This Week's Beer Events & Socials: Keeping Keeping Together Together
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Some genuinely unfortunate news from Averie Swanson, owner of Keeping Together, the beer brand founded in Chicago that’s working to open a space in Santa Fe, NM. This week she reported something stunning:
“Our brewhouse equipment supplier notified us that they were closing—we won’t be receiving any finished equipment and won’t likely be able to recover our money. We were 90% paid on our contract, over $472,000.”
That is … just freaking unbelievable. The kind and supportive comments from her many Chicago-based brewery friends on that post hopefully helped soften the blow of that dispatch, and within 24 hours (as of yesterday afternoon) Averie followed up to add that Burial Beer had started a GoFundMe for Keeping Together, which is linked if you want to help lend a hand.
What happened here is of course awful, but seeing breweries respond as a community and not just a bunch of competitors is really cool. Very 2014 of y’all.
In other, happier news, I was all set up to talk about the latest Short’s Brewing Defends Their Employees And Calls Out Bad Behavior story that happened earlier this week … but then they quickly deleted the offending post. (A customer got upset about a wait and got all made, then threw someone else’s pizza around and made a big scene before leaving, basically.)
Well, right before I hit send on this, I noticed that Short’s had followed up on that situation this afternoon. They actually sat down with the offending customer and had a beer together. Apologies were made and everyone is moving on. I love that Short’s defends their staff, but also that people can be willing to admit a screwup and get past it. Again, nice to see.
Okay. There is so, so much going on this weekend. Here’s what we’ve rounded up for this week:
This Weekend:
If you love meat snacks, you’ll definitely want to attend Dovetail’s Landjaeger and Treberwurst party featuring a conversation with Jesse Brookstein, author of the extremely specific book A PERFECT PAIR: THE HISTORY OF LANDJAEGER IN GREEN COUNTY WISCONSIN. You’ll get Dovetail beer and four samples of landjaeger, so how can you pass that up?
Also kicking off tonight and carrying through this weekend: Art History Brewing’s Pilsner Fest, with five AHB pilsners plus Seipp’s Pre-Prohibition Pilsner as well.
The summer of Decade Celebrations continues! Congrats to our friends at ABV Chicago, who are hosting a 10th Anniversary Party at Beer on the Wall tomorrow starting at 4pm with a wicked draft list and bottle pours. Go tell ‘em we say “sup.”
Also tomorrow, Rabid Brewing is hosting their annual Feast of the Goat Queen, which, of course, will have baby goats.
Also also tomorrow, Iron & Glass Romeoville is hosting their third Lagerfest.
Man, Saturday is busy: Printers Row Brewing is also hosting a Summertime Block Party where they’ll release their first Pilsner and pour some hop water cocktails, while Funkytown Brewing is hosting their own Summertime Kickback bbq on the afternoon of the 27th at Parkway Social in Bronzeville.
Wait! There’s more! Also on the 27th, Cruz Blanca hosts their first ever Lager & Friends: A Chela Fest with beers from them plus Hop Butcher, Goldfinger, Paracaidista and others.
Then on Sunday, you can head to Broad Leaf Brewery in Grand Rapids for their 2nd annual Wiener Wars. Four chefs, four dogs, one wiener.
Next Week & Beyond:
Like Jam Bands? Like craft beer? You’ll want to be at this year’s Dancing in the Streets event on Aug 2-4, hosted by the Chicago Brewing District.
On August 3rd, Liquid Love celebrates their 4th anniversary with (among other things) an Oktoberfest release? Sure, why not!
If you’re near O’Hare on August 3rd (or if you’re not), Mikerphone is hosting their Smells Like A Beer Fest. Here’s their final list of breweries for the fest and there will be tattoos, too.
On August 16th, Spiteful Brewing’s Cheeseburger And a Pair of Dice event returns after a four-year hiatus! And for the first time ever, they’re hosting it at their space. Tickets go on sale soon.
August 17th sees the return of the Oak Park Microbrew Review, now in its 17th year.
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Did you know that Sturdy Shelter Brewing has a little community pantry at their taproom? If you’ve got some (small) nonperishable food items, bring ‘em by.
Short’s Brewing Company posted about their adopt-a-road cleanup and tallied up a surprising number of empty Fireball shooters.
Maplewood is really leaning into the 90s vibe with the two new NA hop waters they introduced this week.
The Marz Brewing Mothership has a new patio space.
Wax Wings released a new Comeback Kid IPA to celebrate their brewer going to the Paris Olympics as a discus hurler.
Ohio’s Pretentious Barrel House announced that they’d be closing as of August 11th.
Now happening at Industry Ales: Cocktail classes.
Kinslahger has brought in two thirds of what they’re hoping to raise to help their head brewer’s family back in Jamaica! Check out their story and throw ‘em a few bucks if you’re so inclined.
Happy 9th birthday to Grand Armory Brewing.
If you were wondering what beer they were drinking in the Season 3 finale of The Bear, apparently it was the Sunbeam pilsner from Go Brewing.
Beermiscuous is offering Lukr pouring seminars next month for anyone with a brewery or taproom who wants to do more with foam.
Pilot Project Fest is heading to Milwaukee this year.
Any time Pipeworks teams up with the Aviary, my attention is piqued — especially for this new barleywine aged in barrels “that once aged a batch of Boulevardier cocktails.”
Illuminated Brew Works’s “Weird Studies” Black IPA, made in collaboration with the podcast of the same name, is now available — and brewer Brian Buckman is going to be at the annual Lilly Dale Symposium held at the Masonic Temple in Fredonia, NY. IBW’s commitment to High Strangeness is recognized and appreciated.
We don’t do a lot of distributor news here, but when a family-owned business turns 90 years old and the Budweiser Clydesdales come out to party in Muskegon, well, that seems worth sharing. The Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association celebrated the Tyler Sales Company on the anniversary of their opening in 1934.
Why does New Oberpfalz still only package beer in glass? They explained why here.
One Trick Pony’s brewery cat Tuxie has a new home, and to give back to the shelter that brought Tuxie to them, the brewery is collecting donations until their final call on September 1st.
You mean I can drink Duvel and help a bartender at Monk’s Pub perfect her pour for a contest in Vegas? I’m there.
Now available from Burnt City: A non-alcoholic THC seltzer called Ripz.
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Until then, see y’all next week! Have a great weekend.
~Karl