Don’t sleep a round, drink a round. Be Beermiscuous.
Don’t be promiscuous with beer, be Beermiscuous. Don’t make any commitment without taking your beer on a test-drive first; don’t plunge into any relationship with a beer until you’ve cozied-up with a 4 oz pour for a brief liaison. Don’t sleep a round, drink a round.
Taking its cue from the beer cafes of Europe — albeit on a much grander scale, with a local beer-menu that the beer cafes across the pond can only imagine in their wildest dreams — Beermiscuous is a highly-regarded bar and retailer of local craft beer and cider in the North Lincoln Avenue area of Chicago. Its reputation stems from not only its several hundred beers, ciders and wines (plus non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers), but also from the knowledge held by its local beer experts, as evidenced by the official “Beermiscuous Field Guide”, a published book of taprooms and brewpubs in the greater Chicagoland area (available at all good retailers nationwide).
Approaching its 4th anniversary of delighting local drinkers, Beermiscuous is as large, airy, light and spacious as Europe’s historic beer cafes are small, brown and overcrowded. It is a refreshing change to enjoy a beer or two in such relaxing, plush surroundings. Any attempt to be a beer bar and retailer of this standard and scale in Europe will most likely suffer in many cases from a limited or unoriginal selection of local beers — not to mention the ‘real’ ciders, which in most cases do not even exist.
What Beermiscuous does have in abundance is what the Dutch might call “Gezelligheid”, or an atmosphere of warm, relaxing cosiness. It’s reminiscent of the approach taken by the many coffee emporiums that have appeared in our towns and cities over recent years: a cross-section of workers working, tourists visiting, friends chatting, families familying, colleagues meeting and the stressed-out relaxing; a space in which reading books, scanning newspapers, playing board games, and tapping on laptops is the norm. Exposed brickwork, pristine tiling, inviting armchairs and wood panelling create a calming ambience, and the dual aspect storefront that provides an overabundance of natural daylight is to die for.
If you and your friends would like Beermiscuous all to yourselves, it can be hired at certain times. But if your party is not large enough, the back section or private cellar can be rented instead.
Of most interest to the local beer-scene aficionado is the huge, ever-expanding “Chicagoland Map of Breweries” that overlooks the bar. Updated frequently with the addition of new breweries that have opened recently, the map can be compared with its original state from 2014 to see how the growth of craft beer in Chicago has boomed in recent years. It is not wonder dedicated bars and retailers of local craft beer and ciders, such as Beermiscuous, are indispensable.
The Cicerone trained beer experts at Beermiscuous can point you in the right direction if the substantial number of local beers and ciders is overwhelming. They can choose the right beer for your mood, event, celebration or food-pairing from the seemingly endless wall of coolers or the 16-tap draft beer system. Even if you bring your own food, in accordance with the Beermiscuous BYOF food policy, there will always be a beverage that enhances the taste and flavour experience.
And let’s not forget that beer and cider from the coolers can be purchased for take-away or consumption on the premises.
Address: 2812 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657, USA