So Who Are The Hippos?
Twisted Hippo Taproom and Eatery is a brewery proudly located smack dab in the middle of Albany Park, Irving Park, Ravenswood Manor, and Horner Park. That’s a lot of neighborhoods, but we have a lot of love to share so it all works out.
We brew damned fine craft beer that is artful by design and twisted by nature. We proudly celebrate diversity, sustainability, and creativity in everything we do in our Chicago community and beyond.
So what makes us unique? Weeellll… aside from the giant pink hippo with antlers, a pig’s tail, and wings, it could be said that we exemplify our philosophy to ‘Embrace Your Strange’ in everything we do. Our taproom is filled with vibrant colors and bold architectural details, sustainably sourced with the guests’ needs in mind. Our staff is a carefully curated group of fun folks who embody what it means to be perfectly yourself, no matter what your quirk may be.
What kind of beer do we make? Weeellll… all kinds, really. We specialize in weird but awesome, balanced yet interesting. While many people look to replicate what’s trending at any given moment, we take a creative approach while respecting the base beer style. Not every beer is for every person, but there’s something here for everyone.
The same philosophy applies to our bar program and menus. In addition to our own brewery’s offerings, we support craft brewers, distillers, roasters, and cideries, wineries and soda makers with a wide array of options available. And we’re ready with good meal options for kids, adults, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, as well, so that your whole group can come here and find something to enjoy.
Our goal is to create a positive culture that goes beyond drinking great beer. We believe good conversation and better company creates positive change, and we’re happy to share a space where we can all be our own versions of strange together!
Kyle Reed
From grain to glass, Kyle is the man to see about the beer. When not taming the chaos of the brewhouse, you can find Kyle eating some fried chicken or […]
Todd Ruddick
Just a small town boy, born and raised in south Detroit, Todd took the midnight train going anywhere. He studied to be a rocket scientist and after stints working in […]
Alex Borrayo
Alex was born and raised on the North side of Chicago. He found his culinary inspiration as a child while helping his mother get a head start on dinner every […]
Marilee Rutherford
With a Midwestern roots and a big ol’ heart, our own Mama Hippo is just as likely to drive a forklift as write a sonnet. You know… whatever needs doing. […]
Karl Rutherford
A real Midwestern dude, Karl is three parts nice guy and one part rebel, driving his passion for designing approachable yet interesting beer. Fortunately for all of us, he tried […]
Shawn Smith
Shawn is an artist, designer, and craft beer fan. As such, he helps the Hippos whenever he’s able, illustrating and designing labels and other visuals for them. He really likes […]