Suburban Blue Nose Brewery closing ‘when the beer runs out’ due to coronavirus pandemic economic toll

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... story.html

Metropolitan is facing eviction from their brewpub space. That's too bad because they put a lot of work into that space and it's arguably the best brewpub premises in the city.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/12/01 ... -eviction/

Lake Effect Brewing Company is moving forward with plans to build its first taproom after the city approved the sale of a more-than-century-old vacant firehouse in Jefferson Park.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/01/28 ... t-taproom/

Ballast Point shutters Chicago brewpub for good, turning temporary closure due to COVID-19 permanent.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/d ... story.html

Burning Bush Brewery is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend with music, food trucks and more. Timed tickets available on their website.

https://www.burningbushbrewery.com/

The beers at Blue Nose Brwy. were not all that good. They were not horrible, but they could have offered more oomph as far as flavor.
The key aspect to visiting there was bringing in food from Casciani's Pizza (an Italian beef, or a breaded steak sandwich) just up the avenue.
Another brewery, First Forest Brwy. has opened in the location.
Getting there via transit is quite interesting. It involves the Pace #330 Mannheim Road bus. If you ride it one way, it deposits you at Harlem & Archer [5500 S.]. If you ride it the other way, it brings you to the O'Hare economy parking lot, where you ride the O'Hare people mover to the O'Hare Blue Line “L” station.
{You have to manuever this method lest you run out of transfers on your Ventra ride.}

Take Flight Spirits in downtown Skokie recently had their soft opening.

Take Flight Spirits
8038 Lincoln Ave.
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 324-9373
https://www.takeflightspirits.com/

Had a great afternoon today. In addition to the Dortmunder (pictured) from Metropolitan Brewing, we had the brisket sliders, gumbo, and Cajun BBQ Beans from Soul and Smoke, next door. We hadn't been to Rockwell on the River since before the plague; the place has improved remarkably, with room for more vendors. (The coffee from Metropolis there is also excellent.)
And you can't beat the views over the Chicago River, although after some time in the bright sunlight, the beers did turn a little skunky.

nr706 actually wrote: Having recently shared a successful Evanston Lunch Group™ outing to Double Clutch Brewing (if you ignore the disappointing beers, which is a worthwhile thing to do), [edit]

Oh dear...
Somebody who should remain unidentified, but cannot, due to the forum's quotation method, needs a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this.
Maybe, just maybe, you did not order the best beers that afternoon. Or maybe it was too early in the day to appreciate selected beer flavor.

Double Clutch Brwg. - Small Brewery of the Year (0-250 bbl.), bunky.
As judged blindly by the highly qualified judges at the Great American Beer Festival.

pudgym29 wrote:

nr706 wrote: Having recently shared a successful Evanston Lunch Group™ outing to Double Clutch Brewing (if you ignore the disappointing beers, which is a worthwhile thing to do), [edit]

Somebody who should remain unidentified, but cannot, due to the forum's quotation method, needs a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this.

A few thoughts:

First, and most importantly, I’m happy for Double Clutch. I love supporting local breweries. It’s been over half a year since my second visit there, and I’m guessing they must have upped their game significantly since then.

I stand by my comments about their beers at that time. I had a flight each time, and I thought most of their beers were either not to style, or weak in the flavor profiles the beers should have.

For example, one of the beers I had was a Schwarzbier. BJCP guidelines specify SRM of 19 - 30 for the beers. While I didn’t bring my SRM measuring stuff to the luncheon (that would be way too nerdy), the SRM of the “Schwarzbier ” I had was more in the 6 - 10 range — an Amber at best.

I also had the Hefeweizen.

Beer Judge Certification Program wrote:it should have “a distinctive banana-and-clove weizen yeast fermentation profile.”

I couldn’t detect any banana or clove notes, and there was none of the signature haziness of a hefeweizen. On our first visit, our server said they use the same yeasts for all their beers, which is no way to make a hefeweizen (not to mention other styles). It could well have been a Helles or a Kölsch.

If it was only those two beers, I’d assume they just served some beers which were mislabeled. But, again, almost all the others were flawed, if less obviously, in one way or another.

Normally, when I’m personally attacked, my preference is to turn the other cheek. Unless it’s egregious. So, here goes.

I’ve been involved in the beer community for years. I was a consultant to Golden Prairie, one of Chicago’s earliest craft breweries, in the 1990s. Currently, I’m an independent contractor for Sketchbook Brewing, representing them at the occasional beer fest.

I’m also a homebrewer. I haven’t entered any competitions in several years, but here’s a few of the awards I’ve been given. (There are plenty more; this is all could scrounge up for a quick photo.)

Today, there are many tens of thousands, if not more, Ciccerones (the beer equivalent of wine’s somaliers) rated as “Certified Beer Servers.” I was the 5,988th person in the world to earn that title. I probably could have gone higher in the program, but it would be the equivalent of someone who usually only drinks wine with their meals at home going for Master Somalier.

So, if pudgym29 believes that I need “a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this,” he’s entitled to his opinion. I’m pretty sure I could find lots of people who would disagree with him.

I may not share your love for muskrat pot pie and kangaroo ravioli, but I’d trust your opinions, recommendations and critiques on all things beer any day, nr706

nr706 wrote:

pudgym29 wrote:

nr706 wrote: Having recently shared a successful Evanston Lunch Group™ outing to Double Clutch Brewing (if you ignore the disappointing beers, which is a worthwhile thing to do), [edit]

Somebody who should remain unidentified, but cannot, due to the forum's quotation method, needs a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this.

A few thoughts:

First, and most importantly, I’m happy for Double Clutch. I love supporting local breweries. It’s been over half a year since my second visit there, and I’m guessing they must have upped their game significantly since then.

I stand by my comments about their beers at that time. I had a flight each time, and I thought most of their beers were either not to style, or weak in the flavor profiles the beers should have.

For example, one of the beers I had was a Schwarzbier. BJCP guidelines specify SRM of 19 - 30 for the beers. While I didn’t bring my SRM measuring stuff to the luncheon (that would be way too nerdy), the SRM of the “Schwarzbier ” I had was more in the 6 - 10 range — an Amber at best.

I also had the Hefeweizen.

Beer Judge Certification Program wrote:it should have “a distinctive banana-and-clove weizen yeast fermentation profile.”

I couldn’t detect any banana or clove notes, and there was none of the signature haziness of a hefeweizen. On our first visit, our server said they use the same yeasts for all their beers, which is no way to make a hefeweizen (not to mention other styles). It could well have been a Helles or a Kölsch.

If it was only those two beers, I’d assume they just served some beers which were mislabeled. But, again, almost all the others were flawed, if less obviously, in one way or another.

Normally, when I’m personally attacked, my preference is to turn the other cheek. Unless it’s egregious. So, here goes.

I’ve been involved in the beer community for years. I was a consultant to Golden Prairie, one of Chicago’s earliest craft breweries, in the 1990s. Currently, I’m an independent contractor for Sketchbook Brewing, representing them at the occasional beer fest.

I’m also a homebrewer. I haven’t entered any competitions in several years, but here’s a few of the awards I’ve been given. (There are plenty more; this is all could scrounge up for a quick photo.)

Today, there are many tens of thousands, if not more, Ciccerones (the beer equivalent of wine’s somaliers) rated as “Certified Beer Servers.” I was the 5,988th person in the world to earn that title. I probably could have gone higher in the program, but it would be the equivalent of someone who usually only drinks wine with their meals at home going for Master Somalier.

So, if pudgym29 believes that I need “a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this,” he’s entitled to his opinion. I’m pretty sure I could find lots of people who would disagree with him.

Tom,

I really appreciate knowing the additional background on your beer "career" (little of which I knew before) but in all honestly, it didn't move the needle much for me at all. Having sampled many of your brews over the years, I know that your knowledge is vast, your ability is extraordinary and your palate is beyond reproach.

=R=

nr706 wrote:

pudgym29 wrote:

nr706 wrote: Having recently shared a successful Evanston Lunch Group™ outing to Double Clutch Brewing (if you ignore the disappointing beers, which is a worthwhile thing to do), [edit]

Somebody who should remain unidentified, but cannot, due to the forum's quotation method, needs a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this.

A few thoughts:

First, and most importantly, I’m happy for Double Clutch. I love supporting local breweries. It’s been over half a year since my second visit there, and I’m guessing they must have upped their game significantly since then.

I stand by my comments about their beers at that time. I had a flight each time, and I thought most of their beers were either not to style, or weak in the flavor profiles the beers should have.

For example, one of the beers I had was a Schwarzbier. BJCP guidelines specify SRM of 19 - 30 for the beers. While I didn’t bring my SRM measuring stuff to the luncheon (that would be way too nerdy), the SRM of the “Schwarzbier ” I had was more in the 6 - 10 range — an Amber at best.

I also had the Hefeweizen.

Beer Judge Certification Program wrote:it should have “a distinctive banana-and-clove weizen yeast fermentation profile.”

I couldn’t detect any banana or clove notes, and there was none of the signature haziness of a hefeweizen. On our first visit, our server said they use the same yeasts for all their beers, which is no way to make a hefeweizen (not to mention other styles). It could well have been a Helles or a Kölsch.

If it was only those two beers, I’d assume they just served some beers which were mislabeled. But, again, almost all the others were flawed, if less obviously, in one way or another.

Normally, when I’m personally attacked, my preference is to turn the other cheek. Unless it’s egregious. So, here goes.

I’ve been involved in the beer community for years. I was a consultant to Golden Prairie, one of Chicago’s earliest craft breweries, in the 1990s. Currently, I’m an independent contractor for Sketchbook Brewing, representing them at the occasional beer fest.

I’m also a homebrewer. I haven’t entered any competitions in several years, but here’s a few of the awards I’ve been given. (There are plenty more; this is all could scrounge up for a quick photo.)

Today, there are many tens of thousands, if not more, Ciccerones (the beer equivalent of wine’s somaliers) rated as “Certified Beer Servers.” I was the 5,988th person in the world to earn that title. I probably could have gone higher in the program, but it would be the equivalent of someone who usually only drinks wine with their meals at home going for Master Somalier.

So, if pudgym29 believes that I need “a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this,” he’s entitled to his opinion. I’m pretty sure I could find lots of people who would disagree with him.

This is hilarious. It's like Pudgy was standing on the southwest corner of Western and Lawrence waiting for a 49 Western Ave bus, presumably to transfer buses between visits to a couple of brewpubs. He was looking north and he thought he saw nr706 a block north accidentally getting on the 49B North Western bus which ends at the Western Brown Line stop. As the bus passed him by, Pudgy decided to stand in the street and taunt nr706 for his "mistake" as the bus went by. But as it turns out, nr706 is actually a bus driver who was taking over driving duties on a southbound 49 bus that Pudgy didn't see behind the 49B. And then nr706 ran over Pudgy.

nr706 wrote:

pudgym29 wrote:

nr706 wrote: Having recently shared a successful Evanston Lunch Group™ outing to Double Clutch Brewing (if you ignore the disappointing beers, which is a worthwhile thing to do), [edit]

Somebody who should remain unidentified, but cannot, due to the forum's quotation method, needs a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this.

A few thoughts:

First, and most importantly, I’m happy for Double Clutch. I love supporting local breweries. It’s been over half a year since my second visit there, and I’m guessing they must have upped their game significantly since then.

I stand by my comments about their beers at that time. I had a flight each time, and I thought most of their beers were either not to style, or weak in the flavor profiles the beers should have.

For example, one of the beers I had was a Schwarzbier. BJCP guidelines specify SRM of 19 - 30 for the beers. While I didn’t bring my SRM measuring stuff to the luncheon (that would be way too nerdy), the SRM of the “Schwarzbier ” I had was more in the 6 - 10 range — an Amber at best.

I also had the Hefeweizen.

Beer Judge Certification Program wrote:it should have “a distinctive banana-and-clove weizen yeast fermentation profile.”

I couldn’t detect any banana or clove notes, and there was none of the signature haziness of a hefeweizen. On our first visit, our server said they use the same yeasts for all their beers, which is no way to make a hefeweizen (not to mention other styles). It could well have been a Helles or a Kölsch.

If it was only those two beers, I’d assume they just served some beers which were mislabeled. But, again, almost all the others were flawed, if less obviously, in one way or another.

Normally, when I’m personally attacked, my preference is to turn the other cheek. Unless it’s egregious. So, here goes.

I’ve been involved in the beer community for years. I was a consultant to Golden Prairie, one of Chicago’s earliest craft breweries, in the 1990s. Currently, I’m an independent contractor for Sketchbook Brewing, representing them at the occasional beer fest.

I’m also a homebrewer. I haven’t entered any competitions in several years, but here’s a few of the awards I’ve been given. (There are plenty more; this is all could scrounge up for a quick photo.)

Today, there are many tens of thousands, if not more, Ciccerones (the beer equivalent of wine’s somaliers) rated as “Certified Beer Servers.” I was the 5,988th person in the world to earn that title. I probably could have gone higher in the program, but it would be the equivalent of someone who usually only drinks wine with their meals at home going for Master Somalier.

So, if pudgym29 believes that I need “a little more beer tasting experience before making a remark like this,” he’s entitled to his opinion. I’m pretty sure I could find lots of people who would disagree with him.

Oh dear. I am sorry about this.
I knew you knew something about beer when you were discussing the subject at the LTHF Picnic.
I fervently apologize to you. For all the beers I have had, I am not a Cicerone, nor have I ever studied to become one.
I had trouble discerning why you had such a different experience of their beers compared to whoever judged their beers in Denver. I have stewarded at beer judging events. When I collected the judging sheets, I would look at each beer's rating and read the comments to see if the scoring was too diverse, or if one judge detected something not quite to style, and another judge found nothing approaching it. (Calibration beers are designated to let the judges get on the same track.)
Lastly, I have yet to get to Double Clutch. I wanted to go to that Lunch Group event, but I did not awaken early enough to head there. So I do not know how are their beers.
Again, I am really sorry you thought I was personally insulting you. I had no intention of doing so.
That was why I included the sentences about why this may not have been the optimal experience for you.

To be fair, I can't be pissed off at someone who suggests I should sample even more beers.

Empirical Brewery Abrupty Closing After 7 Years In Ravenswood: 'A Pretty Big Disappointment'
https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/10/23 ... pointment/

Dave148 wrote:Empirical Brewery Abrupty Closing After 7 Years In Ravenswood: 'A Pretty Big Disappointment'
https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/10/23 ... pointment/

I don't know what the specific circumstances were in this case and it sucks to see anyone go out business but I think many of us have felt for a long time that there is a significant glut of craft breweries out there. When you factor in covid, etc., the closures are not very surprising. In fact, it's quite likely the culling will continue as the market sorts itself out.

As a fan of the craft, I'm hugely in favor of there being as many choices as possible out there but the economics don't appear to support the number of commercial ventures in existence at the moment. Not even close. When you consider that many start-up breweries may be first-time business ventures for their owners, that probably doesn't increase the likelihood of their success.

=R=

They sponsored a number of home-brew festivals, which some of us from the Evanston Homebrew Group attended regularly. That aspect will be sorely missed.

Empirical was also supportive of different charities. Harmony House for Cats is one that comes to mind. We liked the variety of beers they brewed. Mr. X isn't a hoppy beer fan and I am. We could always find things we both liked to drink there. A loss for the neighborhood for sure.

They were evicted =
https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/10/24 ... n-closing/

Decorated craft beer maker Old Irving Brewing will expand into the former Finch Beer Co. space at 1800 W. Walnut Street

https://chicago.eater.com/2022/9/30/233 ... ttractions

Rock Bottom Brewery Closes For Good After More Than 20 Years Downtown
https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/01/09 ... -downtown/

Burning Bush Brewery Expands With Event Venue And Riverside Patio In North Center

https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/03/14 ... th-center/

A brand new brewery called Goodtimes Brewery looks to be moving into the space previously occupied by Smylie Brothers Brewing in Lakeview, located at 3827 N Broadway

https://whatnowchicago.com/goodtimes-br ... -lakeview/

whatnowchicago 4/20/2023 wrote: While the company’s Evanston location is still up and running, the Smylie Brothers were forced to close their Lakeview location late last year after 12 months.

Not so fast ...

smyliebros.com wrote:SMYLIE BROTHERS [Evanston] IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you for the 8 years of support, we greatly appreciate all the kind words. Happy New Year! CHEERS!

Dave148 wrote:

A brand new brewery called Goodtimes Brewery looks to be moving into the space previously occupied by Smylie Brothers Brewing in Lakeview, located at 3827 N Broadway

https://whatnowchicago.com/goodtimes-br ... -lakeview/

Good Times Brewery Opens Thursday In Lakeview, Filling Vacancy Left By Smylie Bros

https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/26 ... ylie-bros/

A Black-owned brewery run by a family of South Siders is preparing to open its flagship taproom in a Bronzeville café later this year.

Turner Haus Brewery plans to open a taproom at Sip and Savor’s location in the landmarked Rosenwald Courts apartment complex, 78 E. 47th St. in Bronzeville.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/05/31 ... this-year/

Stopped by Old Irving Brewing Co. on Sunday before seeing LCD Soundsystem at Riis Park. Great tasting Kolsh on a summer day. We also ate their oven smoked double cheeseburger which tasted delicious (and smoky). Can't wait to go back, but the Bloody Mary was a little overwhelming in salt and heavy in general.

Lo Rez Brewing, which opened in the Pilsen neighborhood in 2016, announced its closing Wednesday, with the co-founder calling it a “pandemic casualty.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/d ... story.html

Dave148 wrote:

Lo Rez Brewing, which opened in the Pilsen neighborhood in 2016, announced its closing Wednesday, with the co-founder calling it a “pandemic casualty.”

Yes, this is a sad one for me. I got a visa seal from it for ICBG's "#DrinkIllinois" summer passport scheme. Oh dear - maybe that section of the city is still not ready for craft beer.
Its beers were not spectacular, but they were solid. It brewed custom beers for Delilah's.
The "Illinois Brewing" magazine jinx continues, after its previous issue gave a livid tale of the beers of Illuminated Beer Works, but then listed its location as that of Alarmist Brwg..
(It also needs to redefine its locations. Putting Nik & Ivy's Brwg. Co. @ 1026 S. State St. Lockport in West Suburbs, but Lock & Mule by Tangled Roots Brwg. Co. @ 1025 S. State St. Lockport in Southwest is something that must be corrected either way.)