We've written about the local beer wars in the past, the competition for tap handles between the local beer distributors for taps, shelf space and sales. It's long been no secret that, between the distributors and some of the bars, a sense of "Ubi Est Mea" exists. Craft breweries get lost in the shuffle. Unable to compete with what the major breweries can offer a bar, they either lose out on sales or, in the case of Bell's a few years back, pull out of the market altogether. Anat Baron's Beer Wars covers this trend nationally, but she really only scratched the surface. more ›

From the inbox: Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks, the popular service that provides farm-fresh foods to customers via CSAs and weekly produce boxes, has been awarded an $81,000 grant by the United States Department of Agriculture's Small Business Innovation Research Grant Program to "increase the fair trade supply of local food." more ›

Here's a fun craft beer fact for you: Surly Brewing is the fastest growing brewery in the country, with an projected production of over 15,000 barrels in 2010, only it's fourth year of existence. As a comparison, Three Floyds and Two Brothers, each in business since 1997, only crossed the 10,000 barrel threshold last year. more ›

It's been well-established that New Glarus Brewing does not distribute outside of Wisconsin, although you can find their brews at some bars and liquor stores around town if you ask nicely and know where to look. more ›

The three-tier liquor distribution system established after the repeal of Prohibition was designed after our model of checks and balances between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Ideally, no one branch between the maker (brewery, distiller or winery), wholesaler and retailer should wield excessive power. Here in the real world, however, money talks, or so goes the adage. That's especially true here in Illinois, where legislation regarding how alcohol gets to a consumer is dictated by the wholesalers through the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, the powerful lobby for the state's liquor distributors. The ABDI was instrumental in the drafting and passing of HB 429 and SB 123, which prohibits out-of-state retailers (think wine clubs and online retailers) from selling to customers in Illinois. more ›

We'd been hearing rumors about Bell's coming back to Chicago almost from the moment they launched the Kalamazoo line last autumn. Local media were sent a press release this morning making the rumors official. Bell's has struck distribution agreements with the three wholesalers they currently use to market the Kalamazoo line. more ›

After being slighted by the passage of HB 429 last summer, the members of the Illinois Winemakers Alliance - comprising the larger wineries and vineyards in the state - have taken those lessons to heart. more ›