Stray thoughts and links for a Wednesday:
– Chicago. Forty-eight breweries? No wonder there are something like 48 stories this week.
* The Battle for Chicago. As somebody who started buying mimeographed copies of Bill James’ Baseball Abstract in the 1970s (yes, Bill James predated Sierra Nevada Brewing) I really need to write something about this concept of “Beers Above Replacement.” Having a problem wrapping my head about the pale ale/first baseman analogy.
* Craft Beer Boom Embraced in Chicago’s Neighborhoods. And now Jonathan Cutler is an elder statesman.
* Chicago’s brew future: new breweries on the horizon. There are fourteen more about to open (suburbs included).
* Man, We’re Gonna Have A Lot of Breweries. The guy who wrote the previous story (for Time Out Chicago) has more to say.
– Paragraphs I could never write, which is probably just as well. From Ben McFarland’s article, “Raising a glass to Britain’s craft beer heroes,” in The Telegraph:
Citra, Oakham Ales, 4.5%
In a derelict warehouse somewhere in Peterborough sits the Citra hop, its arms strapped behind its back, its feet shackled to a chair built from pale malt and wheat. Surrounding it, their eyes a maniacal mix of menace and madness, are Oakham’s brewers going to work with hacksaws and hammers in each hand, the Citra squealing gooseberry, greengage and grapefruit. A superb single-hop beer.
There are more, just as fun.
– A point of order. When you put the word “unique” in the headline my first thought should not be “but what about [fill in the blank]?”
The headline in the Boston Globe: “Beer bistro owner plans unique brewing facility.” The nut: “[Daniel] Lanigan is preparing to build what he says will be the country’s first brewery entirely devoted to contract brewing: the making and packaging of beer to meet the exacting specifications of commercial clients.”
That it will be the first must be news to the investors who’ve put $100 millions behind Brew Hub, which I understand will be open by next summer.
“And now Jonathan Cutler is an elder statesman.”
Hah! I can’t wait until I see him next. 😉
Hey Stan, do you really recall Siebens and Tap & Growler to be pretty horrible?
Considering there was nothing much else around in those dark days, I always loved Siebens.
We had some excellent beers (and food) at Siebens, but obviously didn’t go there as often as Randy. I think we caught Tap & Growler in their final days with some not-too-good beers, but they won two medals at the 1988 Great American Beer Festival (year Goose Island opened).
“I really need to write something about this concept of “Beers Above Replacement.” Having a problem wrapping my head about the pale ale/first baseman analogy.” I’d be interested in what you have to write. I’m not a big stats guy, but having read about BAR it just didn’t make a ton of sense to me.