Beer Director Michael McAvena
Beer Director Michael McAvena
At 25, Michael McAvena was already a veteran of some of Chicago’s best-know culinary spots, including the Violet Hour and Saltaus, before he joined The Publican as its beer director. More often called “beer guy” or “beer boy,” McAvena is not one for fancy titles. But he is the one credited with helping The Publican team bring its signature food and wine acumen to its beer list.
An Ohio native, McAvena graduated the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he focused on performance and sound, before turning to a career in food and drink. More than anything, art school solidified his creative urges, one of which became home-brewing beer.
For a year after his tour of area restaurants, McAvena cut his teeth humping cases and stacking coolers in the Chicago beer retail world while cultivating his knowledge of everything from the old stand-bys to the obscure and misunderstood beers of the world. That experience, combined with his ongoing home brewing, gave him a unique perspective for building The Publican’s unusual beer list and training its staff to help diners order beers that make sense with the menu, not overpower it or underestimate it. “We’re trying to get away from the machismo of beer. We are attempting to showcase the best examples of classic styles; beers that pay homage to their origins and inherently compliment our food.”
“Food and beer are equal in my eyes,” he says. “But when you put them together, that’s when you get something special.”
When not working with The Publican kitchen to create a menu that pairs well with a new beer he’s found, McAvena is at home in Wicker Park brewing his own.
