This Week's Beer News: Revolution Brewpub to Close in December
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Revolution Brewing revealed on Saturday morning that they would be permanently shuttering their Logan Square brewpub on Dec. 15th.
As I mentioned in our Instagram Stories immediately following the news, a major announcement like this dropping on Saturday morning is definitely not the normal time for something like this. Considering this Reddit post with info about the closure popped up late on Friday night, I’m guessing that probably sped up the timeline a bit, as Revolution is excellent at managing information about their beers and their brand overall.
In the wake of the announcement, Eater has a pretty comprehensive story here, which does note that they gave employees a heads up in advance, while other coverage came from Crain’s, CBS News Chicago, NBC Chicago, Block Club, WBBM-AM, Fox 32 News and On Tap Sports Net.
I’m reminded of a piece that GDB co-founder Ryan wrote over a decade ago, detailing some legal intricacies that may have (at the time) prevented Rev from owning a production facility and a brewpub simultaneously. Back then, Josh Deth told us that “the brewpub is the home base of Revolution and will always be if we are around … we bought that building and gut rehabbed it so we could be around for a long time.” Sad to see that long time end in less than six weeks.
I have been a patron of the Rev brewpub throughout most of its existence, having attended events, beer releases, and even a wedding there, and I consider its loss significant for the Chicagoland beer scene. I honestly thought it’d be around for decades.
In the last few years, the Chicago craft beer community has seen all the anchors of the modern craft beer movement significantly transformed. Goose Island Clybourn is gone, though the Salt Shed location is open. Metropolitan no longer exists as we knew it, but the brand still draws breath at Short Fuse. Half Acre decamped from Lincoln Avenue, though it's opened a bigger production facility and Hop Butcher is keeping its taproom spirit alive, and Lagunitas has packed up and headed back west.
And while we await any new info about the reopening of the Three Floyds facility that was announced over a year ago, the Revolution brewpub that helped usher in a new age of craft beer is departing as well. Thankfully, the Kedzie taproom will continue with 100% of the brand’s attention on it.
Things change, I guess. I don’t know what else to say.
Prior to the Revolution announcement, the largest Midwestern beer news story from the last week would be the pending sale of Wisconsin’s MobCraft Brewing, which the brewery announced on their site last Friday. What exactly is going on up there is … confusing.
When OnMilwaukee reached out to CEO Henry Schwarz for info on the sale, he declined comment claiming an NDA, while UrbanMilwaukee confirmed first that it was an acquisition, but then said it’s a merger, and that the brewery was not closing. Milwaukee Magazine has its own story here detailing the brewery’s history, closing with this quote from Schwarz: “Things aren’t all 100%.”
No kidding. If it sounds like no one knows much about what’s going on, imagine how the nine-month-old Mobcraft Woodstock taproom feels right now.
Fun week! There are some other closures in the news this week as well, but also some good stuff in there too. Let’s get to the news.
The Evanston Roundtable has a good, locals-eye view of the final night at Temperance Brewing.
New City Design has a very cool story about the third annual BOPP conference held recently in Chicago, organized by Stout Collective.
It’s paywalled because it’s Crains, but they wrote about Middle Brow’s forthcoming Michigan location that will be a winery, not a brewery.
The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild is now accepting applications for the 4th annual Illinois Diversity in Brewing Scholarship through November 18.
After closing one tap room early last month, Junk Ditch Brewing announced that their Fort Wayne brewery will also close. The final day is set for November 23.
After 12 years in operation, Kalona Brewing Company announced their closure.
Big Grove Brewing is the latest to partner with Patagonia Provisions on a beer made with the more sustainable kernza grain.
Following their merger with Blake’s Ciders last year, Austin Eastciders announced their East Austin location was closed and production would be moving up to Michigan.
MLive looks at the menu of Muskegon Brewing Company, a brand that was revived this summer after 90 years of inactivity.
Traverse City Beer Week returns on Nov. 8, and there are a fair number of deals to be had at area breweries like Right Brain, Earthen Ales and Farm Club.
In advance of Dia de los Muertos and their next three-on-three soccer tournament, La Doña Cervecería gets a feature from the Spokesman Recorder.
For this year’s MN Beer Day, Racket reached out to every brewer in the state to see how they’re doing. 44 responded. Here’s what they said.
STLPR looks at the recent closing and bankruptcy of three major area breweries (Earthbound, O’Fallon and Urban Chestnut) and talks with some of their owners to ask why craft beer is currently hurting.
Feast Magazine previews Great Heart Brewing Company, opening next year in Olivette.
Some other good news: Springfield’s Tie & Timber is expanding.
Cleveland Scene helps dispel the rumor that Great Lakes Christmas Ale changes every year. It doesn’t. Your palate probably did.
We mentioned it when the news broke, but here’s more coverage of the New Glarus Brewing announcement of their $55 Million expansion project. Dan and Deb Carey’s daughter Katherine, an architect, helped design the new space, and apparently the copper still for the distillery dates to the 1800s.
Apparently wiffle ball has proven to be a big revenue driver for Broken Bat Brewing.
Modern Times Brewing has changed hands once again, with management of the brand going from Maui Brewing owners Craft O’Hana to a beverage company called Wings & Arrow that also owns Ninkasi, Ecliptic and others.
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Great write up, Karl. Lots of tough news out there, but I feel lucky to have a place to go to read about the changes going on. Thx!