Maplewood Brewery & Distillery
2717 N Maplewood Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
MaplewoodBrew.com

Monday: 3-9 p.m.
Tuesday-Wednesday: 3-10 p.m.
Thursday: 3 p.m.-midnight
Friday: 1 p.m.-midnight
Saturday: 11 a.m.-midnight
Sunday: 12-10 p.m.

History in short: Adam Cieslak and Ari Megalis were home brewers and distillers going back to 2005, when they would brew in Ari’s basement, in kitchens, even borrowed banquet halls where they could utilize more powerful burners. “Sometimes we’d get back home at 5 a.m,” Cieslak says. “It made for some long nights, but it was fun.”

With a bit of disposable income and not a ton of responsibilities at the time, the two longtime friends and Megalis’ brother Paul decided to take the plunge in 2013, officially opening Maplewood for production on site in September of 2014, followed by the taproom lounge in 2017. They began really ratcheting things up on the distilling side post-Covid. 

“Beer has been the bread of butter, so it was hard to dedicate an entire tank to, say, a whiskey that’s going to take a lot of time,” Cieslak admits. “But we made a concerted effort to grow that side of the business like we did our beer, and it was some work to get to that point, responsibly, growing at an organic pace.”

The space: Maplewood’s cozy, triangular, warehouse-like lounge is tucked away at the end of Maplewood Avenue, just off of Diversey in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood and walking distance from Ravinia and Metropolitan (affectionately known as Chicago’s Brewer’s Triangle). The deceptively large production facility is visible through windows behind the bar. With the revolving tap list and cocktail menu, it’s the kind of place you can come back to a week later and have a completely different experience.

Maplewood has put a lot of work into their cocktail program, and it shows. “I’d actually put our cocktails up against any of the nicer places in the city,” Cieslak says. The spirits that go into them are all made in house, even the syrups.

Interesting note: Maplewood has put a lot of work into their cocktail program, and it shows. “I’d actually put our cocktails up against any of the nicer places in the city,” Cieslak says. The spirits that go into them are all made in house, even the syrups, and they’re constantly evolving with variations of classic cocktails, in addition to some creative seasonal options. Maplewood’s canned cocktails really took off last  summer too. 

What we’re drinking: Maplewood made its name, at least initially, on two perennial favorites: Son of Juice (a juicy, low-bitter IPA) and Charlatan (“a classic American pale ale we’re still really proud of”). Not to be forgotten are other staples like the Pulaski Pils, Juice Jorts and Brownie Points, a smooth, creamy English brown ale with chocolate, toffee and vanilla flavors (with a nitro option). 

On a recent visit, we enjoyed the Colliding Canopies Northeast-style DIPA and the complex yet mellow Fat Pug oatmeal milk stout. And, if you can still get your hands on it, grab yourself a pint of Silver Morning, a tasty and traditional dopplebock inspired by Ayinger’s Celebrator that falls into that middle range where it’s malty and rich at 6.8%. 

We’ve also fallen in love with their coffee liqueur, made with Chicago-based Hexe Coffee and perfect for mixing with one of their whiskeys or bourbons, or just fine on its own over ice. It carries rich notes of fresh ground coffee, dark chocolate, caramel and charred marshmallow.

We’ve fallen in love with Maplewood’s coffee liqueur, made with Chicago-based Hexe Coffee and perfect for mixing with one of their whiskeys or bourbons, or just fine on its own over ice.

On the horizon: The Maplewood team is excited to introduce their 19.2-ounce cans, as well as Super Son of Juice, a higher-octane version of the original they brewed in the fall. Several whiskeys and bourbons, as well as a high rye, came of age this fall too. Keep an eye out for their Heritage Whiskey, a true single malt that was fermented in 30-barrel oak foeders.

From the brewery: “I’m most proud of having such a diverse program from the beer to the liquor to the canned cocktails. It’s all about staying consistent and keeping quality as a focus — and then growing while keeping those standards in place. … If you like our beer but haven’t tried our cocktails, we think you’ll be just as happy.” — Co-owner Adam Cieslak