The first thing you’ll notice once you enter Ballast Point’s spacious taproom in the West Loop (212 N. Green St.) is the sheer number of brews available. With over 45 beers on draft, you’re more than spoiled for choice. Sip on these in one of the bar's spacious, well-lit rooms—most notable of which is a parlor illuminated by a glowing display of hundreds of Ballast Point tap handles. Once you've found your favorite beer, you can get it in a growler to-go. And the lineup of libations will soon be even more impressive: we hear the on-site tanks, which are visible from the street, will be up-and-running in the next week or so to offer some location-specific brews. 

This is a brewpub made for hanging out. On Saturday night, nearly every seat was filled, whether by couples on a date, friends catching the game on TV, or coworkers tapping away on laptops. 

Here’s what we saw when we stopped by: