Carola’s Hansa Clipper

Chicago, Illinois

Field Note

Ordering beer by the liter is one of life’s great pleasures and Carola’s Hansa Clipper in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood offers a gloriously divey opportunity to do just that. A perfect blend of German drinking hall, Chicago dive bar and time, Carola’s Hansa Clipper makes for a perfect stop before or after strolling through Lincoln Square’s pedestrian-friendly, retail-heavy core.

In an age of near pervasive information about every drinking and eating option in the city of Chicago, Carola’s Hansa Clipper is a bit of an enigma. Few mentions of the bar even exist online, all of the discourse around it relegated to Yelp and Google reviews. Even the bar’s Facebook page is seemingly abandoned, last updated in 2013 for something around 200 followers. Even seasoned Chicago drinkers may be surprised at Carola’s Hansa Clipper’s existence, a very green flag for seeking out a visit.

Only a small blue sign above the door emblazoned with the Hofbrauhaus logo and the name of the bar hints at the presence of Carola’s Hansa Clipper. Nondescript, full-length sliding windows lead to a simple door and really not much else adorning the bar’s exterior. But inside, the divey vibes are amplified by ample wood paneling that runs the full length of the space and multiple string light strands dangling from the ceiling and framing a bit of deer taxidermy found on the wall opposite the bar.

A faux shingled roof hangs above the bar’s exterior-facing windows from the inside, creating the illusion that Carola’s Hansa Clipper is some kind of dive-themed, German hunting lodge. Appropriately German & Austrian decorations can be found distributed throughout the space, from beer signs and metal serving plates to fraying maps and framed pictures of regulars. A classic German beer garden-style picnic table can be found in the rear of the space, though the most attractive seating may be the set of high top tables looking out onto Lincoln Avenue.

Though domestic bottled and canned beer can be found here, the wise move is clearly ordering from the rotating German beer list housed on chalkboards bookending the bar. At the time of this review, beer prices are downright reasonable at Carola’s Hansa Clipper with half-liters of draft German beer running $8 and full liters costing $12. With a $15 credit card minimum, the clear strategy is ordering at least two liters from a list that often includes German staples like DAB, Wurzburger and BBK.

As with any great German bar, Carola’s Hansa Clipper serves its liter pours in heavy, Hofbrauhaus-themed mugs that make for a satisfying thud when deposited on the aged, wooden bar. ‘Aged’ is also one word that could describe the bar’s tile floor that is so aged in some places that upon this reviewer’s last visit it devolved into broken debris under one of the bar’s few tables. Because Carola’s Hansa Clipper so clearly caters heavily to regulars and locals, the atmosphere here is often subdued and relaxed, the right kind of experience to contrast some of Lincoln Square’s nearby shopping-fueled density.