Like beer? Live in North suburbs? Beer Market, Vernon Hills

The Beer Market, a craft beer establishment, is hoping to open in Vernon Hills in March of 2012 (Let's hope by Memorial day). They will have 40 beers on tap and offer over 400 by the bottle (??!!). The place won't serve food, but you can BYOFood or have local establishments deliver.

It took them a while to get the required permits from Vernon Hills, but I believe they have VH's blessing (they'll do anything for tax revenue).

Here is more info:

http://vernonhills.suntimes.com/9182676-417/the-beer-market-in-vernon-hills-to-feature-hundreds-of-selections.html

http://www.vernonhills.org/UserFiles/File/Main_Web_Page/Beer_Market_10202011.pdf

See you there...

Sounds like a great addition to the neighborhood! My husband and I will do our part to help ensure its success.

Sounds great. I'll check it out.


Most of the time, I prefer something healthy and sweet after a pasta meal. Wine is the best after pasta. Beer bloats the belly on regular and recurring rounds.

They will just miss that projected March opening...we rode our bikes past the Beer Market today and chatted with folks unpacking stock. The official opening date is April 4.

Jasubar wrote:They will just miss that projected March opening...we rode our bikes past the Beer Market today and chatted with folks unpacking stock. The official opening date is April 4.

Thank you, for the update. I really hope this place ends up being as good as it seems like it can be. I'm excited to check it out.

=R=

My friend and I went to the just opened Beer Market Tuesday night. We got there about 7:30 and could not find a table. We found some seats against the wall next to a ledge for the beer. Eventually part of a big table opened up and we were able to share one end of it.

They have a lot of taps (over 40 or so) and not one Bud or Miller. In addition they have well over 100 different bottle beers. One of the unusual things they had on the menu was a list of suggested combo beers, maybe 12. In addition to 1/2 and 1/2 and black and tan, they had some interesting ones.

My friend ordered an 80/20 combo of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and a Framboise. He liked it. I had a sampler of 5: a rye beer, 2 old Belgium style ales, a chili and pepper brew, and a Baltic porter. (I wish they had an online menu so I could list what they were.) I am glad I tried them all. The chili/pepper brew was interesting with an initial burn and a chocolate finish. I think it would go well with Mexican food, but more than one glass I could not take.

My friend finished with St Bernrdus Abt 12 which he just raved about.

Oh, the place is small, and since the site was constructed and not just a remodel of an existing location, I was surprise how small the place was. The waitress told us that they can’t move on Friday and Saturday nights. They have NO food, but they have menus from neighbor restaurants and patrons are welcome to get take out.

I thought their prices were fair and I can see me going back.

D.


Beer Market
1270 South Milwaukee Ave
Vernon Hills, Illinois
phone: (847) 955-1900

My husband and I have been to the Beer Market twice now, but we still haven't entirely warmed up to it.

I think what I was most disappointed in is that of 40 taps, they devote little space to Chicago-area breweries. On both of our visits, there was a tap for Goose Island Matilda and on our first visit one tap had Tight Head Irie IPA from nearby Mundelein. That was it for the local stuff. Of course, there are many local brews available in bottles, but I prefer a draft beer when I'm out.

I do wish they had some sort of snack available, even if it was nothing more than putting out pretzel rods like the Map Room does...just something to soak up the beer and freshen one's palate.

The crowds are certainly testament to the fact that the NW suburbs was thirsty for this kind of venue. And I give them a big thumbs-up for having the courage to not offer a single Bud or Miller product. I don't think they have Bud or Miller even in a bottle.

A location of Real Urban BBQ is soon to open a few doors down, we're looking forward to that. Once that opens, I think we'll be more likely to frequent the Beer Market.

I went back last night to list what I had tried on Tuesday. I am not an expert, so take my comments as just my opinion.

Six Point Righteous Ale – a rye beer from Six Point Brewery NY
I didn’t care for this as I thought the flavor of the rye was just too strong. I have seen it highly rated on the net.

Old Stock – strong old ale from North Coast brewery California
I liked this and can see me getting a full glass. It had a nice aroma. I don’t care for big hoppy beers and this had a nice malty taste. It is maybe on the sweet side, good finish.

Pranqater Ale – Belgium strong ale from North Coast
I liked this one too, although not as much as the Old Stock. Good aroma the ratings on the net noted a lemon and wit smell. I didn’t get that.

Cocoa Mole – chili beer from New Belgium Brewing Colorado
Not a beer I could have more than one. Someone on the net wrote this: “Aroma is cocoa, smoked chilies, vanilla, a bit of cinnamon, and a mineral note. The taste is sweet cocoa, cinnamon, some smoked pepper, and a bit of a mineral note. It finishes with some smoky pepper heat and a light bitterness.” I would agree with it. I would like to try a full pour as I only got this in a sampler. I would think this would work great with Mexican food.

While I was writing these down I had a St. Bernardus Abt 12. This is a great brew for my style (low hops, heavy malt). I let it warm up a little and it was smooth. It is highly rated on the net. If you do a search you can find better tasting notes than I could write.

I agree with Jasubar, although I don’t mind it as much that they don’t carry a lot of Goose Island. I would like to see more taps dedicated to micro brews from local breweries.

I too am looking forward to the new BBQ place.

D.

We made our third visit to the Beer Market early Sunday evening, and I can't say it's going to go on our regular rotation.

We sat down at the bar and as the bartender handed us the beer lists, he warned us that the tap menu was getting pretty out of date and that there were several on the list they were out of, as well as several on tap not on the list. I noticed that of the 40 tappers, there were 5 that had no tap handles.

Both of the beers we ordered were out, but the bartender was patient and generous in offering us small tastes of other choices till we determined what we wanted. As we sat drinking our drafts, another patron came up to the bar and the bottle choice he ordered was also out. I would hope these inventory problems are just part of growing pains and figuring out how much inventory is needed, but I would also hope the tap list would be updated more frequently.

Although the bartender was very nice and made sure we got something that would make us happy, he seemed to lack the enthusiasm for beer that one would find at the Firkin or any number of wonderful beer bars in Chicago. The Beer Market is so convenient to where we live and where I work, I can't say we won't ever return, but my enthusiasm for it has faded.

Jasubar wrote:We made our third visit to the Beer Market early Sunday evening, and I can't say it's going to go on our regular rotation.

We sat down at the bar and as the bartender handed us the beer lists, he warned us that the tap menu was getting pretty out of date and that there were several on the list they were out of, as well as several on tap not on the list. I noticed that of the 40 tappers, there were 5 that had no tap handles.

Both of the beers we ordered were out, but the bartender was patient and generous in offering us small tastes of other choices till we determined what we wanted. As we sat drinking our drafts, another patron came up to the bar and the bottle choice he ordered was also out. I would hope these inventory problems are just part of growing pains and figuring out how much inventory is needed, but I would also hope the tap list would be updated more frequently.

Although the bartender was very nice and made sure we got something that would make us happy, he seemed to lack the enthusiasm for beer that one would find at the Firkin or any number of wonderful beer bars in Chicago. The Beer Market is so convenient to where we live and where I work, I can't say we won't ever return, but my enthusiasm for it has faded.

This is a huge bummer. Exhausted taps happen everywhere, though, especially when the brews are rare. Hopefully, you're right and it's just growing pains.

=R=