About- Emma Wargolet
Emma Wargolet
A native Wisconsinite living in Chicago, Emma finds that her best days are spent at any brewery with a sour in hand, writing comedy pieces or working on an intersectional feminist cross-stitch. You can find her across the city dominating Harry Potter trivia, recording episodes of her podcasts, Death & All Her Friends and Reel First Time, or jammin on her planner. Follow her craft beer life @CheersToCrafts!Three Chicago Breweries Launch the Brewer’s Triangle
May 9, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
Chicago is well-known for its multitude of breweries, and it can be overwhelming for a first-time visitor to try to decide which ones to go to. Certain Chicago neighborhoods have more breweries than some, such as Avondale and Logan Square. Three of the breweries in this area have combined forces to create the Brewer’s Triangle, a newly formed conglomerate of Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, Ravinia Brewing Co. and Metropolitan Brewing.
AleBlazers Series | One Year Later with Funkytown Brewery
April 10, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
A brewery that has made a huge splash on the Chicago craft beer scene over the past year has been Funkytown Brewery, who brews at Pilot Project Brewing in both Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI. Owners Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams chatted with PorchDrinking in February 2022 as a part of our AleBlazers series, so naturally we needed to catch up with them and see how the last year has been and where 2023 is taking them!
Flora Brewing Set to Make Commercial Debut at Pilot Project Brewing
April 3, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
Pilot Project Brewing, a brewery incubator based in Chicago, with a second location in Milwaukee, WI, is a collaborative space where multiple breweries are able to enter the market without certain barriers that traditionally plague startup breweries. Their newest addition is Flora Brewing, Sarah Flora’s brewery that started contract brewing recently, though many know her from her homebrewing videos over the past six years. Flora Brewing will be launching four beers, with the release event set for Saturday, April 29.
BREAKING | Karben4 Set to Re-Release Ale Asylum Beers
March 16, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
For those across the Midwest, Ale Asylum Brewery in Madison, Wisconsin, was a staple of their beer fridge until they closed in July of 2022 after 16 years of operation. Less than a year later, however, their bold flavors are set to make a comeback under the Karben4 Brewing flag. Karben4 owners, brothers Ryan and Zak Koga, are excited to re-launch these staples of Madison craft beer in the same city that they operate their brewery.
Ultimate 6er | Six N/A Beers to Keep in Your Fridge After Dry January
February 1, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
As a native Wisconsinite, Dry January does not immediately evoke a “let’s do this” kind of attitude. To be fair, for a long time the only non-alcoholic options around was soda (translation for some of my Midwestern pals: pop), and that is not appealing. Fortunately, there has been a shift in what is available, particularly in January because Dry January is becoming more and more popular. It’s also just more inclusive to make fun NA options available; whatever reason for someone not drinking, it shouldn’t mean they can’t enjoy themselves!
Zine Review | Pairing Beer & Chocolate by David Nilsen
January 23, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
Disclaimer: The author of this zine, David Nilsen, writes for PorchDrinking.
Becoming incredibly good at something takes a lot of time, effort and patience. In our constant need for instant gratification and expectation to be perfect at something the first time you do it, it becomes more and more rare to find a true expert. Do you think that a master woodworker was making a canoe during their first time using an oscillating saw? Or an Advanced sommelier knew how to tell what region of France a grape was from when they were 21? No. That’s why when someone shares their expertise and encourages others to learn from the time and effort they have put in, it’s a gift.
Firestone Walker | IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Galaxy Shapeshifters
January 17, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
The amount of options at a liquor store can be overwhelming, and it can feel limiting to choose a six- or 12-pack of just one beer. The solution? Mixed packs. These are a great way to get a little taste of different beers, and also provide a variety to guests. Released in November 2022, Firestone Walker launched the IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Galaxy Shapeshifters, which can be found through its Beer Finder.
District Brew Yards Now Open in Wheeling, IL
November 4, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
District Brew Yards is well-known within the West Loop of Chicago as a pour-your-own beer hall with four different breweries in operation. After looking for expansion opportunities throughout the past year, the previous Ram Brewing location in Wheeling, Illinois was the perfect fit. The current West Loop location has four breweries in residency: Around the Bend Beer Co, Burnt City Brewing, Twisted Hippo and Casa Humilde Cerveceria. At the Wheeling location, customers will find these four breweries, as well as Histrionic Brewlab. In addition to these five breweries, there is an Added Libations Tab, where ciders and wines will be available.
Favorite Beer Names of GABF 2022
October 21, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Sometimes, it is not the description of the beer that pulls you in, but the name of the beer. I have zero qualms about purchasing Hopewell Brewing Co.’s Ya Filthy Animal simply because of the name of the beer (turns out it is my favorite holiday beer, so that one paid off), and going into Great American Beer Festival, my philosophy remained the same.
2022 GABF Results | What Breweries Won Big This Year?
October 8, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
The last two years have been… let’s say rough. One beacon of light that has emerged the last few months has been the re-emergence of beer festivals. However, due to its massive size, there were doubts that Great American Beer Festival would be able to come back swinging in 2022. Doubt no more, because the masses of craft beer nerds have descended upon Denver to bask in GABF’s glory once again.
AleBlazers Series | Q&A with Japas Cervejaria
August 18, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Japas Cervejaria is a brewery that has been around for seven years, and is now taking America by storm with a series of special events throughout the month. Owned by three Nipo-Brazilian women, Maíra Kimura, Yumi Shimada and Fernanda Ueno, they have been brewing in Brazil since 2015. The Japas Cervejaria brand has already begun distribution throughout California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with plans to open South Carolina and Texas soon! We were able to connect with the three founders to discuss how they got started brewing beer and how it helped them explore their Japanese-Brazilian ancestry.
Brewery Showcase | Ope! Brewing Co.
August 10, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
As someone with the Instagram bio of “ope,” a visit to Ope! Brewing Co. in West Allis, Wisconsin, was a must. For those unaware of the Midwestern statement, the word “Ope” is used as an exclamation to express surprise, dismay or really anything at all (according to one of the breweries’ stickers). Continuing with the theme of Ope! and general midwestern (specifically, Wisconsin) vibes, the three founders, Adam Anders, Kyle Ciske and John Onopa, were able to scatter nods to their home state throughout the brewery, which opened Memorial Day weekend of 2022.
Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Melon Conspiracy
July 22, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Much like ordering a flight at a new brewery, mixed packs are a great option when you want to have a variety of beers available to you. If you find yourself unsure what to bring to that summer barbecue or boat ride, variety packs can provide the perfect solution! Fortunately, Firestone Walker has a variety of mixed packs to choose from, including the new IPA Mixed Pack featuring Melon Conspiracy.
AleBlazers Series | Q&A with Sarah Flora of Flora Brewing
June 21, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
As part of the PorchDrinking AleBlazers Series, I was excited to get to chat with Sarah Flora of Flora Brewing. If you’ve had a chance to peruse her website or YouTube channel, you know that she is a top-notch homebrewer. Additionally, she just made her commercial debut at Pilot Project Brewing, a brewery incubator in Chicago, with Medusa, a Pale Ale that is perfect for summer!
Ultimate 6er | Six Beers for Six The Musical
May 11, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
The love of Broadway runs deep and being able to see my first Broadway show while out in New York City recently was exciting, to say the least. While having spent a lot of time watching theatre, none of the shows were actually on Broadway. How to pay homage to Six: The Musical? By pairing each woman with a beer thoroughly enjoyed in New York City, of course!
BREAKING | 2022 World Beer Cup Medal Results
May 5, 2022 | Emma Wargolet 1
The winners of the World Beer Cup were announced on Thursday, May 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, MN, as part of this year’s Craft Brewers Conference. The World Beer Cup competition was launched by the Brewers Association in 1996 to celebrate brewing and brewers across the world and is often referred as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions”. It is typically held every other year, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 awards were canceled, meaning that the last time these awards were given out was in 2018.
200+ Women/Non-Binary-Owned Breweries to Support Across the U.S.
March 7, 2022 | Emma Wargolet 42
Despite the idyllic notion that craft beer is an incredible industry founded on collaboration and camaraderie, the reckoning ignited by Brienne Allan’s work showcased that sexism is a rampant issue in beer that has often been swept under a rug for far too long.
Brienne’s work helped to shine greater awareness on the systemic issue and as a result, incremental change has begun, as seen with her Brave Noise collaboration campaign. Additionally, we’re constantly inspired by a new class of trailblazers like Ash Eliot, founder of Women of the Bevolution, who’ve stepped up to help continue to further Brienne’s cause, and our own Kindsey Bernhard, who launched the Boys are from Märzen podcast to spotlight incredible women in the industry, and Grace Weitz, editor for Hop Culture and organizer of Beers Without Beards festival, which celebrates women and non-binary led breweries. However, in the grand scope of things, there’s still so much that needs to be done to bring greater equity to a historically male-dominated industry.
It’s not enough to post that a brewery supports diversity and will work to combat racism, sexism, homophobia; there has to be actual action. Performative allyship does nothing.
2022 Chicago Women’s Collaboration Brew Day Beer is Here
March 3, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Each year, Pink Boots Society members across the country team up to brew a beer for International Women’s Day. The Chicago chapter met up in February at Church Street Brewing Company to brew Cosmic Nunchucks, which will be available on tap and in cans at participating breweries starting this weekend. The brew day event involved 45 women that are involved in the craft beer industry in the Chicagoland area, helmed by Chicago Chapter Co-Leaders Shana Solarte, Raiye Rosado and Katie Hofmann.
AleBlazers | Q&A With Funkytown Brewery
February 14, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
As a part of the PorchDrinking AleBlazers series, we’re excited to chat with the owners of Funkytown Brewery, Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams! With their opening in October 2021, they became the second Black-owned brewery in Chicago that is currently operating. We discuss the future of Funkytown, how they started working with a brewery incubator, the importance of diversity in craft beer and more!
A Midwesterner Attempts Dry January
January 31, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
As a native Wisconsinite and a current Chicagoan, Dry January has never been something I have attempted before. After a heavily celebrated December (and negative COVID tests abound), I knew this year was the time to take the plunge. Despite two full beer fridges from advent calendars and friends leaving beer at my home, I went into January with a strong resolve. Below are the tips and tricks I learned throughout the month so anyone who wants to attempt a dry month can hopefully also be successful!
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