Midwest
Brewery Showcase | Noon Whistle Brewing
April 11, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Photo Credit: Noon Whistle Brewing via Facebook
The Noon Whistle Brewing story resembles one enjoyed by innumerable craft breweries, especially in Chicago. The brewery first sought to create a niche within the booming craft beer market by becoming Chicago’s premier session-beer location. But, now in its third year, abundant success has forced the Noon Whistle Brewing crew to adapt its vision, both to accommodate its growing business, and also satisfy a desire to brew a variety of great beer. Noon Whistle has transitioned from audience-seeker to a trusted name brand.
The Unique Relationship Between Uncommon Ground and the Chicago Cubs
April 5, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Featured image photo credit: David R. Frazier Photo library, Inc. / Alamy
Stationed one block north of historic Wrigley Field is Uncommon Ground, the restaurant pub that also houses Greenstar Brewing, Chicago’s first certified organic brewery. On any glorious Cubs game day, patrons flock to Uncommon Ground for a taste of something different than the macro tall boys and greasy grub found up and down Clark Street.
Schlafly Beer Adds White Lager to Year-Round Menu
April 4, 2017 | Jordan Palmer
Featured image courtesy of Schlafly’s Facebook page.
There are very few beers I can honestly say are my wife’s favorites. But I can safely say Schlafly Beer‘s White Lager is one, and she will be very happy to learn that it has been added to the growing list of year-round releases. White Lager joins this exclusive list featuring Pale Ale, Kölsch, Oatmeal Stout, Grapefruit IPA and Expo IPA (exclusive to St. Louis).
Chicago White Sox Stadium’s Craft Kave Boasts 75 Craft Beers
April 3, 2017 | Mathew Powers
The Craft Kave at Guaranteed Rate Field has taken the traditional baseball and beer concept and improved it mightily. Fans can enter the bar, order any of the 75 craft/quasi-craft beers, eat chef-inspired food or order from the full bar menu. Early indications are that the new relationship between the Chicago White Sox and its new stadium owner, Guaranteed Rates, are taking craft beer seriously. This is no gimmick, this is a celebration of good beer.
Founders Brewing | KBS 2017 Release
March 31, 2017 | Mathew Powers
The continued meteoric rise of craft breweries affords beer drinkers an opportunity to enjoy special releases with unfathomable regularity. But, once in a while, a classic “gotta have it,” beer rolls around; be it Pliny the Younger, Utopias, or in this case — KBS.
Since 2002, Founders Brewing has been putting its coffee-chocolate-malty stout in whiskey barrels and then storing them below its Grand Rapids home for a year. Each spring, just as tulips emerge from the soil, KBS escapes the caves so it can be enjoyed by throngs of fans. Welcome to spring; welcome to KBS season.
Corner Bars | Pat Connolly’s: A Story of Beer, Blues & Fried Chicken
March 30, 2017 | Jordan Palmer
Sometime in the mid-1990s, when I first returned to St. Louis as a legal drinker, my friend Mike Green took me to the Black Thorn Pub located on the corner of Wyoming and south Spring in South St. Louis. Unknown to me at the time, this visit started my secret obsession with corner bars.
Platform Beer Co. | Shanghai Noon Gose
March 30, 2017 | John Amantea
ABV: 4.2% | IBU: 4.3
When people think of Cleveland beer, the first name that comes to mind is Great Lakes Brewing Company – and rightly so. However, as the craft beer market in Cleveland has flourished, other names are coming to the forefront.
Event Preview | 4th Annual Firkin Fest: Headquarters Beercade, Chicago (Apr 2)
March 29, 2017 | Mathew Powers
Firkin Fest: April 2, 12pm to 4pm | Tickets: $42 GA / $57 All-Access
The litany of festivals these days is almost overwhelming, which is why it behooves beer drinkers to pick and choose festivals that provide something unique. That’s just what Chicago’s Headquarters (HQ) Beercade is doing with its 4th Annual Firkin Fest — 40 Breweries bringing unique selections, only available for festival goers. For those willing to pay a little extra, food will be served, too. And the best part? Ticket proceeds will support the Chicago Food Depository.
Event Preview | Pintwood Derby 2017 at Flying Saucer
March 29, 2017 | Jordan Palmer
I thought I had suppressed the memory. I thought I buried it deep within the micro-depths of my subconscious mind, only to have it shoot straight to the top of my brain after receiving an email that mentioned those three words – Pinewood Derby Race.
Begyle Brewing | Lakeview
March 27, 2017 | Bliss Billingsley
ABV: 4.3 | IBU: 40
New to the strong craft beer arsenal at Begyle Brewing is Lakeview, a dry yet drinkable American pale ale. Begyle is so much a part of the local community that they brewed Lakeview specifically to coincide with the Whole Foods store opening in the neighborhood.
Event Recap | Tullamore D.E.W. & BuckleDown Brew: The Beauty of a Boilermaker
March 24, 2017 | Mathew Powers
A true celebration of fermentation — centuries of craft knowledge enjoyed one boilermaker at a time. I mean, who needs leprechauns and pots of gold when Tullamore D.E.W. rolls into town on March 15 with its decked-out tour bus and visits BuckleDown Brewing in the suburbs of Chicago? A host of people with thick Irish accents provided music to thirsty patrons’ ears with a chorus of Irish toasts and whiskey. Even better, the whiskey paired harmoniously with BuckleDown Brewing beer, orchestrated by its brewmaster and founder, Irish-American Sean Mahoney.
Inaugural South Side Craft Beer Fest Set for Chicago Craft Beer Week
March 23, 2017 | Mike Zoller
A new Chicago Craft Beer Week event is set to highlight the breweries on Chicago’s South side. The inaugural South Side Craft Beer Fest will take place Saturday May 20th outside of Baderbräu and bring together the breweries that call the South side home.
Begyle Brewing is Moving to Cans
March 23, 2017 | Taylor Laabs
Cover Photo Credit: Begyle Brewing
Now in its sixth year of operation, Begyle Brewing has become a community-favorite of Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. Like any optimistic brewerery in its early years, expansion is key, which is why it’s exciting for Begyle fans to see the brewery taking the next big step by announcing that it has begun to can its beers.
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.
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