“Growlers. It’s all about freshness and sustainability. When you enjoy craft beer from a growler, it means that it came straight from our brewery. No time in a warehouse, no trucks, no liquor store shelves. Just you and the brewery…Deliciously fresh craft beer.” – Greg Shuff – DryHop Brewers

Greg Shuff is all about his beer at DryHop Brewers, a new brewpub in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Sure, he could brag about other things, like his place having – in my opinion – the best burger in Chicago. He could also talk up having lines out the door – an amazing feat given that his place just opened two months ago. But really, Greg just wants to make sure he’s providing his neighborhood with fresh, delicious beer and I think he’s got that one down!

Despite being only 25 years old, Greg seems to have accomplished what most other craft beer lovers his age have only fantasized about: owning his own brewpub. Like most brewers, Greg started his brewing journey while a student in college. After founding a nanobrewery – the Last Bay Beer Company – he took it a step further and attended the World Brewing Academy at the Siebel Institute of Technology to hone his craft. Understanding even then that he didn’t want to be a head brewer himself, he knew learning these skills would be crucial to designing and managing his future brewery.

While working on beer collaborations with multiple Chicagoland breweries, Greg started planning for his own brewhouse. Originally intended to be a small production facility with multiple growler distribution points, legal issues got in the way and it morphed into what it is today (not that Chicago residents are complaining). And if you want to take some beer home from DryHop, you better have purchased a growler and no one’s complaining about that either.

DryHop Brewers can be seen as a brewery with amazing cuisine or as a quality restaurant with solid craft brews – but however you view it, it’s a fun hang. Through a glass wall, I was able to watch Head Brewer Brant Dubovick kick out beers from their 10-barrel brewing system. Turning around, I was a step’s reach from their bar, framed by a backdrop of sparkling metal tanks containing their house beers. Two of their beers – Batch 001, a Cream Ale and Steam Beer hybrid that defines the term “session beer,” and Shark Meets Hipster wheat IPA – are constantly on tap while the other four house taps rotate. To round things out, their remaining taps host collaboration and guest beers.

On my first visit to DryHop, I was able to stretch out at the bar and efficiently work my way through their beer list. By my second visit, all that had changed; the place had become so packed with patrons power-pounding their incredible beers that I could hardly move around their bustling bar. So I took advantage of another thing they’re famous for…I opted to purchase my first growler and watched with anticipation as they filled it with Batch 001 and sent me home packing.

And popping it open at home sealed the deal. I’d entered craft beer’s newest nirvana and discovered an excellent way to share a favorite brewery with friends. You just can’t compare drinking a batch of beer this fresh with anything you could pick up in a grocery store. It had literally been pulled from the tanks the day before! Plus, it was an all-around better deal – great beer, no bottles to recycle, and no waste.

Owner Greg Shuff sees the growler movement as the ultimate experience for enjoying fresh, local beer at home and I couldn’t agree more. Keep it coming, DryHop….You’re an awesome addition to Chicago’s craft beer scene and I’m totally onboard!