As the craft beer scene continues to shrink, Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, two of Chicago’s biggest and most popular breweries, have announced that they are merging.
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Beer
In a Chicago Alley, a Local Winery Gets Creative with Michigan Grapes
Daniel HautzingerAcclaimed for their beer and pizza, Middle Brow has begun applying its local, sustainable approach to wine, sourcing grapes from Michigan and experimenting with hybrid varietals tailored to the climate there. They're opening a second location in the state.
Brat Summer Is Over. It's Time for Wurst Winter, with a New Sausage Stop in Chicago
Daniel HautzingerWurst Behavior, from the couple behind Wicker Park's popular Pierogi Kitchen, features loaded brats, kielbasa, Chicago hot dogs, and more – all made daily in-house.
An Unexpected Culinary Globetrot on Chicago's Far Northwest Side
Maggie HennessyThe neighborhood of Dunning may be unofficially known as Chicago's other Little Italy, but new businesses serving Vietnamese-inspired beer, Turkish delights, and scratch-made tamales and tacos have recently sprouted up as well.
How Dovetail Brewery Uses Engineer-like Precision to Master Neglected Beers – While Serving Them in Unique Ways
Daniel HautzingerDovetail Brewery makes styles of beer mostly ignored by other craft breweries – and serves them in unusual traditions discovered from around the world.
After Fire, Twisted Hippo Brewery Finds New Home at Two Beer Halls - Including an Upcoming One in the Suburbs
Daniel HautzingerTwisted Hippo Brewing lost its Albany Park brewpub in a devastating fire earlier this year, but has now found a new home in District Brew Yards, a beer hall and incubator which is opening a second location in Wheeling.
The Century-Long Clash Between Chicago's Temperance Advocates and Beer Lovers
Daniel HautzingerThe year Chicago was incorporated also saw the founding of the city’s first temperance group and first brewery, and the two factions grew and clashed for the following decades, leaving their mark on the city and suburbs, until temperance briefly won out with the ratification of Prohibition 100 years ago.
New Acreage: Half Acre Beer Company's Growth
Daniel HautzingerIn its first year of production, around a decade ago, Half Acre Beer Company produced 600 barrels of beer. Last year, they hit 40,000, thanks to their expansion into a second brewery in 2014. Now, they've opened a taproom at that second space, featured on Check, Please! on January 11.
