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The Beer Blog

Your guide to craft beer news, events, and breweries in Chicago! Signup for our newsletter for notifications on new posts.


5 Easy Halloween Cocktails ›
On October 30, 2019  ·  in Holidays

Halloween is fast approaching, and whether you are getting together with friends to hand out candy and watch scary movies or hosting a costume party we wanted to share some delicious Halloween inspired cocktail recipes. We also wanted to use this opportunity to introduce you to one of our newest suppliers McCormick Distilling Company. All of these recipes include McCormicks 360 brand vodka in them. 360 Vodka is locally sourced and sustainably made from American grain, six-times distilled and six-times filtered for a clean finish and is bottled using recycled materials and reusable closures. The 360 family of flavored vodkas features bold flavors and smooth taste, perfect for any of these halloween cocktails.

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Oktoberfest Beers
Five Oktoberfest Beers To Try Out This Season ›
On September 20, 2019  ·  in Bell's Brewery, Burnt City Brewing, Goose Island Beer Co., Spaten, Tasting Notes, Urban Chestnut Brewing

Guten tag, Chicago! 

Oktoberfest is officially underway!

Bars, pubs and restaurants across the city are pouring German beers, serving up traditional German fare and raising their steins to celebrate their German heritage.

No matter if you’re celebrating at one of the many Oktoberfest parties across Chicagoland, celebrating at a German style pub, or having a small gathering among friends, here are five Oktoberfest beers that should be in your liter sized stein glass these next two weeks.

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Tasting Notes: Surly Stunner Tropical Ale ›
On July 17, 2019  ·  in Surly Brewing Company, Tasting Notes

Surly is upping their summer beer game with a new tropical ale, Surly Stunner. Mosaic, El Dorado and Amarillo hops combine with subtle lactose sweetness to make up this complex, but fun to drink beer. We spoke to Eric Mangriotis, our resident expert in all things Surly, about his thoughts on the beer. Read More


Enter To Win A Pair of Tickets to Windy City Smokeout ›
On July 03, 2019  ·  in Giveaway

Get ready for beer, barbecue, and country music, because Windy City Smokeout returns to Chicago on Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 14! New for this year, the festival has moved to the United Center Parking lot for more room, more food, and you guessed it: more barbecue.

The weekend lineup will feature country artists such as Chris Young, Old Dominion, Cole Swindell, Eli Young Band, and many more. And of course, we’re excited about the beer. In addition to crowd favorites like Budweiser, Bell’s, and Shiner, the Craft Beer section will be home to over 50 different beers including some rarities from several of our brewery partners.

Want to go for free? Of course you do. We’re giving away a pair of 3-day passes to you and a friend! Must be 21+ and must be able to pick up tickets at our West Loop office in Chicago. We’ll notify the winner via email on Tuesday, July 9. Read More


Our Favorite Summer Cookout Beers ›
On June 24, 2019  ·  in Beer Pairing Guide, Bell's Brewery, Bud Light, Founders Brewing Co., Goose Island Beer Co., Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois

After what seemed like a perpetual winterspring, Chicagoans can finally rejoice and bask in the glorious summer season — we made it. Get ready for concerts in the park, patios, rooftops, farmer’s markets, and oh yes, grilling out with your friends! We’ve hand-selected some of our go-to beverages for when it’s time to cookout and enjoy the sounds of fireworks in the distance. And to sweeten the pot, we’re partnering with Drizly to offer $5 bucks off your order when you use the code 5OFFLSB courtesy of Drizly*. Cheers to summer in Chicago!

*Must be 21+. New users only. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Per applicable law, value may be applied towards order total or shipping or delivery fees. Includes orders of non-alcoholic items.

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Event Recap | 3rd Annual Polish Constitution Day Pub Crawl ›
On May 09, 2019  ·  in Event Spotlight, Okocim

For the third consecutive year, we teamed up with our friends at Okocim to throw a Pub Crawl in celebration of Polish Constitution Day! Similar to Independence Day in the United States, Polish Constitution Day celebrates the declaration of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 in Poland. And since Chicago has been such a large hub for Polish immigrants over the years, it’s only natural we’d want to celebrate here, too! (You can read more about Chicago’s Polish roots from our visit to the Polish Museum of America.)

A big thank you to each of the stops on the crawl — Innjoy, Easy Bar, Innertown Pub, and Phyllis’ Musical Inn — along with The Polkaholics for polka-ing our faces off the entire night! Be sure to use our Beer Finder to locate an Okocim near you and we hope to see you next year. Na zdrowie! Read More


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