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Cultivate by Forbidden Root is Now Open

Rachel Morrison
On December 10, 2021

Cultivate by Forbidden Root is now open in Lincoln Square. This is the brewery’s second Chicago location, which takes over the space previously occupied by Band of Bohemia. The Forbidden Root team has brightened and opened up the space, introduced an updated menu and are encouraging people to get out of their comfort zones with their beer list, in the best possible way. Their menu features elevated brewery food, including a Porchetta French Dip Sandwich that melts in your mouth after the perfect au jus dunk. The beer menu is extensive and unique, mirroring Forbidden Root’s West Town location. Foeder-aged and kviek style beers set this location’s beer menu apart. The team plans to continue to experiment with all the funk, especially with the attached taproom opening soon.

Refreshed Space with a Forbidden Root Feel

Cultivate by Forbidden Root takes over the former Band of Bohemia building, which closed during the pandemic. While it’s large shoes to fill as the former tenants were the world’s first (and only) Michelin-starred brewpub, Forbidden Root is a solid contender. The team has updated the space to make it more accessible to guests with an open concept design and improved lighting. While the existing bar and booths remain, everything else was replaced or modified to give it the Forbidden Root feel.

Elevated Brewery Food

All Forbidden Root locations have their own twist on the elevated brewery food that they offer. Each Chef has a different take. Cultivate’s kitchen is three times the size of the West Loop location, which gives Chef Carlos Cruz more space to experiment and bring his menu to life. This location features more vegan and vegetarian options, which make up about 40%-50% of the menu. The menu features some familiar favorites from West Town, including Duck & Dumplings and many similar bar snacks. However, there’s some new notable items on the menu, including a Porchetta French Dip Sandwich, which is crispy, toasty, and served with au jus that screams “Thanksgiving”. Did I mention that one already? The bar snacks shouldn’t be passed up and anyone who doesn’t want to share chili-lime popcorn with you shouldn’t be invited out to dinner in the first place.

Funk-Filled Beer Menu

At Cultivate, you can still order the Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen (and should) along with the seasonal Vienna Lager, Hoodie Weather. However, what sets Cultivate’s beer menu apart is their Foeder-aged and Kviek-style options. If you can’t decide, the FR Flight is a great place to start.

In describing the inspiration behind the beer menu, Brian Krajack quoted Randy Mosher, “Two tools will drive this mission. One is the use of non-standard fermentations, including farmhouse yeast strains from various parts of the world and mixed cultures of traditional brewer’s yeast and cultured specialty strains such as Brettanomyces. The second tool is the use of wood to age and flavor beer, from full-sized “foeder” tanks to wine and spirits barrels.”

These tools, along with blending and a light touch on flavor will help us create beers that are highly unique, yet maintain a balanced drinkability, expressing our enthusiasm for global farmhouse creations. Our botanic approach adds interest and depth and also mellows out some of the funkier flavors that wild yeast can create, while leaving plenty of room for flavor combinations, both new and old. – Brian Krajack, Director of Restaurant Operations

The taproom is slated to be open mid to late December. Cultivate will feature eight guest lines plus on site bottles or cans from surrounding breweries, plus some European offerings. Forbidden Root plans to embrace all styles at all times.

Come See for Yourself

Cultivate is now open at 4710 N. Ravenswood Avenue. Swing by for a beer, flight, bar snacks, or full meal. The cozy, welcoming atmosphere will pull you in and keep you satisfied until you inevitably need to head home and pass out into a self-induced food and beer coma.

Cheers!

Feature image courtesy of Cultivate by Fordbidden Root

Cultivate by Forbidden Root is Now Open