I’m not the only one taking a look back, apparently.
The news of the Lagunitas Chicago shutter has prompted more than just me to take a look back over the last decade or so. I’m assuming that there is a lot of crossover between the people that read these emails and the people that listen to The Beer Temple podcast, but if you didn’t see it, they just released an episode looking back at the time that Tony Magee joined the show just two weeks before announcing the sale of half of the brewery to Heineken.
It was an interesting conversation back then and it’s just as interesting now, and it’s also a good bit of perspective of just how much things have changed between these two points in time. (Tony’s prediction that Mexican beer would be the next Bud Light, and the part about the Brewers Association discussing craft beer’s explosive growth at the time are both particularly notable.)
On a similar note … I figured it was a good time to finally order a copy of Tony’s book, “So You Want to Start a Brewery.” It’s supposed to get here this week so maybe by the time August rolls around I’ll have found the time to read it and pass along any fun insights from ten years down the line.
Okay, enough wallowing in the past (for today).
I’m happy to report that early June is a great time for new taprooms and breweries to open; there are five “now opening” or soft-open reports in this week’s email, another couple of “coming soon” announcements, and only one shutter report. Summer is in full swing!
Ticketholders have been waiting four years to find out what’s happening with the Chicago Beer Classic, the beer fest at Soldier Field which was postponed - not cancelled - in 2020. NBC-5 was able to reach Lou Dog Events founder Josh Seago for comment (which is better than his customers were able to do - the website is “private” as well) but there are no immediate plans to reschedule for this year … At this point there might not even be a Soldier Field when this gets back on the calendar…
Pilot Project CEO Dan Abel went on WGN-TV to talk about summer beers and food pairings.
Six St. Charles breweries including 93 Octane, Riverlands and D&G Brewing have come together for the third time to create a collaborative charitable beer that benefits STC L.E.A.R.N., “a local non-profit that partners with D303 students and families to access equal learning and academic opportunities.” This year’s is a California common style, if you’re fiending for something Anchor Steam-y.
Another collaboration beer getting coverage was from four Tinley Park brewers who came up with a Trolley Beer that you can try at Flipside, Hailstorm, Banging Gavel and Soundgrowler to celebrate the Tinley Ale Trail Trolley.
Looking for an entry-level content creator position at a cool brewery? Half Acre would like to talk to you.
Tangled Roots will open their fourth location this week at Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills this Wednesday.
Now open in Morris: Keg Grove Brewing Company’s second location.
Laporte Life checked out the first Collab Event held at the new Burn’Em Brewing location.
Now open in Westfield: Urban Apples Cidery.
Another decade-celebration happened at Mashcraft this weekend, who celebrated ten years with a special NEIPA.
Des Moines’ outpost of Big Grove Brewery has earned a platinum level certification from the Iowa Green Brewery Certification program.
Despite four guilds working together to add more types of drinks to the Burning Foot Festival, they couldn’t make it work — so it’s back to just being a beer festival again.
Arbor Brewing has a location in Ann Arbor once again, taking over the Session Room after closing another space in 2020.
For the first time in six years, Bell’s is back to being Michigan’s biggest brewery.
Now open in Petoskey: Elder Piper Beer + Cider.
Grand River Brewery plans to open its third location in Brighton sometime this year.
There’s not a lot of thirty-year-old craft beers out there, which is why the birthday for Brewery Terra Firma’s delicious Manitou Amber is worth celebrating this month.
It’s paywalled, but the Star-Tribune has a story on the ten sour beers they suggest you try this summer.
Bluewood Brewing has a new chicken-focused food menu.
Friendship Brewing Co. is hosting their eighth anniversary party with a Lu-Wow celebration on June 29th, per this press release on Brewbound.
More on the Saucy Brew Works brand refresh comes from Craft Brewing Business.
Component Brewing is celebrating a birthday next weekend with … butt drawings?
Lost Valley Cider Co. announced plans to shutter its Walker’s Point taproom sometime this fall.
After closing in October, Modicum Brewing announced plans to take over Eau Claire’s K Point Brewing space to revive the brand.
There was tons of press about the new 180-pack of beer from Pabst, but lost in most of the news was that it was created for the brewery’s 180th birthday.
The Sheboygan Press previewed the 12-year anniversary party at 3 Sheeps, while the Milwaukee Record previews the Summer Block Party at Enlightened Brewing Company on June 29.
The Cap Times looks at kernza, a perennial grain that farmers are starting to grow to help improve water quality and sequester carbon, and specifically how Lakefront Brewing is trying to utilize it in their beers.
The co-founder of Eagle Park Brewing was featured by a publication called Smart Business Dealmakers.
The Third Space Innovation Brewhouse in Menomonee Falls is in soft open mode.
No, we’re not done with cicada stories just yet: Topsy Turvy Brewing in Lake Geneva made a cicada-infused beer because someone had to, I guess?
Paste Magazine’s Jim Vorel argues the need for additional amber ales and more appreciation thereof. I don’t disagree.
This is a fun story from TheGamer.com: A game designer and homebrewer combined those two interests to create Ale Abbey, a “medieval beer brewing simulator” game.
Thanks for reading! If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this email and you’ve learned something beer-y from this, you should share this with a friend!
Want more? Our Premium Subscribers receive a whole bunch of exclusive label previews from around the Midwest on Wednesdays, Premium-only posts and the occasional piece of exclusive news, plus the satisfaction of knowing they’re helping to keep this newsletter going into the future. If you want to upgrade to Premium, it’s just a little more than $1 per week:
Thank you all for being here!