6 New Craft Beer Festivals Are On Tap For Chicago This Summer
By Stephen Gossett in Food on May 18, 2017 6:15PM
Photo via shutterstock.
If you've ever spent five minutes in a Chicago corner bar—or with a Joe Swanberg movie—you know that our city has earned its vaunted reputation for craft brew. The city is taking notice, too: Choose Chicago, along with the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, announced on Thursday six new craft beer festivals for the summer months. Each will spotlight a variety of local brewers.
They go down on select Fridays from June through August, and are collectively called Friday Night Flights—which the punny headline writer in us kinda adores. Each fest will offer a "tasting pass" that allows beer drinkers ten 3oz samples from various vendors ($15 advance or $20 at the door).
“Chicago’s thriving craft beer scene is second to none and reaches neighborhoods across the city,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Friday Night Flights will showcase the world-class breweries found in Chicago’s neighborhoods while serving up top-notch local beverages for Chicagoans throughout the summer.”
Here's a list of where and when each Flight takes off:
-Friday, June 2: Pilsen, Bridgeport & Pullman, 2700 Block of South Eleanor Street
-Friday, June 16: Milwaukee Avenue Corridor, 2700 Block of North Milwaukee Avenue
-Friday, July 7: Lincoln Park & Lakeview
-Friday, July 21: Loop, South Loop & Bronzeville, 2300 Block of South Indiana Avenue
-Friday, Aug. 11: West Loop & West Town, 300 Block of North Sangamon Street
-Friday, Aug. 25: Ravenswood Corridor, 4700 Block of North Ravenswood Avenue
Each festival is rain or shine and includes food options and local entertainment. For more details, ticket links and lists of which brewers are participating at a particular fest, check out the Friday Night Flights homepage.
The announcement coincides with Day One of the annual suds playground that is Chicago Craft Beer Week. Check out our survival guide here.