#chicago – PorchDrinking.com
How Two Brothers Brewing Co. Succeeded Before the Craft Beer Hype
September 6, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Back in 1996 when Two Brothers Brewing opened there were just a handful of breweries operating in the Chicagoland area and three closed within two months of Jason and Jim Ebel starting the brewery.
Brewery Showcase | BuckleDown Brewing
September 5, 2018 | Mathew Powers
Enter the BuckleDown Brewing taproom and you’ll find, among other elements, an arrangement of leather furniture around a table (barrel) that makes one feel as if they have been invited into the BuckleDown home. It’s a fitting setting for an inviting brewery where the people matter as much, if not more, than the beer served to them. Ironically, BuckleDown opened with a production mindset in place rather than a brewpub or any concept intended to draw people through the door. Nonetheless, people arrived and relationships were forged. Catering to people isn’t a business strategy at BuckleDown: it’s organic and genuine. Read More
The OGs of Craft Beer | 3 Floyds Zombie Dust
September 3, 2018 | Mike Zoller 2
Long before people chased down the haziest IPAs that stay fresh for two weeks or the sweetest pastry stouts with ingredients that you’d never expect would make it into a beer, craft beer enthusiasts chased 3 Floyds Zombie Dust.
Lou Dog Events Expanding the Reach of Craft Beer Festivals throughout Chicago
August 30, 2018 | Mike Zoller
If you’ve been to a beer festival in Chicago in the past few years, odds are it was put on by Lou Dog Events.
A craft beer lover himself, founder and president Josh Seago, along with his team, is producing 10 craft beer festivals this year throughout the city and the surrounding suburbs. From the Chicago Ale Fest to the popular suburban Naperville Ale Fests, there’s no shortage of opportunities to sample beer from a wide variety of breweries.
Chicago Quick Sips | A Roundup of Chicago Events & Beer News – August 20th
August 20, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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].
Goose Island Announces 2018 Bourbon County Stout Lineup
August 9, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Eight different Bourbon County Stout variants will be available come Black Friday this November, however, the official announcement from Goose Island had several surprises.
Old Irving Park Beer & BBQ Challenge
August 2, 2018 | Daniel Moran
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
Revolution Brewing Announces 2018-19 Deep Wood Series
August 1, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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.
Dovetail Set to Release Chicago’s First Commercially-Produced Kriek
July 13, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Dovetail Brewery’s Kriek beer has been in the works for almost as long as the brewery has been open. After two years in production, the Kriek, believed to be the first Kriek commercially produced in Chicago, will be released in bottles tomorrow at the brewery.
Chicago Quick Sips July 9-22
July 9, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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].
2018 Bourbon County Labels Hint Possible Neapolitan, Horchata, Reserve Variants
July 9, 2018 | Mike Zoller
While there are still 137 days until the 2018 batch of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout will be released, the hype has started with the approval of a variety of labels by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau last week.
Chicago Quick Sips | June 25
June 25, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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].
Surly Brewing Upping its Chicago Presence With Three Summer Beers
June 21, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Last year Surly Brewing made it clear — Chicago was a market they wanted to have a stronger footprint in. They switched distributors in January from Windy City Distributing to Lakeshore Beverage, AB-InBev’s High End distributor, and have subsequently made an immediate impact on the Windy City’s craft beer scene.
Book Review | Barrel-Aged Stout & Selling Out
June 11, 2018 | Mike Zoller
When Goose Island was sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2011, the craft beer industry was a sliver of what it is today. Just a handful of breweries were operating in the city and the idea of a hazy beer would have been blasphemous.
Inside the Tank | Empirical Brewery
June 5, 2018 | Mike Zoller
A lot has changed over the past year for Empirical Brewery. They moved to self-distribution, the brewpub, just a stones throw away from the taproom, is in full-swing, and they are moving from bottles to cans. There’s a lot of great beer coming out of the small taproom in Andersonville so we went out there and spoke with CEO Bill Hurley and Head Brewer/Taproom Manager Jacob Huston about Empirical, craft beer in Chicago and the industry in general. Read More
Ballast Point Set to Open New Chicago Brewery
May 14, 2018 | Mike Zoller
The West Coast meets the Midwest on Tuesday when Ballast Point Brewing Company opens its Chicago brewery in the West Loop neighborhood. The long-awaited opening adds another well-known beer name to the city’s beer scene.
Event Preview | 2018 Illinois Craft Beer Week
May 14, 2018 | Mike Zoller
While it seems that Illinois is celebrating craft beer every week of the year, there’s one week in May that is set aside to specifically recognize the role that the Prairie State is playing in the greater world of craft brewing.
Event Preview | Mikerphone Brewing Smells Like A Beer Fest
April 23, 2018 | Mike Zoller
By the time you’re done reading this sentence, tickets for Mikerphone Brewing Smells Like A Beer Fest would have sold out. An exceptionally lucky 400 people obtained tickets to the inaugural event that will be held at the brewery on April 28 which features a star-studded lineup of breweries both local and from around the country.
The festival replaces Pale Pauper Day which had been held over the past few years as an alternative to the popular 3 Floyds Dark Lord Day.
2 Days, 2 Nights | A Complete Guide to Chicago’s Craft Beer Scene
April 17, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Chicago has always been a weekend destination as people look to explore the city’s rich history, culture and of course, have a slice of deep dish pizza. It’s also now a place where craft beer fans can indulge in the wide array of breweries that the city offers. If anything, it might be overwhelming when trying to think of how to tackle all the breweries within the city limits. Spoiler alert—it would be virtually impossible to visit every single brewery in a weekend.
So if you’re coming to Chicago for a weekend, here’s a guide on how to get the most out of the Chicago craft beer scene in a limited amount of time. Understand that like I said above, it would be virtually impossible to do every brewery, so I had to leave some out. It’s nothing personal and you can alter this itinerary however you like. You’ll also notice that there are no suburban breweries on this list. I’ll be doing another itinerary in a couple of weeks that will focus on just suburban breweries—don’t worry guys, I didn’t forget about you!
PorchDrinking Co-Hosting Two Events During Illinois Craft Beer Week
April 15, 2018 | Mike Zoller
This year PorchDrinking.com is pairing up with two local Chicago bottle shops for two great events during Illinois Craft Beer Week. Both events are designed to introduce the city to breweries that are new to Chicago or are out in the suburbs and might not be well-known to people living in the downtown area.
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