The return of Vanilla Rye and a Bardstown Cask Finish Stout lead a promising lineup of five offerings for Black Friday 2024. In the pantheon of BCS variants Vanilla Rye is likely in every one’s top ten as an all time release from the Goose Stout Program. It’s combination of Madagascar Vanilla and the less featured, more expressive rye barrel component that make this nuanced expression a cult favorite. The Return of Vanilla Rye Making its debut this fall is Bardstown Cask Finish Stout. This take on a double barrel aged stout spotlights Goose partnership with a boundary pushing distillery that q ..read more

Munster, Indiana For some time now, I think about the last decade and a half in beer and some of the best parties ever and realize the golden era is behind us. A smashing time is still had, but you quietly compare your real time experience to the apex mountain version of that event the more times you go. In the case of DLD the relaxed, more subdued version of the world’s greatest bottle share is actually a welcomed revelation. I strolled right the fuck up at the 9A open and got a double pour of the Handjee/ Chemtrail fusion called XX Anniversary Dark Lord. Artwork Is Always On Point At This Pl ..read more

The Legendary Goose Island Beer Company. Chicago, IL This was the building where they repaired the salt trucks back when this was an operational hub for Morton’s Salt. Chicago’s oldest brewery has never been shy about reinventing itself. The latest iteration in their storied legacy is a riverfront brewpub at a music venue that quite honestly feels like it should have been here this entire time. 1221 W. Blackhawk St. With an assist from the team behind The Bottom Lounge, The Salt Shed Fairgrounds has been transformed into an entertainment destination with capacity for 5000 people for outside sh ..read more

American Dream Experienceship Winner, Funkytown Brewery. Funkytown Brewery and Samuel Adams have joined forces to create the 1984 Pale Lager. This limited engagement lager was unveiled at a celebratory release party held at Sheffield’s Beer Garden, the iconic destination beer oasis located just blocks from Wrigley Field. San Francisco Steam Yeast, Motueka and Tettnang hops are showcased here and the name is an ode to the year Boston Beer Company, Inc debuted. 8 Beers, 4 Sam Adams, 4 Funkytown Available At Launch Founders of Funkytown Brewery—Rich Bloomfield, Zach Day, and Greg Williams—we ..read more

Hop Butcher For The World. 4257 N. Lincoln Ave, Ravenswood, Chicago Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce Presents: The Malt Row Tour The most concentrated areas for breweries in Chicago are West Loop, Logan Square and collection of destination breweries in the Ravenswood Corridor known affectionately as Malt Row. Both Hop Butcher and Dovetail appeared in Craft Brewing & Beer’s Top 15 Small Regional Brewers List, a feat never achieved by any other Chicago neighborhood. The Artist Formerly Known As South Loop Brewing Company The Bawse Ricky Rozay Monitors The Fermentation Vessels Hop Butcher For T ..read more

Bridgeport, Chicago What should have been celebration and return to glory for a 100yr old theatre, became the focus of everything we dislike about brewers from other regions opening in Chicago. On paper it all sounds so perfect. 14 on draft including 12 IPAs over in Bridgeport at Other Half Ramova. A good size operation- 15bbl brewhouse + a sea of 20bbl fermenters (counted 10). Grille. Music Venue. Taproom. Located 1/2 mile from Sox Park. Opening Day Prices The main issue was that to stay competitive with local distributors for the going rate per barrel of their beer, the launch saw pints of I ..read more

Year 1: Bourbon Casks. Year 2: Port Wine Casks. Goose is the architect of this style and their performance with this lineup is a testament. There’s one less variant than last year and the 2023 release seems much more intentional with more structure than previous vintages. In fact, the most polarizing variant this year, might also be the best one.  You can see Goose Island building on their foundation in an elegant, purposeful way this time around. It’s impressive to see that 31 years after its debut, and nearly 70 Bourbon County variants later, the team is still excited about embracing he ..read more

1128 N 9th St. Milwaukee, WI 53233 Pilot Project Honors Brewing History + Crafts a New Era in Milwaukee.  Water. Hops. Barley. Yeast… and the missing ingredient ….Culture. Radio Milwaukee’s HYFIN spotlights Black and Brown owned breweries. Chicagoans  – Moor’s Brewing Co, Funkytown and Casa Humilde Cerveceria all made an appearance. The fest was a backdrop to celebrate Theodore Mack Sr, the Alabama native founded People’s Brewery in WI, the first Black owned brewery in the nation.  The Mayor of Milwaukee proclaimed this glorious late summer afternoon to be his day. Theodore, asi ..read more

Bourbon County Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout The greatest stout in American history – Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout is set to make it’s return this Fall with a tight five-variant lineup focused on extended age releases and a return to the classics.  Bourbon County Brand Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout is the company’s first time bottling a BCS that was aged in wine casks. As an homage to the source whiskey this variant spent a year in Angel’s Envy bbls before transferring to Ruby Port Wine bbls for another year.  We would argue that Prop 2017 (Bananas Foster BCS ..read more

Sticker Pack! The beauty of DLD is that no one gives a fuck if you don’t like it or if you plan on going. It’s very much an unapolgetic festival for people who get it. We spent a lot of time under the concert tent for Enforced and Municipal Waste. Unlike years past you could walk right up and try any available variant with no resistance. Dark Lord 2023 + Hi-Way Raspberry Diamond Danishes   The bottle share tent and the concert space were just as packed as you remember them. Traffic between those space was noticeably not at full tilt like years past. Variant with the most buzz had to be Ra ..read more