What's On Tap, Chicago - The Map Room

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Dec 17th 2008 @ 11:00AM

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

This "What's On Tap?" column wouldn't even be necessary, and I could take my Wednesdays off, if more bars took a page out of the playbook of Chicago's beer-centric pub, The Map Room.

This Bucktown bar is one of a growing number of establishments keeping updated draft lists online. As of yesterday when I compiled the list for this post, the online beer list had been updated... um... earlier that day. Maybe I just got lucky, but I doubt it. Owner Laura Blasingame says the list is "updated every few days -- 3 or 4 times a week." And not just the drafts: The complete bottled selection is online too, updated a mere four days ago. I counted 50 selections, was still in the "C's" and stopped, preferring to leave the actual number up to the imagination. The website says, "We always take beer very seriously," and I don't doubt them for a second.

Another big plus, you gotta love a pub that encourages you to call ahead for the most current drafts, despite the online list being at best a few hours old! This is my kind of place.

After the jump, let's take a peek at what The Map Room is currently serving up to patrons in the Windy City.

Affligem Noël
Allagash White
Ayinger Bräu-Weisse
Beamish Irish Stout
Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet
Cantillon Iris 2006
Charles Welles Bombardier
Chimay White
Dark Horse Scotty Karate Scottish Ale
De Koninck
Delirium Tremens
De Ranke Père Noël
Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Lagunitas Brown Shugga'
Lagunitas IPA
Lindemans Framboise
Mönchshof Schwarzbier
North Coast Old Rasputin
North Coast Red Seal
Ommegang Abbey Ale
Rogue I2PA
St Bernardus Abt 12
Stiegl Pils
Three Floyds Alpha King
Unibroue Maudite
Fuller's London Pride (Cask Conditioned, Handpumped)

It's a solid list with a bit of a bias towards Belgium (a not uncommon occurrence in the world of beer bars). Give them credit for keeping a couple selections from different corners of our country as well including Midwest beers that often get overlooked in bars in the Northeast and West Coast.

Discussing how they choose their beers, Ms. Blasingame is frank: "Beer has been our primary focus since we opened [16 years ago]. At first, we had no clue (like most other Chicagoans) and just tried to get as many different beers as we could -- the quantity vs. quality thing. With great serendipitous luck we met homebrewer Greg Browne and then the Chicago Beer Society and began to learn the real deal about beer. We evolved as the market here evolved and are now able to choose what we'd like to showcase -- the quality vs. quantity thing."

Sounds like a good use of the past fourth-fifths of a score (as another famous Illinoisian might phrase it).

Also worth noting for those in the Chicago area, The Map Room offers up "Beer School" about once a month bringing in a local brewer for a tasting and talk. How can you go wrong with something like that?

Got another favorite beer-friendly bar in the Chicago area? Let us know in the comments!

The Map Room is located at 1949 N. Hoyne in Chicago, IL. www.maproom.com.

[Photo Credit: maproom.com]

Filed Under: Lists, What's On Tap?, Drink Recipes, Drinks
Tags: beer, chicago, map room, speakin suds, the map room

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-17-2008 @4:08PM Erin said... Hamilton's Tavern in San Diego has a similar selection of (constantly changing) beers, and they have an online tap list that is always current.

http://hamiltonstavern.com/ontap.php
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12-18-2008 @7:11PM bigkingken said... So glad to see Great Lakes Christmas Ale in a major Chicago bar. It is absolutely my favorite beer of the season - maybe of the year- and I miss it so, having moved to the west coast. My friends are stocking up for my triumphant New Years return, however! I sure wish Great Lakes would ship their stuff west, though!
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