Learn about Virtue Cider while eating Nicole Pederson's awesome food. more ›

Eater Chicago has more details on the news the Tribune broke last week about Virtue Cider, Greg Hall's post-Goose Island venture. more ›

Just as the emotions and brouhaha over InBev/Anheuser Busch's purchase of Goose Island subsides comes news that does not paint outgoing brewmaster Greg Hall in a good light and may bring about a new firestorm. Hall apologized for urinating into two beer glasses while standing at the bar of Wicker Park hotspot Bangers & Lace. more ›

So begins Goose Island founder John Hall's op-ed in today's Tribune explaining his company's decision to sell to InBev/Anheuser-Busch last week for $38.8 million. Hall goes the extra length in the space he's given to accentuate the positives of the deal and reinforce his position that, while A-B may now own Goose Island, he'll still be the one calling the shots. Hall also takes some time to praise his son and outgoing brewmaster, Greg, as one of the reasons Goose has been successful. more ›

Anheuser-Busch is set to buy Goose Island for a cool $38.8 million, according to the Tribune. For those of us familiar with the beer industry, the news doesn't come as a shock. A-B (through Widmer Brothers brewing Co.) has had a 40 percent stake in the company since 2006. That deal opened the doors for Goose Island to increase its sales by reaching more accounts via A-B's national distribution network. more ›

The Chicago Journal had an interesting article in last week's edition about the good growing pains at Goose Island. Craft beer, if you're a reader of this site, is a booming business, and the article reported that Goose Island would move brewing all of its brewing of Honker's Ale and India Pale Ale to a contract brewer in New Hampshire. Contract brewing is a common practice for craft brewers who either wish to keep their beer as fresh as possible for their customers, or to start getting their product out to the masses. Boston Beer Company, the largest American-owned brewery, has contract brewers across the country. Half Acre was criticized by some for initially starting out with a contract brewer. They're now the fastest growing brewery in the city. So we placed a call to Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall to get some clarity on their move to produce Honker's and IPA on contract. more ›

Last year at Chicago Gourmet we attended a "Pairing Cheese with Beer" seminar led by Greg Hall from Goose Island. To our surprise the last course paired dark chocolate with Goose Island's Pere Jacques. Augh. It was soooo nice. Join Vosges Haut-Chocolate and Goose Island this Friday from 7-9pm for a Chocolate and Beer Soiree. Pair Vosges Naga truffle, which has a sweet Indian curry powder, coconut and milk chocolate, with Goose Island's Sofie Belgium Style Ale, which has been aged in wine barrels with orange peel giving you hints of citrus with a creamy vanilla finish. The party is at Vosges Lincoln park storefront (951 W. Armitage Ave.) and is $30/ person, which includes 3 chocolates paired with artisan beers from Goose Island along with open bar of Goose Island 312 beer. Also receive a 10% discount off any chocolate purchase during the event. more ›

Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall has been telling anyone who will listen that "sour is the new hoppy." It's unsurprising to find Goose Island at the vanguard of what's becoming a shift in American craft brewing. Breweries like Goose Island, Dogfish Head and Jolly Pumpkin are shifting from boldly hopped ales to experimental fermentation, brewing with fruit, and aging for long periods of time in whisky or wine casks. The template now is not how thick a beer can be, but how tart can you make it. India Pale ales and Extra Strong Bitters are taking a back seat to lambics, saisons, krieks and brett yeasts. more ›

For some people, the ultimate gift is something techy, like a Wii, an iPhone, or a GPS device. For us, it's a growler of beer, which we received over the holidays. The beer inside, "312." was nothing special. the growler, however, was refillable. more ›

This week's listings kick off this evening at Merchandise Mart with "Chill: an International Wine & Culinary Event" sponsored by Luxehome and Wine Spectator. Proceeds from the event benefit the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. The event runs from 5 - 8 p.m. Chicago Professionals for Youth is committed to improving the lives of local underprivileged youth through literacy and mentoring programs, college preparation, job training and career skills assistance. Saturday they're hosting... more ›

Some things to do this weekend, and into next, as an excuse to dress in costume. Rare and fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart is holding an auction of private collections from both coasts today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Tru. The auction is free to attend, but anyone taking the time to head to Tru and not eat is an idiot, quite frankly. Lunch today at Tru is fixed-priced at $75.... more ›

You sure surprised us last week when we unveiled our first readers' choice "BotW" selection. Not only did you argue with each other over Goose Island Summertime, but Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall interjected himself into the discussion and gave us - and by extension, you, since June is "readers' choice" month - propers. more ›

Maybe you're reading the headline for this week's selection and thinking, "Chuck isn't even trying this week." Sure, for some of you "312" shouldn't even rate "BotW" consideration, especially when compared to other selections from the alchemists on Fulton. This week, we'll even dispense with the usual dry tasting notes that accompany this column. Instead, we're getting up on our soapbox and making a case for "312." We've often talked about how some breweries have... more ›

Learn Something: Looking for a little culinary education in the coming week? Get your cheese and beer on at The Chopping Block in Lincoln Square on March 8. For an even forty bucks you get to meet Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall and learn all about artisan cheeses and gloriously strong stout. New Chef: Never been to Boka Restaurant? Or perhaps you've been but weren't all that impressed. Well, Giuseppe Tentori is the restaurant's... more ›

This little piggie in the photo will be the featured ingredient in some wild boar ravioli. It's one of six courses being served Thursday at Goose Island's Clybourn Avenue pub, as part of their annual wild game brewmaster's dinner. more ›

Chicagoist isn't one to brag, but we had a golden ticket to see Tom Waits last night at the Auditorium Theatre. While we were blubbering like a five-year-old on his first day in kindergarten as Waits sang an appropriately boozy rendition of "Tom Traubert's Blues", we wondered if we could name a beer that we wrote a review over a year ago "beer of the week." We decided, "Why not?" more ›

Greg Hall, Brewmaster, Goose Island Beer Company more ›

Well, Chicagoist certainly didn't see this one coming. Even though both sides are not commenting, the Tribune reports today that Anheuser-Busch is thisclose to purchasing a stake in Goose Island Beer Company. It's the latest twist on talks that have been going on for months. more ›

With apologies to Eric Zorn if it weren’t for Phil Rosenthal’s media columns and “The Boondocks” Chicagoist’s Bridgeport correspondent would have no concrete reasoning for actually reading the Tribune. However, when someone (um, Scott Smith) clues us to an article like this from Tuesday’s edition of the World’s Greatest Newspaper (an aside to Neil Steinberg: that’s the Tribune’s slogan) and asks us if we can work a local angle into this we’re happy to oblige,... more ›