One Lake Brewing Company, 1 Lake St, Oak Park, IL. 60302 phone: #708-434-5232   website: OneLakeBrewing.com
Hours: Mon - 4pm–10pm | Tues - closed | Wed-Thur - 4pm–11pm | Fri - 4pm–12am | Sat - 11am-12am | Sun - 11am-10pm

Experience before you go . . .

So Brad and I packed up and as we shuffled out the Kinslagher front door, we stopped and looked around. I call it watching clouds. As a kid in the 60's I remember laying in the grass with the sun in my face and a dandelion hangin out of my mouth and just watching the clouds go by. Imagination going wild with all the different shapes.....pretty carefree back then for an eight year old. Take time to watch the clouds, physically and metaphorically! So Brad points across the street and says, "Looky there, it's Wired"! I could write a book on why this means the world to Brad but I'll keep it short. Wired is a venue comparable to the House of Rock where kids get a chance to form a Rock and Roll band and play in front of a crowd made mostly of family and friends. Okay there's more, Wired is owned in part by Paul Bolger from Chicago's Original Jam Band "Mr. Blotto" and Beer Drinking Buddy Brad is by far their biggest fan. Over the years Brad has been to 298* Mr. Blotto concerts and is a back stage regular*. Brad turned me on to Mr. Blotto at a Naperville Nights outdoor concert 4-5 years ago. And I got to tell ya they're all about jamming. They're contagious and habit forming and definitely head knocking worthy. So closing in on 100 tours it's appropriate to give a HBT shout out to Brad's #1 band, Mr. Blotto......Rock Steady Boys, Rock Steady!!!

"Hey Siri, directions to 1 Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois", and as easy as that we were on our way to the second Hoppin Brewery Tour of the day....One Lake Brewing! Our 4-wheel drive HBT chariot whisks us away through one brown stone neighborhood after another as we motor down the road in search of hops, malts and fermentation. "So how's the Cadillac doing"? "I sold it", "Say it ain't so, Brad"! The black 1991 Cadillac DeVille had been on many tours and it was like the comfiest couch on four wheels....we always smiled when we were riding in the caddy!

Street parking, plug the meter and we head for the door. Front sign selfie and let's get the heck out of the cold. Inside the door we're met by a hostess, which not a lot of breweries have unless there's a substantial food element with table seating. We're told if you want to battle the elements, up on the rooftop patio there's drinks and snacks. "We gotta check it out"! Up the three sets of stairs we go to the roof top where we have flurries, 20 degree temps and about 20 or so folks huddled around the bar against the far wall drinking a hot something from styrofoam cups. Brad hits the men's room while I try to order two of the somethings with very little success so by the time Brad makes it back we decide to venture back down to the first floor bar where's it's warm and they have cold beer. Two empty bar stools on the corner await us as we get comfy and I hand a HBT card to Leroy behind the bar.

Not really sure if his name is Leroy but every now and then I don't write down a name so today it's Leroy......got a nice feel to it!! I order my usual flight with four One Lake beauties starting with the Blonde - Light American Blonde Ale (4.0%, 40 IBU) crisp & light; next The Parsons - English Sessions Ale (4.0%) caramel and smooth; third was Telegraph Hill (7.2%) California style, strong but very drinkable; last was the Schvartz - German Black Beer (5.5%) cigar and fireplace middle of the winter.

Come to find out that to Brad's left and keeping with our Hoppin' Brewery Tour Music theme we have Mick and Chris who are faculty colleagues at Northwestern University and who are both trombone players. Yes, trombone players who were at One Lake Brewing catching up over a tasty beer. Mick who had just flown home to Chicago from Switzerland the day before and who's arms were really tired and Chris preceded to tell us that he lives around the corner and it's exactly 89 steps away.....how interesting and humorous is that!! Only on the HBT!

One Lake Brewing is a neighborhood favorite with far reaching regional popularity. Three floors with roof top summer seating filled with great beer and great food.....easy to find and easy to remember.

Until next time and remember.....

Go get'cha one!!!