Revolution Brewery Tour

Last week, a few of my friends and I took a tour of Revolution Brewery through the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Chicago. Not to be confused with the Revolution Brewpub in Logan Square which has delicious food so go there, the actual brewery is located in the Kennedy Planned Manufacturing District (I didn't know this was an actual area, either). 

If you've seen Drinking Buddies, it's filmed here

I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's taken me years to take this tour. After a failed attempt two years ago to both find the location, and then once we found it, to get a spot on one of the coveted tours, I've been trying to make another trip.

Thinking everyone would have romantic dinner plans, I thought it would be a good idea to go during the afternoon this past Valentine's Day. Apparently, I'm not as clever as I think and everyone else in the city had the same idea. It was super crowded and there was a 4 hour wait for the next tour! (Sidenote: parents, if you're going to go to a brewery on Valentine's Day, maybe leave the kids at home?).

I had given up hope of ever going on a tour of Revolution, so when I received an email from the ND Club of Chicago saying that they had spots on a tour for young alumni, I immediately signed up.

Worth the wait

I've probably been on at least a dozen or so brewery tours at this point, but since I drink Revolution beers a lot, I was excited to go on this one. But - spoiler alert - this tour was almost exactly like all the other brewery tours I've been on! Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I know to expect learning about the process through which beer is made (typical) but then we also got to learn about Revolution specific items - such as the history of the brewery, their production/distribution, their designs, etc. I won't get into any specifics - instead go on the tour to learn more.

My favorite parts of the tour: getting 1.5 free samples of beer, free popcorn and getting to see all of the cans stored in the brewery. I also got to try Fist City - a pale ale that tastes really hoppy - for the first time, which might be my new favorite Revolution beer. It's being distributed in cans now, so you can all try it for yourselves - as long as you live in the Chicago region!

so many cans!

and more cans

My least favorite parts of the tour: having to wear safety glasses on the tour (surprisingly not fashion forward) and trying to get to the brewery itself, as it's in a location not convenient to public transport. 

Although it took me almost 3 years of living in Chicago to go on this tour, I would definitely suggest taking a trip. The tour is free and the beer is great - just make sure you plan ahead or get to the brewery early to make sure you get a spot!