I saw this graphic posted a few days ago…
…I will pass on more information as it rolls in. Green rivers on St. Patrick’s Day plus Guinness is a good mix.
Guinness Day – Chicago
Brewseum Brewery # 3 – Moor’s Brewing Company
Our final stop is at Moor’s Brewing Company. The brewery was founded by Jamhal Johnson, Damon Patton and Anthony Bell. Starting as a contract brewer with big growth plans.
Let’s dig into some of the beers from this new brewery….
Session Ale – “Moor’s Session Ale packs a light but flavorful balance of green papaya and a hint of key lime with a smooth lemongrass finish.”
Helles Lager – “Our full bodied pale lager leads with a hint of honeydew melon, harmonizing with subtly spicy and bright German hop flavors for a refreshing finish that is soft, clean and crisp.”
IPA – “Moor’s IPA is crisp, providing a subtle grapefruit quality on the front, flavors of pretzel dough and rounds out smoothly with fresh honey malt notes.”
Imperial Porter – “Moor’s Imperial Porter is a rich, textured beer with a hoppy nose complimented by the scent of lavender and blueberry. The palate brings home the flavors of roasted chocolate and ground coffee.”
Brewseum Brewery # 2 – Black Horizon Brewing Company
The Chicago Brewseum is having their Beer Culture Summit this month so I thought we should visit some of the breweries connected with that education this month, the second stop is…
…Black Horizon Brewing Company.
Let’s get some beers then…
Three Putt for Par Kolsch – “A hoppy Kolsch hopped and dry hopped with fresh Citra hops for a light citrus aroma with a great crisp, hoppy and easy drinking finish.”
Endless Brilliance Blonde Ale – “Aged on over 80lbs of toasted coconut, buckets of marshmallows, a huge drizzle of salted caramel and plenty of vanilla this is the perfect Fall/bonfire beer. Rich and sticky with plenty of balanced sweet notes from real adjuncts, this beer reminds us of Dutch stroopwafles or a s’mores without the chocolate.”
Peach Fist Fight Hazy IPA – “One of the taprooms most popular variations of our house hazy IPA is finally in cans for the first time! This 100% Citra hopped hazy IPA was aged on a massive amount of fresh peach puree that accents the delicate tropical and citrus fruit notes of the hops while bringing waves of stone fruit and peach with each sip.’
Frozen Dimension Cold IPA – “Cold IPA is best described as a strong California lager foundation with a beautiful West Coast IPA hopping and dry hopping. A delicate malt base of pilsner and flaked corn create a soft backbone in which tropical citrus, white grapefruit and sweet sappy bitterness blend for a super crisp and refreshing new school IPA twist.”
Brewseum Brewery # 1 – Funkytown Brewery
The Chicago Brewseum is having their Beer Culture Summit this month so I thought we should visit some of the breweries connected with that education this month, starting with….
…Funkytown Brewery. Founded by Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams who won a Brewbound Pitch Slam for their brewery plan.
Here are a list of their beers:
- Summertime Chi Witbier
- Gym Shoe Weather Belgian Pale Ale
- Hip-Hops and R&Brew Pale Ale
- It Is What It Is Smoke Beer
- New Year, Who Dis? Oatmeal Stout
Corny?
Why is it that I felt slightly disappointed when the Chicago team-up between Revolution Brewing and Garrett’s Popcorn was for just caramel and caramel and cheese. What does that say about boundaries in craft beer?
Moving West
Looks like Guinness is heading for a second U.S. location in, drumroll, Chicago.
Now we just need them to come a bit further west.
For the Price of 1
It seems like once a year, I advocate for a shared taproom. Kind of like a food hall but with beer. Now comes news from Chicago about a 3-Way agreement that is new to their city.
One brewery, with two co-tenants. They each get 10 taps and can stay as big or as small as they need to, to make their economics work. I can think of a newly free space in DTLA that would be perfect for a situation like this (minus the self-pour, still not sold on that).
Call it an incubator or co-working space or contract but the point being that this can (if the breweries involved communicate well) be a great way to lower the entry cost and maximize the marketing. In big cities where rent is high it can really work. And if the barrier to leave is at a reasonable spot, it allows for new blood to be added on a rotating basis.
Fight the Floppy Ass Comb Over
A new documentary that touches the Chicago beer scene will be hitting the movie festival circuit. Entitled “F*** Your Hair,” the movie from Jason Polevoi aims the camera lens at the Latino-owned craft brewery 5 Rabbit Cerveceria and their bold decision to stop making a house beer for a Donald Trump-owned hotel in Chicago.
The owners of 5 Rabbit, Andres Araya and Mila Ramirez are themselves immigrants and chose to make a stand against the racist and quite frankly un-American current immigration policy as embodied in our delusion in orange hair chief.
There might even be screenings at breweries across the country. But for now, a trailer….
Lyft a Glass
Lyft certainly has teamed up with beer festivals for rides home and now, in Chicago, they are also teaming up with cans of beer.
Lyft is collaborating with Chicago’s Baderbrau Brewing on the new Five Star Lager that will be available only in bars and only in 12-ounce cans (no draft). Why? Well, each can will feature a discount code for as much as $5 off a Lyft ride. The beer is actually just a re-branded version of Baderbrau’s South Side Pride, a helles lager.
Maybe an L.A. version will come to pass if this test is successful.
Storied Financing
As breweries are sold (or partially sold), to whom they are sold becomes a big topic of discussion. Some prefer EOPs (employee owned), some venture capital, or some favor combining craft with craft.
Each has its upsides and downsides and the size and future growth plans of each individual brewery will dictate which fit is right. Now a new variant is entering approximately the same area that Greg Koch’s True Craft occupies.
Storied Craft Breweries in the Chicago area will be pursuing investments in breweries that need growth capital, in both terms of money and operating knowledge. How many breweries they will team with, what size they are targeting or geography they prefer is not known now.
Will this form of financing be amenable to craft fans? We will see when the first brewery signs up.