Midwest
Great Lakes Brewing Begins Canning, Adds Rally Drum Red to Rotation
March 22, 2017 | Tristan Chan
Canning beers, so hot right now. Even for an old guard Midwestern stalwart like Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC), the practice of canning beers has become so ubiquitous and widely adopted that after 28 years, the Cleveland-based brewery has shifted to offer a new option toward their packaged beer products.
Event Preview: SideDoor/Lawry’s & Lagunitas: A Five-Course Beer Dinner
March 21, 2017 | Mathew Powers
SideDoor, the popular gastropub adjacent to Lawry’s The Prime Rib, is joining forces with Lagunitas Brewing Company on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Located in a building steeped in history, Executive Chef Leonard Delgado will provide guests with a five-course menu that will pair with Lagunitas beer or beer-based cocktail ($75/person). It’s a night for foodies and beer geeks.
Surly Brewing is Getting Sporty in 2017
March 17, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Surly Brewing has established itself as a craft beer powerhouse in Minneapolis by making iconic beers like Surly Furious and Todd the Axeman. And while many Minnesotans are used to seeing Surly’s distinctive branding and hop-heavy beers on shelves, they now should get used to seeing the Surly logo on one more thing: sports teams.
Tullamore D.E.W. & A Brew Tour: Chicago-Area BuckleDown Brewing on March 15
March 14, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Tickets: Click here to register for free
Few places embody the Irish spirit more than the local pub, which historically served as more than a place for grabbing a pint or sipping Irish whiskey; Irish pubs once stood as the community center, town hall, and anything else one can imagine. Americans, notably those without lineage tied to Ireland, are often accused of stomping on Irish traditions each St. Paddy’s day. But, that is changing, and few things demonstrate that evolution towards authenticity more than Ireland’s own Tullamore D.E.W Whiskey Distillery touring the United States. On March 15, that tour will take them to the bastion of blue-collar, neighborhood-style watering holes — BuckleDown Brewing in Lyons, IL (Chicago).
March Beer Madness: Brewery Bracketology at Brass Tap Orland Park (Chicago)
March 13, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Few places embrace local breweries like Brass Tap in Orland Park, Illinois (Chicago). But, this is no time to celebrate community — community, smoonity! This is March Beer Madness and it’s all about competition! One dozen breweries enter the tournament, but only one leaves a winner (and the lucky fans who picked it correctly). It starts with Chicago’s Maplewood Brewery vs. suburban Darien’s Miskatonic on day one, March 16th.
It’s free to fill out a bracket… so, who ya got?
Event Recap | Chicago Beer Festival
March 13, 2017 | Mike Zoller
Where else can you drink among the tombs of ancient Egyptians or sip a cold beer in the Hall of Birds? If you were at The Chicago Beer Festival you had both of these opportunities and a lot more.
Half Acre Beer Co. | Topanga Gulch DIPA
March 10, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Featured image courtesy of Half Acre Beer Co.
ABV: 8%
Half Acre Beer Co. is known across Chicago as a forward-thinking brewery that produces big flavor throughout all of their beers. Their newest release, Topanga Gulch DIPA, is the next iteration of this trend, delivering Citra hopped tastiness and fruity notes throughout every sip.
Public House Brewing Adds New Lager to Year-Round Beer List
March 7, 2017 | Jordan Palmer
We’ve asked this question before – how far would you drive for really good beer? In the case of St. Louis beer lovers, we hope at least 1 hour and 48 minutes. That’s about how long it will take you to drive from STL to Public House Brewing Company where you’ll find Frisco 1501 Historic Lager, now part of Public House’s year-round beer menu.
Goose Island to Release a Collaboration Beer with Wrigley Field
March 6, 2017 | Mike Zoller
When you’re home to the World Series champions, new opportunities get thrown your way. For Wrigley Field, one of those new opportunities is to work with Goose Island on an exclusive beer collaboration.
Rhinegeist Is Expanding to Pittsburgh | Launch Parties March 20 – 25
March 6, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Rhinegeist had a great 2016: The Cincinnati brewery was part of the New Belgium Fat Tire and Friends Colla-beer-ation, expanded to Massachusetts and Cleveland, increased production by 80%, from 31,470 bbl in 2015 to 56,500 bbl in 2016 and grew from roughly 50 employees in 2015 to more than 200. Rhinegeist also opened a rooftop deck, the Annex and — the best part — married more than 100 couples in the new brewery.
It appears that 2017 might include the same success story. The first step involves an expansion to Pittsburgh. Folks in the Steel City can enjoy brews as early as March 6, but Rhinegeist will arrive on the 20th to help kick-off the a week’s worth of launch parties to help make it official.
Boulevard Brewing | Smokestack Series: Rye-On-Rye X – Sazerac
March 6, 2017 | Devin Caster
ABV: 11.8 | IBU: 29
Oh, how I love finding a big, bold, limited release beer from a large craft brewery with a great reputation. Behold my excitement when I reached into my dwindling stash of “cellar” beers and pulled out the Boulevard Brewing Rye-On-Rye X – Sazerac from their acclaimed Smokestack Series! Read More
Around the Bend | Vera Pistachio Cream Ale, New Cans and Parties
March 3, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Around the Bend Beer Co. keeps expanding and releasing new beer. In 2016, Around the Bend introduced Mr. Marmalade IIPA with bitter oranges from Seville, Spain; Villainous IPA with its four yeast strains — two British and two West Coast; and a little beer called Vera, a pistachio cream ale. Vera, though, was not packaged. Why would anyone think a Pistachio beer would be popular? Well, it was. It really was. So, in spring of 2017 the beer returns and will be sold in cans. In fact — as of this spring all of the beer from Around the Bend will arrive to stores in the form of 12 oz canned goodies.
Around the Bend will be part of, or hosting, several events to commemorate the return of Vera and introduce its cans to the world.
Event Recap | Northalsted Frost Fest 2017
March 3, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Last Saturday, on a seasonably chilly Chicago night, I experienced all that the Northalsted Frost Fest craft beer festival had to offer. There were bright lights, loud music and a good amount of quality craft beer on-hand, which made it one of the more interesting beer events I’ve attended. Frost Fest was as much a tented night club as it was a beer tasting, which made for some entertaining highlights. Here are my top five moments from Frost Fest 2017.
Blue Point Brewing Begins Distribution in Chicago
March 2, 2017 | Mike Zoller
From Long Island to the Windy City, Blue Point Brewing Company has docked in Chicago and is now available throughout the city. Illinois is the 22nd state Blue Point is now available in and is the furthest west the beer is distributed.
Founders Brewing Co. | Frootwood Barrel-Aged Cherry Ale
March 2, 2017 | Mathew Powers
ABV: 8%
You won’t find the best beer from Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan — you’ll find it below Grand Rapids, where barrels of goodness hibernate in caves. For example, each April, the famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) arises from its slumber and seeks to conquer the palates of beer geeks everywhere. And this year, for Founders Brewing’s 20th Anniversary, several special beers are emerging from those caves, too. So, let us talk about the first release, a barrel-aged cherry ale from Founders named Frootwood.
Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s New League of Heroes Variety Pack
March 1, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Revolution Brewing is a Chicago beer staple, most known for their fantastic Hero IPA series. With seven beers currently in their Hero line, Revolution has decided to shake things up by packaging four of these Hero varieties into one, well-named, variety pack: The League of Heroes.
Event Preview | The Chicago Beer Festival
February 27, 2017 | Mike Zoller
Have you ever had a drink with a T-Rex, or shared a brew with some of the world’s oldest artifacts? This Saturday The Chicago Beer Festival returns to The Field Museum as over 70 breweries will be on hand pouring a wide variety of beers to try.
Brewery Showcase | Nevin’s Draft Company
February 23, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Nevin’s Brewing Company (NBC), located in Chicago’s suburban Plainfield, is a restaurant, banquet hall, music venue and a brewery — and now that brewery has its own name, Nevin’s Draft Company. The “B” in NBC, occasionally got lost in the mix, so the brewing arm of NBC created a new, separate identity. The beer has always been good, but now more people are going to know about it.
Event Recap | Illinois Winter Wonderland of Beer (#ILWinterFest)
February 22, 2017 | Mathew Powers
The mighty rodent and his all-powerful shadow cannot defeat the mighty force that is the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. On February 18, the temperature soared to 70 degrees as beer fans flocked to the Guild’s Winter Wonderland of Beer Festival (#ILWinterFest). Then again, in a winter where Chicagoans haven’t seen more than 1″ of snow since mid-December, maybe this is six more weeks of winter, 2017! Out with Chiberia, in with Chindiago! Read More
4 Hands Brewing Company | Chocolate Milk Stout
February 21, 2017 | Jordan Palmer
There is one craft brewery that I pass everyday on my way home from work each night. 4 Hands Brewing sits on the edge of downtown St. Louis inside a 20,000 square foot brewing facility featuring two tasting rooms and 3,000 square feet dedicated to barrel aging. They produce five year-round beers and a growing list of seasonal and barrel aged beers.
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