Guinness Open Gate Brewery. Chicago, Illinois

901 West Kinzie Street

Guinness Tag: $9.00 | Overall Rating: 5.00 (?)

Today's Dedicated Pint: Joey Votto

Guinness Open Gate Brewery curb appeal of West Loop Chicago

It may not necessarily be an Irish Pub, but it's getting listed on The Drunken Mallard's list of stops nonetheless! It's known that over 10 MILLION pints of Guinness are consumed every single day, equating to almost 4 BILLION each year. Guinness is sold in over 120 countries around the world, leaving people drinking the beautiful stout in almost every time zone. It's pretty amazing to think that when you include every tap-handle on the planet, there's (probably) always Guinness being poured out of a tap every second of the day. It's just an endless flow of Guinness!

This vegan-friendly, dark red, low-calorie stout is a must have for an Irish Pub, making it a staple for all Drunken Mallard Pub ratings. If you're someone who plans on drinking a lot of it throughout the years, then you'd be smart to shave your face. In 2020, it had been determined that men with bushy mustaches lose 162,719 pints of Guinness each year due to their mustache bristles! It's the only reason you'll never see me with facial hair...

The bar and dining room of Guinness Open Gate Brewery Chicago

Anyway, let's look at their brewery located in the West Loop of Chicago. It didn't sign a 9,000-year lease like the original brewery in Dublin, but it's safe to say that they aren't leaving anytime soon. The Guinness company plans on utilizing this beautiful building (opened in 2023), to brew new beers to accompany their flagship brew. They want to be known as someone who isn't just a "one beer wonder," and rather someone who knows how to brew a variety of beers. So far, it's easy to say that the majority of people will still be calling them a "one hit wonder" for a little while longer.

The brewery is open every day, including brunch on the weekends that starts at 9am. The staff is friendly and the bartenders know how to pour a fantastic pint. It may sound lame or corny to say this, but throughout my visit of 22 Irish Pubs in the Chicago area, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery served the best pint of Guinness out of all of them, and it wasn't even close. Not only was the pour a perfect one, but the head was so rich, thick, and creamy that the first few sips tasted like you were indulging into a cake. Jeremy, our bartender, was/is incredibly knowledgeable and funny. We talked about ditching our smart phones and going back to the old school flip phones to return to the simpler times in life (I think I'm totally doing it here soon).

There's not a lot to dive into here when it comes to giving it a Pub rating, as it's not really a place that I'd typically stumble into regarding The Drunken Mallard agenda. The gift shop hustled about $85 out of me and the toiletries definitely left me with a lasting impression (photos below). You can get here via the CTA accompanied by a short walk, so if you're staying in a hotel within the downtown area then I definitely recommend giving this place a visit. If you're on a big time crunch, then perhaps leave the brewery for the next time you're in the area though.

Slainte!