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Event Preview | Chicago Square Roots Three-Day Beer and Music Festival

July 1, 2017 |

The 6th Annual Square Roots craft beer and music experience in Chicago’s Lincoln Square (July 7 – 9) consists of 40 local craft brews (including special batch and limited release taps), a spectacular collection of food vendors, more than 60 acts on four stages, family activities and the chance to explore the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Craft beer is all about community, and this fest embodies that philosophy. Suggested donations of $10 for adults, $5 for kids/seniors, and $20 for families help fund Old Town School of Folk Music scholarship programs and the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce farmers markets and concerts, not to mention every local business attending the festival.

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Sour Summer: Five Sour Craft Beers to Beat the Heat

June 30, 2017 |

Featured image courtesy of Braxton Brewing Co.

For most, the hot summer months mean moving to lighter beers. It makes sense that a light, crisp, refreshing beer is better when you are in the sun, but that doesn’t mean you have to default to a light lager or blonde ale. Many other styles fit the hot summer months just as well, such as sour craft beers. And I am not talking about the traditional sours like lambics but rather kettle sours (aka quick sours). There’s been a huge influx of this type of beer and I think they are a great fit for a hot summer day because they offer low ABV, are ideally drank cold, and provide a crisp, refreshing taste that fights off the effects of the hot summer sun.

Here in Cincinnati, we have a lot of great options that fit this style. Plus, these beers are easy to bring along when you are enjoying the outdoors. Here are five of my favorite Cincinnati summer sours.

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Why DryHop and Corridor Brewery are Embracing the Hazy IPA Trend

June 30, 2017 |

Feature image courtesy of DryHop Brewers

For DryHop Brewers & Corridor Brewery & Provisions head brewer Brant Dubovick, the insight to start focusing on hazy IPAs started when he was in DC for the Craft Brewers Conference with DryHop Lead Brewer Adrian Vidaurre and Corridor Lead Brewer Roger Cuzelis. While there, Brant decided to wait in line for up to 2.5 hours for a Trillium and Bissel Brothers New England-style IPA at a tap takeover. Since then, the haze craze has been front and center for both DryHop and its sister brewery Corridor Brewery & Provisions in particular. Corridor has proven to be a particularly good testing ground to test Chicago’s demand for the hazy IPA, and according to Dubovick, the response has been “amazing.”

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Goose Island Set to Release Four New Beers

June 29, 2017 |

On Monday July 3, Goose Island will have its largest release of the year. Alright, maybe there is a bigger release in November; but Goose will release four new beers into the market on Monday. 

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Ultimate 6er | Pure Michigan Summer

June 28, 2017 |

Every summer, thousands of Michiganders make their trek to the northern part of Michigan for their “Up North Vacation.” What exactly Up North entails depends on who you talk to, as the Detroit Free Press recently pointed out.
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Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s Packaging Moves for Summer

June 26, 2017 | 2

Revolution Brewing already has several great summer sipping beers like Rosa and Fist City in their canned arsenal; now, they’re adding a couple new seasonal options to help round out their summer portfolio.

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Merging Brewing Ingredients and Techniques Into Cooking: A Recap of Brewed Food Cincinnati

June 26, 2017 |

Chances are you enjoy beer; that’s why you clicked through to read this. And I would bet that you prefer good beer, I mean really good beer. You focus on hunting down rare beers and are always on the hunt for brews that contain new ingredients and push the boundaries of what you think craft beer can be.

But what about food? Do you pursue food with the same passion? For me, I focus a lot of attention on what I drink but not nearly as much on expanding my culinary world. That’s where Brewed Food aims to change our culture.

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Event Recap | Door County Beer Festival

June 26, 2017 |

Feature image courtesy of Taylor Laabs

The folks at the Door County Beer Festival went above and beyond to create a fantastic beer drinking event on a sunny June Saturday that embodied everything that is great about the Wisconsin beer experience.

There were 58 breweries in attendance with more than 35 of those coming from a Wisconsin area code, but it wasn’t just the familiar brews of New Glarus, Karben4 and Capital Brewery that made this former Badger’s heart happy. This festival had great cheese, good people and a fun-loving vibe that exuded throughout every person you met. No brewer was off limits, no question too stupid – Door County Beer Fest welcomed all – as long as you had an empty stomach.

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Burnt City Brewing & Art Institute of Chicago Launch Artist as Alchemist Golden Session IPA

June 22, 2017 |

Artist as Alchemist Feature Image Source: Lakeshore Beverages. 

The trend of breweries collaborating with entities outside the realm of brewing and bars continue, including partnering with zoos, arboretums, charitable organizations, … Read More

Event Preview | 777th Annual Criderfest

June 21, 2017 |

In this age of social media, before a new brewery can even make beer or pour a pint, the local beer community is already abuzz about what’s coming. Few brewery openings in recent memory created as much excitement as 2nd Shift’s St. Louis opening this past winter. Their brewery and tap room was new to the area but their beer wasn’t. 2nd Shift began its journey in New Haven, Missouri back in 2010 and exploded onto the local scene with their flagship beer, Art of Neurosis. Now, it’s time to celebrate seven years of brewing, and owners Steve and Libby Crider are inviting all of us to a party, and Steve’s beard will be in attendance.
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Old Irving Brewing | Rat Pack

June 21, 2017 |

ABV: 7% | IBU: 20

Just like their namesake, the Rat Pack Belgian Dubbel is a classic and timeless beer made by Old Irving Brewing. When you close your eyes, each sip transports you to “simpler times” when 1960’s crooners dominated the radio, and you’re enjoying a classic cocktail in a fedora. The flavor profile is complex yet balanced for easy drinking. The warm alcohol flavor soothes the taste buds. The snifter-style glass mimics that of a cognac to top off your time travel. Read More

Saugatuck Brewing Company | Neapolitan Milk Stout

June 19, 2017 |

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 37

I don’t like novelty beers. You know the ones I’m talking about – the cream soda, apple crisp, this-tastes-like-donut-holes kind of beers. Beers that have … Read More

Event Recap | Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Chicago

June 16, 2017 |

Feature image courtesy of Taylor Laabs

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp put together another impressive showing last Saturday at Navy Pier. Whether it was the pristine location, the bevy of good beer, or the friendliness of the staff and brewmasters, Sierra Nevada knows what it takes to make a solid craft beer festival – and they deliver on that successful formula time and time again.

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Event Recap | Two Brothers Brewing Summer Festival

June 13, 2017 |

Two Brother’s Brewing Summer Festival speaks volumes about the brewery’s identity. The journey for the Ebel brothers started with a brewery that barely turned profits twenty years ago to owning five locations and adding coffee and spirits to its portfolio. But, what defines Two Brothers is not its products as much as the brewery’s propensity to host events and welcome fans into its many homes. From Scottsdale to Oak Park, Oktoberfest to Summerfest, nail-pulling parties to special releases, Two Brothers invites you inside and says, “Welcome to our house, beer’s in the fridge.”

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Urban Artifact | Warmug

June 12, 2017 |

ABV: 7.7% | IBU: 20

Just because something is different doesn’t mean it isn’t great. And Urban Artifact Warmug is a perfect example. Read More

Lo Rez Brewing’s Taproom Opens in Pilsen Neighborhood of Chicago

June 8, 2017 |

Less than 24 hours before their grand opening, a ladder is still in the brewery, tap handles need to be screwed on and the rest of the beer list needs to be added – but Lo Rez opened last week to a packed tap room.  Read More

Listermann Brewing Company & Cincinnati Zoo | Team Fiona NE IPA

June 8, 2017 |

Feature Photo: Cincinnati Zoo

Listermann Brewing Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, has paired up with the Cincinnati Zoo to create a beer for the lovable baby hippo Fiona. Members of Fiona’s care team actually helped brew the beer, a New England Style IPA coming in at 6.2% ABV with Citra and Centennial hops. The beer will be released in cans on Saturday June 10th at the brewery.

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Event Preview | Door County Beer Festival

June 7, 2017 |

*Feature image courtesy of Katie Sikora*

Set on the scenic shores of Lake Michigan, the Door County Beer Festival boasts one of the most unique backdrops of any beer fest in the nation. Door County has been a destination vacation for many years due to its beautiful location, but it’s the recent rise of the local craft beer scene that has added to the luster of the premiere Wisconsin peninsula getaway spot. The Door County Beer Festival celebrates all of this by combining locally sourced food, local beer and a good vibe to create a truly unique beer festival experience.

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Brewery Showcase | Saint Benedict’s Brew Works

June 6, 2017 |

Featured image courtesy of David Nilsen

I had never met a nun before. That feels important to establish at the outset.

Though I grew up religious, the spiritual instruction of my youth came mostly from non-denominational preachers with overactive sweat glands and a predilection toward sermons about the end times rather than from black-clad Catholic nuns. So I had no idea what to expect when my wife and I arrived at Monastery Immaculate Conception, home of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana. I was there to interview Bruce Luecke, the brewmaster at Saint Benedict’s Brew Works, the only brewery in the country housed on the grounds of a women’s religious community. The graceful but imposing dome of the monastery’s century-old chapel rose above us on a hill as we stepped out of our car in front of the Kordes Center, the monastery’s guest lodging facility. The brewery was nowhere in sight as we entered the doors of the retreat center.
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Dear Chicagoans: Don’t Ignore the North Burbs Brewing Scene

June 5, 2017 | 10

The breweries that lie north of Chicago’s Saison-Dixon line regularly play the role of the ugly red-headed stepchild. Granted, Mikerphone receives endless, well-deserved praise, but Mikerphone is a transplant that gained its fame prior to moving to Elk Grove Village. Meanwhile, breweries located in the North Burbs, such as Light the Lamp, Ten-NinetyZumBier, Chain O’Lakes, Side Lot, Tighthead, Only Child, Flesk — a brewery in the process of moving to Barrington, and countless others are oft-ignored among the pantheon of Chicago-area breweries.

Don’t do it. Don’t rob yourself of that joy. Refuse to ignore northern-suburban breweries. The brewing scene of the North Burbs is too good to miss!

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