Midwest Drinking 2018 | Center Ice Brewery News

As we finish up another year of beer, it’s time to look ahead to what we’ll be pouring, sipping and loving in 2018. I’ve reached out to a few of the Midwest’s best brewers to see what we can expect from them in the next Year of Beer.
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As Craft Beer Goes Mainstream, Lagunitas Stays Weird

Tony Magee started his brewery dream back in 1993 in Lagunitas, California. The goal was to create bombastic beers that teemed with the plentiful hops found on the West Coast, and to have a lot of fun doing it. Originally an Illinois native, Tony has grown into somewhat of a national celebrity when it comes to craft beer due to his unique brewing practices that led to creations like Undercover Shut Down Ale, his outspoken personality, and the great beers his brewery(s) have produced since his early days.

Now, Lagunitas Brewing Company is an international power, its IPA is the current #1 best seller in packaged formats and they produced around one million barrels of beer last year. In many ways, Magee’s creation is the perfect example of craft beer’s explosive growth over the past two decades. But then again, Lagunitas is an outlier in the current craft beer environment. They’re not like your standard brewpub or trendy hazy IPA factory. If you’ve visited their massive 300,000 sq. foot Chicago brewery facility, decorated with secondhand furniture and mind-melting dog murals, you’d recognize that. As craft beer infiltrates every last avenue of American consumerism, Lagunitas has found a way to stay weird. I asked Karen Hamilton, Lagunitas’ Communications Director and Tony’s sister, how they’ve been able to stay true to their brand for 25 years.

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36 Colorado Brewery Openings for January, February & March 2018

The first three months of 2018, the Colorado brewery, cidery, and meadery scene has been and will be VERY busy. In fact, 36 Colorado craft brewery openings will occur bringing deliciousness to all of our taste buds across the state!

Of the 36, two are breweries changing locations, two are re-branding, and eight are adding a second location. Find out more about each of the breweries, who they are, anticipated opening lists, and what you can expect to experience when you visit.

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Cigar City Set to Begin Chicago Distribution

Chicago beer drinkers, whose only hope of grabbing a Cigar City Jai Alai IPA involved a flight to Florida, can now save themselves a trip when the brewery begins Chicago distribution February 19.

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WeldWerks Invitational Announces Impressive Preliminary Brewery List

To say that WeldWerks Brewing has had a big year simply would not do enough justice to the meteoric rise experienced by the two and a half-year-old Greeley, CO-based brewery. At last year’s Great American Beer Festival, they earned their second GABF medal with a gold medal victory in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category for Medianoche after previously earning a silver medal for their Hefeweizen in the American Style Wheat Beer with Yeast category in 2015 as.

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The Founders Factor | How All Day IPA Became a National Hit

Founders Brewing has been around for more than 20 years, but they didn’t find their staple beer until 2012. Since its introduction, Founders’ easy-to-drink All Day IPA has been a smash hit. The beer hit a nerve for many people across the U.S. due to its outright drinkability and convenient packaging formats, making it a beer that could be consumed on land, on water, and anywhere in between—and sales have reflected that. Five years since it was released nationwide, All Day IPA just had its most successful year ever, growing an incredible 50.3% in 2017. All Day is now the 3^rd best-selling IPA in the nation, an incredible feat for any beer over such a small period of time. The crazy sales numbers of its stalwart beer have lifted Founders to new heights, with volume sales up 51%, but if you ask co-founder Mike Stevens about All Day, he’ll say that the session ale has only begun to reach its potential.

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Mountain Sun Announces Stout Month’s 25th Anniversary Lineup

Time of uncertainty, political strife, globally warmed winters, and division. But if there’s one constant in our lives that we can all rally around and it’s the return of Mountain Sun’s Stout Month, one of the most heralded of Colorado beer traditions.

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A Look at What Minnesota Craft Brewers are Doing for Super Bowl 52

Next Sunday, the champions of the NFC and AFC will convene on Minnesota’s U.S. Bank field for Super Bowl 52. And while the Eagles and Patriots are sure to provide a lot of on-field entertainment, the trip to Minneapolis will also offer both fervent fan bases a chance to experience Minneapolis’ dynamic craft beer scene. Whether you’re a football fan or just a lover of craft beer, a variety of downtown breweries will be rolling out the red carpet to impress this sudden surge of visitors. Here’s a quick look at what to expect.

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Texas Craft Brewers Guild Forms CraftPAC

Beer Laws in Texas are Broken. That is the headline of the newly formed Political Action Committee aimed at protecting the rights of Texas breweries and championing for constructive, common sense legislative reforms. CraftPAC was established by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild earlier this week to raise funds that will be used to support various political initiatives designed to improve job growth and the economic impact of the Texas brewing industry.

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Fast Facts on Surly Brewing’s First-Ever Variety Pack

Coming off a strong 2017, Minnesota’s Surly Brewing is betting on its growing momentum with the release of an ambitious 2018 release calendar. Along with two new year-round offerings, Hopshifter IPA and +1 Golden Ale, Surly also intends to appeal to the curiosity of the average craft beer drinker with their new Innovation Series, which will feature the likes of Damien and Furious Black in tall boys, and the announcement of their first-ever Variety Pack. The Variety Pack has become a popular format for other large Midwest brewers like Revolution and Summit, so it makes sense that Surly would dip their toes into this popular packaging venue. Here are the details.

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Charlie Papazian Announces Upcoming Exit from Brewers Association

The godfather of American homebrewing will soon be saying his goodbye to the very organization he helped launch. Charlie Papazian, who famously penned The Complete Joy of Homebrewing has announced that he will be exiting his role with The Brewers Association on January 23, 2019, to coincide with his 70th birthday and 40 years serving the craft beer community.

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Midwest Drinking 2018 | Mark Twain Brewing News

As we finish up another year of beer, it’s time to look ahead to what we’ll be pouring, sipping and loving around the Midwest in 2018.  I’ve reached out to a few of our town’s best brewers to see what we can expect from them in the next Year of Beer.

Up in Hannibal, MO, the team at Mark Twain Brewery is gearing up for some serious growth. Read More

Three New Hazy IPAs You Can Find Nationwide

Let’s face it, the haze craze is here to stay. Amid slowing sales in the craft beer market, the incredible popularity of the Hazy IPA has butted the trend, as its juicy approachability captured the hearts (and wallets) of both brewers and consumers across the country in 2017. What started as murmurs among beer blogs is now a nationwide phenomenon and can be lauded (or scoffed at) as one of America’s major craft beer creations over the past decade.

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Upland Brewing Announces Limited Colorado Distribution

One of the country’s most well-established markets for sour and wild beers is about to get more robust with a little help from the Midwest. Upland Brewing, announced this morning that it would begin limited distribution to Colorado through Elite Brands beginning in March.

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Makin’ Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer Project Celebrates Anniversary After Raising $25K

Just over a year ago, five Colorado female brewers joined together for a series of collaboration beers made to raise money for charity and support a protest. Today, the Makin’ Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer series is starting its second year and releasing Version 5 on Saturday. To date, the movement has garnered 20 brewers to participate, and generated over $25,000 for various charities across Colorado!

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Summit Brewing Adjusts to the New Age of Craft Beer

Minnesota can attribute a lot of its craft beer heritage to St. Paul-based Summit Brewing. Founded in 1986, Summit is Minnesota’s second oldest brewery behind Schell’s, with beers like its Summit EPA being a stalwart on local shelves for decades – even before “craft” preceded its title. Now, Minnesota and the larger Midwest markets are shifting. The Land of 10,000 lakes has 150 local craft brewers, which has led to a dramatic increase in competition from newcomers like Surly and Fulton. Summit felt the pains of this competition firsthand, as they recently announced layoffs amidst a decrease in production. So, how does Summit plan to rebound? We asked Summit’s PR/Content Coordinator, Brendan Kennealy, to find out.

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Surly Brewing Sees Longevity in the Chicago Market

While Surly Brewing resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, its second home lies within the Windy City. In a move to meet growing demand in the Chicagoland area, Surly is shifting its distribution relationship from Windy City Distributing to Lakeshore Beverage, which also distributes the likes of Bell’s, Founders and AB-InBev’s High End group to the Chicago region. While the shift in local distributors might not seem like much on its face, it’s actually an intriguing signal of Surly’s larger Midwest strategy and emphasis on gaining market share in Chicago.

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Creature Comforts’ Get Comfortable Campaign Aims to Make an Impact on Athens

Craft beer is leaving its adolescence stage and venturing into adulthood. The maturing of craft brewers bodes well for the average consumer, but it also opens the market up to judgement by a higher societal standard. Craft beer can no longer skirt by as an emerging economic trend; it is now a prosperous and influential part of the U.S. economy, and it deserves to be treated as such. Outside of bottle releases and new taprooms, craft beer can make a verifiable impact on their local communities through outreach programs and charitable donations. Athens-based Creature Comforts is doing just that through their Get Comfortable campaign.

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Four Breweries Place Collaboration Wager on College Football Playoffs

When Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oklahoma take the field for this weekend’s college football Bowl Championship Series playoffs, four breweries will be watching closely with bragging rights and a collaboration beer on the line.

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America Now Boasts Over 6000 Breweries in Operation & More Beer Stats

The Brewers Association published its end of year report this morning announcing that there were over 6,000 breweries in operation across the United States in 2017. That number reflects an increase of over 438 operational breweries since their mid-year report was announced in August, and an increase of approximately 1000 breweries in operation since last December 2016.

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