Midwest
Chicago takes hazy gold once again at GABF, 9 other medals
October 5, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Chicago is once again home to Great American Beer Festival’s gold medal-winning Hazy IPA after Old Irving Brewing Co. took home top honors for Beezer. Last year, the first year with the Hazy IPA category, Alarmist won the inaugural gold for Le Jus. (And, in 2017, Hailstorm won for its Prairie Madness IPA which was the most-entered category by breweries that year.)
MadTree Brewing Co. | El Dorado High Imperial IPA
October 3, 2019 | Michelle Thomas
If you’re as much of a beer person as I am, you know that as soon as your friend mentions they’re going out of town, you’re asking them to bring you back some beer! That’s exactly what happened when I heard of an impending Ohio trip. I absolutely had to get my hands on some MadTree beer, and I was so pleased! You’re going to have to read below to learn more about El Dorado High.
Old Nation Brewing | Electron Brown
October 2, 2019 | Danny King
Last weekend, autumn finally arrived in Michigan in the form of perfect murder mystery type of weather. So, I spent the weekend at the lake calculating the final touches on my plan to do away with my meddling spouse while taking in the gentle stillness of nature. Uh, I mean, um, transitioning from summer to fall beers. Michigan has a glut of great beers and the authentic experience of all four seasons. Thus, we truly have great pairings for every season.
I first got into Old Nation Brewing Electron Brown Espresso Bean Double Brown Ale at a cheese & beer tasting at the incomparable Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. While I couldn’t accurately describe the cheese, Old Nation’s double brown ale certainly made an impact. Enough so that I scrounged around for it the moment October hit.
Fulton Beer | Specter
September 27, 2019 | Max Sundermeyer
“It’s there and then it’s not.”
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). An alarming public health crisis, the death-by-suicide rate for Americans has grown 30 percent in the last two decades. In 2017 alone, more than 47,000 Americans died by suicide. The tragedy of the suicide epidemic in the last 20 years seems to have touched all of our lives at some point. Three years ago, it touched the family of Minneapolis’ Fulton Beer.
GABF Spotlight | The Best Chicagoland Beers
September 26, 2019 | Mike Zoller
There will be more than 4,000 beers poured at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. It is impossible to try every beer there, it would even be a feat if you tried 3% of all the beers being poured at the event.
I went through the pour list of every Illinois brewery pouring at GABF this year and picked out a handful of beers that if you’re not from the state, should be on your list to try. Keep in mind that pour lists do change and so I’m going off of what is available on the festival’s website. I’ll also give you an honorable mention beer from each brewery that may not be the most hyped up beer they have, but it’s still worth trying.
Also, know that a lot of breweries submit beer for judging but don’t make the trip out to Denver to pour their beer. So if you saw that your favorite brewery sent beer to GABF, it doesn’t mean that they are actually going to be there for you to try. Read More
Event Preview | The 9th Annual BeerHoptacular
September 26, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Billed as Chicago’s original craft beer festival, the BeerHoptacular returns once again to the Vertiport hangar on September 28 with over 100 beers being poured.
Chicago Quick Sips | September 25 Chicago Beer News & Events
September 25, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].
Summit Brewing Company | Slugfest Juicy IPA
September 25, 2019 | Max Sundermeyer
Bombasota. The Land of 10,000 rakes. These represent a couple of examples to describe what’s taking place on the baseball field this season in Minnesota.
The nicknames are warranted. The Minnesota Twins are mashing the baseball this season, hitting home runs at a historic pace. At the beginning of the month, the Twins set a new MLB record hitting their 269th home run of the season. Yes, they broke the record with a full month of games to go.
And they’re not slowing down. The Twins keep slugging with currently 289 home runs as I’m typing. But that’s not all. While building on their record-setting season, the Twins broke another MLB milestone. They became the first team in league history with five players to hit at least 30 long balls in a season.
It’s safe to say it’s been a slugfest in Minnesota this summer.
GABF State Spotlight | The Best Ohio Beers
September 24, 2019 | David Nilsen
I’m just going to cut to the chase: We make some really good beers in Ohio, and if you’re going to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver on October 3-5, you’ll get to taste quite a few of them. To help you plan your tasting tour, here are some of my favorite Ohio beers that will be poured at GABF.
New Glarus Brewing | Dancing Man Wheat
September 20, 2019 | Paul Lewis
As summer comes to an end, I would like to look back on some of the fond memories of 2019. While the birth of my son, Alexander, has to rank as one of the top moments of my summer, a close second has to be my discovery of my new summer beer, Dancing Man Wheat–a Hefeweizen from New Glarus Brewery out of New Glarus, Wisconsin.
Off Color Brewing to Add Cans to its Diverse Packaging Portfolio
September 19, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Off Color Brewing has built its vibrant niche in the brewing community by doing things differently. Known for experimentation in its wide array of curious beers – and sake – the Chicago brewing destination is also familiar with experiments in packaging. Last year, Off Color brought the small-format 250ml bottle format to Chicago. Now, it’s joining a variety of its Chicago colleagues by announcing that its beer will soon be available in 16oz cans. Here are the details on Off Color’s recent packaging announcement, along with what Chicago beer drinkers should expect.
Ultimate 6er | Pairing Six Revolution Beers with White Castle Menu Items
September 18, 2019 | Mike Zoller
I’ll never forget waiting in the drive-thru lane of a White Castle at 12:45 a.m. after immediately seeing Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. It wasn’t my first time, but it was my most memorable time eating those delicious little sliders with onions that really do pop with flavor.
Perrin Brewing Co. Releases New IPA Inspired by Now-Canceled “Storm Area 51”
September 17, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Brewing new beers to celebrate a local event or festival is not unusual in the craft brewing community. Michigan-based Perrin Brewing Company took that idea and flipped it on its head with their latest IPA: Storming The Gates Area 51 Experimental New England style IPA. Brewed in celebration of their 7th anniversary party, the new NE-style IPA is brewed to celebrate (or mourn) the now-canceled Storm Area 51 event that was supposed to take place on September 20, 2019. While that viral event is now no-more due to a myriad of practical and human safety issues, the IPA remains and has had many Michigan beer fans storming the gates of the brewpub this past week.
2019 Surly Darkness Day Announces Dawn of Darkness Pour List
September 17, 2019 | Tristan Chan
The field is set, and we now know a bit more about the all-star cast of beers and breweries who will be joining Surly Brewing for the 2019 Darkness Day. Last year, Surly debuted a full weekend of programming to heighten the experience surrounding the release of their cult-classic Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. One of the biggest additions to Surly Darkness Day is Friday night’s Dawn of Darkness beer festival, which includes over 20 guest breweries, whose beers are not typically available in the state of Minnesota.
Boiler Brewing Co. | Koo Koo for Coconut
September 17, 2019 | Lori Kitzing
The Old Federal Building (now known as The Grand Manse) is an impressive building that sits in downtown Lincoln, NE. Inside, there is beautiful woodwork and even a stately courtroom with the original judge’s bench. But you want to go straight down to the basement, the belly of the building, to the former boiler room.
Founded in 2015, Boiler Brewing Company has turned this space into a cozy and relaxing taproom that focuses on small-batch brews with a tap list that is anything but “small.” With pours starting at 4 oz, you can try a whole slew of beers that pique your interest. One beer you should try is Koo Koo for Coconut, an oatmeal milk stout they starting brewing back in April of 2016. Read More
Brewery Vivant | Pumpkin Tart
September 16, 2019 | Jack Raymond
Buckle up for spooky season. Ghosts and ghouls, sweaters and chai, crunchy leaves under your feet. You know the drill.
For the beer world, this time of year bears one of the industry’s most polarizing styles: Pumpkin Ale. To some, they’re as comforting and scrumptious as a slice of pie. To the rest, they taste like a scarecrow farted in their snifter. It seems the trick to making a successful pumpkin beer is using the gourd in pure form or in conjunction with other styles/ingredients. With Pumpkin Tart, a blended Farmhouse Ale brewed with real pumpkin and spices, Brewery Vivant checks both these boxes.
West Side Brewing | Porter
September 12, 2019 | Craft Beer Joe
The crisp fall air will be here before we know it and many will begin to indulge in the great seasonal beers of fall. This typically means Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers but there’s a style that may be even more fitting for fall – the porter.
While it may not be bursting with fall spices or be the official beer of a German festival, the porter fits into just about any situation you can imagine. It complements meals of any kind just as well as it would pair with dessert. Then consider drinking it while grilling out or around a bonfire. It is a style that is flavorful, approachable and ties into the fall season as well as any beer style. And just in time for the change in season, the West Side Brewing Porter gets its annual release.
Preview | 2019 Surly Darkness Day and Your Chance to Win Tickets
September 9, 2019 | Tristan Chan
Rewind the cold beer time machine just five years and you’ll notice only a handful of iconic beer events that have withstood the test of time. As beer festivals continue … Read More
Indeed Brewing Company’s New Taproom Now Open In Milwaukee
September 6, 2019 | Max Sundermeyer
Indeed Brewing Company, home to Northeast Minneapolis’ original taproom, has officially completed its expansion farther east with the opening of its Milwaukee brewery and taproom.
On August 23, the brewery announced via social media the official soft opening for the new location on 530 S. 2nd St. in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood would take place on September 6. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. to celebrate the opening.
Mikerphone Brewing | Ging and Juice
September 6, 2019 | Dave Drury
Over the past few years Mikerphone Brewing, out of Elk Grove Village, Illinois has become one of Chicagoland’s most popular and sought-after breweries. From their impressive list of hazy IPAs, to Stouts, to even beer slushies (yes, please!!), they have proven time and again that they can make any style.
recent comments