Smylie Brothers Brewing Co., Evanston

Ate at Smylie Brothers Brewing Co in Evanston for my 6 year anniversary with my boyfriend. I've only just now edited the photos and finally have the chance to post a quick review. He and I love BBQ and almost every anniversary, we have a BBQ lunch or dinner. When we were in school, it used to be Black Dog in Urbana, IL. But I think Smylie is going to be our alternative if we want to stay around the Evanston area (where he goes to school) - if not for the food, but for the beer.

One of many highlights of Smylie's is that they brew their own beer here, and sell it at a slight discount compared to the commercially brewed beers they had on the menu as well. A 20oz glass for most of their brews was $6. I definitely recommend it. I had the pale ale and it was very light and fresh tasting - really drinkable and great with the food. My boyfriend had the IPA, which in my opinion was really strong and hoppy. I'm usually always on the fence whenever it comes to IPAs - I either really love them, or I can't drink them at all. This one was the latter, and I much preferred my pale ale instead.

I had the Company burger with a side of mac and cheese. The burger itself was good. Not too greasy, substantial, and well cooked. The menu description included "IPA soaked onions" and "house made pickles." I definitely could taste a hint of the IPA in the onions, but if you're not a fan, I wouldn't worry - it doesn't come off too strong. I really enjoyed the pickles, which I think were a quick pickle, since they were sliced so thinly. The mac and cheese was good along the top, where there wasn't too much cheese, but at the bottom, it was a cheese and noodle soup. I'm pretty picky about mac and cheese and generally prefer light cheese than heavy cheese - but if you're a cheese lover, I think this may be right up your alley!

My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich, which I was nervous about. I had read Yelp reviews that the brisket was too fatty, but I didn't get that at all. It was moist and flavorful, and I think the next time we go here, this will be what I order. He ordered fries along with his meal and they were nice and crisp and we shared them, eating it with the BBQ sauces they had. 

BBQ sauces. Other places that we've been have had a wide selection of BBQ sauces, but Smylie only has two. I wouldn't say that this is a detraction, because the two that they have are pretty solid. The Texas Mopping Sauce was our favorite though, and we ate our fries and the remnants of his brisket sandwich with them. Mopping sauce is a fitting name too, since it was a looser, more liquidy sauce compared to the sweet BBQ sauce they also had. 

Overall, definitely would eat here again! I think next time, we'll go for dinner since they have poutine on the menu as an appetizer. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get any for lunch :(