Drinking it Old-School

by Fred Schlatter - Citysearch Contributor - 311 Reviews - 33 Lists

Updated: June 20, 2008

Nosebleed-high fuel prices not only pinch at the pump; pricey gas means you pay more at that other filling station: the bar. But look to retro cans of brew and you might also roll back your bar tab. Dad would be proud--you're saving money and discovering the joys of old-school beer.

Retro Brews

  1. 1 4 Star Rating: Recommended The Chipp Inn
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    832 N Greenview Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622 (map)

    Not unlike chicken that comes in a basket, beer that arrives in a pail always tastes better. The Chipp Inn does it right, offering assorted bottles of PBR and Schlitz--five total--for $9. Do the math. That's 60 ounces of perfectly chilled swill for 15 cents a gulp.

  2. 2 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Long Room
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    1612 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613 (map)

    Lest we all go mad and start paying $4 for Pabst, please visit this very ordinary bar on Tuesdays for a more realistic price tag: a dollar. After all, any irony in drinking this king of lousy beers is lost once you must empty your wallet to do so.

  3. 3 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Delilah's
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    2771 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 (map)

    This beer's name is like a good one-line joke; the swill inside, the punchline. It's an American Eagle-bearing can of national pride. And at Delilah's, they charge a single greenback for its company come Mondays. One cent more would be robbery.

  4. 4 3 Star Rating: Average Club Belmont Inc
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    7844 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60634 (map)

    This place sells T-shirts with the slogan, "The liver is evil. It must be punished." To help guests accomplish the task, they sell all manner of cheap shots. But it's the retro beer night (Tuesdays), during which cans of Hamms go for a buck, that really brings the pain.

  5. 5 3.5 Star Rating: Average Skylark
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    2149 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608 (map)

    Step one: gentrify a neighborhood with questionable new construction. Step two: establish a local dive to handle the influx of bohemian dudes in search of cheap beer. This Pilsen bar fits the bill nicely, hawking $2 PBR every night.

  6. 6 4 Star Rating: Recommended Gold Star Bar
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    1755 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622 (map)

    Old Style, the epitome of dishwater masquerading as beer, turns for $2. And there's no cutesy "retro-can" promotion to draw in the cool crowd; those people show up in droves all week to drink this crap. Amazing.