Lemont's Tap House Grill Celebrates Grand Opening Week Jan. 14-20

Tap House Grill quietly opened a couple months ago in Lemont, and now the establishment, which takes great pride in its “addictive food and creative brews,” is pulling out all the stops for a grand opening celebration Jan. 14 through 20.

The week-long celebration of food and drink will feature daily specials, raffles and plenty of opportunities for beer enthusiasts and food lovers alike to delight their palates with a wide variety of hand-crafted brews and mouth-watering meals.

If you’re an expert in the art of discovering and enjoying craft beers, you’ll find yourself right at home with Tap House’s 40 brews on tap (including Sprecher Root Beer). 

Newcomers to the craft beer world may initially find themselves a little confused when attempting to decide between Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider and New Holland Dragon’s Milk or Breckenridge Avalanche Amber. But general manager Jeff Biddinger assures craft beer novices they have nothing to fear.  

He explained that all servers at Tap House are required to become certified cicerones (pronounced “sis-uh-rohns”), a designation earned after mastering a course in beer storage, sales and service; styles and culture, tasting and flavors; brewing ingredients and processes; and pairing beer with food.

Biddinger compares the cicerone designation to that of a sommelier, an expert who helps a customer select the perfect wine to accompany his or her dinner. As certified cicerones, Biddinger and his staff at Tap House use their expertise to help each customer choose a beer that he or she will thoroughly enjoy.

“When you come in and see all the beers we have on tap, it could be a little overwhelming,” Biddinger said. “One of the most enjoyable things for me is when customers have that ‘deer in the headlights’ look when they’re reading the beer menu – and then I find a beer they really like by making a recommendation based on what they normally drink. I like to help people expand their tastes a little.”

For nearly a decade, Biddinger has been expanding both his taste for and experience in craft beer – first at Mike Ditka’s in Oakbrook and later, as a bar manager at the former Limestone Brewery in Plainfield. And since signing on as general manager at Tap House in Lemont, the connoisseur of craft beers appears to be nearly brimming over with enthusiasm.

“I’m totally into understanding craft beers and learning all about them,” Biddinger said. “I’m a huge beer geek – and this is the best job I’ve ever had.”  

Tap House Grill taps about five new kegs each week and the beer menu changes nearly every day, Biddinger said. If you want to plan ahead and really take your time choosing the beer you'll enjoy when you arrive at Tap House, he recommends visiting beermenus.com and clicking on the Lemont Tap House Grill location to see the current menu. There, you can decide between Tap House’s 40 beers on tap as well as the beers it serves in bottles or cans. The online menu also lists portion size, ABV (alcohol by volume) and price.

For customers who are having a tough time deciding, Biddinger suggests ordering two-ounce beer samplers for $1 each.

“You can try a couple beers or a few,” he said, “and not worry that you’re wasting your money if you don’t like it.” But Biddinger is convinced there’s a beer for to please every customer’s tastes – and vows that he and his staff will do everything they can to help each patron find it.

Tap House Grill’s Grand Opening Celebration

There will be plenty of specials during Tap House Grill’s grand opening week celebration Monday, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 20. Here’s what’s in store for customers each day:

• Monday:  All draft beers will cost only $2
• Tuesday:  Enjoy Tap House’s famous Angus burger for $1
• Wednesday: Tap House will take 50 percent off your tab
• Thursday: Revolution Tap Takeover will feature beers from Revolution Brewing, a new brewery in Chicago. At about 7 p.m., Tap House will “tap the firkin,” a ceremonial tapping of the beer achieved by driving a spout into the firkin (a small barrel containing naturally carbonated beer) with a rubber mallet.
• Friday: Half off all wines by the glass or by the bottle
• Saturday: $3 beers of the day, crazy raffles (including Tap House gift cards, fried bacon or burgers for a year, Tap House T-shirts and more.
• Sunday: Enjoy Tap House’s famous Bloody Mary bar for $2 each. Tap House will pour the liquor and you pick your special Bloody Mary mixer, then browse through 20 to 30 items, such as shrimp, olives, cheese, pepperoni and more.

What’s on the Food Menu at Tap House Grill?

If you think Tap House’s general manager is enthusiastic about craft beer, just ask him about the food he and his staff proudly serve.

“One of our most popular menu items is our stuffed burger,” Biddinger said. “It’s certified Angus beef with diced jalapenos, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses and diced bacon. It’s so good. And then there’s our grilled chicken bruschetta and appetizers like Bavarian pretzels with sweet beer mustard … and drunken shrimp, marinated and grilled with jerk seasoning … and our chicken fingers, fish and chips and fried bacon, which are all battered fresh at the restaurant, not breaded and frozen ahead of time. That’s why they’re so good.”

There’s plenty more on the menu at Tap House, too. The restaurant/pub offers a full kids menu, gluten-free and vegetarian items and, to top off your meal, decadent desserts such as  chocolate-stuffed chocolate cake served warm with chocolate ice cream; a Sprecher Root Beer float; cooked-to-order sticky chocolate-caramel donuts with caramel sauce and chocolate drizzle, and house-made Kit Kat chocolate peanut butter sticks.

Lemont’s Tap House Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday. Catering and private parties are also available. For more information call 630-257-5992 or visit the website by clicking here.

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