Rides

The penultimate brewpub ride for 2025 will once again venture down to Malt Row... but this time, will feature distilled spirits, rather than beer.

Koval was the first distillery reestablished inside the Chicago city limits since Prohibition.  It is owned by a husband and wife couple who left academia for lives as distillers.  I wholeheartedly approve of midlife career changes!  I also admit to being a happy consumer of several of their distillates.  And since several rides mentioned that they'd appreciate at least one cocktail bar in my series when I was devising it last year, I acceded to their wishes.

Dining Notes:  My original plan for this ride was to partake of the Neapolitan pizza at Spacca Napoli, 2 blocks due north of Koval at Ravenswood and Sunnyside, but alas, they are closed for the entire week.

In its place, I located a Mexican restaurant that also specializes in tequila and mezcal: Rojo Gusano.  At lunch, they sell tacos, and a few larger entrees.  There is outdoor seating, and they are located literally a stone's throw away from the Koval Tasting Room.  So we do have the advantage of being able to lock our bikes once.

Their website is here: Rojo Gusano | Tacos in Chicago | 4217 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, USA 

I'm attaching an admittedly poor photo of their daily menu, since the menu on the website does not include prices.  The crevice was being served as I chatted with the manager, and it looked quite appetizing.  They will handle separate checks for us as long as I call them for a reservation before we leave Chandler.

Distillery Notes:

Koval was opened in 2008, and along with its Malt Row brewery neighbors, specializes in fermented grains, only theirs get distilled after the yeasts do their job.  Koval is unique in the USA in their use of the ancient grain millet in their mash bills ( mash bills are the combination of grains used to create sugars used by yeast in the fermentation process).  You may know that Bourbon, among other rules, must have a mash bill that is at least 51% corn, but Koval's Bourbon is unique in that the remaining 49% is millet.  Koval also uses mash bills featuring rye and oats.  I have visited the distillery on their Saturday tour, and their dedication to innovative distilling is impressive.  As I said, I'm a satisfied customer.

Tours are not offered on Fridays, but their Tasting Room is open; the menu is located here:  KOVAL Distillery - Tasting Room Menu

Beer Notes:

Why are there beer notes, since we are going to a cocktail lounge?  Because an unwritten rule of my Brewpub rides is that there must be an option to consume beer.  

Our return ride takes us past Is/Was Brewing, which specializes in saisons, a Belgian beer style similar to pale ales, with higher carbonation, and a very dry finish.  They are relatively new, and have a good reputation for interesting beers.  Their website, which includes current selections, is here: taproom — is/was brewing

If you've had New Glarus' Spotted Cow, you'll recognize the style of saisons, also referred to as farmhouse ales.  We don't have to stop (we'll take a vote when we pass, and I know it will be late in the afternoon), but I am certainly not averse to making a short venture to taste at least one saison.  

This is the route we will take to the Koval Tasting Room - Is/Was brewing

I added an extra loop at the end to get the mileage over 20... but I won't complain if everyone insists that I go more directly back to Chandler at the end of the ride.  For those of you who don't love city rides, I can report that the repaving of Ravenswood is quite nice, and Granville westbound is also in very good shape.  The Channel Trail is the Channel Trail.

Remember, this ride will start at 1:00 p.m.  It wasn't my idea - the Koval Tasting Room doesn't open until 3:00 on Fridays.

Ron