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The Fireside is a great beer bar. It's open until 4am nightly, 5am on saturdays. The hundred year old building doubles as a casual dining restaurant by day. They do serve food from the restaurant menu in their bar as well, and they serve it til 3am (anything from filet mignon to pizzas to appetizers and bar food). Most importantly, they have a killer selection of American microbrews, Belgian ales, and everything in between. Some interesting things about the Fireside: They have a 180 ingredient Bloody Mary bar that accompanies their Saturday and Sunday brunch (served til 3pm). The place is across from a giant cemetery and, according to local lore, is supposedly haunted--Chicago Ghost Tours stop their frequently. They also have a sprawling multi-tiered beer garden out back. For more info, visit their website: www.FiresideChicago.com
Check out whatever Belgian ales are in rotation at the time. Delirium Tremens is a great standby that they always have on hand. Other more off-beat selections include Le Chouffe or Lucifer, or for American microbrews, check out one of the Lagunitas brews, Dogfish Head, or a Bell's. Also, if you happen to be around the Chicago area in the summer, check with them about their annual Brewmaster Dinner, in which they invite a high-end Microbrewery to provide a wide array of beer on tap and speak a little about each of their beers. This is accompanied by a five course meal, each of which is cooked with a different beer from the brewery. Last year they had Lagunitas. Previous breweries include Unibroue, Dogfish Head, Bells, and New Holland.
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