By Trent Modglin

Old Irving Brewing
4419 W. Montrose Ave. in Chicago
OldIrvingBrewing.com

Monday-Thursday: Noon-11 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: Noon-midnight
Sunday: Noon-10 p.m.

History in short: Like so many others, the founders of Old Irving began brewing beer in their garages with aspirations of making a living at it and creating something for the community to share. Having just celebrated their eighth anniversary — and owners of a few hundred different ales and lagers and some major awards along the way — it’s safe to say they’ve made it successfully to the other side.

Jeff Linnemeyer, who had just left the financial industry, and Trevor Rose-Hamblin, a seasoned GM and chef at esteemed restaurants like Moto and iNG in Chicago and a longtime brewer, joined forces to get things off the ground back in 2016.

A lot of expansion has happened since, primarily in terms of distribution across Illinois and Wisconsin and the recent addition of a pair of 10,000-square-foot production facilities in Chicago’s West Loop, where they have plans for a future taproom as well.

As proof of their brewing skills across a multitude of styles, Rose-Hamblin and his team have snagged gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup for Beezer (their flagship hazy IPA), as well as a silver at GABF for Della (kolsch), a silver in 2024 at FoBAB for the Champuraddo Krampus barrel-aged stout, and then a bronze this past fall the coffee variant.

The cavernous beer hall, with its communal tables perfect for big gatherings, was designed to feel like a beer garden, and the company’s desire to create a family-friendly atmosphere is obvious.

The space: Just steps from the Kennedy Expressway on the far northwest side of the city, Old Irving’s brick-laden taproom offers two distinctly different warehouse-style rooms, each with plenty of character.

First, the bar side, with a large square bar in the middle of the room, exposed duct work, TVs, a long couch for those waiting for a table, and a famous Washington Irving quote on the wall: “Those who think beer, drink beer.”

The cavernous beer hall, with its communal tables perfect for big gatherings, was designed to feel like a beer garden, and the company’s desire to create a family-friendly atmosphere is obvious, especially on weekend afternoons. Having the massive brewing tanks as a backdrop is an added plus in terms of aesthetics.

“We’ve always been able to connect with people, and that’s the biggest thing. Being able to be at a table and have a shared experience over food, beer, cocktails or a conversation, and transcend what this business is.”

Interesting note: Old Irving’s dedication to quality across the board has earned them a spot on USA Today’s 10 Best Brewpubs list a whopping five times.

They also make a habit of rolling out regular (and creative) weekend food specials, ranging from brisket chili bread bowls to crispy lasagna bites and flan-topped brownies.

What we’re eating and drinking: Well, considering how robust and enticing the food and beer menus are here, it’s more difficult to think about what we won’t be eating and drinking.

The Beezer hazy IPA, Della kolsch and award-winning Krampus barrel-aged stouts may be what put OIB on the map, but this beer list is loaded with quite a variety. On a recent visit we enjoyed Lifesblood dark lager and Doji, a crisp West Coast pilsner that’s slightly hoppy and citrusy (and a trend we hope continues in the beer world). Galactic Thoughts (double hazy IPA) and Ursa Major (Baltic porter) are seasonal favorites of ours too.

Hurry out to get your hands on the seasonal Cinnamon Prost white stout that’s ideal for a cold day. The Cushy series of fruited sours has gained popularity of late too. Recently tapped was Cushy Blues, made with real blueberry and and blackberry concentrate and slightly tart, slightly sweet and easy-drinking. Black cherry and blood orange versions are up next this winter and spring.

The mac & cheese with pimento cheese sauce and ranch-seasoned breadcrumbs is dynamite — and don’t forget to add bacon or house-braised brisket. … The wood-fired Spanish octopus and crispy chicken sandwich are patron favorites as well.

For food, we highly recommend the Burger of the Week, where Chef Alex uses a blend of brisket, short rib and ground chuck and gets all kinds of creative with toppings. The mac & cheese with pimento cheese sauce and ranch-seasoned breadcrumbs is dynamite (don’t forget to add bacon or house-braised brisket). The white cheddar cheese curds, garlic parmesan wings and roasted Brussels sprouts with a cherry-jalapeno glaze are great for sharing with the table. The wood-fired Spanish octopus and crispy chicken sandwich (with your choice of sauces like mole BBQ, Tokyo hot, spicy honey mustard, etc.) are patron favorites as well.

“I’ve met people who only know us for beer, like Beezer, or our burgers, but then I mention other menu items like the wood-fired Spanish octopus and they’re like, ‘Wait… what?’” says Rose-Hamblin. “I love that we can blow people’s minds in different ways.”

“We’ve always been able to connect with people, and that’s the biggest thing. Being able to be at a table and have a shared experience over food, beer, cocktails or a conversation, and transcend what this business is.”

On the horizon: Old Irving has never been able to keep Lucky Linny, their seasonal Irish red ale with roasted malts and Centennial hops, on tap for long, so they ratcheted up their supply this spring to appease the masses.

“To me, it’s part of the exciting thing about expanding this brand,” Rose-Hamblin says. “It’s one of my favorite beers we do. It’s all about getting out of the dead of winter and having a nice Irish red in March, knowing that spring is around the corner.”

Old Irving hosts an annual St. Patrick’s Day party the Saturday before the holiday (March 14 this year). The nearby Irish American Heritage Center also has a huge, day-long event, and revelers often bounce around between the two venues.

From the brewery:
“People may not talk about us with Goldfinger, Dovetail or Art History in terms of being a lagerhouse, but I feel like with the lagers we do seasonally and the amount of care and passion that goes into them, we make sure they are on par with the best in the world. … One of the things I love about Trevor is that if one of the guys who’s brewing for us believes in something and is passionate about it, he trusts them. That’s a great quality.”

— Director of operations Matthew Moldenhauer

“The philosophy I have is when you can keep it simple, keep it simple and let a certain ingredient shine. But when you’re doing something that’s very malt driven, we’ll curate a recipe that highlights heritage malts or specialty grains so you have an extra runway to play with things.”

— Co-founder and head brewer Trevor Rose-Hamblin