Phil Vaquez, co-manager at Beermiscuous in Highwood, IL
552 Sheridan Road in Highwood
2812 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago
Beermiscuous.com

Favorite breweries: The upside of my job is that I get to taste a little bit of what everyone is brewing. The downside is that it makes it so much more difficult to pick favorites (poor me). Ask me again next week and these choices might be entirely different, but for now: It’s hard to beat what Goldfinger Brewing is bringing to the lager game these days.

Revolution‘s Deep Woods Series is my favorite barrel-aged program around. Half Acre will always have a special place in my heart for being the first place I went after signing my first apartment lease to move to the city.

Drinking tendencies: I drink a bit of everything, but if you have an ESB on your menu, I guarantee you I’m getting a pint sometime during my visit. Hanging out with Ziggy, our Beermiscuous co-owner, curator, and resident Lukr fanatic, has turned me into a sidepull junkie. If you have a Lukr tap, chances are high that I’m getting whatever’s pouring on that too. Bonus points if it’s a dark lager.

Art History Brewing

Recent beers that have caught your eye: Speaking of ESB, we just stocked Art History‘s version and it’s absolutely fantastic. They did their fastenbier again this year, and I think it tasted even better off of their new system at Geneva Lager Works. The subtle, restrained smokiness was just… (chef’s kiss). We’ve been open for four and a half years, so it’s getting pretty rare for me to stock a style we’ve never carried before, but I shelved our very first eisbock two weeks ago — Jotunheimr by Pollyanna. Who else is out there freeze distilling?

Spring and summertime is when low ABV hoppy beer sounds best to me. … I’m 100 percent on board with the cold IPA wave, and I hope I see more of them pop up (though it’ll be difficult to beat Frost by Old Irving).

What are you looking forward to enjoying on draft this spring/early summer: Spring and summertime is when low ABV hoppy beer sounds best to me, so I’m looking forward to some classic pales and hoppy lagers. I’m 100 percent on board with the cold IPA wave, and I hope I see more of them pop up (though it’ll be difficult to beat Frost by Old Irving. Crossing my fingers that one makes a comeback).

I’m also looking forward to seeing some more West Coast-style pilsners like the ones Phase Three and Roaring Table have done. Hoppy and crisp is the name of the game. Once the first real hot and sunny days of summer hit, I can see myself grabbing a 12-pack of Half Acre‘s new lime lager, Green Torch. That one’s gonna be a fridge staple here in June and July.

Favorite beer bars in Illinois: It would be criminal for me not to give the nod to Hopleaf in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. Coincidently, if this question was “Favorite spot for mussels,” my answer would be the same. You can’t beat a Pauwel Kwak (Belgian strong pale ale) and some mussels. I finally got to make it to Super Stout Sunday, this year and I couldn’t believe the selection. I got to taste some Revolution deep cuts that I never thought I’d get my hands on and a couple of beers from Cruz Blanca‘s Luchador series that I had missed. So… expect to catch me at Hopleaf every Super Bowl Sunday from now on.

Once the first real hot and sunny days of summer hit, I can see myself grabbing a 12-pack of Half Acre’s new lime lager, Green Torch. That one’s gonna be a fridge staple here in June and July.

Best brewery you’ve hit on vacation: Back in 2017, I helped one of my best friends move from California to Chicago. We took our time, roughly followed Route 66, and made the trip last most of a week. I got to try a ton of great beer on that trip, but the brewery scene in Albuquerque blew me away. Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. was my favorite of the bunch. The taproom is gorgeous, and the beers were all on point, from saisons to IPAs. They’re on my “must see” list for the next time I’m back in the Southwest.

Secret beer spot: This is where I shed a tear for my dearly departed Fountainhead Market. That tiny hallway of a bottle shop was my go-to for years. It might not be a secret, but I’ve been spending a lot of time over at The Green Post on Rockwell in Chicago, which happens to be run by the same folks that were at Fountainhead.

I tend to treat beer bars and breweries like coffee shops (the hardest part of dry January this year was trying to figure out where I go to write), and it’s hard to beat the cafe/pub atmosphere at Green Post. Plus, they’ve always had mild and ESB on draft every time I’ve been there. Have I mentioned I like ESB?