A cold, snowy day and a bold cup of coffee, an action movie and some hot buttered popcorn, homemade biscuits and sausage gravy, Sonny and Cher.
Obviously, these things go together and they make sense being together. Well, add Chicagoans and Craft Beer to the list too.

Recently, we traveled around the great city of Chicago and its surrounding communities. What we found were fantastic beer and great people. It’s not like we haven’t been here before, but it is worth repeating.

Nevertheless, it was a great time and during that trip I had the opportunity to meet with Rodd Specketer, one of the owners of Lake Bluff Brewing Company.
Normally, we do not stop and visit with the owners or brewers. We are more interested in the actual brewery or brewpub (and, of course, the beer). However, Lake Bluff Brewing Company does not plan to open until Mid-March of 2011 and our next visit to the area is not scheduled until about 8 months after that, so it was necessary to corner Rodd and see what was happening with the brewery.

It was around Thanksgiving when we had the opportunity to visit and Rodd was more than accommodating. I really appreciate the fact that he could make time for us. I also appreciate the fact that he brought a sample of his beer. With pints in hand, Rodd explained the inner workings and motivations of his new brewery.
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What excited me the most was that his ideas are progressive and flexible. Our conversation included interior design, special events, beer styles, music style, ambiance, construction and finally, food. Lake Bluff will not be a men’s-only club that brings beer bellies together to overload on calories and football. It will be much more than that.

From the outside, the brewery fits in well with the surrounding businesses – classy, clean and very professional. Inside, things are a bit more creative and imaginative. You can tell just by the way that they named their beers that these guys have an inclination of whom they are and where they are going. Their beers include Bohemian Blonde, SoftTail IPA, HardTail DIPA, Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout and their Cosmic Speculation Barleywine. Although we only had the opportunity to try the Blonde, I think that anyone that opens up a brewery and serves a bourbon stout and a barleywine has a firm grasp on the current beer trends. I surely wouldn’t be surprised if they have been working on bringing some sours to the table. In fact, their beer recipes are well in line with the aggressive brewers of today including Founders, Goose Island, Three Floyds and Cigar City. Rodd even mentioned that I should be ready to explore the vault of their high gravity beers. I am not sure if it was a challenge, but if it was then, Rodd, “I … accept … your… challenge”.

It must be my age, but I have always enjoyed reading a good book in the afternoon while drinking a delicious pint. (Jack Kerouac and I have a couple of conversations to finish.) As a matter of fact, I currently do that at home; however, I rarely make it through more than a few chapters. Unless, of course, I am reading a book about beer while drinking beer then it’s game over. Somehow, the book is always better when you’re reading it in public; just like a meal is always better when someone else makes it for you. (Or even better, buys it for you.)

Rodd’s laid back demeanor will surely translate into a bar that will meet my criteria for casualness. By day it will have the tranquility of a coffee shop. By night, it will transition to beer geek brewery. Special events, small batch beers and a hand-picked selection of music will bring the identity of Lake Bluff Brewing into full swing.  As Kerouac once said, “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!” Rodd and his partner, Dave Burns, are  those people that will make us go “Awww!”

Let us not forget the food. Although they will not have a full kitchen, you will be able to get a selective menu that features food from many of the fine local eateries. I’ve eaten at a few of the places in town and I have never been disappointed. What a great idea! Not only are they bringing a brewery to Lake Bluff, they are clearly establishing themselves as partners within the city.

Even though the brewpub’s common area was not completed, slightly laid out or even marked out, Rodd shared a clear vision. His focus is what it should be, the beer. He envisions a place where you can come and drink a great beer, have a conversation, meet friends and socialize. It is truly a public house. You will not see a television hanging over the bar like a sports bar and you will not hear music cranked up on the jukebox. The focus is the beer. Enjoy it, discuss it and drink it. Cheers and good luck to Rodd, Dave and the staff at Lake Bluff Brewing. We’ll see you soon!

**UPDATE** Lake Bluff Brewing has just stained their bar and are working on putting in the wood flooring this week** Scheduled opening is Mid-March 2011… Check them out at Lake Bluff Brewing Company

For more information, check out our friends at TwoBeerDudes.com ! (They met with Dave and Rodd in July of 2010)