The Return of Honkers: This Week's Beer News
Powered by Thursday's National Black Brewer Day
One of Chicago’s original craft beers is coming back.
Earlier today, Goose Island made it official: Honkers Ale is returning to package format.
We broke the news of its discontinuation back in early 2019, calling it “the end of an era” as Goose was pivoting to beers like Old Man Grumpy and Next Coast IPA. Now what’s old is new again and honestly, I’m pretty thrilled to have a classically malty English-style ale like Honkers back in the world (for however long we get it this time).
Per this 2019 Chicago Tribune story about the death of Honkers in distro, Goose president Todd Ahsmann made the original call to stop nearly all production save for the draft-only batches available only at their taprooms. At the time, he said:
“From my heart I can’t get rid of it completely, but I’m also hoping one day it makes a big comeback,” he said. “That’s why I want the brewers continually making it — so they don’t lose sight of what it is.”
That comeback starts today.
Another interesting piece of news from today: This Thursday, October 10, was just named National Black Brewers Day by Governor Pritzker “to recognize and celebrate the rich heritage and contributions of Black beer brewers across the industry.” Per the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, Illinois is the very first state to institute such an honor.
From the release:
“According to the National Black Brewers Association, fewer than 1% of breweries are Black owned. This recognition is a significant step toward honoring the contributions of Black brewers to our vibrant craft beer community and promoting diversity within the industry,” shared Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “We are committed to fostering a diverse brewing landscape in Illinois and look forward to celebrating this important day as an industry.”
Between spending political capital on this along with the work they’ve been doing the last few years with their annual Illinois Diversity in Brewing Scholarship, I’m not sure there’s another Guild working as hard to build diversity amongst their brewery members. I think it’s even fair to say that Chicagoland probably has the best representation of any brewery scene in the country.1 Pretty cool stuff.
If you want to celebrate on Thursday, there’s an event scheduled at Turner Haus in Bronzeville starting at 5pm, including beers from other Black-owned breweries like Moor’s Brewing and Funkytown.
We mentioned this on Friday, but for those who missed it: Middle Brow is planning to open a second location in Sawyer, Michigan. The SW corner of the state is really getting stacked with great spaces.
Eater.com has a nice feature on the new location for is/was brewing. Really looking forward to stopping in here soon.
Patch has a list of the eleven breweries from Illinois that are competing in this year’s GABF, including Une Annee, Old Irving and Maplewood.
A reader sent us a heads up that Representative Mike Quigley’s office sent an email last week about touring Half Acre and shared info about how they are “working with the Department of Energy to access funds through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to decarbonize their facility.”
I’m unfamiliar with this Best Life site but if they’re going to have a Cicerone write a story about how Dovetail has one of his favorite Oktoberfest-y beers in the country in the form of their Festweizen, well, that’s worth sharing with you here.
The State Journal-Register has a nice little roundup of what’s going on at some area breweries and distilleries like Engrained and Sangamo.
Premium Subscribers may remember a few months ago when we featured the Bassomatic 2000 label from Historic Red Rooster Brew Werks & Distilling, but now the Journal Courier’s beer column tried and enjoyed the English-style pale ale.
Chicago Magazine takes a trip to Valpo to check out the Journeyman facility, including a look inside their Sea of Monsters brewery.
Decatur Brew Works has new owners.
Axios tried and liked the Wild Pumpkin Lager from the wonderfully named King Jugg Brewing Co.
The Iowa Brewers Guild released a study saying that the brewing industry generates about $1.25 billion for the state economy.
Opening soon in Oskaloosa: Full Bloom Brewhouse.
Coverage of the passing of Jolly Pumpkin’s Ron Jeffries came from Brewbound, MLive, the Detroit Free Press and the Traverse Ticker, which noted that the brewery’s first taproom is still open on Old Mission Peninsula,
PorchDrinking’s Brewery Showcase series heads to Little Bavaria for a look at the 162-year-old Frankenmuth Brewing.
Craft Brewing Business talks with the team behind the Founders All-Day IPA brand refresh and new ad campaign.
Leigh’s Brewing Co. announced plans to open outside Holland in the former Hopland Brewstillery location.
If you remember last week’s story about the baby born in a Kalamazoo brewery parking lot, you’ll probably be unsurprised to learn that One Well is making a special beer to celebrate.
After nine years in operation, Ascension Brewing shuttered yesterday.
Modist Brewing Company collaborated with thrash-metal band Testament for this “Apocalyptic City” IPA.
In St. Peter, Tremendous Brewery is looking to be open around Thanksgiving.
Bring Me The News previewed this year’s Surly Darkness Day, and shared some info about the variants coming out in the next few months (Premium Subscribers have certainly heard about a few of them).
It seems like the closure of O’Fallon Brewing caught people by surprise around STL, considering the nature of the coverage from KSDK-TV and Fox 2 Now.
This headline kinda says it all: “Species X Beer Project, a Columbus brewery that used AI to create its brews, has closed.”
National Cheese Curd Day is coming soon, and Lakefront is going to celebrate with some interesting flavors. The cheese curd pull competition is returning as well.
43 machinists at the MolsonCoors brewery in Milwaukee went on strike this week over work-life balance.
The Milwaukee Record’s Meet a Brewer column chats with Nick Kocis of Dead Bird Brewing.
Speaking of Dead Bird, they (along with Hop & Barrel) have resumed distribution to Madison following a pandemic-induced pause.
Gathering Place Brewery has created a beer with their neighbor, a pizza place, to create “a golden ale made with figs and pizza crust cooked in the wood-fired oven at the pizzeria.”
SFGate.com uses the closure of City Beer Store to look at the Bay Area’s brewing industry but calling craft beer a “Millennial trend” in the headline hurts my heart.
This extensive PBS story about the nation’s only Latino-owned hop farm in Yakima Valley is worth a read today.
GABF kicks off on Thursday, and All About Beer has a good look at the major changes the Brewers Association made this year to breathe some life back into a declining event.
Most-clicked link in last week’s email: Eater’s updated “The Best Places to Drink Along Malt Row in Ravenswood” map. Happy Malt Row wandering.
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