To the industry members of our audience, I wish you good luck surviving next week’s Craft Brewers Conference in beautiful Las Vegas.
I want to believe at least one person reading this is already packing for a visit to Fremont Street, so allow me one recommendation: Atomic Liquors. All due respect to Anthony Bourdain, but it’s way better than the Double Down Saloon, IMHO. Don’t forget to stay hydrated.
With that out of the way, this remains a largely beer-drinker-facing publication, rather than a beer-industry-facing one, so as we head into warmer beer-drinkin’ weather, I’m going to ask you something that I’ve been thinking about lately.
I ask because I picked up a four-pack of Modelo tallboys yesterday on a whim knowing that I had some long-overdue yardwork that needed doing. Well, that, but also because despite my primarly-craft appetite, it’s worth checking in on the beers that the rest of the world are drinking from time to time. And between Mich Ultra and Modelo, has there been a bigger success story in modern macro beer?
I can’t say I fully understand its massive appeal — sure, it’s light, it’s easy drinking, it’s got some flavor to it, it’s a lager, it’s fine. I wish I knew the magic ingredient that’s making so many people switch to this en masse. Is it the gold foil top? Is it the south-of-the-border appeal while also not being Corona? Is it the advertising that has that song that Metallica always plays at their concerts before they go on stage?
Wish I knew! Can I honestly say I won’t have another few cans or bottles over the summer? Nope! More research is clearly necessary. Your insights are welcome.
The New York Times recently published a list of the top 25 restaurants in Chicago, which is filled with tasting menus and West Loop celebrity chef outposts, but also classics like Superdawg and, impressively enough, The Hopleaf.1
PorchDrinking took a closer look at the recent barrel-aged stout in a box from Saint Errant.
Per Naperville Community Television, the latest brewery to incorporate wood from the area’s famous Hobson Oak is Noon Whistle. Their White Peach Wood IPA is the second to come from the 250-year-old tree, the first came from Solemn Oath back in 2018. That’s some old wood.
Ben Singson’s latest beer review for the Journal Courier looks at Heavy Riff’s Squeeze Box and finds it … squishy.
The Exponent covered a recent craft beer festival in Lafayette held on the top level of a parking garage. Ticket sales helped raise money for “The Arts Federation, a nonprofit regional arts council that supports the arts in Indiana.”
Two breweries — Backpocket and SingleSpeed — have formed a shared-service collective while each brewery retains independent ownership, which will apparently let them streamline sales efforts and supply chain costs. Gonna guess we see a few more of these emerge this year.
A heritage-style lager isn’t what you probably think of when you think Wax Wings Brewing Co., but they’ve just introduced their new “Kalamazoo’s Finest” lager to get locals to “identify with a lager that’s created, not thoughtlessly, but to represent them” according to the brewery owner. Lagers are doing pretty well right now, so…
…maybe that’s why Wax Wings is planning to double their floor space into the space next door and also expand their distribution soon.
Following the official permanent closure of Grand Rapids Brewing Company, you can own a part of their history if you make a bid during this liquidation auction, which closes on Thursday. Bids start at $25, even for fermentation tanks and the brewing system itself.
Similar to the Iowa bracket for the state’s best beer, ClickOnDetroit held a bracket to determine the state’s favorite brewery. It came down to Bell’s vs. Shorts … before you click, who do you think won?
A well-known crafts store called Crafts Direct announced their closure recently, which is included here because said crafts store had a brewery attached to it called Back Shed Brewing, which will thankfully not be closing.
Warrior Brewing Company has new ownership, so WDIO had a chat with one of them about what’s changing and what’s staying the same.
The Star-Tribune looks at the new Bruhaven Brewery moving into the former Lakes & Legends space, and finds that they’re going to carry on some of the previous brewery’s core beers.
St. Paul’s Dual Citizen is tripling production and I’m guessing the headline writer of this piece just loved that word play.
According to the Riverfront Times, citing a new beer from Rockwell Beer Company, if they had to wear pants, lagers would wear chinos.
Last year. R. Shea Brewing was asking for $2.3 Million in a GoFundMe to stay open. Guess that didn’t work out, because now an operation called Spider Monkey Brewing Company is moving into their old facility.
Before kicking off his summer tour, noted Miller Lite fan Luke Combs toured the Miller Brewery where he shotgunned a beer, quoted Superbad and met an employee with one of his lyrics tattooed on his arm.
Lake Louie’s new DockHaus brewery opened yesterday at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park.
PorchDrinking asked the Brewers Assocation five questions in advance of the upcoming Craft Brewers Conference in Vegas. Looks like next year’s is in Indianapolis!
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!
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Thank you all for being here!
I have to confess something here — after my last visit, I feel as though my long-beloved CB&J sandwich might have lost a step or two. Something was off. The bread wasn’t right, I don’t think. I’ll be back soon to doublecheck the mussels and frites. I feel like those are probably bulletproof, right?
A Modelo with a lime is a go-to drink for me if I'm at a busy bar. It's a reliable, widely accessible, easy drinking, flavorful beer. It doesn't hurt that it has consistently great marketing campaigns as well.