeister Pete is one enthusiastic beerman:



Last night he bought the house the first three brews he's rolling out, prefacing them with references to the anarchists who gave this area its historic cache.

There were a lot of beer boys at the bar, and reception was warm though I heard in the crowd several comments that maybe the beer was served a little "young" and that it would improve significantly if given a bit more time to age.

David "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for drinking beer!" Hammond

It was great to meet you both last night! The beer world was out in force as well, with groups from both the Chicago Beer Society, and Homebrewers Pride of the Southside (HOPs).

You should definitely try the house-cured bacon next time.

janna

I was with Hammond and Mike G earlier in the evening on Wednesday and got to try the first of the three Haymarket beers that were tapped that night, the Belgian Pale. I was among those who voiced a suspicion that the beer was being served a bit young--I detected a slight sulfurous tinge to the nose, a byproduct of fermentation that will likely dissipate with a bit of time. I had to leave early though, and didn't get to try the other two beers that were tapped that night.

However, I was able to stop by Haymarket on my way to the train last night to try the beers I'd missed out on before. I liked the dubbel and the IPA better than I had liked the Belgian pale. The dubbel was a tad lighter-bodied and more bitter than my ideal would be but had a great deal of the kind of Belgian yeasty/fruitiness I expect from an abbey-style ale. The IPA was fairly well-balanced for the style, with assertive but not overwhelming hops.

I also inadvertently crashed some kind of press gathering for the Drinking and Writing Theater (http://www.drinkingandwriting.com/) at the back bar, snagged some free samples of pretzel and sausages (the sausages were pretty good but the spicier of the two was a little dry) and chatted with some folks I know (Jonathon from BeerMapping.com who's an old buddy of mine, Chuck Sudo from Chicagoist who I've only met a couple of times but is a pretty good guy it seems, also got to talk to Pete Crowley and another brewer for a few moments) and some I'd just met.

One person I met last night, Steve Mosqueda from the Drinking and Writing Theater, presented a 5 minute preview of a film they made and it looks like it'll be fun to watch. It's a documentary about doing a 4-day bar crawl along the full length of Western Avenue that they say will be finished and coming out in March. After the preview I got a few words in with him 'cause I was curious not only about the 4-day, 24 mile pub crawl as a whole, but especially how it went going through Beverly.

I'm pretty familiar with that stretch of Western Avenue--the east side of the street is dry, but the west side is full of really bad "Irish" pubs serving bad beer. I have buddies who live in the area and the dart league I'm in has teams in a few of those terrible terrible bars, so I've spent many a Wednesday evening there, drinking two dollar bottles of High Life and wishing I was someplace else. It turns out that on the first day of the crawl, they started at 119th street and made their way to 95th street and don't remember much about it at all. Then they had to walk 8 and a half miles north on the second day, hungover, 95 degrees outside, before they hit the next bar. Ugh.

Anyway I'm intrigued to see the final product (and I'm also morbidly curious and thinking about trying at least the Beverly portion of the pub crawl myself some day; it helps that I'd have places within crawling distance to crash at). Steve told me there'd be more information on their web site about it eventually but I don't see anything there now. Also, for those interested, the Drinking and Writing Theater will be putting on a show at Haymarket later this afternoon, How To Cure a Hangover, for which the brewpub will be tapping another new beer, "Ombibulous Double IPA"

So after tasting the other two beers last night, I was much more pleased than I was on my first visit Wednesday. I need to go back in a week or so and try the Belgian pale again to see how it has fared in the interim (not to mention getting a taste of that double IPA). I do expect very good things from this brewery in the future

JimTheBeerGuy wrote: I liked the dubbel and the IPA better than I had liked the Belgian pale. The dubbel was a tad lighter-bodied and more bitter than my ideal would be but had a great deal of the kind of Belgian yeasty/fruitiness I expect from an abbey-style ale. The IPA was fairly well-balanced for the style, with assertive but not overwhelming hops.

Well, you're jimthebeerguy and I'm just kennyz the kennyz, but I liked the Belgian pale better than either of the other two, which isn't to say that I liked it much though. I thought the IPA was way too bitter, without the typical citrus or floral elements that I think are needed to balance something like that out. The dubbel tasted too much like overripe bananas to me, and that flavor was so dominant that I didn't get much nuance or complexity.

I didn't eat anything, but was uninspired by the menu, a something-for-everybody mishmash that included things like Vegan BBQ sandwiches and other beer-drinking hipster cravings. And I'm immediately turned off by any place that offers the chance to add chicken or pulled pork or whatever to any salad on the menu for an extra couple of bucks.

One thing I liked very much about Haymarket was that you could buy 4oz pours of everything they have on tap without any per ounce upcharge.

Thanks for the early reviews everyone. Personally I'm going to give it a little time to get it's legs, but I am looking forward to seeing what they do.

SSDD

I visited yesterday with two friends, and sampled all three of their house brews. For the first three batches out of gates, they weren't bad. My impressions line up with Jimthebeerguy's: the Belgian pale was decidedly young, and with Amarillo hops, side by side with the also-Amarillo IPA, it was all washed out. Likewise, what should have been good Belgian yeastiness lost out to the dubbel, which was a bit thin but compared pretty nicely to the Bernardus 8 I had the night before. I felt the prices for these, and the other beers on tap, were pretty good. The 4 oz. pours are great, especially for convincing beer noobs.

Food was alright--not expensive, especially for the area, and acceptably cooked, but not interesting. My sausage platter consisted of three lovely, lengthy links--a brat, an Italian, and a hot link, as I recall. I listed them in order of decreasing juiciness--the hot link was quite dry, but had great zip and even some smokiness. The baguette served with it was positively awful, a limp, undercooked, bleached-flour monstrosity. One friend's rotisserie half-chicken was acceptable for 9 dollars. The thin fries were a bit undercooked, but tasted alright once they soaked up some poultry juice. Chocolate bread pudding dessert was dense and plain; some of the chocolate on the bottom was burnt and unpleasant.

All this perhaps sounds a bit more negative than otherwise, but I really enjoyed my experience, solid and liquid. Good house beer, great selection beyond those, and uninspiring but inoffensive food are a nice alternative in the area. Definitely looking forward to following their beer program as they grow.

mtgl wrote:My sausage platter consisted of three lovely, lengthy links--a brat, an Italian, and a hot link, as I recall.

According to the menu, this is correct. Price is $13, which includes stout mustard, crusty baguette and choice of side. That's definitely a good price for the neighborhood.

I was there yesterday and had a sip of each of the house beers but none big enough to really make an assessment. I did like the Rusells Reserve 10-year Rye I ordered. IIRC, that was $12. If anyone cares about the whiskey selection at a brew pub, it wasn't vast but it wasn't entirely ordinary, either.

=R=

Yes, I thought it was a good price too. The mustard was perfectly good, and my side of cabbage complemented nicely. If they nail the juicy factor on that hot link, I will be a regular for the sausages as well as the beer.