We learned a couple of things from Tuesday night's ill-fated "Screw the Blizzard" tweetup. First, Timberlands are only good for one hard winter, then need to be tossed. Second, The Beer Bistro makes a damn fine bowl of chili and buffalo chicken pizza. Third, they have specialty beers brewed for the bar from Brooklyn Brewery. more ›

Spring is a time for beers with hearty flavors and lighter bodies - red ales, doppelbocks and porters. While working through both the food and drink menus a couple week back at Rootstock we noticed only two beers on draft and Matilda's waltz has given me Tom Traubert's Blues lately, all in part to its familiarity. more ›

Before we go to the listings, we want to bid farewell to the Tribune's Kevin Pang, who's heading over to the Tempo section. But he leaves the food beat with a profile of Peter Engler, the city's foremost expert on mother-in-law sandwiches, street food and other south side cheap eats. Shaw's Crab House concludes this year's edition of their "Royster with the Oyster" festival with their annual tent party at their Hubbard Street location tonight.... more ›

So it's been a little more than a week since Half Acre Beer Company started placing their lager at various bars and package stores around the city. By "around the city" we mean "Wicker Park and Bucktown, save for a couple locations." There's going to be a lot written in upcoming weeks about Half Acre owner Gabriel Magliaro's decision to have his beer brewed on contract in Wisconsin, and whether the knowledge that the beer... more ›

Hold your tongues and stay away from the keyboard. Yes, we here at Chicagoist have levied more than our share of criticisms at Whole Foods. We're also familiar with the taste of crow, and have to give them credit where credit is due. When it comes to mission statements and core philosophy, Whole Foods walks the walk. We were joined by our markets writer Lisa Shames and primary food news writer Laura Oppenheimer Monday night... more ›

It's been nearly six months since Bell's Beer founder Larry Bell pulled his product from the Illinois market in a dispute with distributors over the Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act of 1982. Readers will remember that that specific law, enacted at the time to protect distributors from the loss of a giant beer account on the level of Anheuser-Busch or Miller should they decide to move to greener pastures, doesn't give mid-level craft breweries like... more ›

When cabin fever sets in, we take good news any place we can get it. Still, we had to read this bit of news twice when we received it. A press release sent to Chicagoist and other outlets yesterday from the Brooklyn Brewery announced that they've reached an agreement with distributor River North, allowing the Williamsburg-based craft brewer to sell its flagship lager, Brooklyn Brown Ale, and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale in the Chicago... more ›

Here's something to waste your time, and the remaining good areas of your livers, without getting Trivial Pursuit answers wrong. The premise of "365-Beer" is a simple one: participants attempt to drink 365 different beers in 365 days. For those of us with some common sense, there are lower targets available. Every beer logged then enters a larger database, giving participants an idea of the range and scope of breweries that they may have... more ›