A Beer Museum Could Open in Chicago With a Brewpub & Rooftop Bar

A brewpub where visitors would "dine on food and craft beer from around the globe" is part of the plans for the Chicago Brewseum, a yet-to-be-funded project with the likes of Goose Island Brewing Co. founder John Hall and Chicago History Museum's Dan Oliver onboard. Organizers want to break ground on the project in 2019. Liz Garibay of History On Tap brainstormed the idea for a beer museum in Chicago back in 2013, according to Time Out Chicago.

"Beer is more than a drink; it's a driving force that built the city," organizers wrote on the project's GoFundMe page. "The Chicago Brewseum celebrates this noble beverage by honoring the history behind it, the brewers who craft it, the communities that thrive around it, and the culture that adores beer today."

There's no location yet, but organizers want the four-floor, LEED-certified building near the center of the city and close to public transportation. They'll launch a fundraising campaign this year, and will also unveil pop-ups, much like what the Chicago Foodseum had planned. Next year, they want to launch a mobile RV museum that would preview exhibits across the U.S.

The building would include event and classroom space, hoping to educate visitors on Chicago's rich, boozy history. Plans also include a beer garden on the roof that would be available for private rentals. Guest and in-house beers would be available on draft with a focus on Midwestern breweries.

They're also taking advantage of the growth of Chicago's beer culture, including the rising number of breweries opening within city limits. That culture will be on display starting on Thursday with the kickoff of the seventh-annual Chicago Craft Beer Week.

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