Blue skies, cold beer
Decider searches for the winning combination of outdoor scenery and beer selection
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Now that fair weather is here, there’s no sense wasting time looking for the best place to sit outside and knock back a beer. Because few things pair better with those fleeting summer nights than drinking in the open air, Decider scoped out the top outdoor drinking options that offer summer’s hottest specialty beers. (Rule of thumb: If it’s light in color, it’s probably a good choice. Dark beers like stouts and porters are hard to swallow when it’s hot.)
The bar: Sure, this Wicker Park mainstay draws lots of bikers (the cycling kind, not the Hell's Angels kind), but don’t be dissuaded if your bike hasn’t seen a tire pump in six months. The beer: Juju Ginger Ale from Left Hand Brewing Company is laced with ginger; try it with something spicy to experience the full cooling effect. New Belgium’s Mighty Arrow Pale Ale is a relatively light beer with complex flavors and good balance that makes it an easy drinker. The outdoors: A huge beer garden in back just about doubles the seating space, and solves the problem of cars and buses trundling next to the table. Plus, part of the garden has a roof over it, should “severe” weather rear its ugly head. Need another reason to go? Handlebar features a mostly vegetarian full menu, so it’s easy to make a meal out of a couple of good beers and the Black Beans Maduro—a delicious pile of beans, rice, plantains, and cheese.
Smoke Daddy Restaurant / Phyllis’ Musical Inn
The bar: Smoke Daddy has some damn fine ribs but a modest beer selection. Phyllis’, on the other hand, makes no bones about being a straight-up place for cheap beer and live music.
The beer: Phyllis’ says people want “cold beer” in the summer. Miller Lite and PBR are the top sellers—no seasonals here. At Smoke Daddy, Blue Moon is a great complement to the food, its smooth wheat body rinsing all the spice and sauce away.
The outdoors: Sidewalk tables at Smoke Daddy provide exceptional people-watching during a meal. Afterwards, hike the 20 feet east to Phyllis’ beer garden, set back behind a front wall, and keep on drinking. Phyllis’ beer garden has plenty of tables and a basketball hoop, so you can pretend you got some exercise, even if the beer never gets put down.
Need another reason to go? Phyllis’ may be a dive, but having a spacious beer garden and live music that skips across genres just about every night ensures it will be a little different each time.
The bar: The small kitchen, shoehorned between the bar and the front door, manages to pump out scrumptious food bar and new beers rotate regularly.
The beer: Look for a spread of India pale ales right now. These beers are more flavorful and bitter than the typical summer wheat beer. Try Surly’s Furious, a dark IPA with strong pine and bitter hop flavors. Then move to Lagunitas’ IPA and relish its floral and grassy flavors. Finish with North Coast Brewing’s ACME IPA, first hoppy and bitter, then finishing balanced and smooth.
The outdoors: There are plenty of tables under a big, shady tree on the sidewalk, and the garage-door-style windows roll all the way up, making the tables inside at the front of the bar feel like they’re outside.
Need another reason to go? Crowds come flocking on Monday nights, when burgers are cheaper and goblets of BBK, a lager, are $3.
The bar: Part corner bar, part Cubs haunt, Sheffield’s caters to many crowds with its back rooms, extensive beer selection, and menu of grilled meat options.
The beer: Three different wheat beers all make solid choices for cooling off. Try the Three Floyds Gumballhead, a punchy pale ale with lots of wheat and fruit flavors. For something more nuanced, get a pint of Bell’s Oberon—a wheat ale that starts out slightly spicy and ends with a hint of lemon—or Anchor Summer, a mild wheat beer that goes down easily.
The outdoors: The big courtyard sports plenty of picnic tables—the simple wood kind you’d find in a park. With trees adding shade, all Sheffield's needs is some grass and a slide.
Need another reason to go? Sheffield’s has three separate bar areas with a huge selection of beer on tap and in bottles. The barbecue offerings veer from the standard ribs-and-brisket fare to include cedar-plank salmon and gumbo.
The bar: The upscale food here stands out from normal bar options, but it’s still decently priced. The chandeliers and faux stained glass over the windows give it a tinge of medieval flair.
The beer: Try O’Fallon’s Wheach, a wheat beer mixed with peach. It’s fruity, leaning toward tart and not sweet. Ommegang’s Hennepin, a farmhouse ale, is light in color but full of flavor and body, with the booziness to help anyone unwind.
The outdoors: A spacious patio with dark wood trellising provides some shade. Snag a chair or find a spot on the cushioned bench around the sides.
Need another reason to go? Try the sweet-and-spicy or jerk-marinated wings. Who wouldn’t want a club sandwich made with crab?
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