My notes and camera will remember what my brain cannot.

Yes, I wrote down what I drank last night. I wrote it down because I knew that if I did not write it down, I would never remember what I drank because I knew I drank too much. Make sense?

So, let’s break down this little list, starting with the first two. Ileana and I started the night at Hi-Tops, a rather classy college sports bar on N. Sheffield in Lincoln Park (off the Fullerton stop). No real complaints about this bar. It is clean, well-lit (read: no ugly lights), the bartenders are all hottie co-eds, it is frequented by college kids, and there are tons of TVs playing whatever sport it is you enjoy.

The food is okay, too, and Ileana ordered a massive plate of buffalo chicken strips with tatertots that we pretty much destroyed.

The beer selection is…okay…for a collge bar, and Thursday nights offer up $1 Bud or Bud light bottles. As you can see, I fell victim to the cheapness and indulged (see #2 on the list!). The first beer I had was a Sam Adams Lager which was a step up from the other beers offered on tap.

We were about to start Round 3 at Hi-Tops until we received advice from a professor via mobile that we needed to change venues and make our way to the Local Option. You can see that Ileana has dubbed the Local Option the only option, and for good reason. Read and see pics of the Local Option on her post.

My job is to break down the beer I drank and to encourage you that if you do, indeed, decide to visit the Local Option, you MUST meet Tony and eat the french fries!

First and foremost, I needed a beer. This place has over 200 beers and the selection will not disappoint. I am a dark beer drinker myself, and told Noah, our server, to surprise me with a porter or stout. The Founder’s Porter is a hard-hitter at 6.5% ABV. It is dark, chocolate-y and has such a strong black espresso undercurrent that it nearly knocked me off my seat.  It is delicious and smooth with a surprisingly hoppy aftertaste. I will say that you should save this beer until last because otherwise everything else that follows it will taste like nothing.

Delirium Tremens is a strong Belgian pale ale with a blueberry bouquet and lots of carbonation. If Delirium Tremens was a nightclub, they would play Tegan and Sara maybe even Hanson. I do have to say that when I first took a sip, I was skeptical. It tasted a little bit like…dare I say…the aftertaste you get in your mouth after you vommit. It was tangy and slightly bitter and made my mouth salivate and triggered my gag reflex. After a few sips, I was acclimated to the bizarre taste, but will not pay $9 for a 1/2 pint of the stuff in the future.

At this point in the night, Tony, the owner/bartender has befriended us (we share a mutual friend) and decided that he was going to get Ileana and me in “deep shit”. By “deep shit” he meant shit faced as he put several bottles of Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale on ice for us and explained that the stuff is illegal due to its alcohol content (10%!). It took a while to chill, but Tony treated us to two of the beers each and holy magillacutty they were good! A hoppy, pungent beer with a citrus-y twist, it roundhouse-kicks you in the face with flavour. I would tell you how much it cost, but I got them for free.

Lesson of the day: Make friends with cool bartenders and get good beer for free.

Dev :o) x

As we were walking through Lincoln Park last night, we walked by this adorable little theatre. Just thought I would post it!