Midwest
Event Preview | Brewery Band Ballyhoo
January 18, 2018 | Mathew Powers
Oh sure, you’ve let brewers please your palate and provide love to your liver, but have you ever let them entertain your ears? That’s what the Brewery Band Ballyhoo is all about. On February 2, for $10 (or $50 VIP), you can watch those brewers or brewing staff members get on stage and battle for the Ballyhoo Gold Record — your vote to determines the winner!
Although, in truth, the real winner is the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Proceeds will go the organization dedicated to keeping our Great Lakes pure. If you like beer, that should be important to you.
Listermann Brewing Co. | New England IPAs
January 18, 2018 | Spencer Mapes
What do rappers, polar bears and New England all have in common? Did you guess big furry coats? Although accurate, the correct answer is that these three things are being brought together by Listermann Brewing’s deliciously new line up of New England IPAs (NEIPA).
Great Lakes Brewing Company | Holy Moses White Ale
January 17, 2018 | Kevin Risner
As a wee lad of 21, I waltzed into the Great Lakes Brewing Company brewpub before a baseball game with my family, and I was able to buy a beer there legally for the first time in my life. This was a wildly new experience for me, as all I had encountered in the past had been Budweiser, MGD and similar beverages. Craft beer was uncharted territory. Therefore, as I stood there with a much larger selection, I opted for something I never bothered to try before, a beer whose label stood out from the others, a beer named after the founder of the city of Cleveland: Holy Moses White Ale.
Tribes Beer Co. | A New Space Emblematic of an Evolving Industry
January 16, 2018 | Mathew Powers
A principal attribute of craft brewing involves the confluence of creativity and tradition. The summer ‘18 opening of the newest Tribes Beer Company location—a brewhouse, tasting room and beer garden—exemplifies that characteristic. Tribes draws on tradition while simultaneously adapting to an ever-evolving beer industry.
Read More
Summit Brewing Adjusts to the New Age of Craft Beer
January 15, 2018 | Taylor Laabs
Minnesota can attribute a lot of its craft beer heritage to St. Paul-based Summit Brewing. Founded in 1986, Summit is Minnesota’s second oldest brewery behind Schell’s, with beers like its Summit EPA being a stalwart on local shelves for decades – even before “craft” preceded its title. Now, Minnesota and the larger Midwest markets are shifting. The Land of 10,000 lakes has 150 local craft brewers, which has led to a dramatic increase in competition from newcomers like Surly and Fulton. Summit felt the pains of this competition firsthand, as they recently announced layoffs amidst a decrease in production. So, how does Summit plan to rebound? We asked Summit’s PR/Content Coordinator, Brendan Kennealy, to find out.
Off Color Brewing | Coffee Dino S’mores with Dark Matter Coffee
January 14, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Over the past three to four months Chicago has seen a plethora of great coffee stouts released from local breweries. Off Color Brewing’s Coffee Dino S’mores made with Dark Matter coffee continues the boom we’ve seen of java-forward beer.
Brewery Showcase | LaGrow Beer Co. Organic Craft Beer
January 11, 2018 | Mathew Powers
Don’t think of LaGrow Beer Company as an organic brewery; think of it as a family-owned brewery dedicated to using the purest ingredients imaginable, from soil to suds.
At LaGrow, the ingredients used are pure, which results in a beer abound in flavor and exceptionally crisp, clean and fresh. Even if one doesn’t care about ingesting chemicals, the resultant flavor derived from chemical-free ingredients is sure to please any beer drinker, from beer geek to macro fan. Read More
Surly Brewing Sees Longevity in the Chicago Market
January 8, 2018 | Taylor Laabs
While Surly Brewing resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, its second home lies within the Windy City. In a move to meet growing demand in the Chicagoland area, Surly is shifting its distribution relationship from Windy City Distributing to Lakeshore Beverage, which also distributes the likes of Bell’s, Founders and AB-InBev’s High End group to the Chicago region. While the shift in local distributors might not seem like much on its face, it’s actually an intriguing signal of Surly’s larger Midwest strategy and emphasis on gaining market share in Chicago.
21 Year-Round Chicago Craft Beers Worth Trying
January 5, 2018 | Mathew Powers
A lust for special release beers has increasingly dominated beer geek culture the last few years, and an abundance of Chicago beer drinkers share that trait. But, what about signature brews? While it’s fun to post pictures of whales on social media, flagships pay a brewery’s bills and their quality ultimately determine a brewery’s fortune.
It’s likely that nearly all of nearly 200 Chicago-area breweries have one or two (or more) beers worthy of making this list. And, you can be sure that we writers left a few of our favorites off this list, too. Nonetheless, we feel that these 21 beers are ones you should not miss in 2018.
Saugatuck Brewing Co. | Oak Wizard Oak Aged Imperial Brown Ale
January 4, 2018 | Jessica Spengler
Winter time used to be a bit problematic for this outside-day-drinking, IPA-loving, oak-aged-avoiding lady. I could never “find” something I liked. For a long time, I thought it was the beer’s fault. The truth is, I wasn’t so much searching for beers as I was avoiding styles that had failed me in the past. I hadn’t realized that times had changed and that brewers were getting savvy to the ins and outs of wood aging and making some stellar concoctions. Once I made that realization, I decided to give wood-aged brews another chance. Happily, I found plenty of good ones out there, including Saugatuck Brewing Company’s Oak Wizard, an oak aged imperial brown ale.
Crystal Lake Brewing | 2016 & 2017 Boathouse Reserve
January 3, 2018 | Mike Zoller
As the days get shorter and the temperatures continue to drop, I continue to look to barrel-aged beers to make the winters bearable. When 2016 and 2017 Boathouse Reserve from Crystal Lake Brewing Company showed up on my front door I was excited to open them up.
16 St. Louis Beers That I Loved in 2017
January 1, 2018 | Jordan Palmer
2017 was a banner year for St. Louis beer, and I say this based on how much of it I drank. Between festivals and brewery visits, my Untappd account topped 200 different beers in 2017. Is that a lot of beer? It is for me, but who is really counting?
Sprecher Brewing Company | Winter Lager
January 1, 2018 | Danny King
Like many of you, I get a lot of beers and beer accessories for Christmas. This year my boyfriend went with a monthly beer club – with the extra promise he won’t have more than 2 of the 12 every month. As a bonus, they were nice enough to deliver before my PorchDrinking deadline, so I get to share my haul with you guys! While I was familiar with one of the breweries from the east coast, the club introduced me to Sprecher Brewing Company and their Winter Lager.
Read More
Our Favorite Chicago Beers From 2017
December 26, 2017 | Mike Zoller
2017 will undoubtedly go down as the year of the tap room for Chicago craft beer. Big names that have become synonymous with beer in the city finally opened their doors to the public. Off Color Brewing, Metropolitan Brewing, Maplewood and Half Acre’s new production facility are just to name a handful of places you can now go drink where you couldn’t before. Read More
Imperial Oak Ragnarok | The Culmination of Craft in One Rum BA Baltic Porter
December 22, 2017 | Mathew Powers
The physical manifestation of American Craft Beer’s evolution exists with Imperial Oak Brewing Ragnarok Rum-Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter. It’s not just a craft beer; it’s a crafted lager. It’s not just any lager; it’s a Baltic Porter. It’s not just barrel-aged or aged in the bourbon barrels; it’s aged in rum barrels. I doubt even Ken Grossman could have envisioned a beer such as this back in the late 1980s. But, this is 2017, and this is how far craft beer has come.
Inside the Tank | Alarmist Brewing
December 18, 2017 | Mike Zoller 1
Whenever I thought of Alarmist Brewing, its Entrenched IPA can stuck out. It’s probably the brewery’s most highly available beer and is distributed in the city. Located in the Sauganash neighborhood of Chicago – an area I typically don’t visit often, I had never been to the brewery before.
Read More
Taft’s Ale House | Santa’s Bribe
December 14, 2017 | Craft Beer Joe
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Beermas!
Is there anything better than a Christmas ale? I mean really when you think about it, is there another style of beer made for a single day?
Maplewood Lounge | A Taproom Example Worth Emulating
December 13, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Maplewood Brewery & Distillery didn’t merely open a taproom and tasting space, it opened a thoughtful representation of the entire Maplewood experience — and that’s how all breweries should approach taproom designs.
New Holland Brewing Company | Dragon’s Milk Reserve Mocha Mint
December 11, 2017 | Jessica Spengler
Just in time for the holidays, New Holland Brewing has given us another in their Dragon’s Milk Reserve line, Dragon’s Milk Reserve Mocha Mint. This bourbon barrel-aged Stout sits at 11% ABV and is just as delicious as it sounds.
Read More
Around the Bend Beer Company | Pretty Lights
December 9, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Just when you think you know what to expect from a Christmas Ale, Around the Bend Beer Company comes along and provides a unique holiday surprise — the Pretty Lights Belgian Tripel with Cranberry and Almond. Although this beer is exceedingly capable of standing on its own, it would be tough to find a beer more suited for pairing with a holiday feast.
Read More
recent comments