Haymarket Pub and Brewery
by Jim Vondracek on 07/03/11
Friday evening I was waiting for family and some visiting friends from Iowa on west Randolph and stopped by the Haymarket Pub and Brewery http://www.haymarketbrewing.com/ .
I had about an hour to wait and enjoyed three of their beers. Because I was having dinner later, I didn't sample their kitchen's menu, although it looked good with a number of homemade sausage options. I enjoyed the pub experience and was impressed with the beers - will definitely be going back.
The brewer is Pete Crowley, who brews many Belgian-inspired beers, including "The Saison Also Rises", a saison ale that I thoroughly enjoyed. Made with Pilsner malts, its both complex and easy to drink. I was also taken with the floral aroma and flavor of the hops. Hops can lend a variety of flavors and aromas to a beer - spicy, citrus, earthy - in addition to adding bitterness, and the hops in this saison added a very pleasant floral, almost lavender, profile to the beer.
Here are a couple of links for more information about Saison as a beer style and its history http://belgianstyle.com/mmguide//style/saison.html and http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2010/10/08/saison-beer-belgian-farmhouse-ale-recipes/
Haymarket had eight of their own beers on tap, as well as a number of 'guest' taps for other craft brewers. You can see the brewhouse from the pub. I suggest taking advantage of their 4 ounce tasting portions - a great way to compare their beers before deciding on which to order in the 12 or 16 ounce options.
A highlight of my visit was when one of the waitstaff (two of whom were exceptionally helpful and friendly) offered me a taste of a new, just kegged IPA - I think she said it was going to be called 'Rebellion IPA' - this was the first tapping of this beer at Haymarket. IPAs, because of their emphasis on hop aroma and flavor, are especially good fresh - the hop aroma especially can dissipate rather quickly.
This was a remarkable beer. I could identify Cascade and Centennial hops, and despite the bitterness, this beer gave an overall impression of balance. Not a 'slap you in the face with hops' beer, but thoroughly enjoyable. This is my favorite type of American style IPA - the freshness of the hops singing through with just the right amount of malt balance. And getting to try it during its initial tapping was a real bonus.
Haymarket is located at the corner of Halsted and Randolph.
