New Exciting Brewing News

Even though I just heard about a new brewery going in off Ravenswood in the Lincoln Square/Northcenter area, I get wind of another new brewery opening in Motor Row. This is the same place that some people have called to make a music destination with hotels and clubs. Broad Shoulders Brewing looks to be coming this summer. I am for one excited about this because I love the south loop area and it's great to see some of these types of places filter down from the north side. The brewery will be using an existing building, which helps to preserve the local character of the area and Chicago. It'll also be playing up to the convention crowd. This should give tourists a better idea of the unique style that Chicago has to offer. It looks like Broad Shoulders will specialize in lagers, but have one-offs for probably more creative outlets.

It's the end of January in 2012 and the Winter Brew Festival at DANKhaus is sold out. Yep. Have to go to Craigslist to get tickets. With festivals like this selling out, it shows that there still isn't enough supply to meet demand for craft beer in Chicago. If you can't get into this, check out this list of upcoming beer events (I'm angling to get to the Night of Living Ales).

Just to note: sales of macro swill beer continue to decline. Perhaps the American pallet is waking up.

Haymarket Pub: The First Visit

It's been sometime since I have posted last, so I thought it'd be a great way to start the new year by hitting up one of Chicago's notable breweries: Haymarket Pub.

While there, I enjoyed the Allocution, Angrier Birds and Defender beers. That's why I'm conflicted about the place. Let's start at the beginning.

I was doing an assignment to write about an art gallery a few blocks away. It was a warm January day, even by Chicago standards. As I walked down Washington, I noticed that there was a sign for a brewpub and restaurant. I made a mental note of it and decided to stop by and check it out on my way back. As I made it down the street I discovered with great joy that it was the Haymarket. I was joyed at the prospect of going to a brewpub in Chicago I haven't been to. Plus, most brewpubs are chill places to relax, have some good conversation and a good beer. I couldn't have been more wrong about Haymarket.

Maybe it's the location, who knows, but the first thing I noticed were the TVs. There seemed to be hundreds of them. From every direction there was an assault of blue-tinted flashes of light. I also immediately noticed the front of store podium with obligatory "Please Wait to Be Seated" sign. Thoughts of entering an independent cool brewpub was suddenly dashed by the fact I was standing in some upscale Appleby's. I was disappointed.

The initial service wasn't much better. With all of the trixies, hipsters and scenester girls running around and the too-hard trying bartenders, you think it'd be faster to get served, but sadly that wasn't the case. I took a seat at the bar, and it wasn't until some younger kid started working that there was any real service. The place seemed more geared toward tourists and suburbanites. There was vague douche written all over everything.

OK, I think I'm being too harsh. The place had a nice look, a bit too overdesigned and the TVs were a distraction, but the beer was good. That's something, isn't it? Maybe being in the area necessitates catering to tourists. Who knows? I'll go back during lunch to try some beers maybe nibble on something, but it's hardly a destination. With luck, maybe we'll get Haymarket in bottles or cans to avoid the whole thing together.

Recent Happenings

There has been a lot of great beer stuff happening around the city. Yesterday I was in Andersonville at an Irish restaurant/pub. The place itself was gorgeous: a library, lots of wood paneling, not too many televisions. It was mid afternoon, but the overall atmosphere was great. What I particularly enjoyed was the craft beer menu. I've noticed this more and more at places, especially around the north side of the city. There was an ample selection of craft beer, and I don't believe a macro brew was even served. It's hard to imagine that in a few short years such extensive beer lists would become common. I recently dined at Fork in Lincoln Square (which has a great burger and summer salad) and it was the same thing. An extensive beer list. Now, a lot of the beers won't be rare or hard to find, but they do fit the bill and offer more selection to pair with a mood, meal or atmosphere. It was a cool late summer day, and my wife and I sat outside. I ordered a Scottish ale, which paired nicely with the crisp weather.

Some other Andersonville news: the Hopleaf is having a dinner Tuesday with the Ancient Ales of Dogfish Head. There will be a variety of beers paired with food. The idea is simple: find old recipes for beers and give them a whirl. It's given Dogfish Head some remarkable beers. Tickets are $75.

Also, you might want to get in on this: Hopleaf is holding a raffle for a five-year vertical of Dark Lord. I haven't had this stuff in years, but it is great. I actually had the fortunate pleasure of being at the first-ever Dark Lord premiere. It was like melted ice cream and there were only about a dozen of us. It certainly has grown over the years. Anyway, you can go to Hopleaf and for $20 get in the raffle. It benefits Kegs for Kids.

Side note: City Provisions on Wilson is going start brewing special beers. You can read more about it at Chicagoist.

MillerCoors Sales Decline

According to bizjournals.com, MillerCoors sales have declined for its crap macro brew section. Now, MillerCoors isn't a craft brewer, but it is based in Chicago. The company's sales for its "craft" beer section increased by double digits. All of its premium and subpremium sections declined. MillerCoors is trying to blame this on the economy, but it looks like there is fundamental shift in drinking habits. I hope this is more writing on the wall for these anti-competitive companies such as MillerCoors. Keep supporting your local beer!

Keeipng an Eye Out: Microbrewers Self-Distribution Bill Passes Senate

Here's some potentially good news: the Illinois senate passed a bill that will allow microbreweries to self-distribute their own beer. This is good news because it allows small fledgling operations (like Finch and Pipeworks) to get their beer to market in a way that doesn't leverage the current three-tier system against them. The bill still has to go to the house and be signed by Quinn, but it's a good start.

You can read more here and here.

Half Acre Craft Beer Week

I just came across Half Acre's post about the events it is having during Craft Beer Week. Quite impressive. Highlights include the beer under glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory and the event at the Empty Bottle, where a band called The Growlers will perform and Half Acre will take over the beer lines. There will also be a special tour that ends up at Acre, Hop Leaf and the Fountainhead. Also, in Bridgeport Half Acre and 3 Floyds will partner at Maria's. Arguably the best two brewers in the region in Bridgeport.

I'm loving Half Acre's take on Craft Beer Week. It's keeping in the democratic, everyman spirit of craft beer: keeping it local and artistic. To commemorate Craft Beer Week, Half Acre is also releasing a new beer called Meat Wave. It's going to be an IPA, which is great; however, with a name like Meat Wave, I was hoping for a smoked beer.

Anyway, check out Half Acre's blog for more information about its upcoming Craft Beer Week events.

In addition to Meat Wave, there's another beer that has come out, which honors the greatest known people of earth: gingers. As a natural redhead, I cannot say how important it is that gingers have a beer to call their own. Actually, this Half Acre brew, called Ginger Twin, is an India-style red ale. There is also a discount for gingers, gingers with longshoreman beards, and twins with red hair and longshoreman beards. I'm sans the beard and twin, but maybe I'll head over to get my discount.

Craft Beer Week: History Style

Chicago is celebrating Craft Beer week May 19 to May 27. Much like Record Store Day or some other type of week-long event, the craft beer week intends to heighten the visibility of craft beer around the country. In Chicago that means Half Acre, Finch, Revolution, Metropolitan and others (sadly no longer Goose Island as it is now owned by Bud/InBev). There will be ton of events, and you can check it out over at The Brew Bros.

To celebrate, the Chicago History Museum is holding an event to coincide with Craft Beer week. There will be pub crawls, including dive bars in the city and a theme centered around bootlegging (of course). There will also be a focus on German bars in Chicago and the history of IPA.

For such a relatively new city, Chicago has an interesting background, especially when it comes to beer. German immigrants were highly influential in bringing beer and its culture to Chicago. The labor movement had many of its roots in German activists, and the drinking of beer was essential to their culture. Even when Bathhouse and the Hink were running the vice ward, many temperance activists were trying to make Chicago dry. This was also a way to discriminate against the pro-labor heavy drinking German immigrants. Of course, the labor movement, temperance and the multiple cultures in Chicago helped to lead to one of the most infamous periods: Al Capone, Machine Gun Jack McGurn and the mobsters of the early 20th century.

See, beer doesn't have to be all about detecting fine notes of caramel or admiring the lacing on the side of the glass. It also doesn't have to be about getting wasted. Learning and liquor are synonymous. Check out the Chicago History Museum and Chicago Beer Week for more information.

Come back for more information about Craft Beer Week and what's happening at Finch brewery.

Tribune Looks into Craft Beer

The Chicago Tribune ran an article about the explosiveness of craft beer. There really isn't much detail or anything new. It's mostly a reaction against Goose Island and how people are starting to wake up to craft beer, especially in Chicago. It also does highlight how close to the edge these brewers are and how difficult it is for them to keep up with demand, and demand is booming. I walked past Half Acre today, and there was a half-block long line for the tour.

It's interesting to see how craft beer is taking off. Let's not kid ourselves, macro beer is still king, especially in places outside of metropolitan areas. Perhaps it's a movement toward more taste. I think for a lot of people choosing craft beer is a way to buck the major corporations that tend to run our lives. If we can't avoid using big banks or slaving away to some faceless corporation, perhaps through what we drink we can support regular people who have dreams of opening a brewery. It's also something that is maybe every beer drinker's dream: that long talked of goal of opening a bar or brewery. Maybe we live through these people by drinking their beer.

With the selling out of Goose Island, it'll be interesting to see how many of these brewers stay independent and how many sell out to a larger organization. I'll be watching the events unfold as I hoist a Half Acre.

Finch Beer Displays New Tappers

I just came across Finch's Beer Facebook page and saw the new tappers. They are bright and easily visible with little finches on them. It looks like Finch is moving along quite well. They brewed water today and some licensing is coming through. Hopefully, they will be selling soon around the city. I'm not sure if they will be selling from the brewery (similar to what Half Acre does), but let's hope so. I take the bus past Montrose and Elston and I could definitely stop and grab something on my way home.

From Goose to Goat:: Goose Island Stabs Chicago in the Back

From Goose to Goat

The reaction to the announcement that Goose Island has sold out Anheuser-Busch has been swift and negative. After my jaw dropped this morning, I started to come across the onslaught of negative comments toward Goose Island both on comment forums and on Twitter. Goose Island said it is to add capacity and cash to its operations and to expand its distribution base (which was the original intent of the deal in 2006 for the 40 percent stake in the company). Even though Greg Hall took to the press to address accusations of selling out, it is palpable that people in the craft beer community feel that this move is exactly that: selling out.

From my view, it comes down to money. Hall argues that they couldn’t keep up with demand and needed AB to provide much-needed relief. Even though Dogfish Head cut back to maintain its independence, Goose Island was all to ready to abandon its operations. From the rumors online of mismanagement, it almost seemed inevitable. Whether this is a new development or something that has been in the works, it seems Goose Island no longer wanted to be independent.

Right now both Goose Island and AB are talking about their commitment to quality and how they will expand their offering with “high-quality regional beers.” This is what they are expected to say: commitment to jobs, commitment to quality and commitment to community. However, many of us feel that what will happen in a few years time will be quite the opposite. Look no further than what happened at Rolling Rock when AB moved the jobs from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Why maintain brewers in Chicago when there is extra capacity in St. Louis?

AB is about destroying the competition. Instead of developing and crafting its own beers, it is looking to enter the craft beer market through a competitor. I’d argue that only the name will stay, and I bet that in a few years it will be rolled into some other brand. Goose Island will become nothing but another brand to manage, and unfortunately, sometimes brands can get lost in a large organization. Will it get the attention it deserves? Will it still encourage beers like the bourbon stout? Will AB pour money into creating high-gravity craft beers if the profit margins are too thin? Will AB look to cut corners on cost? There are simply too many questions, and honestly, we are not given many answers.


It feels much like Goose Island is abandoning the city and looking for a way to get out of the craft beer business while getting profit a healthy profit. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the argument that "new structure will preserve the qualities that make Goose Island’s beers unique, strictly maintain our recipes and brewing processes." I also find it naive that John Hall believes the beers won't change. After selling out, he won't have any input. They will almost certainly change, and believe it or not, Hall will become marginalized at such a large corporation. 

AB doesn't understand craft beer. That's what makes this so infuriating and what feels like a stab in the back by Goose Island. Apparently, Hall doesn't understand craft beer drinkers either. Craft beer drinkers are in it for more than innovative new styles or taste. It is the idea of community and the idea of supporting a local product. It is about supporting beer in your neighborhood, not buying another corporate brew that only cares about brands and marketing. I identified Goose Island with Chicago. Now it is another beer in AB's (and InBev's) stable of global beers. Instead of being truly innovative, these companies look to destroy the competition. Watch the movie Beer Wars to get an understanding.

Many craft brewers view themselves as the little guy going against the corporate behemoth. That what makes it fun to support craft beer. That is what makes this announcement sound like Judas. I'm sure that's why the reaction has been overwhelmingly negative: we feel that we lost someone in our fight against the globalization of beer. For a group of people that value local and regional flavors, the selling out of Goose Island is just confirmation that you really can't win against these guys.

Even with Goose Island gone, there are other smaller breweries in Chicago, such as Metropolitan and Half Acre, that still brew local beers. Goose Island might be dead, but craft brewing in Chicago lives on.

Beer and Cheese - Not Just for Pizza

Craft beer has been getting a lot of press lately for its integration into more fine-dining places. Well, maybe not super fine dining, but craft beer has been getting a harder look at mid- to high-level restaurants beyond a gastropub or a fancy burger place. Of course, we expect good beer at the Bad Apple. Places such as the Fountainhead and Hop Leaf take it to another level with food pairings. This Spring, Pastoral is upping the ante by pairing craft beer with cheese.

This reminds me somewhat of the truffle and beer pairing the Grafton did earlier this month. On June 4, Pastoral will be holding a class that pairs cheese and beer. We are used to the concept of wine and cheese, but beer and cheese tends to be relegated to the basement shenanigans of Home Run Inn and PBR.

This class will pair an artisan cheese with a craft beer. I've personally never tried to do this, but it sounds wonderful. Of course, you can get our own cheeses and try, but Pastoral is offering professional pairing with background on the beer and cheese.

You can sign up at Pastoral's website. It is $40 and in the Loop.

Ancient Beers? Ancient Aliens?

Last Christmas, my family and friends got into a fight about ancient aliens. I'm not exactly sure what an ancient alien is, but I'm guessing it's old and foreign. Perhaps something to do with building the pyramids. Apparently, no human can stack rocks like that Ray.

If you believe in ancient aliens or not, we can all agree on tasting beer, and a new event coming to The Bluebird is angling to give us a taste of what ancient beers might have been like. According to Chicagoist, there will sour, smoked, blended and funky beers. It's light on the list and reservations are required, so if you can get in, do it.

What I like the best about this is the idea of merging history with beer. I think some people think beer only came about in the 1950s with the bland macro swill we have on grocery store shelves, but in reality, beer has been brewed for thousands of years and has a long history. Often it is thought as the working class cousin to wine, but beer has its own rich history.

The event is March 29 and costs $30. You can read more about it at Chicagoist's website.

Trying Dominique

The other night I was at Bar Deville on Damen to celebrate a friend's birthday. I had a couple of the bar's signature cocktails, and it was nearing the end of the night, so I felt like trying a good beer. I looked up and down the tappers and saw a Goose Island I couldn't remember having. Now, I've had a lot of beers, and a lot of Goose Island, so there was a good chance that I could have had this beer at some point. Luckily for me, the beer was a mistake and a beautiful one at that.

The beer is called Dominique, and it came about because a batch of Matilda became infected. You can read more about what happened here, but basically the barrel-aged beer became infected with a yeast that left the beer more sour. Instead of dumping it, Goose Island decided to put out a sour beer and see the response. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

For one, I love sour beers. Flemish sours are great. Understandably, not everyone might share the same enthusiasm for drinking sour beers. The idea that a beer should be clear, light and refreshing has left a perverted notion of what quality is to most beer drinkers. This beer by contrast tasted of alcohol, wood, burnt sugar, light hops, good yeast and sour through and through. Even some of my friends that don't particularly like beer, enjoyed it.

This is the height of experimentation for craft beer. I like that Goose Island saw an opportunity to bring something different to the market, and maybe through its brand recognition, get people to try something new.

 Here is a picture of Dominique Pichon because he's awesome.

Save Craft Beer in Illinois

As I've noted before, Chicago is quickly becoming the place for craft beer not only in the Midwest but also throughout the U.S. New breweries are opening or planning to. More and more bars are catering to craft beer. It's a place where variety, taste and local pride are taking root. However, new legislation might make it more difficult for smaller local brewers to get their beers out there and might even destroy the economy of craft beer in Chicago.

It's actually based on a ruling brought to court by, of course, InBev. Basically, InBev doesn't want to use a distributor for its beers. That costs too much money. The three-tiered system (manufacturer, distributor and customer) came about after prohibition for checks and balances and what not. Well, this made distributors very wealthy (say the Wirtz family) and has been a thorn in the side of large-scale producers for years. InBev is trying to remove the middleman so they can sell directly to customers. They argue that craft brewers can do so in state, so InBev should be allowed to distribute its beers to customers without using a distributor. InBev sued to allow it to distribute directly to customers and the judge basically said that nobody can now distribute to customers. It upheld the three-tiered system while potentially giving a crushing blow to craft brewers.

This legislation is potentially crippling. Now small craft brewers, such as Half Acre or the soon-to-be-opened Finch Brewing, will have to pay a distributor to sell their beers. If you've been to Half Acre, you know this isn't an expansive operation with tons of margin to absorb the cost. They are doing well and expanding, but this move will either lower their margins making business more difficult or raise costs for the consumer, which makes products less attractive from a price perspective.

However, don't worry Windy City dwellers. There is hope! This is just a ruling by a judge. Legislation can be crafted to allow and exemption for craft brewers. This would allow smaller brewers to keep distributing themselves as well as allow Two Brothers to continue to operate Windy City Distribution that allows them to bring other craft beers to Chicago.

A group called Guys Drinking Beer is leading this fight. Of course, the smaller brewers don't have the money that the large distributors or InBev has. We know that money equals influence, but we also need to stand up and let ourselves be heard. The distributors will fight to keep the three-tiered system in place. InBev probably can win either way: remove the system and sell direct, or burden smaller brewers to lessen the competition. Either way, they can afford to send their lobbyists and lawyers to influence the decision.

What to do? First, call your representative and let him or her know your feelings. We need to ensure that we still have access to quality locally produced craft beer.

Half Acre owns property in my neighborhood, bringing jobs to the area as well as secondary economic activity. Pipeworks brewing is looking for space, which will bring revenue and jobs. Finch brewing is working on opening a space. Metropolitan is using a manufacturing space in the Ravenswood corridor. All of these operations bring in jobs, contribute to secondary economic activity and rely on other services such as printing and other manufacturing. Legislation that potentially curbs this burgeoning craft beer movement isn't just making things more profitable for InBev, but is taking jobs away from Chicago. Especially, local jobs that reflect the character of a city.

Here's the contact information on Guys Drinking Beer.

Here's some more information on Chicagoist. 

Half Acre Updates

It's been awhile since I've looked to see what's up at Half Acre. They've been quite active. There are several new beers and a Nintendo hookup.

There's a new beer called Ambrosia. It's a wheat beer brewed with Hibiscus flowers. It should be dropping soon.

There's also another new beer called Marty Stouffer's Wild America Barley Wine. This beer still has about a month to go, but it is a tribute to Marty Stouffer, who had a animal show.

Half Acre has also expanded its space and added a Nintendo system to its employee break room. It's a classic old system, and they are looking for some games (help them out if you can.

Chicago's Number One

Yep, according to Esquire magazine, Chicago is the best beer city in America. It heavily cites Goose Island as a major factor and gives a nod to Piece and Metropolitan. It also mentions the Publican and Chicago's explosion of bars with high-quality beer lists (which I believe is a must of any near-respectable place opening in the city these days). Chicago doesn't have the most mature craft beer market or the most breweries, but it does have a lot of potential and it is growing extremely fast. Some might quibble with the idea of Chicago being number one, but it's the potential and enthusiasm of people in the city the gives it the number one spot.

On other beer-related news, which I guess isn't really directed to Chicago but I'm sure I could find a way: Pete's Wicked Ale is being discontinued. This is one of the first beers that I had in college that wasn't a major brand. I haven't had it since and completely forgot about it, but I remember getting a Pete's and thinking I was on to something. Can't remember how it tasted, but probably not as good as I remember. Still, there will always be a soft spot for Pete's.

Stout Fest, Stout Brownies

Just saw on Pipeworks' Facebook post that it has a new Mexican chocolate stout debuting at Goose Island's Stout Fest next month. I'm all for chocolate stouts, especially Mexican chocolate. I grabbed a few bits of Mexican chocolate from Provenance in Lincoln Square, and it was so much better than the typical gas station chocolate bar. I've never been a huge chocolate fan (i.e., Hersey's), but once I started getting into more artisan chocolates (e.g., Voges), I've been a convert. I can only image what this is going to taste like. It'll include malts, hops, chocolate, whiskey or vodka, cinnamon, cayenne and other goodness.

This brings me to my other topic: stout brownies!

I love brownies. Especially brownies that are nice and soft and warm. Add stout, and then it's like a dream heaven of flubbing around on the couch stuffing myself and trying to keep the unused treadmill out of sight. A good friend pointed me in the direction of a fudge stout brownies recipe on craftbeer.com. This calls for a coffee stout, but something like Pipework's Mexican chocolate stout sounds even better. I mean, it's only 11 a.m. and I'm dying for this right now. It only calls for 1/3 cup, so there will be plenty left over. I'd suggest the Rouge chocolate stout, a Stone stout, or Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout.

This takes me to my last food related item: the Grafton is having a beer and truffle tasting night on March 3. A beer will be paired with a truffle and someone will be on hand to talk about the pairing. Here's a list of what will be available:

• Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Chocolate Truffles 
• Lagunitas Cap Stout with Espresso Bean Truffles 
• Tyranna Rocky's Revenge with Toasted Almond Truffles 
• Bourgogne Des Flanders with Dried Cherry Truffles 

Bourgogne des Flanders with dried cherry truffles? I just found my next meal plan for the rest of the month. I'm all for seeing more pairings like this. You can learn more at Grafton's website. Tickets are $15 before Feb. 26 and $25 after. The Grafton has also expanded its beer and whiskey list, so more reason to hang around afterward. So get going.

Surviving the Blizzard of 2011

It's still snowing in Chicago, and while it's a bit early for me to start hitting the beer, it's not too early to find out what is going on in the city. Here's a run down:

Half Acre is set to release a new beer called Callow Knife. They have postponed the release, and the weather I'm sure isn't helping. It's a pale ale. There isn't too much on the website, but it is a twin to Daisy Cutter. Even though the wintry weather outside makes me want to grab a stout or barley wine, spring and summer isn't that far away (really, please?) so a good pale ale will come in handy. It will draft only, but here's to success and keeping this one around. Got to love Half Acre and their constant innovation.

Goose Island. Stouts. Pipeworks Brewery. Yep, March 12 is Goose Island's Stout Fest. There will be Half Acre, Piece, Pipeworks, Rockbottom, and Lucky Monk. Tickets are $20 and there will only be 200 of them. Make sure you get your soon if you want to go. Check out Beer Advocate for more info.

Finch, which is pouring concrete for its brewery, has finalized design for its tappers. This is one of my favorite parts of craft beer for some reason. I like the artistry that can be found. It's great to see a line of interesting tappers at a bar. I feel like a kid in a candy store.

That's it for now. I'm going to wait until noon to crack open a beer. That is the gentleman's drinking hour.

The Snow is Blowing

Yep, it's like a blizzard outside in Chicago. Hopefully you've got some good beer in the fridge or your close-to-home bar is serving up some good selections.

Here's what I'd take in weather like this:
Barley wine -- lots of alcohol, thick, good for sitting by the fireplace
Stout -- dark, lots of rich textured malts
Scottish ale -- Something with a high ABV
Barrel aged beer -- Whiskey preferred

Basically, what I'd look for in this type of weather is a good, dark beer with a lot of alcohol to warm you up.

One of my favorites is the Sprecher Black Bavarian. This is currently on tap at Tiny Lounge in Lincoln Square (try the ahi tuna tacos). It's a dark schwarzbier with roasted malts and a nice texture. It's nice to see this around. I remember awhile back that this was more difficult to get. I'm glad to see it returning. Now only if more New Glarus beers would make their way down.

Here's to a cold night, good beer and staying warm. Slainte!

Two Sides of a Coin

I've never been to Portland. It seems nice. It's on my place of lists to go, but I've never been. I can't say how good the beer scene is or what any scene is like out there. Of course, I've had plenty of beers from Oregon and California, so that's nothing new. What I do know is that Portland has a lot of breweries. More than any other city in the world, so it claims. I'm not sure if having breweries within a defined boundary makes a place great, but it's a start.

What I do know is that I hate stereotypes. Just because Portland has a lot of breweries doesn't mean they all are excellent. After reading a smug article in Northwestern's student newspaper, I've come to the conclusion that Chicago's beer image suffers from years of stereotypes, misconceptions and a basic lack of historical understanding. Another article I read on the hideous Chicago Now/Redeye blog does nothing more than to reinforce these stereotypes by uniformed drinkers.

First, the Northwestern article. The article focuses on a home brewing class. It offers no depth or even broader context about the home brewing movement in the U.S., the Midwest or Chicago. What it does is offer up broad stereotypes about Chicago and Portland: basically Portland is a Mecca of craft beer while Chicagoans are backward hicks with no real understanding of taste. It's a slight dig that people of Portland love to get in whenever they can. I'm not sure if it is an inferiority complex or just plain smugness, but it is prevalent in nearly everyone I've met from Portland.

The basic idea is that the author is only offered Budweiser and Miller Lite by his friends. Considering this is a student newspaper, I'm guessing this has more to do with price than taste, but we'll leave that alone. The author fails to note the difficulty in distribution of craft beer in Chicago and the labyrinth laws needed to navigate the craft beer industry. Also, nobody in Chicago drinks Budweiser. Miller, yes. So, I'm sure these are stereotypes that the author is trying to push to show how much more enlightened he is than his Midwestern counterparts. Without context, he attempts to paint a city of nearly 3 million by his few friends.

The second article reinforces stereotypes while trying to debunk them. It talks about the Wrigleyville neighborhood and how everyone there wants to drink PBR or Old Style. This has more to do about the historical associations of the Cubs, Harry Carry and that type of beer than any styles. I'd argue that most people flocking into that neighborhood are more of a parody of a Chicagoan than a true native: suburbanities, transplants, etc. That's fine by my book, but they indulge in these stereotypes. The author further extends these by quoting someone who says it is better to drink an Old Style on a hot day than a "heavy" microbrew. Of course, the author doesn't mention that it is the style not where the beer is made that produces that "quenching" trait that people desire: pilsners, IPAs, etc. The whole article is conflated with this idea of beer gardens, so the whole point is often missed.

What I hate most about these articles is the lack of depth or understanding about a subject such as craft beer in the city of Chicago. I'm not qualified to write about cars, boats, food or nearly anything, but if I do, I try to get a deeper understanding and broader context. These throw some typical stereotypes about the city without really providing context, either historical or contemporary. It's through articles such as these that people are not educated about beer, where it comes from, and what it can me and continue to hold on to either their ideas of superiority and smugness or passe city identity.