More than five hundred people filled the DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center on Saturday night for Winter Brew. The event was sold out, but we got in to bring you the details. more ›

A virtual tour gives us a first look inside Revolution Brewing's production facility. Construction on the Northwest side brewhouse is two weeks ahead of schedule. more ›

Today's listings include a fundraiser at Revolution Brewing and a program of Spanish Civil War songs. more ›

We've been following the saga (disaster) of the local ice cream industry for the past several weeks. The state has imposed new regulations that make it nearly impossible for small companies to do business, and due to the new regulations, large stores like Whole Foods have stopped ordering. Enter social media: Nice Cream is taking to the ether to support themselves. Starting last week, a Twitter-driven kickstarter campaign has been moving forward to keep Nice Cream alive, and a fundraiser next week at Revolution Brewing will support the effort. more ›

Chicagoist can confirm that Revolution Brewing and Firestone Walker Brewery will be working on a collaborative beer at Revolution's brewpub. Revolution Brewer Jim Cibak told us that he and Firestone Walker lead brewer Dustin Kral will be brewing a dry, West Coast-style IPA. "Midwestern IPAs tend to have a maltier palate," Cibak said. "This will be far removed from that." Cibak's relationship with Firestone Walker goes back years, when he brewed there under brewmaster Matt Brynildson. Both Cibak, Brynildson and Revolution owner Josh Deth brewed under Greg Hall at Goose Island, and Cibak still has friendly relations with Brynildson and Kral. This will be their first collaboration together. Brewing begins Saturday. 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 ›

When faced with a situation where solidarity is required, some sign petitions. Some protest in public squares. Some camp out in statehouses. I prefer to drink beer. Revolution Brewing's power-to-the-people motif seemed like a reasonable way to let my liver bear some of the weight of the social unrest going on in the country and around the world. Also, I hadn't been there yet even though they've been open for just over a year now (a shameful admission for a self-described beer dork). So, two birds, one stone. more ›

A rising tide floats all boats: our classical music correspondent Alex Hough asked me the other day if there was any rhyme or reason behind all the recent brewery and brewpub openings, or if it was just a coincidence. I allowed that it was a bit of both. Craft beer sales increased last year by 7.2 percent in volume and 10.3 percent in sales dollars. While Chicago has lagged in other areas of the country as a craft beer community, the learning curve for consumers has been fast and they've coalesced around the new openings. It doesn't hurt that the established breweries and brewpubs in the area produce an overall high quality product. more ›

As if you needed another excuse for a beer, Revolution Brewing (2323 N. Milwaukee, 773-227-2739) opens officially in about twenty minutes. The brewpub from Handlebar owner Josh Deth will feature brews from Deth and brewmaster Jim Cibak. The food menu won't be as vegan-friendly as Handlebar's menu; no menu that starts off with bacon fat popcorn can. more ›

There's something of a brewing renaissance happening within the city limits these days. Metropolitan is up and running. Half Acre is also brewing while still in construction mode. Revolution Brewing, owned by Handlebar owner Josh Deth, is set to join them this summer. Along with Goose Island, this marks the first time multiple breweries were operating within the city limits in at least a half-century. more ›