Pipeworks Brewing Earns Best New Brewery Honors From Ratebeer.com

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Feb 1, 2013 10:40PM

Beejay Olson of Pipeworks Brewing pours some samples while chatting up guests at Goose Island Stout Fest 2012. (Chicagoist/Chuck Sudo)

It only seems like yesterday that Beejay Olson and Gerrit Lewis opened Pipeworks Brewing in Bucktown. This week Pipeworks earned "Best New Brewery" honors from the consumer beer website Ratebeer.com. Ratebeer used user reviews of beers listed on the website to come to the rankings. Pipeworks came in 39th overall on the site's favorite breweries. This proves not only are beer geeks obsessed with brewing, they also aren't shy about sharing their opinions.

But the nod is a good one for Pipeworks, which has brought 39 beers to market since they launched last year with their first offering, the Double IPA Ninja Vs. Unicorn. Their production facility has grown to 12 tanks and they've even helped brewers such as 18th Street Brewery's Drew Fox polish the skills necessary so they can open their own brewery. Olson told DNAInfo Chicago he's proud of the honor.

"When we opened this place, we were shooting for best new brewery, but there was a lot of competition," said Oslon.