Half Acre Beer Company

davidbowers13

Illinois

4.86/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Half Acre is the place I frequent most to pickup fresh beer.

A - The tasting room has a great decor and the staff are friendly and up-beat.

Q - The beers offered are all high quality in my opinion, both draft and bottled/canned.

S - Depending on the amount of people that stop in, it can get a little backed up. However, the atmosphere and community feel more than make up for a small tasting room.

S - 3 year-round beers on tap for growler fills or cans. The seasonal/special release beers are what makes Half Acre exceptional. They never cease to amaze. They even have a nice selection of guest brews for you to indulge in as well.

F - No food available.

V - Standard pricing for a 22oz bottle or growler.

Definately worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood. Be sure to check out the brew house in the back as well. A great place and a great group of people.

05-25-2011 01:11:13 | More by davidbowers13

MelissaJ

Indiana

4.86/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is a very small brewery with about 8 employees. I went for the tour on New Years Eve Saturday. The $10 tour fee included a free pint glass, and 3 full pints of beer--any of their year round stuff to choose from [daisy cutter, over ale and gossamer] and the day I went they had two of the seasonal brews to sample as well: callow knife and alpenglo. The folks with free reservations from the old system didn't have to wait in line (this way of honoring old reservations seemed absolutely fair to me) but got smaller, plastic cups to drink beer from. They are very strict about the 60 person limit, so if you don't have a reservation get there early.

The atmosphere is awesome for a small, young brewery, the shop is very small, but it seemed like they made it very nice and comfortable for what they were given with the space. Further, the tour I was on had an impromptu live band performing (they wanted to do something special for New Year's Eve). The tour guide showed up in a tux (again a New Years Eve surprise) and was very encouraging of questions and speaking with the tour goers individually. Although the group seemed a bit big, he made sure to project his voice so everyone could hear.

For what you get with the tour, and by the sheer fact that their beer is so good, the price and quality is spot on.

One of the older people in my group got a bit over heated and faint from standing for most of the tour (about 1.5 hours) on top of standing in line for the tour (about 1 hour), and the staff was very gracious about getting her a chair, and some water. The crowd is definitely younger, but it is very reassuring that the staff is welcoming and considerate of all customers. It might be a good idea to bring a bottle of water with you and have a good meal beforehand.

Selection got a 4.5 because they do have a limited selection at any time. However, because of the quality of their beer, and the fact that it is a small brewery and the just don't have the capacity for a larger selection, the limited selection is understandable. They are very good about having seasonal beers come out quite frequently, beyond their year round selection.

The beer is a must try and the tour can be a really fun way to spend a Saturday.

12-31-2011 23:15:24 | More by MelissaJ

WolfsbaneBloom

Illinois

4.64/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This place is pretty easy to find and parking never seems to be a problem. Then again, I tend to frequent Half Acre in the early afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays. Not sure what its like later in the evening.

I love the atmosphere in this place. Really unique and beautifully designed interior. White tile, concrete bar, dark wood booths and seating and an amazing weathered wood wall opposite the bar that a server informed me was salvaged from a 100 year old grain mill in Wisconsin. A really awesome and stylish touch. They spared no expense with this tap room.

The bartenders are all pretty cool guys: friendly, knowledgeable, and not averse to talking beer. Their house brew, a bold and juicy IPA called Space, is amazing. They can't seem to make enough because there's been a couple of times they've tapped out, to my extreme disappointment. They usually have between 8 and 10 different beers on tap. What really makes this place worth visiting, aside from the atmosphere, is the fact that most of the beers aren't available anywhere else. Their Space IPA being one of them, which that alone is reason enough to visit.

They have a store next door to the tap room where you can buy merchandise and fill growlers with both their year-round beers and their specialty brews. Overall, a great little place and probably my favorite place in the city to relax with some friends and grab a few beers.

01-10-2013 18:29:30 | More by WolfsbaneBloom

CesarLopes

Illinois

4.61/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | $

Great taproom. Nice atmosphere, with both private and also communal tables. Plus the bar seats. It's the Half Acre taproom, so don't expect to find other brewers there. However, their selection is very good, with a good variety of their quality drafts. No food available, but plenty of restaurants in the area deliver there, just ask for their binder with menus.

05-24-2013 21:23:45 | More by CesarLopes

shadytony

Illinois

4.59/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Simply put, I live in Chicago and this is probably my favorite place to drink with friends. The taproom has a very communal traditional German beer hall feel and is entirely unpretentious. There is a lot of attention to detail for such a small space and it is located directly next to the actual production facility. There are no "guest" beers availabe and no food is served on the premises so find a good pizza or Italian beef somewhere else prior to visiting. Growlers and "howlers" (1L) are available for takeout. This is absolutely an obligatory stop for beer nerds visiting the Windy City (make sure you visit Bad Apple and Fountainhead while in the neighborhood)

05-29-2013 17:49:09 | More by shadytony

AlyssaW

Illinois

4.49/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $

Recently went on the brewery tour. It's $10 you get to try 3 beers from the tap and get to keep the pint glass. You can get any of their beer in a growler to go. The tour itself wasn't that great. Basically drink, listen to music, and hear 2 guys talk about how great the owner is. It's a great price and I had a good time, but next time ill skip the tour and grab a growler to go.

04-04-2013 21:01:44 | More by AlyssaW

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Atmosphere- Pretty damn good for what it is. This is a small space that they basically carved out of the front of the brewery/offices to serve as their retail area. It is pretty small but bright and clean.

Quality- The beers are always good. About once a month they put one of their limited brews on tap and it always packs the place out with people waiting for growler fills, the long line is no accident.

Service- Nicest people around. If you come regularly they will remember you and may just throw an extra in your bag.

Selection- They run about 4-5 tap lines and three are always Daisy Cutter, Over Ale, and Gossamer so never a ton of choices but always good.

Come on Tuesday for 2 growler fills for $20

05-04-2011 00:59:27 | More by cadaugherty

emerge077

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

The storefront at Half Acre has been open since October 2009. It's the primary source for growlers of extra fresh Daisy Cutter, Over Ale, Gossamer, and rotating small batch specialties on tap. Funky decor, accented by a painted woodcut Sticky Fat sign, vintage skate decks, and industrial metalworks hanging along the back wall. A large painted chalkboard lists the beers available on tap & to-go.

It's tiny inside, but packed full of fun stuff... shelves of swag, locally roasted Dark Star coffee, glassware, apparel, etc. There's a freestanding cooler of beer, with maybe a dozen beers that rotate weekly. These have ranged from the obscure and esoteric Belgian 750's (Fantome, Manten) to limited American seasonals (Lost Abbey, Jolly Pumpkin, SN wet hop Harvest, etc.). HA cans are available by the 4-pack or case.

Service is laid-back and friendly, they do a good job of taking care of everyone when it gets crowded. Expect to wait a bit on a special release day or saturdays. Tours have to be arranged in advance. They do a great job keeping current info on their blog, so check that out to see what's happening with Half Acre.

02-21-2011 17:53:05 | More by emerge077

Vdubb86

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I've been here on several occasions usually on days of release, or when I want to be damn sure that I get one of their products. I really truly enjoyed my first visit to this location when I went on a tour back in Sept. of 2010 and it's caused me to come back ever since. The beer the brew doesn't get much fresher then when you get it there. The atmosphere is a funky style urban chic. They've got swag on the back wall with some cool trinkets. The storefront also has it's own 4 taps for growler fills right in the wall with someone always operating it. The quality of the products here are second to none in regards to their Half Acre stuff. If it's hop heavy get in on growler, you'll never regret that decision. The guys who work there are always really cool, and are more than helpful when you're looking for something. They are amicable and will answer questions as best they can about the goings on of their brewery. The selection for growlers is usually the 3 main beers (Daisy Cutter, Over Ale, and Gossamer) but usually a rotating yearly release beer as well (which is mostly what I go for). Also they have some Belgian bombers in their fridge as well for sale. There aren't too many things to pick from, but usually you're only there to get Half Acre stuff anyway, in which case, it won't get any better than straight from the source. Overall, I love coming to this place, simple as that.

03-16-2011 18:54:07 | More by Vdubb86

lmdengis

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I don't get down to the brewery as much as I would like, but the location is great. Not too far off the brown line, and parking is ample on that stretch of Lincoln. The store front is small - a cooler filled with beer to the left as you walk in the door, a wall of merchandise ahead and taps to the right. The service is great. Everyone is nice, and likes to talk about their beer.

I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the brewery months ago with the girlfriend, and it was very informative. They took the group around the rather small facility and had bottomless pitchers of Daisy Cutter, Over Ale and Gossamer to sample.

Anyways, the three beers mentioned above are always on tap, as well as another one or two limited releases.

07-03-2011 07:42:50 | More by lmdengis