#100. Butch McGuire's. Chicago, Illinois

20 West Division Street #100

Guinness Tag: $11 | Overall Rating: 9.90

Today's Dedicated Pint: Marjory E. Dury

I didn't know what I was walking into when I stepped foot inside Butch's front door, and I couldn't have been more flabbergasted right off the rip. Butch McGuire's shows reverence to the Irish Pub scene in America from the second you walk in until the moment you escape. I say escape because it's not easy to close out your tab here. I mean, the pictures do it justice, however, I'll explain it on paper for those reading this in my book, "Stepping Foot Inside Every Irish Pub in America."

As soon as I walked in, I got a handshake from a guy named Steve, who welcomed me through the door and gave me a rundown of the place. He saw the evident look of "Holy shit" on my face, as my eyes first glanced at all of the lights and total insanity. Again, I had absolutely no clue that this Pub was such a staple here in Chicago when I arrived. I'm glad I came in blind, because it punched me right in the face with excitement and awe which lasted throughout my stay. As I received my pint of Guinness, I told myself, "I need a butt ton of time to process this place." It's a party in here, but it's not a shitshow.

Speaking of that pint... That pint of Guinness was the only one throughout all of the 100 Pubs I've been to where I forgot to take a picture of the pour! No bullshit: I blame it on how excited I was to be inside Butch McGuire's. It was the most expensive pint of Guinness that I've ever knocked back, but it was poured the right way, and it went down like pumpkin pie during Autumn.

It was a random Thursday afternoon, 3:30 pm to be exact, and the place was full. Almost every chair was taken, and as you listened to the music and typical bar noise, all you heard was laughter and happy tones of voices. I like to rate Pubs off of the Craic, and Butch McGuire's is undoubtably number one throughout Chicago on the "Craic factor." The best Craic in an American Irish Pub is when every waking person under the roof is contributing to the magic. It's when the bargoers, the bartenders, the management, the dishwasher, and even the homeless guy panhandling out front are all forgetting about life for the moment and only focusing on one thing: being happy. Time and money are nonexistent, and only heartfelt conversations, music, and camaraderie are what matters. That's when you'll find the most magical moments. That's the Craic. That's Butch McGuire's.

There are two bars in here: the main one, and a small horseshoe in the back. All of the spinning ceiling decorations are handmade in their workshop upstairs! They blast every square inch with lights and seasonal decorations. It reminds me a lot like The Dead Rabbit over in NYC, but it surely has its own vibe. Butch's closes at 5 am. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets pretty sloshy here later in the night, but we're not going to think about that. I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more if I have to: The best time to enjoy an Irish Pub is when the sun is still shining. I'm taking it to my grave. Don't ever take what I say about an Irish Pub and compare it to what you're experiencing at two in the morning. The dots won't connect.

When the place opened in 1961, Butch borrowed money from his mom to open the place. He was considered the "Unofficial Mayor of Division Street," and he was one of the first people to hire women as bartenders in Chicago. The Pub sits right across the street from The Lodge Tavern, which is one hell of a cozy Pub that I strongly advise bending the elbows in.

The staff clearly cares about this place. Steve and a few others kept saying hi throughout my time here, asking how my trip in Chicago was going and constantly telling me fun stories about the Pub. Mind you, I've never and will never tell anyone that I'm arriving to their Pub in advance. For one, nobody knows who the hell I am. For seconds, that would totally take the fun out of what I'm doing.

They offer "Seasoned Singles Nights" for people over the age of 35. I love it. Another thing I love about Butch's? The men's room has a trough! Every dude can agree that peeing in a trough beats peeing in a toilet every day of the week. You always gotta tip the hat toward those who offer a trough in their establishment.

This was my 100th official Irish Pub visit here in America. I'm glad it was at Butch McGuire's. There's more to be said about Butch's, but I'm going to wait to tell you whenever we happen to be sitting at a barstool together. My journey has just begun, and I've never been more passionate in my life to continue on. I've been passionate about many things in life, but continuing this mission of stepping foot inside every Irish Pub in America takes the cake. I've learned so much and I've met some of the coolest people (and the biggest dirtbags). My writing is slightly better, too. I'm excited to wear Cincinnati on my sleeve everywhere I go. Although my time as Mr. Red is at an end, I'll always be a mascot for the city of Cincinnati. As I travel the country for all of these Pubs, I'm going to play my hand in the world of darts. I figured, why not compete in some darts tournaments while I'm at it? I've already played alongside Leonard Gates, but the dream is set on playing against the guys in the PDC. I have people in the Cincinnati bar league wanting to fight me because of my dart game, so maybe it'll be good to give some of those clowns a break from me for a bit, haha.

I hope I found you reading this by mistake and you're now realizing what you've come across. The Drunken Mallard is about bringing the Irish Pub world together. It's not about finding the sexiest looking Pub out there; it's about finding the Craic. I hope you follow me as I head to Georgetown, KY next week for my 101st Pub visit. Shit's getting real now.

Slainte!