Brewpub Review: Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

Flossmoor Station has been a favorite of mine for some time.  I even worked there for a day bottling beer.  However, a recent trip with my family was less than spectacular.  I knew the brewer had changed.  Nick Barron took over for Bryan Schimkos a few months ago.  I did not share this news with my family.  Within moments of the first beer the complaints started.  My brother a beer geek in his own right noted the beer was served a little warm.  While warmer than what most bars in Chicago would serve their beer I thought Flossmoor aimed for a more British temperature.  However, that was not the only complaint.  The beer lacked carbonation, seemed watery and in some cases was just not good.  HopfenWeizen, a hoppy hefeweizen, was one beer we all had high hopes for, but in all honesty, was just bad.

I did not think Nick would have this much difficulty, but unfortunately it appears that way.  Nick was an assistant brewer at Flossmoor before moving up.  There are rumors the ownership of Flossmoor started to assert influence in the brewhouse.  Undue influence in the brewing process could be hampering quality.  Although an owner should be concerned about quality sometimes an owner’s vision handcuffs a brewers abilities.

After drinking and dining I asked around and heard other people with similar complaints.  Although I did not have a great experience I am not going to write Flossmoor off completely.  I will stop by after a while or when I start to hear reports about quality increasing.

The service was very good, and the food while not high end, was solid pub food.  The beer cheese soup is very tasty, as well as the Southwestern Steak Salad and pizzas.  The restaurant is kid friendly and convenient to get to from the Metra train.

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Tags: Flossmoor