Midwest
Event Recap | Great Taste of the Midwest 2018
August 14, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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.
Why the Craft Brewers of Green Bay are Some of the Packers’ Biggest Fans
August 7, 2018 | Taylor Laabs 2
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.
The OGs of Craft Beer | New Glarus Brewing Co. – Spotted Cow
August 7, 2018 | Jessica Spengler 3
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.
Chicago Quick Sips August 6 – 19
August 6, 2018 | Taylor Laabs
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].
Event Preview | Chicago Breweries Preparing for Great Taste of the Midwest
August 6, 2018 | Mike Zoller
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.
The OGs of Craft Beer | Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
August 6, 2018 | David Nilsen
“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.
GLBC Releases 73 Kolsch | Brewed with Cleveland Football Hero Joe Thomas
August 4, 2018 | Mathew Powers
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.”
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
Ultimate 6er | Road Trip: Midwest Breweries You Can’t Miss
August 1, 2018 | Michelle Thomas 2
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.
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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.
4 Hands/Logboat Collaboration | Yeah Buoy
August 1, 2018 | Jordan Palmer
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
July 25, 2018 | Michelle Thomas
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
July 20, 2018 | Daniel Moran
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.
Inside the Tank | Noon Whistle Brewing
July 19, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Noon Whistle Brewing beers have become staples on the shelves of craft beer shops all over Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. From pale ales to stouts to sours to their well-known Gummy New England IPA series, the brewery has an extensive portfolio of beers.
We sat down with owner Mike Condon and their other owner and brewer Paul Kreiner to learn more about this small, but growing (1,900 barrels in 2017 and pacing for 4,100 barrels in 2018), brewery and do a deeper dive on some of their thoughts on topics related to the craft beer industry.
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.
The Bottlehouse Brewery & Meadery | Spring Gruit
July 12, 2018 | Kevin Risner
In the Cleveland, OH area, there are breweries that most of the locals and others who are not so local mention right away as must-visits. The Bottlehouse Brewery and Meadery has become a steady favorite for many craft beer fans. This taproom and brewery has been receiving a larger number of recommendations from those who have experienced the beer, the mead, the cider and the sours created over the past six years.
Today, the beer gracing the spotlight is a more exotic ale, one that has received a bit more press this past year. It also happens to be on tap and in bottles this month, so the time was ripe to share this beautiful beverage with a wider audience. Let me introduce you to The Bottlehouse Brewery and Meadery’s Spring Gruit.
Chicago’s Illuminated Brew Works Pays Tribute to Anthony Bourdain
July 11, 2018 | Paul Lewis
I’ll admit that I didn’t start watching Anthony Bourdain’s show, Parts Unknown, until after he tragically took his own life on June 8th. I was late to jump on the bandwagon, but once I saw what the hype was about, I was hooked. I binged the entire series on Netflix in a few days. As someone who enjoys writing about beer, food and travel, it was only natural to admire someone who gets paid to eat and get drunk in some of the most beautiful and exotic places on earth.
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.
Pipeworks Brewing | Jones Dog Sundae: A Stout for Summer
July 5, 2018 | Paul Lewis
Jones Dog Sundae from Chicago’s Pipeworks Brewing Company is a stout made for summer drinking. This sweet milk stout with natural flavors comprised of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry was brewed to be the boozy, liquid version of Neapolitan ice cream — the perfect warm weather treat!
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