The merger of Anheuser-Busch and InBev last year made Boston Beer Company the largest American-owned brewery (if you already knew that, give yourself a Mighty Marvel No-Prize). Not the biggest fan of Sam Adams brews here, for a variety of reasons unrelated to this post. Now that this review has been qualified, let's get on to this week's selection. more ›

Years ago, we were witness as Miller, Anheuser-Busch, and Coors collected distribution rights or partial ownerships to craft breweries in a high-stakes chess game over control of the beer drinker's dollar. Now there's InBev/A-B, MillerCoors, and a bunch of craft breweries trying like hell to maintain their independence and run successful businesses. Director Anat Baron's "Beer Wars" is being called a "David and Goliath" story, Following Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione and Rhonda Kallman of New Century Brewing, "Beer Wars" takes the viewer into the boardrooms, brewhouses, and follows sales reps on their calls as they fight for space in an already saturated marketplace. more ›

• Sam Adams head honcho Jim Koch will be at Binny's South Loop this evening from 5-7 p.m. Koch will be pairing several Sam Adams selections with various summer grill dishes, as well as give a historical overview of how he founded Boston Beer Company using his great-grandfather's recipes. RSVP to (312) 768-4400.
• Folks around here love a good riesling. Lucky for us that it's Riesling Week and Julia Thiel has comiled a list of restaurants celebrating it in town over at the Food Chain.
• Also from the Reader's website, Chicago Drinks is a new site where readers can view weekly drink specials throughout town, get an inside look at bars throughout town and view videos previously posted to the Food Chain. It's definitely a work in progress, but shows promise. Until then, keep reading Anthony's "Properly Sauced" posts here.

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness - we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts... more ›

Good American-made stouts are plentiful these days. With more breweries applying aging techniques to their beer, barrel-aged stouts are just as plentiful. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout benefits greatly from being allowed to age in 12-year-old Heaven Hill barrels. Three Floyd's DarkLord, the stout of the moment, has an aged version that uses barrels purchased from Woodford Reserve and allowed to sit for a year. Because wood is permeable, barrel aging allows a stout to... more ›

For those of us who took a snow day, we have the option of reaching into the fridge for a beer. Few beers help bide one's time during a spell of bad weather quite like a stout. Regular readers know that we prefer English stouts over their Irish counterparts. They're heavier, richer, and haven't been sullied by Gaelic hands. Typically, English stouts are brewed with little additions, like oatmeal, chocolate, or coffee. The Suffolk-based St.... more ›

A Civic Federation study released today makes recommendations that promise relief for major cultural institutions in fiscal decline since 2001 and overburdened property owners who have been whining for even longer. The study tracked a dozen major cultural organizations linked to Museums in the Park and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, including the Field Museum, the Shedd, the Brookfield Zoo, and the DuSable Museum, and discovered a major economic engine whose 2004 attendance was almost twice that of Chicago’s six major sports teams (note: the NHL was idle that year and debate persists whether the Blackhawks really matter anymore). But rising costs and declining attendance came as state and local subsidies were cut considerably. Between 2001-2004, the Museums in the Park saw subsidies from the Chicago Park District cut by more than 13% and from the State cut by 9%. more ›

Chicagoist admits we might have been a little over-confident going into Game 1 of the ALCS. We thought that the Angels' three games in three cities in three nights with 5000 miles of travel in between would give the Sox a decided advantage. And then there were thoughts of facing a tired Paul Byrd and an overworked bullpen. But in spite of all those factors working against the Angels, they came up on the winning... more ›

You know that Sam Adams commercial that has been playing all NFL season long? The one in which three guys go into a House of Beers and are handed a tome-like beer menu by hottie bartender - but before even opening it they decisively (and perhaps prematurely) order a Sam Adams? At this point in the commercial the blonde bartender nods appreciatively, as if to indicate her approval. more ›

If you win, you fly to Florida, do the broadcast plus pre- and post-game shows and some interviews. Good luck, sports fans. If you can’t make it tonight, there are loads of other auditions through the beginning of August. more ›