Eris Brewery & Cider House

 

 

In Greek Mythology, Eris was the Greek Goddess of Chaos and Discord, sister of Ares, the God of War and the one who instigated the start of the Trojan War by rolling the Golden Apple of Discord in front of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite inscribed with the words, "For the Fairest One."  It is fitting that a business owned and run by women has chosen the name Eris, both for the apple and the fact that the concept throws a bit of discord into the brewery scene of Chicago.  It is ironic however that the location that was chosen for Eris Brewery and Cider House was in fact a Masonic Temple, an organization that is very much about regimentation and order.  The space itself is a large square shaped brick building, as might be expected from a former Masonic Temple.  It has the look, from the outside, of an old bank or school.  There is a sign above a door, on the east side of the building that says Eris.  It looks, very well, like it could be an entrance but it is not.  The entrance is on the west side of the building and while it very definitely looks like an entrance, there is no sign labeling it Eris.  The only indication of what it is are the door handles which have the arrows pointing in all directions, which is Eris's symbol.  There seems to be two host stations, the first one is just inside the doors at a table that also sells hats, glasses, and other souvenirs, the other is up the stairs at the end of this alcove in another alcove just inside the dining room.  This looks more like a host station and is made from a safe with a desk on top and a Freemason symbol on the door in front.  The first thing that you encounter when you enter the dining room are the enormous padded leather booths that will seat about 12 people each lined up like pews in the center of the room.  The long bar that runs the length of the dining room is on the right side of the room, and there is seating on the left side of the room, as well as a stairway using old radiator parts as a handrail leading to a catwalk with more table seating that overlooks the dining room.  The kitchen is on the opposite side of the room from the entrance and the brewing/fermenting area is located on the left side of the room on the same level as the entrance.  It is best scene behind glass in the far left corner of the dining room.

 

The beer and cider menu is fairly equally split between cider and beer.  They buy juice to ferment the cider instead of squeezing the apples themselves.  Many of the ciders are treated similarly to beers, though the ciders that I liked best were treated more like wine.  I went twice and have tried five ciders and four beers.  Of the beers, my favorite was the New England Style Hazy IPA, Foiken Haze, which had a tropical and juicy flavor, and Fnord, which is a light ale using beets.  The Original Snub, the beer that Fnord is based off of uses Apple Juice, and to me, just isn't that exciting.  Moral Warpitude, their stout, has a bit of a coffee finish, but it's a little light of body.  Of the ciders, I actually had Van Van Mojo twice.  It is a cider with blueberries and mosaic hops added, so it's a both fruity and hoppy and has a dry finish.  It's Tricky is a semi-sweet cider which was pretty good, though nothing that you can't find anywhere else.  Delicate Flower was a cider made with Chamomile and while I generally don't mind floral flavors in moderation, this was too much.  Pedestrian Dry cider was pedestrian, and Prickle Prickle, a dry cider dry hopped with Hallertau Blanc was a little too dry.  While I liked some of the beers and ciders more than others, other than Delicate Flower, there isn't one that I wouldn't order again, and even with Delicate Flower, if someone were to give it to me, I would drink it (slowly).

 

 

For the first course, you can choose from a variety of appetizers, salads, and bar snacks.  I tried a variety of things and they were all very good.  Beer and Cheese (and Cider and Cheese, for that matter) go very well together, so it's no surprise that there is a Cheese Board on the menu.  In addition to the  5 Year White Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Manchego, and Alpine Cheese, we also had Spiced Nuts, Apple Butter, and Thyme (more, I think, for aroma than for anything else) and toast points to eat stuff on.  The cheese was all fresh and good and went well with the more flavorful beers and ciders.  The Duck in the Duck Tacos was thinly sliced, tender and very flavorful and served with lettuce and some Pico de Gallo.  The favorite pre-entree thing that I have had, though, has been the Shaved Brussels Sprouts, which were served with Cranberries, Goat Cheese, Walnuts, and served with Maple Stout Vinaigrette.  It was very fresh and crisp, with a lot of flavors and textures, finishing with the sweet-sour of the Maple Stout Vinaigrette.

 

For entrees, there are both sandwiches and plated dishes.  I have had both and they are both very good.  On the Hand Held/Sandwich side of things, they have your typical Burgers and Hot Dogs, but I wanted to try something different.  I was very surprised, when I saw Cevapcici on the menu.  I had had Cevapcici from a trailer at various street festivals and really liked it.  It is a Croatian Skinless Sausage made with Beef, Pork, and Lamb, typically served with a Red Pepper Sauce on a Pita.  This was all of that as well as Pickled Cucumbers and Onions, Cucumber Yogurt, and Field Greens, served on a Pita Flatbread.  It was served with Fries and Ketchup on the side and was very good.  On the plated side of things, I had a Special which was a Shrimp Creole with Shrimp, Rice, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Celery, and Hot Sauce.  It was spicy and flavorful with a lot of shrimp, and very good.

 

The dessert list is small, containing only Bread Pudding and Creme Brulee.  I had both, and while both had their moments, I only really liked one.  The Creme Brulee had Fried Apples and Mint.  While it did have a good flavor, the crust was a little sad and required nothing to crack through.  The Bread Pudding, though, was something else.  It was a Stout Chocolate Bread Pudding with French Bread, White and Milk Chocolate Ganaches, and Almond Bark.  It was both sweet, as a bread pudding is supposed be, with the bitterness of a good stout (as well as lots of chocolate).  The Almond Bark stuck in the top was a nice finish to a good dinner.

Eris is interesting and creative as well as being family friendly.  Because of this it is very popular and frequently crowded.  While I would return, I would make sure to come at an off time like early during the week to avoid having to wait for a seat.