Revolution to Start Bottling Beers; Learn History While Drunk

Even though Goose Island got into a pact with the devil, at least Revolution Brewing in Logan Square is helping to fill the void. The brewery/brewpub announced that it will start selling beers beers in bottles and cans. This is great news for Chicago beer lovers. Even though I am mixed on Revolution's beers, this is a step in the right direction for small local breweries. Once, Chicago had hundreds of breweries that usually served the immediate neighborhoods. Why people like Goose Island feel that having a multistate operation is the only way to go, amazes me. Perhaps it is about money. However, running a good brewery that employs people, stays local and stays creative should be the goal. I'm hoping that Revolution goes this route, instead of the Goose Island path, which Revolution's brewer already hinted at. Perhaps, one day we can see the value of just making a good product before a good profit.

Several years ago I went on a literary pub crawl in Dublin. It was a great way to drink beer and learn about Irish literature. It was also the time I was introduced to a Sussex girl from around London who couldn't believe that I hadn't heard about Sussex girls. Quite an interesting evening. Well, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is getting on the act by hosting an architectural pub crawl to honor its 40th anniversary. Seriously, being in one of the greatest architectural cities in the world, learn about architecture and drinking beer? That's one amazing night.

What's New in the Brew

This week has been pretty exciting with announcements from the craft brewing scene in Chicago. Screw the pontificating prose, let's get down to it:

Big Star is planning a one-year anniversary party on Nov. 8. There will be a special beer on tap developed by Big Star and Goose Island's Clybourn Pub Brewer Jared Rouben. It'll be called Deguello. Yep, it is named after the album by ZZ Top.There will also be live music and, of course, food.

This one sounds great: Bleeding Heart Bakery is teaming with Fifty/50 to create a new location on Chicago avenue. Bleeding Heart Bakery will be a full-fledged sit down place with 125 or so tables. The cool beer part is Roots, which will be right next door. Roots will be the brain child of Greg Mohr and Scott Weiner, who run the aforementioned Fifty/50. The Roots will feature 16 different beers on tap--all from the Midwest. This is awesome news. I'm sure there will be Bells, Three Floyds, Goose Island, maybe Half Acre, but I'm also hoping that we can get some beers with smaller profiles (New Glarus maybe?) into the mix. You can read what Time Out Chicago had to say.

October 30 has Costumes and Craft Beer at Jack Melnick's Corner Tap. 11 taps of Victory. Yes, 11 taps of Victory.  There's a discount if you wear a costume.

Also, if you can head over to Revolution Brewing in Logan Square. They now have 10 Revolution beers on tap to try. They also have Eugene Porter and New Holland Ichabod on cask. I find it rare to get cask beers, so head on over and try some.



That's some of the latest news. Get out there and support your local Chicago craft beer scene!