Friday 4th of July 2008 11:11:56 AM

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I have been to microbreweries all over the Chicagoland area and I had never had a truly terrible beer until I walked into Taylor Brewing Company on 03/22/2008.

Since I am a big fan of dark flavorful beers, I first tried the Papa's Porter. It was undrinkable. It was flat and had a sour taste to it. I took more sips than I should have in a vain attempt to find something good about it. I eventually gave up and asked the bartender to take it away. Despite my comments about why I was not drinking the beer, he did not seem at all concerned that I was dissatisfied.

At this point I tried the IPA that my wife had ordered. It was a little more hoppy, but otherwise shared the same unpleasant characteristics that had disappointed me with the porter. She also found the IPA to be terrible.

I was pretty worried at this point that I would not be able to find a decent beer. I took a sip of the Dark Satin that my friend had ordered and it was not to my liking either. I am extremely open to new beers and I was astounded that one place would have three beers that I hated so much.

At this point, I ended up ordering a Chivas to cleanse my mouth of the bad beer taste. I figured they couldn't mess up a bottle of Scotch.

My friend didn't like the Dark Satin, but he pushed on and ordered a Rusty Dog Amber. After a quick taste we all agreed that this was the only beer that we had found to be remotely drinkable at Taylor Brewing Company. Not high praise considering how bad the others were.

We didn't order any food, but it was the promise of good beer that had brought us in. Having failed to find any of that, we will never go back.

Monday 24th of March 2008 05:06:49 PM

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I really wish the Taylor were better. I work about 3 blocks away and it’s a shame, but I don’t think I will be going back.

As you enter, you will notice that the bar area is slightly lower than the dining portion. This adds some visual interest and kind of offsets the cinderblock building materials.

The bartenders are usually ok and seem to have a passable beer knowledge.

The food has actually improved a bit, if I could just say the same about the beer….. You can get some good prices on appetizers during happy hour and the burgers are decent. I’ve never tried their fish fry, but that seems to pack them in.

They offer 6 to 8 house beers and a ton of guest taps. The last three times I was here, at least one of the house beers was tainted by that dirty tap line funk. I think this is inexcusable for a brewpub and kind of inexcusable that I kept going back. Serious infection problems seem to exist. Given that none of the beers was that good to begin with, it just adds to the disappointment.

Surprisingly their guest tap lines seem to be in good shape. I’m guessing that the beer distributors clean the lines their kegs are assigned to and the house lines just languish. Positive note, I had a perfectly fine Kalamazoo/Bells Amber here.

Do yourself a favor and make the extra 2 mile drive to Lombard Rock Bottom or the 3 mile drive to the Lunar.

Thursday 9th of August 2007 01:30:19 PM

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I won't be going back. Sorry for the negative review, but honesty is best in my opinion.

There were many beers available on the menu, which looked good to start. I don't know if there was a bacteria problem in the lines or the tanks, but all the beer tasted the same. The IPA tasted like the Cream Ale tasted like the Brown...a sickly sweet flavor. We had the sampler and an extra pint of the Brown when we ordered initially. We had to rock, paper, scissors to finish the pint. What good is variety if all the types taste alike?

Food was okay, service was fine, but the beer was a disappointment. this is a shame since I live so close to Taylor's too. *Sigh*
(btw, what kind Brewpub has Miller and Bud signs plastered all over the place?? I felt like I was in a sports bar or something.)

Wednesday 13th of June 2007 09:23:53 PM

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All I can say is that if you like microbrews, Taylor Brewing Company is a dream with a giant selection of locally brewed craftbeer and friendly faces. Service was top notch and $1.75 will get you a full 5 ounce sample glass of any of the twenty or so micobrewed beers on the beer menu.

Make sure to stop by and try the Dark Satin or as we like to call it Dark Satan. The desserts were to die for and the chili was outstanding, both of which are served up until last call even after the kitchen closes.

You will be pleased to find that the beer menu includes four or more craftbrewed selections from beer contracting through from Capitol Brewery in Middleton, WI, Two Brother's brewing in Warrenville, IL and from the Taylor [family] Brewing Company in Lombard, IL.

Make sure to visit Taylor Brewing Company's other location - just off I-90 and Barrington Road at 2570 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, Illinois and open until one AM with last call at twelve thirty on weeknights. Yummy!