Metropolitan Brewing

One of my favorite brewery tours.

One of the most informative brewery tours I’ve been on (and I’ve gone on quite a few) from a unique gem in the vastly growing crowd of craft breweries.
Many other brewers spend time talking about the amounts and types of hops they use in their brewing process, or their bottling line capacity, or how much wort can be run through their heat exchanger. Yet not so much about what in the heck ‘wort’ is or why a heat exchanger is important. Basically, what was going on inside all those different stainless steel tanks?
Well Doug does a great job of walking both the uninitiated and informed through the process, which is very easy to follow in a small batch brewery (15BBL system) like Metro’s. You literally can see the hoses and pipes connecting everything and in a matter of less than 20 steps go from mashing to boiling to fermenting to filtering to bottling. On top of the technical aspects he makes the story interesting and is sure to not only highlight the lagering process they use as opposed to the ubiquitous ales that nearly ever other brewing makes, but also to put in a few lighthearted jabs at macro brews and their silly marketing techniques.
They also provide a hearty pour of each of their four beers for you to sample during the tour, and in the small group setting are open to answering any and all questions at the end of the tour. And all this for $ 5, so if you are lucky enough to catch available tickets for tours on their website as they periodically open up I highly suggest it.
Although I’m partial to hoppy American ales I love having ultra-​fresh lagers right here in Chicago, not to mention these are my wife’s favorite local craft beers as well.

I was notified that I they were opening the facility for tours and I snapped up the chance to go. The process was simple and easy with no tickets, just put your name down on the list and show up the day of. The check in was easy I just showed my id to prove my age/​identity and received a cup and went to taste their Krankshaft, Kolsch. To be frank, I wasn’t that much of a fan of Flywheel or Dynamo but their Krankshaft and Ironworks, were really good. The beer making process is the same everywhere so the hearing how it was made was the same as the other brewery tours I’ve been to. However, Doug made some very funny remarks about ‘triple-​hopping’ and ‘cold-​filtering’ that added some interesting spice to the tour.
The tour was short since it was basically a short walk from mash tun to fermenter to labeler and so it was a short 30 minutes-​ish but still entertaining. I did enjoy Iron Works, which is going to be seasonal now. A pretty good tour and a respectable focus on a certain type of beer. Glad I came to the tour, and bought up a t-​shirt too.

I went on the brewery tour here a couple of months ago and it was great! A large group of us went and we had a great experience. Upon arriving were let in and given our glasses for tasting. After letting everyone try a few of the more popular beers they started the tour. The brew-​master was very passionate and he gave great insight as to how they run and maintain such a great local brewery in the city. I learned a lot about the care they take in creating the recipes, obtaining the ingredients and the brewing process. Not to mention the packaging and distribution, it’s a big job! I’m very proud to have such great brew coming out of my neighborhood in Chicago… I make sure to grab one whenever I see Metropolitan on tap.

Big fan of their kolsh! Great local brew!

I am very disappointed with this business and the people that ruined my plans.
I emailed Metropolitan Brewery 6 weeks ago to plan a brewery tour for my best friend’s bachelor party. It took more than two weeks to get a response. I had to physically go drive to the brewery and find someone to talk to because they would not return phone calls or emails. I emailed numerous times and called any number that I could find but got no response. Only after visiting in person and speaking with someone did I get a response.
I set up the brewer tour, time and cost. I finalized all these plans with Jess (the minion). Five days before the bachelor party/​brewer tour I received an email from Jess notifying me that they are canceling the scheduled tour. FIVE DAYS before!!!
I do not know how a business that can not keep its commitments stays in business. I would avoid this place and its people. I am again very, very disappointed with Metropolitan Brewery.

This was an awesome brewery that I got to visit for an ACS tour. Doug and Tracy were amazingly friendly and willing to go over every intricate detail of their brewery and their operations. Let’s not forgot about Phelps. Nothing like a brewery dog for mascot. My personal favorite is the Kolsch style beer followed by the Flywheel. If you get the chance visit the brewery. It’s kind of interesting to have one in the middle of Ravenswood.

Amazing brews. Their staff is passionate, knowledgeable, experience, and incredibly welcoming! Dynamo and Flywheel are a must to try!
Thanks!
Jessica Dietrich

Overall — Just went here for my birthday with friends… went on the tour and it was great. It’s a very small, local brewery (owners were friendly & laid-​back) — but similar to other brewery tours i’ve been too– they show you where the beer’s brewed and what goes in. They gave out 3 samples, which were delicious! My husband and I have since purchased their beer at Whole Foods, but I also saw it in World Market Plus.
I wish they were a little more generous with the «tasting» portion of the tour. We had a small plastic cup and literally got a «taste» of the beer. I was hoping for refills, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. :(But we’ll still buy the beer– my fave is the kolsch style — Krank Shaft!
Location — we took a cab here and it was a little difficult to find. He dropped us off a block away and we finally found it on the other end of the block!

I took the tour of the brewery and found it to be well worth the $ 5. Not only do you get to sample the beers, but the process of brewing is broken down as Doug does a very good job of explaining it and making it fun to listen to!
Through the tour, I’ve learned how important it is to drink local brews. Not only is this particular group of folks pursuing their passion, and it’s great to support people like them — but beer itself is something that loses it’s flavor, the more you filter, and pasteurize it. When you drink locally, this process isn’t necessary any longer, so you get a product that tastes excellent! So I would encourage everybody to drink Metropolitan!

At this time (July, 2010) they are unable to sell beer or merchandise directly to the public due to zoning regulations. However, you *can* purchase items from their online store using a credit card or Paypal.
Now on to the beer! As the brewery is about as «micro» as they come, and the brewers at Metro focus exclusively on German-​style beers, the selection at present is limited to three brews: A kolsch, a copper lager, and a «bright» lager. All are available in bottles and on draft all over Chicagoland (the website will help you find the closest location), and all are excellent.
Beer tastes best when it doesn’t have to undergo the flavor-​sapping pasteurization process required for shipment out of town/​state/​country — and the only way to drink fresh beer like this is to buy it locally produced.
Another reviewer recommended the tour, and I do as well. For only $ 5, you can have samples and a tour given by the brewers themselves (the entire company has only 3 staff members). Once you experience their passion for the art of brewing and taste the evidence, you’ll find yourself watching out for their taps all over town!

I love beer very much and was so excited when Metropolitan opened their doors just blocks from my house last year. I was only able to catch a tour recently and had a great time. Lots of generous pours of all their available beers while they talked about their dedication to beer and Star Wars.
Doug and Tracy are passionate and approachable and led a fun tour. Metropolitan is their labor of love and it shows.

If you get a chance, go on the brewery tour (under Store section of their website). For $ 5, you learn all things Metropolitan Brewing and get to sample several of their beers. Doug (studied in Germany for a bit) and Tracy know their stuff and have a passion for craft beer.
Flywheel is my favorite of theirs and a map on their website shows all the places that sell their beer.
A brewery in my neighborhood that has great tasting, FRESH beer? Yes, please!

Considering the craft beer market is primarily dominated by ales, it’s a pleasure and a privilege to see a local brewery focusing on lager beers. It’s even better that those beers are delicious!
Metropolitan only brews a few beers, but they’re all quite good. Flywheel Bright Lager is a crisp, refreshing beer that’s great for the summer; Dynamo Copper Lager has a more malty, slightly sweeter body and flavor while still being extremely drinkable. Their kölsch, alt and doppelbock, though seasonal, are also very good. There’s some minor variability between batches sometimes, but overall they’re very consistent.
Best of all, Doug and Tracy are two of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, even within the already-​sociable brewing community. They participate in lots of local events and never hesitate to chat or talk shop. I hope Metropolitan sticks around Chicago for a long time to come.

I had the rare opportunity to have a private tour of this brewery with a small group of Brew Geeks. I love hangin’ with techies or scientific types and listening to them speak their techie language, and to be envious of their ability to do so. I also like to meet nice new doggie friends (which I did here) and sample beer. Yum!
So this microbrewery has only been here since January 2009. It is owned by a young passionate and hard-​working couple, Doug and Tracy, who lovingly produce several delicious German Lagers in their Ravenswood/​Andersonville space. The three main beers are Dynamo Copper, Fly Wheel Bright and Krankshaft.
I really enjoyed all of these, but the Dynamo was my favorite. Very clean and smooth going down, but still sportinig a rich and complex flavor. I also got to taste a Pilsner Doug was making, which was just as good as all the Czech ones I’ve tried, but without the slight bitterness or bite which is common in those.
Again, being here with a bunch of brewmeisters impressed upon me the complexity of knowledge and technique required to make great beer. And Doug and Tracy do just that. You can sample their brews at The Hopleaf and their website has a list of retail outlets too.
So support a local brewer (there are only 3 in Chicago) and pick up a six-​pack of Dynamo or Flywheel to share with your friends.

Recently had the Dynamo Copper Lager at Hopleaf. I’m intrigued. Looking forward to tracking down and trying the other brews. Really dig that they are in the city and in my neighborhood.
Drink Local!

Dear Tracy and Doug,
Thank you for genius brewmasters and being tremendously cool people. Please don’t ever stop.
I promise I’ll visit the brewery soon.
Drink up and drink local!
Love,
Kellie K

Great beer, made right here in Chicago, by nice people. What’s not to like? I am a big Flywheel fan (love the hops); Dynamo’s OK too for an amber lager. I saw a showing of «Beer» by the Neo-​Futurists here, and came back to help Jess and Doug and Tracy bottle and box beer.
Support your local brewmasters, drink Metro.

Doug & Tracy saw a gap in the armada of craft beer: Lager beers.
(If you did not know: ales can be brewed, and sold, quicker than lagers. «Lager» is German for «to store».)
So they began brewing lagers mostly out of their home. They found a location which used to be an auto repair shop on the *north* side of Chicago.
If you visit Metropolitan’s weblog [
], you’ll get the details.
I have had both of their regular offerings. I prefer the Dynamo Copper Lager. It’s a Vienna style beer (compare it to Dos Equis Amber, or Great Lakes Elliot Ness), of which there are not many brewed in North America.

Big fan of both their Dynamo and Flywheel lagers (bottle or draft). Also a big fan of owners Tracy & Doug. Hard working, fun loving folks who are so very passionate about their brewery.
And I would cut them slack on any alleged «supply issues» — its just been the two of ‘em manning the ship and their goods are in high demand.
I wish them the best and can’t wait to see what Metro has in store for Chicago!
Two articles just published today that mention Metro:
Trib:
Wall Street Journal: