We like to share the Chicago food love wherever we go. So wherever you may be traveling this holiday season, share all the good stuff made right here in the city. more ›

This Friday, July 15th, every beer lover in Chicago should be heading to Logan Square Kitchen. Not just because LSK is a great venue (though it is) but because they are hosting their very first "Brewer's Night," where beer lovers, home brewers and reps from Half Acre Beer Company can come together and drink, gossip and learn more about their favorite hobby. more ›

We've gushed about the wonderful products made by Nicole Greene's truffle truffle before, but these take the cake. It's not often that you can eat a dessert and feel civic pride, but these beautiful candies are like little bundles of Chicago happiness, all wrapped up in a chocolate shell. The "i 'heart' Chicago" collection includes truffles made with Metropolis Coffee, Spice House spices and Half Acre Beer, and they go on sale next Monday. more ›

Last night's "Beer Under Glass" event kicked off Chicago Craft Beer Week, and rather than point out one lonely little beer today, we thought we'd highlight some of the brews we're most excited about stumbling into over the next few days. There's a lot of events, both official and unofficial, and plenty to keep track of, so here's a short list of some of the brews we want to get in us. more ›

By a vote of 48-1-3, the Illinois Senate passed SB754, which maintained and defined the right of a craft beer brewer and brewpub to self-distribute their product, defined a "craft brewer" as one that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year with the right to distribute 7500 of those barrels, as well as serving as a bulwark against Anheuser-Busch's efforts to take a controlling share in a distributor. more ›

Half Acre couldn't have picked a better time to release Ambrosia unto the world, since weather for the last couple days in Chicago have been sweet, sweet bliss and a gift from the deity of your choice. On the Half Acre blog, head Acre-er Gabriel Magliaro writes, "Spring - this is for you." As such, it makes perfect sense to dive into this new release as we get ready to welcome the season, and good weather was a great reason to walk to the brewery and grab a bomber for just shy of $8. more ›

Half Acre Beer Company isn't content to simply keep brewing tank after tank of Daisy Cutter Pale Ale and Gossamer Golden Ale, although they could; I'll posit that Daisy Cutter is arguably the best locally produced beer currently available. Recent weeks have seen them ramp up their game with new beers, collaborations and improvements to the brewery. more ›

Half Acre announced on their blog today that tickets for the Chicago Craft Beer Week closing party that they're hosting next Saturday, May 22, are now on sale. Tickets are $25 each and only 200 are available. When they're sold out, that's it. more ›

Striking while the iron is hot in the afterglow of Craft Brewers Conference, the Garfield Park Conservatory is planning a night of beer inside the conservatory proper from 5:30-8 p.m. May 13. Tickets to the event ($45 day of the event, $35 in advance, purchase tickets here) will allow guests to sample beers from Metropolitan, half Acre, Goose Island, Argus Brewery on the Far South Side (we'll have more on Argus later), Hamburger Mary's and Rock Bottom Chicago surrounded by the foliage and fauna of the conservatory. Food for the event will be provided by Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park and Green Zebra. more ›

Outstanding in the Field, which organizes farm dinners across the country matching local chefs with local farms, released its 2010 farm dinner schedule today. They'll be making two local stops in august. First, Paul Virant will handle cooking duties for a 4 p.m. dinner at Dietzler Farm in Elkhorn, WI on August 2. That'll be followed three days later by a return appearance of Mindy Segal and Aric Miech of Hot Chocolate at City Farm august 5 at 4 p.m. While we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Kinnikinnick Farm last year, the first-person accounts we heard about the City Farm dinner with Segal three nights later were overwhelmingly ecstatic, with praise for both the food the view of the Chicago skyline from the dinner. more ›

Did that label artwork get your attention? Good. Three Floyds and Half Acre are teaming up to brew a Helles Bock called "Invasion." The beer is currently fermenting, although recent conversations with Half Acre's Gabriel Magliaro and both Nick Floyd and Lincoln Anderson of Three Floyds have proven to be futile as to when it will be released. more ›

Last Friday we wrote about Half Acre's limited release Imperial stout, Big Hugs and that, according to Half Acre's Gabriel Magliaro, the beer is "a 9.5% thug of a stout that boasts a ton of raw flavors that you can experience for yourself." Magliaro was not kidding. more ›

We're getting closer to tomorrow's Half Acre Brewery's Charitable Chili Cook-Off this Saturday benefiting The Arts of Life and if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, get a move on! They're still only $5 through 5 p.m. today; you'll pay $10 at the door tomorrow. And if you think your chili has what it takes to win it all, $20 will get your entry in (besides other prizes, we'll also be featuring the winner right here). Last we heard, there are almost 20 different chili entries so you'll be able to stuff your face with some quality food. There will also be six different raffle prizes handed out, there'll be Half Acre beer, and the folks from Nice Cream will have samples at the ready. So what are you waiting for? Grab some tickets and swing by. I'll be there as will Rob, who gets to taste all of the entries as one of the cook-off's judges, so be sure to come say hi if you can make it. more ›

At the time of our visit to Half Acre's new Lincoln Square brewery in April we said of the limited edition Baume' Rye Stout: more ›

In a week that's been very focused on beer over here on the Food and Drink side of things, it seems fitting to end the week where it began: focusing on Half Acre. From the moment the first cases of Half Acre Lager popped up on retail shelves and in bars throughout the city, one question over all others stood out: Can they succeed? Can a beer company calling Chicago home, brewing its product on contract in Wisconsin, be able to tread water until it finds both the equipment and space to start brewing within the city limits? more ›

We paid a long-overdue visit to Half Acre Beer Company Saturday at owner Gabriel Magliaro's invitation to check on the progress of their brew house at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave., and to drink some beer, including their limited edition release Baume' rye stout and the amazing, soon-to-be-released Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. more ›

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Cyrano's Bistrot is open again, after a week and four inspections to combat a roach infestation caused by condo renovations above the restaurant. Congratulations, Chef Didier. Just don't expect us to visit anytime soon. Gabriel Magliaro of Half Acre Beer Company has been busy. Half Acre and Bloodshot Records have a promotion where Bloodshot is offering a sampler album as a free download to Half Acre fans. Magliaro will also be at Whole Foods... 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 ›

"One Mint Julep" seems to be a fitting theme for this week, in both photo and song (Last.fm doesn't lie). Let's move on, shall we? Today is "Charlie Trotter Day" in Chicago, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the opening of his eponymous restaurant. The Sun-Times had a couple of nice pieces this week in conjunction. We linked to Janet Fuller's story of Trotter's first two employees, who are still with him today, in... more ›