Tap House heaven for beer geeks

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Barry Michael is the general manager of Tap House, with locations in Oswego, St. Charles, Westmont and Glen Ellyn. The Tap House Grill has 39 beers on tap and even more in bottles. | Deena Sherman ~ For Sun-Times Media

Updated: May 11, 2011 5:07AM

Hey, all you beer geeks out there — you know who you are — the ones who cannot only tell a porter from a stout, but can sometimes decipher the exact blend of hops used in an ale that you’re sampling. I know you cringe when you sit down at a restaurant, hoping to try a new microbrew with your dinner, but when you ask what’s on tap, the server says, “Um, I think Bud, Coors and something else light.” You probably thought you could only get interesting beers at great local restaurants where they brew their own, such as Aurora’s Roundhouse and Warrenville’s Two Brothers.

Well, I’ve got some great news for you. Tap House Grill, with locations in Oswego, St. Charles, Westmont, and Glen Ellyn, understands the importance of having a wide variety of great beer to complement their great food. Their motto is: “Addictive Foods, Creative Brews.”

The first thing you notice when you come in the door and look to your right is the amazing number of tap handles at the bar. Those aren’t decorative. They all have beer running through them (except the one with the root beer). The Tap House Grill has 39 beers on tap and even more in bottles. Many of them are hard-to-find microbrews from regional brewers such as Three Floyds and Two Brothers.

“Our culture at the Tap House is all based around beer,” said Ryan Lynch, who had been general manager until a few months ago when he decided to go back to school for his degree in information technology and management, passing that title to his colleague, Barry Michael. Both men are quite knowledgeable about good food and good beer, plus they are just plain fun to talk with.

Lynch told me how “Tap House staff are all certified beer servers through Cicerone.org,” ensuring that they are able to help you find the perfect beer to go with your entrée. I asked Lindsey Jones, a member of the wait staff, how this has made a difference for her. She responded: “I feel like in taking the test I’ve become a lot more knowledgeable, being able to describe different flavors when we get a new beer.” So you can ask any of the serving staff for a recommendation and they will be familiar with the many beers served there.

The servers aren’t the only ones certified. “All our chefs go through culinary school,” Michael assured me. “We spend a lot of time with the food and menus. We change things up twice a year. We like to give people the opportunity to taste new things.” He looked over at the forest of tap hands and continued, “We rotate handles daily. There’s always something new ready to tap.” I marveled, watching him pour beer, shuttle food into the main restaurant and deal with vendors. He somehow kept every request straight and stayed current with a half-dozen conversations at once.

Everyone I spoke with at the Tap House raved about the skills of chef Todd Davies. After tasting some of his creations, I can see why. But even if you aren’t looking for something really creative, such as wontons with goat cheese and balsamic and roasted veggies served with marinara, their standard bar food is amazing, too. If you love hot chicken wings — and being from the Buffalo, N.Y., area, I do — they have some that will knock your socks off called “screamer” wings.

Each month, the Tap House pairs beers from a microbrewery with foods that Davies has designed to go perfectly with those beers. For example, on Jan. 26 in Oswego, the restaurant will serve five courses, each served with five ounces of a different beer. Course four is made up of an Australian rack of lamb and black trumpet potato risotto, paired with a smoked porter. Of course, the first course of shrimp and crab pate with mango salad, paired with a pale ale, sounds pretty good, too.

Each location has its beer/food pairing event on a different day over two consecutive weekends, so be sure to check their website for specifics (www.taphousegrills.com). This month they are working with Stone Brewery and next month, Sierra Nevada. In fact, for the Sierra Nevada tasting in February, Rafael Gomez and Todd Davies have crafted a special beer just for the occasion, called “Out of Town Brown.” You can sign up for either event by calling 630-383-2020, or just stop in and talk with Lynch or Michael behind the bar. They’ll be happy to sign you up and pour you a very interesting beer.

Deena Sherman can be reached at deenasherman@att.net.