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There seems to be craft breweries popping up all over, but each one certainly gives you a different experience.
So I arrived in New Lenox with an open mind and headed into Arrowhead Ales Brewing Company.
For starters, you hope the beer is good. Then, you hope for good food.
The interior feels like a mix between a sports bar, restaurant and a beer hall. There’s a long bar, a beer hall-style table and also family-style seating options.
The next step was choosing the right food. I was pleasantly surprised by the options and tempted to try the avocado rolls. I know the patron next to me having the buffalo wings seemed happy.
Instead, I decided I was headed for a full meal. After mulling the lobster bake, I instead chose the IPA chicken with a cup of cheddar potato beer soup.
I mean, it’s a brewing company with the motto “Beer over everything” on its website, so why not go after a beer-themed meal as well.
The next challenge was selecting the right beer to go with it.
The good part was, of the 11 options on the wall, there were plenty of unique ones. There was everything from a sweet potato beer (Jive Turkey) to an Imperial Oatmeal Breakfast Stout (Devils Breakfast) to a cream ale (Don’t Worry, Beer Happy).
Instead, I started with the Chocolate Coffin Creeper, a chocolate milk stout that says plenty of vampire cereal was used in the brewing process. And it tasted like it.
Maybe it wasn’t the perfect beer to go with my cheddar potato beer soup, but that’s on me as I’m not real advanced on food pairings. Separately, each was delicious.
The soup was fulfilling and the combination of potatoes, beer, bacon, cheese and scallions was done just right to ensure a hearty enough soup that wasn’t just filled with chunks.
It gave me enough time to finish, enjoy my coffin creeper and move on to the main course.
As for the IPA-marinated chicken, it was exactly what I was hoping for. And this time I chose right, enjoying it with Arrowhead Ales’ FMLR Triple IPA, which is mildly sweet with a 68 IBU in the International Bitterness scale.
The chicken sat atop a penne with asiago cream and sun-dried tomatoes that left this diner satisfied. The chicken was done just right with a roll to enjoy with the pasta and sauce.
Arrowhead serves everything from IPA Chicken and Waffles to IPA Fish and Chips to sandwiches or build your own brew burger with any patty, bun, cheese and extras combination you desire.
They also have a late-night menu after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Needless to say, you won’t go home hungry as you enjoy your original brews.
• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at The Herald-News. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.
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IF YOU GO
WHAT: Arrowhead Ales
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: 2101 Calistoga Dr, New Lenox
INFO: http://arrowheadales.com