Kasey’s claims ownership of the second-oldest liquor license in the city of Chicago and could probably coast on that history, but thankfully the bar hasn’t descended to any such mediocrity. This classic Chicago tavern is the kind you don’t see much of these days, and each one left is worth hanging on to. That’s especially true for spots like Kasey’s, which pours more than 100 beers. It’s easy to picture printhouse workers with their boots on the rail, filling their lunch pails with beer for the road. Sadly, taking draft beer home from the bar isn’t legal these days, but the wide variety of brews at Kasey’s will help you forget about that.
While many of us would consider Ravenswood or Logan Square Chicago’s top craft beer neighborhood, the South Loop is rapidly redefining itself by the beer being produced and poured within its boundaries. In the past six months alone, the area saw the opening of the Vice District and Motor Row breweries and taprooms, along with the neighborhood beer bar First Draft. With the recent re-opening of craft beer bar Villains and the coming Baderbrau brewing facility, the Sloop suddenly has a lot more going for it than high-rise condos and convention traffic.
The cherry on top of this beery sundae will be once the beermaker actually named for the neighborhood—South Loop Brewing Company—finds itself a home. (The outfit is currently brewing in Andersonville at the Aquanaut space, which ironically might be the farthest-north brewing facility inside city limits.) Until then, should you find yourself south of Congress, don’t feel like you have to rush back north for a pint with options like these.
