It’s perfect in all ways. The three beer buzz. You’re enthusiastic, powerful and alive. With zip and zest. Lit but sharp. It’s the magic number (but the trick is maintaining it for an extended period of time). And we’re in Chicago to perfect it.

After a 4 am wake up and some public transport and domestic air travel, one usually needs a beer. And we found that Chicago is the perfect place to be when one needs a beer.

We came here for The Brixton Broadcast which is tonight and features four really good bands and it’s all free, so if your’e reading this and able to get to Chicago (Wicker Park neighborhood to be exact, The Empty Bottle), come hang.

To ease into the city, we attended the Brixton event on the eve of the rock show in an industrial gallery. It was called The Public Service Announcement and featured photography and art from local artists and Brixton team. There was beer and music and wine and it is where we took our perfect three beer buzz.

We acquired our three beer buzz initially at Bangers and Lace, a pub-style restaurant in Wicker Park. Po boys and fries and then it came out: the perfect beer for the moment: The Buckledown Ryebock from Lyons Illinois. 16 oz. of 7.3% alcohol content, perfect for landing in a soggy, cold and windy land. We were right at home from there. Although, we did get lost briefly but knew we found it when a local asked us if we knew where the art show in the big tall building was, and when we told him we were just as lost he was he said: “I’m from here, but I’m so stoned right now I can’t remember where it is.” He went the wrong way from there, but about an hour later we later saw him at the show. He pulled it.

Once there we did our best to maintain our flawless 3-beer wings, and may have slipped out of them by the time we made it to The Inner Town Pub, a classic dive with one barkeep, a woman who only accepts cash for the $3 beers she slings. The JukeBox sang with everything from Morrissey to Refused and Motorhead, to an old war veteran’s well-timed Motley Cru request. It was a great way to meet and greet with our Brixton family. And now that I think about it, it’s time to start working on our three beer buzz. Happy Friday, Chicago. —Travis