The highly anticipated and coveted Bourbon County Stout lineup from Goose Island is set and ready to go. Scaled back to just four variants this year, Goose is going back to the basics with this release, focusing on the four styles that are at the heart of this brand. Bourbon County Brand Stout, Bourbon County Brand Barleywine, Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout, and the Chicago-only Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout make up the four offerings. As is tradition, BCS will release on Black Friday, but we were graciously invited to a special media preview of the lineup on a cold and rainy fall evening in October. We’d have it no other way. Read More
We get it, pumpkin beers can be a bit divisive. Most folks either love them or hate them. But before you write off pumpkin ales for good, consider the fact that some of the first beer brewed in America was made with pumpkins. That’s right, 18th century colonists used them as a source of fermentable sugar due to the cost and limited supply of barley. History is neat! Anyways, here are three distinct pumpkin beers we hope you’ll enjoy this fall. Read More
Of course we all love summer, but there’s nothing quite like these first days of autumn in Chicago. Crisp evenings and leaves on the ground mean it’s time to swap out citrus for spices and start pouring these malt-forward favorites. So bust out your flannel, watch too many horror movies, and start putting together that epic Halloween costume. Here are our fall beer picks to keep you warm this season. Read More
Time to dust off your lederhosen and/or dirndl, it’s Oktoberfest! The 183rd annual German beer festival kicks off year this weekend and we’re here to give you a rundown of some of our favorite Märzens to celebrate with. Read More
I’ll be the first to admit I’m sour beer ignorant.
My first tasting was what you might expect: I took a sip, pursed my lips, and thought to myself, “This is beer?”
It was fruity, funky, and unlike anything I’d ever tried before. I was intrigued. And after several more tastings and conversations, my exploration led me to a familiar name: Bloomington, Indiana’s Upland Brewing Company.
Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, then Goose Island Brewmaster Greg Hall would regularly travel to renowned European beer cities like Munich, Brussels, and London for inspiration on how to bring great beer to the United States. Fast-forward to today and Hall says he doesn’t need to go that far to find great cider—in fact, according to Hall, Virtue Cider’s Fennville, Michigan farm gets about the same amount of rainfall as “those fancy European apple growing regions.” Because of this, Western Michigan is somewhat of an apple growing haven and Virtue Cider takes pride in its home there. Known for creating a variety of complex and dry ciders, Virtue recently released their first cider in 12 oz. bottle format, Michigan Brut, and we were able to sit down with Greg to chat about the latest release.