Paws & Pours | The Story of Empirical Brewery’s Feline Employees

Located in the heart of Ravenswood’s Malt Row, Empirical Brewery has drawn a significant following thanks its scientific approach to brewing and great sour beers. Oh, and the cats are a huge draw too. You won’t find them roaming around the taproom or on much of their branding, but there’s no doubt that their three Ghostbuster-themed cats, Venkman, Egon and Raymond have had a significant impact on the staff at Empirical and on their business as a whole. On a given Saturday brewery tour, it’s common for patrons to be more interested in finding the cats hidden amongst pallets or perched in their cat castle than getting a close look at Empirical impressive experimental brewing system. We asked Head Brewer and COO Jacob Huston about his feline employees and how they’ve become a vital part of the brewery’s family – and business. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Charitable Michigan Breweries

No one can deny that the influx of local breweries throughout the United States has been a major boon for local economies. Breweries drive beer and food tourism, create jobs, and encourage new business opportunities. In fact, this is often a factor for brewers when choosing where to open their business — they want to make the community better. This is even more clear when breweries make philanthropy a priority, no matter how small. This week for the Ultimate 6er, we’ll be featuring six charitable Michigan breweries who are doing just that — improving their communities in multiple ways.
Read More

Half Acre’s The Big North Celebrates Duality of Mainstream Appeal & Creativity

This past Saturday, beer fans from across Chicago (and the larger U.S.) made the trek to Half Acre’s Balmoral home to partake in the burgeoning beer fest called The Big North. Half Acre has hosted this event for three years running now. Each year is bigger, each year is better, and each year, the beer list grows to eye-popping quantities. The third iteration of Half Acre’s beer celebration did not disappoint as hundreds of sudsed-up beer fans took in a picturesque summer evening across Half Acre’s ever-expanding campus. The event is special for many reasons, but it’s also an important milestone for Half Acre’s self-titled pursuit of “duality,” which means that they’re able to make enough mainstream brews to keep business moving, while also keeping their creative and experimental programs producing at a high clip. The result of Half Acre’s pursuit was witnessed on Saturday, and boy did it taste good.

Read More

Fast Facts on Surly Brewing’s New Hop Pack

Oh, variety packs. What Hazy IPAs are to trending beer styles, the variety pack is to new packaging formats. And why not? You lower buyer’s remorse by offering more options and expose consumers to a wider array of your beer. Minnesota’s Surly Brewing has experimented with offering new beers available only in variety packs before (ala 60 Below Rye IPA), and its newest Hop Pack offering aims to build on this by offering two new beers in a hop-focused format.

Read More

Has Constellation Lost Their Minds? Church’s Beer to Benefit LGBTQ & More News

Often when we find an inordinate volume of random beer news happening all at once, we’ll try to round them up as quick hitters to make sure to keep everyone in the loop. So in today’s edition of the roundup, we’ll touch on some bizarre decisions by Goose Island and Constellation, some release info as well as a great story on inclusion from an unlikely source.

We’ll kick things off with four equally bizarre moves from Constellation Brands, the beer conglomerate that owns Corona, Modelo, Ballast Point Brewing, Funky Buddha Brewing and the recently acquired Four Corners Brewing.

Read More

Schlafly Partnering With Award-Winning Wineries for Newest Release

If you have never had a sip of anything from Schlafly’s Ibex Series, I highly recommend you start. Schlafly Beer first introduced this series of premium beers in 2017. Since then, the series has provided new, handcrafted beers from what is known as the Ibex Cellar.

Read More

Lagunitas Partners with Short’s Brewing Co. on New Session Ale

Last July, Lagunitas purchased 20% of Michigan-based Short’s Brewing Co. When it was announced, Short’s spokeswoman Emily Sullivan noted that the agreement was strategic and helped them grow their business through easier access to materials and packaging that a brewing behemoth like Lagunitas can offer. Now, we’re seeing the first real activation of the partnership, as brewers from both operations joined together for a Midwest meets West Coast collaboration: Passion Grass Session Ale made with passion fruit and lemongrass. The new creation is the first consumer-facing example of their partnership and is sure to appeal to beer geeks nationwide. Here are the details.

Read More

Event Recap | Great Taste of the Midwest 2018

Temperatures stayed in the mid-to-high 80s all afternoon but that didn’t deter over 6,000 craft beer fans from sampling some of the regions finest beers at the Great Taste of the Midwest this past Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

Read More

Why the Craft Brewers of Green Bay are Some of the Packers’ Biggest Fans

Wisconsin is known for its cheese, beer and football. Green Bay, Wisconsin’s third biggest city, is simply known for the Packers. Dubbed Titletown USA, Green Bay has been home to the Packers for ages (the team will celebrate its centennial next year). The team is also a massive business boon for the city thanks to the tourism and additional business opportunities it brings to the small port city.

Packers football Sundays have also become big business for Green Bay’s small, but growing, craft beer scene. Two breweries, Badger State Brewing and Hinterland Brewery, are strategically positioned within a quick walk from the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field. Stillmank Brewing Company is a bit farther away, but still sees a good deal of added foot traffic during any Packers’ home game weekend. We spoke to the owners of each brewery for an assessment on how the Packers have impacted their business.

Read More

The OGs of Craft Beer | New Glarus Brewing Co. – Spotted Cow

In 2001, I was a bartender at a joint in Wausau, Wisconsin called Loppnow’s Sports Bar. Our main fare was tap and bottled Bud Light and Miller Lite, but occasionally we sold some Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon. I don’t remember how many taps we had, but I recall that only one rotated: usually with Point Lager or a stout that wasn’t Guinness (we had no nitro). These barrels often took a couple of weeks to cash, with one exception – New Glarus Brewing Co.‘s Spotted Cow Farmhouse Ale.

Read More

Chicago Quick Sips August 6 – 19

Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago, IL. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].

Read More

Event Preview | Chicago Breweries Preparing for Great Taste of the Midwest

Every second Saturday in August, a large contingent of Midwestern breweries gather on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, WI for the Great Taste of the Midwest. Believed to be the second longest running craft beer festival in North America, the event features over 190 breweries and around 1,400 different beers for people to try.

Read More

The OGs of Craft Beer | Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

“It just feels right that this is a beer that comes from Cleveland,” says Great Lakes Brewing Company co-founder Pat Conway of his brewery’s Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. The iconic dark brew is named for the ill-fated iron ore freighter that sank on Lake Superior with all hands during a vicious storm on November 10, 1975.

Read More

GLBC Releases 73 Kolsch | Brewed with Cleveland Football Hero Joe Thomas

Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) has an affinity for beers that also tell a story, be it history, weather or paying homage to its local, Cleveland sports scene. For instance, GLBC released its Rally Drum Red Ale brewed in honor of the well-known Cleveland Indian bleacher-seat drummer, John J. Adams. Come September, Cleveland fans can sip on 73 Kolsch, brewed with Cleveland Browns hero Joe Thomas, an offensive linemen who played in an amazing 10,363 consecutive snaps during his 11-year career. Hence, GLBC describes the Kolsch-style beer as “A Brew Fit For An Iron Man.”

Read More

Old Irving Park Beer & BBQ Challenge

One of the most iconic summer experiences in the city of Chicago are the neighborhood street fairs. Almost every city neighborhood has a weekend during the summer where they close off the streets, and turn the neighborhood into a block party filled with beer, food and music. Old Irving Park Beer & BBQ Challenge combines the ethos of a Chicago street fair with some of the best names in the Chicago barbecue & beer scene.  Read More

Ultimate 6er | Road Trip: Midwest Breweries You Can’t Miss

A road trip resulted in us visiting more than 40 breweries, brewpubs, taprooms and bottle shops in almost all parts of the Midwest, so I had to share my top six picks for breweries along our journey. You simply should not miss any of these places if you are within 50 miles. Not only did each brewery make stellar beer, but there was something special about each one, whether it was the atmosphere, the food, or the history. Note that these breweries were in the order which we visited them – there’s no way a favorite can be picked! After all, breweries are like snowflakes: all are beautiful, and none are the same! Here’s a look at six breweries that stood out in our tour of the Midwest.
Read More

Revolution Brewing Announces 2018-19 Deep Wood Series

While the calendar might say August, the 2018-19 Revolution Brewing Deep Wood Series announcement shows us that barrel-aged season is just around the corner. 

After an incredibly successful 2017-18 release which produced some of the best barrel-aged beers released from any Chicagoland brewery, Revolution is going big this year with a release of ten different beers.

Read More

4 Hands/Logboat Collaboration | Yeah Buoy

In art, a collaboration between artists is where we, as consumers, are rewarded with a new and unique piece of original work. In the context of beer, a collaboration between brewers is where we, as beer drinkers, are rewarded with new and unique brews to drink. Read More

Free State Brewing | Yakimaniac IPA

With its breathtaking sunsets and sunflowers as far as the eye can see, Kansas is a picturesque view of the Midwest with loads of history nestled under its easygoing aesthetic. Kansas was the site of some of the most violent confrontations involving the legality of slavery, which finally concluded in Kansas being declared a “Free State” in 1861. It makes sense that the first legal brewery in Kansas in over 100 years was called Free State Brewing. Read More

Revolution Brewing | Fist City Pale Ale

One of my favorite examples of a local beer success story is Revolution Brewing’s Fist City. Every now and then, you’ll find a local craft beer being sold in 12-pack cans at the liquor store. While the 4-pack of 16-ounce cans is the standard for most local craft brewers today, few make it to 12-pack status; a sign that this beer has made it.

Read More