Friday 4th of June 2010 10:39:25 PM

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Twisted Spoke is unmistakable on this dreary corner of no-man's land...4 lane intersection of Grand & Ogden, just look for the rotating skeleton on a motorcycle perched on the roof.

Inside, there's a skinny room with an arced bar cutting through it, maybe 6-8 ft. to the wall at it's narrowest. A graduated stadium rack of liquor bottles sits behind it, three flatscreens set into them, with the utmost topshelf liquors high above. They had many impressive bourbons, but after seeing the prices on the "reserve" beer list, I didn't bother with them.

We grabbed a table near the windows, they were tall and framed with metal, it felt like being in an expanded railcar. This wasn't really a biker bar at all, as it might project from the outside, with all the families and children in tow on an early Friday night. (?) What used to be a small second bar room is now expanded overflow seating, with long tables. I've heard great things about the rooftop deck, and hope to return in the spring to check it out.

The reason we were here... Expedition on draft! It was $6 served in a fluted tulip glass. 2nd round of Victory Moonglow was the same price, but the newish bartender kinda short poured it with over an inch of foam (same glass, maybe 10 oz. at most). Our waiter was alright, and pointed out what was on special for us.

Selection was craft-focused and varied, Surly Hell, Dark Horse One, Lenny's RIPA also on tap, 20 taps in all. Bottle list was pretty large and varied too, overall pricing varied wildly...PBR for $3.25 on up to Dark Lord '06 for the low low introductory price of $99. Some of the imports were on the high side, Hopf Weisse for $11 and Plank Weissbock for $14 as an example (16.9 oz). (To compare, Rodenbach GC was $14 for a 750!) Brewdog Atlantic IPA was $60... had a good laugh at that one. Still there's plenty of quality beer to be had at an affordable price, even if you didn't bring a wheelbarrow full of cash.

Cross section of the reserve list: Expy '07 & Third Coast Old Ale 08, Rose De Gambrinus ($19), 8 DFH, Collab. Evil ($35), Deca ($40), Imp. Brown Goose ($45), Angels Share ($65), Old Rasputin XII ($50), Utopias ($35 shot, $300 bottle, lol), Hardys ($15-20), 4 FFF's, etc. Some very impressive stuff, but it comes at a price, over 200% retail for some.

In a nutshell, they have some nice rotating taps and a rooftop deck.
If you happen to be Don Magic Juan or a surgeon, get ready to spend a few G's...

Friday 4th of July 2008 11:04:45 AM

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We sampled a few pints at Twisted Spoke last week. I have yet to try food here.

I found the atmosphere interesting. But I'm not entirely sure that the draft beer lines are as clean as they could be. The selection is definitely interesting and the food menu looks pretty interesting too.

I will be back to try the food and I will most likely be trying some more beer here in the near future.

Tuesday 7th of August 2007 12:45:02 AM

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If I am going to review venues for BeerMapping; I think this is where to begin.
I am going to slide into first person plural here, people. Your mileage may vary, but it probably will not.
Our beers at the Twisted Spoke on Ogden run the gamut. We have one handpump which generally has a local craft brewery's cask offering (e.g.: Two Brothers, Three Floyds). Our draft handles change occasionally. Last Saturday I noticed Newcastle Brown Ale on for the first time. The beers on draft are mostly craft brews, although attentive eyes will notice Blue Moon, Point, and Stella Artois. If you must have the behemoths, they're available in bottles.
What I typically have at the Spoke is the 'pot-luck' known here as the "Butch's Beer Special". The language describing it is such: "We carry 56 good beers and one that really sucks. It's usually best not to ask too many questions like ‘What is it?’. What it is is only two bucks."
But this is hyperbole. Unless it actually is the Atwater Block Amber Lager, which was, in my estimation, unquestionably stale and must have been bought by the Einhorn bros. mere days before it would have been pulled from the shelves. (And Atwater Block was leaving that distributor for another distributor; which is likely why the Spoke got it so cheaply.) Because the other beers that have turned up in this special have been great beers from Lakefront, Victory, LeftHand, and once [I do not have to make this up.] even Affligem Abbey Ale. (We're currently on a streak of Buffalo Bill's [Owens] Pumpkin Ale.)
Food: Our hamburgers (Fatboys) are really, really good. Despite that, I have tried some of the other items on our menu. The Kobe Steak burrito, and the BBQ chicken sandwich (available with the BBQ sauce developed when the bros. had the lawsuit-attracting 'Bone Daddy' restaurant up the street [It is now a plebian sports bar called 'Players'.]) are very good. The French Fries are superb. I've been detected scarfing the remains from other diners' plates. And at 11:59 pm on Saturday, you can again order from the breakfast menu [..eggs]. I think the Wisconsin scramble is the best option there.
Transit: We're 3½ blocks away from the Blue Line “L”'s "Chicago" station. (Walk south-southwest down Ogden Ave. It would be a five block walk if you exited at "Grand".)
Parking is available on the side streets south and east of Grand & Ogden. If you're exiting the Kennedy at Ogden, continue the additional block south of Grand and turn left [east] on Fulton. There should be spots on Fulton, Elizabeth (a one-way northbound street between Fulton & Ogden), or Racine.
This is a great place. We're going to renovate the entire bar area sometime in the next few months. Supposedly, the bar is going to be turned 180°. The basement will be made more flood-resistant, and we should get the DVD player re-connected.
If I am in town, I am usually here on Saturday night. Sit in the bar area. It's the best cheap Saturday night date in Chicago.

Sunday 29th of July 2007 06:10:30 AM

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If you just happened to be driving down Ogden Avenue there would be little chance of you not noticing this place from the outside. There is a rotating life-sized skeleton sitting on a motorcylce above the door. Old road weary motorcycles are chained up along the side.
Obviously the motif is bike and biker. Coming in the side door brings you into a diner-like restaurant area. We went through the dining area and straight to the small bar area. By small bar I mean there may have been a dozen stools here. Motorcylcle posters, motorcycle parts, helmets, sticker are everywhere except for the exposed beams in the roof.
There were 20 taps plus roughly 30 bottle choices. A lot of solid beer options here. Three Floyds, New Belgium, Goose Island, Avery, and Allagash are taps I remember.
This place is supposed to have great burgers and a fantastic Bloody Mary. On this visit I had one of their famous “Fatboy” burgers, but not a Bloody Mary. The burger was cooked to order and came with home-style French fries and a pickle. I got mine with bacon, Swiss cheese and lettuce. It was actually a very good burger and I would stop back again to try other food and maybe get that Bloody Mary.
Other notes- There is rooftop beer garden/dining area over looking Ogden Ave/While we were sitting at the bar people were standing behind us waiting to get tables, it does get busy here/ and finally Twisted Spoke’s Bloody Mary Mix is available to take home with you.