Midwest Coast Brewing Co. Review
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Sniff-mas!
Best Dog Friendly Events in Chicago!
Chicago, Illinois (West Town)
Santa Paws!!! I KNOW HIM!
Today, we visited one of the most highly rated dog-friendly breweries in downtown Chicago. Located in the West Town, Midwest Coast Brewing is known for it’s great beers, fun atmosphere, and pup dog patrons. This is the first time they’ve hosted the “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Sniff-mas” event, and the turn out was huge! Hosted by Sidewalk Dog and Many Pets, Benji had a great time at Sniff-mas!
The event had lots of attractions for all the human and furry guests in attendance. We loved the pictures with Santa Paws, as we got both a physical copy of the shot as well as one emailed to us. They also had great promotional gear including free glasses, doggy bags/holders, stickers, and super cute dog cookies! There were tons of dog-related vendors with everything from dog sweaters and bow-ties to doggy treats. Last but not least, there was a toy drive with proceeds going to a local rescue, One Tail at a Time. As rescue dog parents ourselves, we love to see events like this supporting a great cause.
In regards to the brewery itself: First and foremost, parking here was surprisingly easy. There is a ton of free street parking located all around the brewery. If you’re too far away to walk, or just in the city for the day, you can put your parking anxiety to rest here. A huge upside to the venue is that they had a taco trunk located outside with to die for tacos. This brewery is BYOF (Bring Your Own Food), but also provides some basic snacks (chips, peanuts, etc.) As a side note, I thought the bathrooms were incredibly clean, and there wasn’t a line despite the large crowd. There was a lot of space inside the industrial themed tap room. A heated tent and an outdoor space were also accessible for guests.
As we mentioned, the turn out to this event was huge. That being said, if you have a dog that is nervous in crowds or around other dogs, this event might be overwhelming. We’d love to see this be an RSVP type event, with a limited capacity in the future to allow the doggos more space to spread out. They did a good job of providing multiple areas for patrons to occupy, however the dog lover capacity was definitely maxed out! While the line for Santa Paws moved quickly, it was also a very tight space for all the humans and doggos in the tap room.
Lastly, for all the beer lovers out there - of course we had to give our thoughts on these highly recommended beers. I tried the Friendsgiving Holiday Ale. (I’m a sucker for holiday brews…) The main flavors are cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel - and the cinnamon really comes through! At 7.1% ABV, I would absolutely recommend this for all the non-driving dog parents. Benji’s Dad loves coffee flavored brews and IPAs. He went with the Nibbs are Tricky Golden Coffee Ale. An interesting aspect of this beer is that the flavor increases as the beer warms. While we didn’t try a flight, we did see a few guests being delivered them in an adorable doggy bowl! We’ll definitely be back to try more!
Overall, we’d give this event a 4/5 WAGS rating!
PROS:
Very dog friendly environment!
Great free items - especially if you were in the first 100 people through the door
Lots of local vendors
Good beer!
Santa Paws
Donations to a local rescue
Large space including outdoor area, heated tent and taproom
Taco truck!
Clean bathrooms
Cons:
Very crowded event
