Malt Row's Begyle Brewing
The Artist Formerly Known as Argyle Brewing and their Community Supported Brewery model have been an anchor of the Malt Row scene since 2012. It was four short years ago when Whole Foods purchased several Dominick’s Finer Foods locations that were going out of business. The expansion was announced with the excitement that each Red Star Bar would get a their own Begyle house beer.
Back when Chef Kevin Hickey was tasked with refreshing the restaurant concept at Four Season Chicago, Allium was born. He almost immediately tapped the upstart Begyle Brewery for collaboration ale to celebrate autumn that year. A Belgian Ale with local Midwest ingredients, Beta Beer was a farm driven beverage meant to only last as long as the season. Brewed with bangladesh bay leaves, saigon cinnamon, + sugar beets from Michigan, Chef saw the creation as an extension of the food menu.
Begyle’s dog friendly taproom famously sits just a block south of Dovetail Brewing. Annually these two crews join forces to host Mayfestiversary. The 2-day Spring Ravenswood Corridor birthday celebration is a whole block party loaded with special releases from an outdoor beer trailer. This year’s edition saw no less than 13 musical acts and just as many food trucks.
Chicagoans are drawn to their beers because of their no frills, straightforward approach of making classic crushable styles. Free Bird is the most popular offering these days. (Golden Ale + honey) Of the 14 beers currently on tap, 7 of those sit at 5.4% ABV or less.
Don’t get it twisted; they also know how to properly turn up the volume . Marshmallow Barrel Aged Flannel Pajamas is the most recent example we enjoyed their higher gravity releases. We’ve heard guys from Goose Island crew profess that they enjoy Begyle’s Batch 500 Barleywine over their own version of the style. It’s possible because, as with all their beers, Begyle seems to always get a well balance product every time.
Community Supported Brewing is all about a membership program that allows customers to purchase beer in advance at a discount. Begyle offers 6 and 12 months subscriptions. Be sure to make Malt Row a destination this summer. Stops include Dovetail, Koval Distillery, Half Acre, Empirical, Begyle + Band of Bohemia (America’s 1st Michelin Starred Brewpub) . Try them all….tell them Afro Beer Chick sent you.