Tuesday 1st of January 2013 09:41:54 PM

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I stopped here with a few friends in the early afternoon one weekday, so it wasn't very crowded. They had a long list of beers on tap - 3 are available year round (a porter, IPA, and Belgian white ale), and there are about 10 others that rotate. I liked the Bottom Up Wit (the belgian whilte ale), but all the beers were good.

We also got cheese and meat plates as a snack. It wasn't anything special, but at the same time I wasn't expecting it to be.

Friday 17th of February 2012 03:44:12 PM

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I've been here a few times and have enjoyed it. The times I went it was busy, but I had no issue getting a table. It is a bit crowded and loud, but that doesn't bother me.

They have a good selection for all tastes. The Fistmas Ale was wonderfully spiced. The bourbon-y Black Power Oatmeal Stout was something to savor. The Anti-Hero IPA was aggressively hopped, yet drinkable. The Bottom Up Wit was hearty.

The food was really good, for brunch and late-night snack. The pizzas are cooked in a proper pizza oven so it's perfectly crisp and hot. The bacon is thick and delicious. They have good vegetarian options too. If you're doing a pub run, this is a good place to eat. It's a good place to bring out-of-town guests. If you like sweets, don't skip dessert. The options I saw incorporated their beer (porter ice creams and caramel sauces).

Cool decor incorporating bottles, barrels, and art. It's a busy spot, but they did make sure my glass was full.

Monday 25th of April 2011 01:29:00 PM

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First stop on the recent CTA pub Crawl. I can’t believe I have waited so long for a visit.

The rectangular bar is straight ahead as you enter the brewpub. There is a lounge area to your left and some stairs for the elevated area off to your right. The kitchen is slightly elevated open for viewing. The tanks are visible behind glass.
The interior designer gets a nod in my book. The bar has large wooden forearms & fists holding up the top half. The clenched fist is Revolutions signature. They incorporated wooden barrel staves in one of the walls. In addition, there are some stained glass windows near the brewing area and lots of wood and brick. The front windows open up to the street.

The food is very good and worth a visit in its own right. Try the chili, the pork belly sandwich or order the biscuits & gravy (made with Italian sausage) off the weekend brunch menu.

The beer is the real deal here. Lots of styles and choices. I had a refreshing wit, a well-made Czech Pilsner and a tasty Irish Dry Stout. They also offer a well thought out guest tap list and a pretty massive bottle list. Prices are very fair at $5.00 for house pints.

Service is friendly and has good beer knowledge. I also got to chat with the brewer for 10 minutes or so. He was very enthusiastic about the direction they are heading (expanding the upstairs and a new stand-alone production brewery). I have to agree with him as everything was top-notch during my visit.

I will be returning soon!

Sunday 29th of August 2010 05:55:20 PM

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Solid, are-what-they-claim beers. Their brews are very true to style, nothing outrageously above average, but nothing disappointing. Nice solid beers, and a good selection (they usually have 5-8 of theirs plus great guest tap options).

They food is mostly good, in fact the beer cheese soup is the best I've had (tho small "trendy" quantity... I would still order it again). Bacon Popcorn was hot fresh and bacon-licious (seems other reviewers did not have good luck with that- I imagine the kitchen is still ironing out the timing and quality?? They are still relatively new). They also had choices for my vegetarian friends.

CROWDED (it's a trendy new place). So prepare for a wait, or try it after work on a weekday. Cool building.

Monday 21st of June 2010 04:34:56 PM

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Revolution Brewing has been a hit in the neighborhood as evidence by the long wait for tables many months after opening.

They usually have 8 of their own beers on tap at one time plus beers from other breweries. The website says they brew about 25 different beers through out the year, so the 8 do rotate.

Most recently I had the Bottom Up Belgian Wit (pretty good) the Mad Cow Milk Stout (ok) and the Coup de Grace (I'd recommend trying it). The Coup de Grace has a spice-like taste to it and was a very interesting beer, worth a try.

The food is high quality and there are multiple options for vegetarians. I've had the pulled pork sandwich twice and thought it was pretty good.

Depending on when you go you may have to wait for a table, but the staff do their best to get you seated. The bartender staff was a little slow last time and passed me by multiple times before asking if I needed something. But everyone was friendly and could recommend a beer if you needed a recommendation.

Monday 10th of May 2010 02:57:10 PM

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This is the brewpub of which _everybody_ in Chicago was aware (its build out was covered in the alternative, and then crossing over to the mainstream, media).
Its beer was actually ready before it opened. (The "Eugene Porter" was offered at the Chicago Beer Society's 2010 'Brewpub Shootout'.) It opened to crush loads.
I elected to wait for subsidation of the crowds in order to give the venue a better chance at making a solid impression.
My first visit was on a Thursday night. It took 30 minutes for me to be served due to the crowd. I wound up having two beers in a little over 70 minutes, at which point I decided to escape to Quenchers further east on Fullerton (I was on a CTA 1-day pass.). The India Pale Ale is a good one. It isn't hopped up the wazoo like many American Pale Ales. But my favorite is still the Porter. The dark malts prevail in the taste over the hops. It does cost one dollar more than the other beers, probably due to the malt bill.

The motif of the venue angles toward radical, "wobbly" politics. That's to be expected when you name your concern "Revolution". But don't let this angle, or the beer names, keep you from visiting here. It is not overt.
This brewpub shall energize the entire neighborhood, from Ronny's on the south to the Two-Way Lounge on the north. I anticipate _better_ beers appearing at other nearby venues to sponge up patrons that depart from Revolution (or don't want to put up with the crowd).
I haven't eaten here. Supposedly, the food is solid.

Transit options: The Blue Line "L"'s California station is 1½ blocks south & east. The #56 Milwaukee bus runs northbound until 10:50 pm every day. The #52 Kedzie-California route quits here at 10:30 pm (in both directions). The #74 Fullerton bus runs eastbound until 11:45 pm, and westbound until 12:40 am.

Saturday 1st of May 2010 08:56:41 AM

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I've already been to Revolution about 17 times since it's so close to my house. In fact, I think I might go today!

They've started catching up with demand on the beer front and they usually have 6 of their own beers on tap at all times. But they compliment their own solid beers with some outstanding guest taps. I enjoy all of their beers though and could drink their Mild, Golden and Pale Ale all day long.

Most people I bring here are impressed with the decor. The tin ceiling, the barrel stave walls and the barrel ring light fixtures make for a very nice looking place. One issue I have seen with Revolution is how loud it can be. I don't know how you can fix this, but the open room, high ceilings and lack of things for the sound to be muffled by lead to loud conversations when the place is crowded.

With that aside, I really enjoy going to Revolution and am not afraid to send people here who are looking for a good beer and good food. Get the Forest Burger!

Parking is street parking. Milwaukee is metered and the side streets should allow for some non-metered parking. California Blue line stop is about half a block away. No outdoor seating. They do have wifi now.

Friday 16th of April 2010 08:25:44 PM

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Stopped in here a few weeks ago for lunch, got there when they were opening so nice seat at the bar, Met another Beermapper there too.

The building is nice but its new it should be... I have heard it gets crowded which why I am glad I got there early. I had the pulled pork sandwich it was good, I too had the bacon fat popcorn and thought it was good... interesting way to do popcorn for sure! food list was good a lot of different choices...

Beers were good had the pale Ale and thought it was a great example of the style. Also had the Wee heavy which was pretty new when I was there and it was good have not had too many of them to compare to. They had some good guest taps as well which was nice as there selection is 4 or 5 at a time.

need to get back as thy have introduced a lot of new beers.. great addition to the Chicago beer scene

Friday 16th of April 2010 04:27:01 PM

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This place was busy, we were there on a Saturday and were told there was a half hour wait, no seats at the bar, and it supposedly wasn't busy yet. The beers were alright, they only had 4 available. It is a nice building, tin roof, some stained glass, and a window looking into a lonely room with their vats. The waiters were friendly, but it took a long time to get our appetizers. When we did get them, the bacon popcorn, we were disappointed. The whole thing was cold, and it seemed like the popcorn was stale, like they just poured it into a bowl from a bag, it was very oily and greasy as well, which isn't a problem.
The bruschetta was good, they make their own bread in house, but had pre-made toppings for it.

Sunday 21st of February 2010 03:54:52 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

Heck yeah new brewpub in Chicago! Everyone has been waiting for this place to open and it shows. The wait can be out of control for dinner. But at least they have a good amount of space so you can stand around and drink while you wait for a table. The bar seats are first come first serve and you can luck out at times and score a seat there right away. The beer is good, not over the top amazing but good. My current favorite is their gold. It's an easy drinking and refreshing beer. I think they are having trouble keeping up with all the demand for the product because it seems that each time I go there is one less of their beers on tap. Seems like a good problem to have. But don't worry if they ran out of their beer they have a huge selection of other beers on tap and in the bottle. Besides the beer being excellent, the food to go along with it doesn't disappoint. I don't think I can go to Revolution without at least getting something to eat and that usually is the bacon fat popcorn. I've had the farm burger twice and both times it has been the best burger I've had. That's right Kuma lovers, the burger here is better. The bun on the burger it what makes it stand out big time. It's dense and light at the sometime. So delicious! Besides the burger and bacon fat popcorn the pizza is great and the fries are pretty rocking. The mashed potatoes were unbelievable, best I've ever had.

Sure right now the wait sucks but it's worth it. I've waited for over two hours twice in the last couple weeks and I'll be doing it again soon. Just suck it up, grab yourself a great locally brewed beer and wait because I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Thursday 4th of February 2010 08:45:55 PM

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First impressions of Revolution were positive. I stopped in today for lunch, and to test drive the beers.

Inside the double doors, the space felt very open and warm, with table seating on either side of the rectangular bar in the center. To the right, the seating area was elevated, swathed in a façade of interlocking barrel stave wood. The walls were exposed brick, with a classic silver tin ceiling. Lots of wood accents in varied warm tones. Even the globe lighting incorporated barrel wood staves, which was a cool theme. It felt clean and modern, yet warm and friendly at the same time. The brewing equipment was in the back to the left, with inset stained glass panels. The kitchen was open and visible to the rear also.

They have 16 draft lines on both sides of the bar (5 beers currently), and a cask mild as well. Growlers are $16, and less for refills. The plan is to have 6 staple beers, 4 rotating seasonals, and rotating guest taps focusing on the Midwest. Noticed a Goose Green Line tap resting behind the bar already.

Tried the full range of beers, and had to say the Porter and IPA were great. The others were geared more towards session styles, but the Mild was good with lunch. I guess they charge $2 for 4-6 oz. samples, i'm not sure if that's standard practice, or just until they are brewing at capacity.

Service was very enthusiastic and beer-savvy. Food wise I tried the cheddar ale soup and smoked wings, both of which were solid. The burgers were priced a little on the high side, but they use local and sustainable meats, so it's of high quality. There was a good range of options on the menu, including a few vegetarian items.

A solid addition to Logan Square (easily CTA accessible), this will be an anchor to other beer spots nearby like Foremost, Longman & Eagle, Rocking Horse, etc.