Bo Fowler swears it’s going to happen: The chef/owner behind Owen & Engine and Fat Willy’s Rib Shack says her Logan Square brewpub, Bixi, is about two months from opening. The sprawling project features a rooftop bar in one of hottest dining areas at 2515 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Fowler’s been working tirelessly on the Asian-inspired brewpub which was announced in January 2015.
Owen & Engine has plenty of regulars and among them is Brian Azzarello, the comic book writer with the recognizable gray beard who lives in Chicago. Azzarello was Wonder Woman’s regular writer for 35 issues, starting his run 2011 and ending in 2014. He’s better known for 100 Bullets, the award-winning comic book he created. The series is part of DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. Given his rapport with Fowler and the O&E team, he’s agreed to design the tap handles for Bixi. Bixi is the name for the mythological Chinese turtle/dragon hybrid. The imagery lends itself very well to a comic book — Wonder Woman is influenced by Ancient Greek mythology.
“The characters will have the same characteristics and flavor profiles of the beer — bold, tart, slightly bitter would be the flavor profile and the characters’ personalities,” Fowler wrote.
Fowler’s gastropub, Owen & Engine, is a tribute to British drinking and eating. It features one of Chicago’s best burgers and is one of the most-essential restaurants in Chicago. Fowler will pivot with Bixi and focus on Pan Asian cuisine and they’ll brew beer with Chinese flavors. China has an emerging craft beer industry. Bixi just announced the hiring of Eymard Freire as head brewer. He’s a beer consultant who most-recently worked in the suburbs at Prairie Krafts Brewing Company in Buffalo Grove.
Hey, Owen & Engine is getting a sister Restaurant & Brewery. We hired Eymard Freire to be our Master Brewer @bixibeer! #culinarybrewing #BiXi
Posted by Owen and Engine on Tuesday, January 9, 2018