Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

tapman

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Big brewhouse that always has young, bearded people moving stuff around? Check. Fantastic, bright and stimulating signature artwork adorning the walls? Check. Practical, hip, old school...3F is all these things and the only thing that keeps it from getting a "5" is 1) the bland industrial area that it is located in (which I'm sure saves all kinds of money so whatev) and how small the brewpub is. It is relatively big compared to others, but weekends are just annoyingly crowded. Heck, 1PM is pretty crowded if the weather is nice.

What can I say? The beer is exceptional. However, I have heard that the brewery is relatively unreliable as far as keeping their staple beers similar from batch to batch and while I can't say that I have experienced this to an extreme degree, there are bottles and pints of Gumballhead that are less hoppy than others, so... still great, though!

Service is great when it is not crowded and as good as anywhere when it is. I can say this, the staff is knowledgable about the beer. Unlike a Rock Bottom or other expansive breweries you are waited on by grungy beer geeks instead of beautiful and buxom, though ignorant, waitresses and, I'm sorry to say, I enjoy this style of server much more.

They have their standard brews, which are great, and always have some seasonals that are not available outside the brewery. However, few beers, besides Darklord and barrel aged stuff, is limited so you can get a one-of-a-kind brew without having to take off work to get there at noon to beat the other beer geeks. Plus, a good selection of guest beers that are somewhat rare and balance their own selection pretty well.

Not as fancy as other brewpubs, but food is satisfying, traditional to fancy yet tweaked nicely to suit the *achem* upscale clientele...myself included.

Food is not as fancy as some brewpubs I have been to, but compare the 3F $9 burger with the Goose Island Stilton Burger. Sure, the Stilton is pretty fancy, but it is nice to have a cheaper option. I had the Tagliatelle: whole wheat pasta, pork sausage, shaved white asparagus, peas, parmigiano. At Goose Island or Rock Bottom this would be $15+, but here it was $10.

Also, beer price is cheaper than buying 3F in Chicago so, DIG!

05-21-2011 03:55:44 | More by tapman

MJSJr

Ohio

4.61/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5 | $$

FFF is a must-visit type of place. It has a small venue, so you'll likely want to get there early, but if you do get there early, it gives you that sensation of getting a brand new toy to have all to your self; the service is great, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the beer doesn't get much better. What more can you ask for?

05-19-2013 15:20:28 | More by MJSJr

lovethebelgians

Iowa

3.84/5  rDev -11.9%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.75 | $$$

Being that I don't get to go and see new things often, I took advantage of my business trip to East Chicago to check out this place because I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I am not a big hops fan, but I was hoping I might find something to rant and rave about when I got there.

For running a pub, the heavy metal thing really really turned me off and all the satanic themed symbols was not really my bag. I'm not a religious zealot, or a Jesus freak, I just think I would want to attract as many customers to my place of business as possible and I think the atmosphere certainly would push certain people away, maybe that's what they're going for. It's cool, I understand part of the mentality of the brewery dynamic is being different and celebrating it, but to me, a potential patron, it was almost offensive. I love beer and love experiencing it, but I would never go there again, I certainly couldn't take my wife there.

Past the atmosphere though, loved what I drank and ate! Had the belgian they had on tap, I forgot what it was called, it was cidery, but really complex, delish. After that, I got a glass of Toxic, great take on a stout and enjoyed it with my made to order brownie with Toxic ice cream, burnt marshmallow and bacon sprinkles on top.

Bottom line, good tasting fare, but I did not like the endless metal and the anti-christ memorabilia.

05-10-2013 19:46:04 | More by lovethebelgians

GBallHead

Indiana

4.59/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Excellent beer, great food. Closest brewery to my house and I absolutely love it.

Usually playing metal music, or an interesting movie up on the projector

The servers are usually always nice and helpful, and the bartenders are great people too.

Excellent place highly recommended

05-10-2013 00:57:31 | More by GBallHead

L3MI

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

If you are in the area this place is a must visit (only about a 30 minute drive from most places in Chicago).

Great food, great beer, and an amazing atmosphere.

The short rib burger is to dies for.

Usually has some sort of small batch brew that does not hit distribution.

Weekdays are the best time to avoid long lines.

I always have a great time at 3Floyds.

05-07-2013 05:13:02 | More by L3MI

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.83/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Walk in to hear the metal music blaring, and once you're seated enjoying your amazing brew, there's always an amazingly cheesy sci-fi movie to watch. One of my favorite brewpub atmospheres, even excluding the incredible beer offerings. Samplers here only give you a taste of the 4-5 3F staples, so I would definitely recommend branching out to the other offerings on the menu. They even have quite a few "guest" brews available but I've never strayed from the 3F offerings. Most recently I got the Loco Mojo pizza and it was incredible.

I've heard quite a few people talk about employees being rude to them, but every time I have been there it's the perfect amount of helpfulness without being annoying. Any time I am in the area (and sometimes when I'm over 3h away), I will continue to stop by and get anything I can.

04-22-2013 03:29:40 | More by HarmonMW

AlphaKingKegger

Ohio

4.51/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

it is what it is. these guys make great brews and have some pretty interesting food as well. the part i don't like at all is you can't do a flight or samples. customer service is not a strong area here as well. i always appreciated the artwork in this place.

04-15-2013 05:25:28 | More by AlphaKingKegger

bcm75

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Great place. Parking seems to be a bit limited - lot was completely full but there were tables and a few seats at the bar available. Street parking available. Atmosphere might not appeal to some - music tends towards metal and harder stuff (which is fine by me), but it wasn't too loud (granted this was weekday lunch time, volume might vary evenings and weekends). The food is quite a cut above normal bar food, with higher prices than one might expect. However, given the higher quality, the value is good. Loved the homemade sausages. Great tap selections of fff beers and a few outside brews. Two case limit for takeout beer sales.

04-05-2013 02:15:48 | More by bcm75

RoyBatty

Illinois

4.73/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have one beef with Three Floyd's: The pub and carry-out are terribly undersized for their reputation. At times it is very difficult to get in unless you have an entire day to spend there. That being said, it's totally worth it.

The food is all a la carte, which is fine, just don't be surprised when you don't get fries with you 12$ hamburger. The good thing is the food is amazing. It's like pub food with a four star restaurant flair. They use their beers in a lot of recipes too, which always makes me a little sad that the beer isn't being poured in my mouth.

The beer is world class. They do a very nice job of keeping some things tap-room only, some growler only, and some bottle only but also mixing and matching. It keeps it interesting.

I waited in line 40 minutes last time I was there to get beer to go, but it was more than worth it. Zombie Dust is all it's cracked up to be, and many of their seasonal and specialty beers are just as amazing. Really the prices are quite good as well. 35$ for a case of beer seems like a lot, but every bottle, every pour, every sip makes it feel totally worth it.

Really just a solid brewpub with great food, great image, and some of the most fantastic beer in the Midwest.

04-01-2013 21:38:38 | More by RoyBatty

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.24/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4 | $$

After a long drive from Morgantown WV, I was overjoyed to belly up to the bar at the brewpub. The location of 3 Floyds was not what I was expecting, and initially I thought my google map directions were off (yet again). The area looks like a school and hospital district, and at 10:00 at night, the area was completely dead. However, sure enough, after making a turn off of Superior Ave., there was the brewery/brewpub to the right.

The pub area itself is a modest size affair; as you walk in from the large parking lot you notice a smallish dining area to the right, and then a somewhat larger drinking area and fair size bar to the left (there is a small "take out" store area farther back to the left). This being 3 Floyds, there was all kind of great art work and sci-posters adorning the walls, along with beer and sports paraphenelia as well. There were also a few TV screens, and I think they were showig a movie (Apocolypse Now) on the back wall next to the bar. The vibe is very laid back and comfortable; very conducive to kicking back with a beer or three.

As for the selection, today they had some 20 different 3F selections on tap (one beer on cask), along with three guest beers. They also have a bottle list, with what appeared to be another 40 or so selections (nothing mindblowinig, but a solid list). Quality was excellent of course. Fresh Zombie Dust was just delicious, and I enjoyed the seasonal saison style beer and dreadnaught as well. I also ordered the Chicharroni nachos, just because they sounded intriguing and looked great (they were pretty good in fact). The folks next to me ordered a pizza, and that looked terrific as well. I get the impression that like their beer, they take their food pretty seriously here. Service wa also quite good. The bartenders were quick, friendly and knowledgeable. Drink orders came quickly, and everyone at the pub was friendly and in a good mood.

Obviously, this is a great spot, and given my love of Zombie Dust, I'm sure I'd be over here all the time, just to drink that, if I lived nearby. Prices were OK as well I thought (especially given the proximity to Chicago), with most beers selling for $5 (imperial pints of Zombie Dust for $5!).

Any time I'm within 50 miles of this place, there's no doubt I'll made an effort to stop by again. Very glad I decided to stop in (even though I was pretty wiped after the 500 mile drive).

03-30-2013 11:57:23 | More by johnmichaelsen