When Piece Brewery goes head to head with some awesome competition at the Summer Beer Party it comes out on top with a new brew that is awesome indeed.
As if a beer connoisseur would need an excuse, the Summer Beer Party at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria was the perfect pretext for a Back for Seconds review of Wicker Park’s favorite former roofing warehouse turned brew pub. Beneath the wooden crossbeams that hold up the barrel roof of Piece’s cavernous space, we bellied up to a flight sheet presenting 3 oz. samplers from nine mostly local craft brewers and got down to some serious sniffing, sipping and lip-smacking.
The beer, mostly summer seasonal releases from the brewers, ranged in color from pale yellow to plummy rose and enticed the palate with a variety of flavors. The Kolsch German ale from award winning brew pub Flossmoor Station came across with a winning old world flavor light yet hoppy. The prolific brewers at Mickey Finns in Libertyville turned out a big hoppy pilsner for the occasion, heavy on the alcohol and bold in taste.
The Munich Helles from Emmet’s Tavern and Brewing Company in Palatine provided a crisp, malt flavor that stood in stark contrast to the overt frutiness of Goose Island’s entry. The Bell’s Oberon Ale, an every day favorite, took a bow with its flowery spiciness and not to be outdone, Sierra Nevada weighed in with its delicious Southern Hemisphere Harvest, a captivating fusion of fresh-picked New Zealand Pacific hops with the finest North American malts.
Faring less well were Rock Bottom Brewery’s 2nd Anniversary Ale which promised more than it delivered and Three Floyd’s Gumball Head which came off as surprisingly muted and mild compared to the others. But the hands down winner in all this was the house’s own Baron Von Awesome, a brand new American summer wheat ale with an almost perfect flavor blend of malt and hops. Piece’s brewmaster Jonathan Cutler is one of the nations’ best, racking up no less than seventeen awards including the prestigious World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery and Brewmaster Award in 2006. After cutting his teeth at Sierra Nevada he came to Piece in 2001 and has been giving the neighborhood world class brews ever since.
After we sampled the Baron Von Awesome, we ordered up a pitcher of it and got serious.
The other aspects of the Piece experience paled by comparison. The pizza, while quite good (even, arguably, addictive) has always been a chore to eat. The crust gets soggy and one finds oneself struggling to keep the contents from sliding off. If you don’t look like a happy, messy 3-year old sitting in a high chair after eating at this place, you’re a more nimble diner than I.
The whole key to enjoying the Piece experience is getting a table. This is not a place to stand around and drink. The layout is poorly designed and you are a nuisance and an obstacle to the waitstaff until they can get you seated, which some nights can take a good hour. Once you’re tucked in, the service turns friendly, helpful and accommodating – if they can get to you.
Piece is not the best place to watch sports. While there are eleven 42” plasma TVs, the best way to watch them is sitting at the bar or, failing that, standing near the bar, which puts you directly in the path of the waitstaff, who would dearly like you to get the hell out of their way. For a place that’s so large it’s remarkably frustrating to find a decent place to linger, especially when the live music starts.
My initial impressions of Piece are unchanged, except to say that the pizza is better than I first gave it credit for. My objections are really less about the flavor than about how difficult the pie is to manage. And I must come out even more strongly in favor of the beer. The craft brewery that is Piece is one of Wicker Park’s finest diamonds, home of one of the country’s finest brewmasters and purveyors of consistently superior beers like the Dysfunctionale, the Dark-n-Curvy Dunkelweizen and now the drop-dead-delicious Baron Von Awesome.
After sampling brews from nine other top-notch breweries, Piece took the prize, at least among this group of beer aficionados. The Summer Beer Party was a big success and a gentle reminder that summer, winter or fall, Piece is a superior place for beer.
Piece Brewery and Pizzeria
1927 W. North Ave.
773-772-4422 / Reservations Accepted for 10 or more
Hours: For Kitchen M-W 11:30a-10:30a; Th 11:30a-11a; F-Sa 11a-12:30a; Su 11a-10p
Features: Bar Scene, Beer Brewed on Site, Live Music, Carryout, Delivery
Avg. Price of a Meal for two including drinks and tax $40
Website: www.piecechicago.com
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