A Peek Into Lakeview's Latest, Soon-To-Open Brewpub

By Ben Kramer in Food on Sep 14, 2015 7:03PM

via Corridor Brewery & Provisions

Much like a Cubs playoff berth, Corridor Brewing & Provisions is coming closer to being a reality. At a recent private event, the rustic brewpub allowed folks to sample and see their latest developments, including a couple of beers, a few dishes and the inside of the brewpub itself.

At the moment, Corridor has a bare bones look—a skeleton with some recognizable (and even functioning) organs. While no taps, bar stools, or booths are set up, areas such as the brewhouse in back and kitchen are. The northern walls are naked brick, with a banana yellow tandem bike, built for two, set to hang alongside it, with some unicycles possibly coming as well, among other art.

The bar is small, seating ten, and in the southern corner. Patrons walking in will notice it first, and if they venture further, will come upon the dining area, where booths will be situated on the northern and southern sides of the brewpub. It's here you'll get the best view of the tanks, all twelve of them, with six on top and six on the bottom. The six on top are the brite tanks, where the serving beer is stored. The six below are fermenting tanks, where the beer actively and patiently sits until it is finished. When ready, and needed, CO2 pushes the beer up to its accompanying brite tank. The setup is similar to Major League Baseball's farm system, with the fermenting tanks acting like Triple A ball and the brite representing the Majors.

That being said, how many players will be starting come opening day? Corridor will have six beers on tap (hence the six brite tanks) with Owner Greg Shuff (also the owner of DryHop) saying the typical lineup will carry one hoppy beer, one seasonal, three funky farmhouse beers, and a one off or "who knows," as he playfully put it.

One beer in particular, Wizard Fight, a Nitro Lactose IPA, will be available year-round, and is a great example of someone taking a popular style but pushing it outside its common boundaries. Lactose is a non-fermentable sugar typically used in Milk Stouts to give it a silky sweetness. Its use in this IPA, as Corridor Lead Brewer Danny Monnot explained to me, is to mellow out the bitterness of the hops, allowing the citrus and pine to really grab the attention of your tongue. The addition of nitro is used to give the beer a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that makes for easy drinking, helping to mask the fact it's 7 percent ABV beer.

For Corridor, the brews won't provide all the flavor. Delectable dishes such as the Heirloom Panzanella Salad, the curried cauliflower with farmers cheese and in harissa tomato sauce with roasted eggplant will be available, along with a flatbread shaved brussel and spanish chorizo pizza that was so popular when we stopped in, it seemed like a new pan had to be served every five minutes.

Corridor reps say the brewpub will open in autumn, but they aren't ready to name an official opening date. But autumn isn't exactly far away, so expect to see this rustic, flavor filled brewpub open very soon.