Greg Hall is best known for Goose Island Brewing. Since the sale of the brewery to AB, the question remained what Greg will be doing now. The answer is surfacing. Cider. Specifically – farm to table ciders.
Virtue Ciders is on Continue Reading →
Most beer geeks will tell you don’t pasteurize your beer. (Heating it up to kill bacteria. See: Milk) What works for your fruity pebbles doesn’t really do that well with beer’s like Goose Island Brewing’s Sofie. The brewery has had Continue Reading →
Goose Island Brewing was purportedly making King Henry Barleywine back in 2008. Rumor has it, Dominique rose in it’s place. There has been a couple of small sightings at festivals, but it now looks like the King Henry will take Continue Reading →
Goose Island Brewing had an exhausting news day. Finally GI opened up a bit via Twitter with a few calming statements (listed by each tweet):
In response to today’s deal with AB…This will allow us to make more beer as opposed Continue Reading →
This is my first Op-Ed on this site. (And probably my last.) A lot of people are probably going to hate me for saying this.
By now I’m sure you know the “news that rocked the beer world” aka Goose Island Continue Reading →
Coming soon from Goose Island Brewing is “Big John” imperial stout. The name “Big John” refers to the John Hancock Building in Chicago, Illinois. The label depicts the pattern on the building. The Hancock Building is built with X Continue Reading →
Getting the behind the scenes tour at Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL) was enlightening. They are growing so fast it’s hard to keep up. The operation is very efficient for sure. I got to meet a few Continue Reading →
Greg Hall is best known for Goose Island Brewing. Since the sale of the brewery to AB, the question remained what Greg will be doing now. The answer is surfacing. Cider. Specifically – farm to table ciders.
Virtue Ciders is on the cusp of being in business. Little has been disclosed about Virtue, and Josh Noel – a writer for the Chicago Tribune lamented in his article published Friday that even Greg Hall himself is declining to comment on the venture.
Most beer geeks will tell you don’t pasteurize your beer. (Heating it up to kill bacteria. See: Milk) What works for your fruity pebbles doesn’t really do that well with beer’s like Goose Island Brewing’s Sofie. The brewery has had it’s fair share of spoilages & infections. In the video, Brett Porter chats about the new sterile filtration system to help prevent infection without pasteurization. Essentially, this big filter made of diatomaceous earth is used to filter out beer spoiling bacteria. In the barrel aging process, some funky stuff can happen to make the beer complex and tasty. Bottle it, and it might go down the wrong road. This new system helps prevent future spoilage issues…
Goose Island Brewing was purportedly making King Henry Barleywine back in 2008. Rumor has it, Dominique rose in it’s place. There has been a couple of small sightings at festivals, but it now looks like the King Henry will take his throne in 2011.
A description from BA clues us in a little bit more:
Loosely based off our 2000th brew at our production facility, we revived this hybrid American / English Barley Wine for a special treat. Coming out of the tanks we aged it in barrels previously used for Bourbon County Stout to add another layer of complexity.
Per Goose Island’s release schedule, King Henry is set to take his throne in December, 2011.
Style: Barleywine. (Barrel Aged)
Availability: 220z bombers
11.5% ABV
Goose Island Brewing had an exhausting news day. Finally GI opened up a bit via Twitter with a few calming statements (listed by each tweet):
In response to today’s deal with AB…This will allow us to make more beer as opposed to discontinuing medal winning brands due to capacity.
We will continue to be a Chicago brewery, to invest in Chicago brewing facilities/jobs, & support Chicago’s cultural and environmental orgs.
We will always be driven by the art of beer. Our team of brewers, led by Brett Porter is the same as it has been for some time.
Our innovation will be expanded, including new styles, as a result of not having as much limitation on capacity
Our brew pubs are not a part of this deal and the pub brewers will continue as usual.
We have an existing relationship as they’ve distributed our beers since 2006
We will make our existing markets stronger first before considering new ones
And most importantly… Our brewing process will still be in the hands of our brewers.
This is my first Op-Ed on this site. (And probably my last.) A lot of people are probably going to hate me for saying this.
By now I’m sure you know the “news that rocked the beer world” aka Goose Island gets sold to AB Inbev. It’s big news for sure and it’s definitely something to talk about.
I’ve sat here most of the day reading Twitter, articles, and blog posts about the GI situation, and for the most part everyone is shocked.
Yes, dropping the name Inbev or AB or anything macro in the craft beer world is like ripping a wet fart during a pastor’s sermon in church. Shocking. Appalling, perhaps even disgusting. All are reactions the beer community is emoting as the story unfolds.
I’m going to skip straight to this. Idealism. Especially craft beer idealism. The beer scene in the United States is booming of course. And with it is a growing sense of elitism. More and more now I’m hearing “I am a craft beer drinker” or “I drink craft beer” said in a “I drive a hybrid, because I want to be part of the solution, not the problem” smug sort of way. I get it, you drink craft beer, but don’t start acting like the wine people do. That’s why we are beer people.
And listen, I actually AM a craft beer drinker… a constant craft beer drinker. Read: much more than I should. I love most everything about the beer scene in the US, except for this smug idealistic attitude that is growing rampant. I tell people I love beer. I drink beer. No need for “craft” or “micro.” You’ve seen me drink. You get it.
Macro money got to Goose Island. People are shocked. Dismayed. Upset. But for you, what has changed? The financial side? If that’s actually it — what are you upset about? Do the banking transactions actually affect what you taste in your beer? Are you so idealistic that you can’t lay lips to a Bourbon County Vanilla Stout because AB makes a light lager? Oooooookay.
Beer is a business as much as it is an artform. Plain and simple. I’ll happily say – true, IF there was money to be had from a non InBev source – perhaps it might have been a better option. But really, InBev makes an investment in a craft brewer, (especially when macro sales are declining) and you get up at arms like someone just sold children into sweatshop slavery. I’ve even seen people say they will never drink another Goose Island beer.
Fine. Keep your idealism. Hold your head high, for you are the champion of what is right for what’s in your pint glass. If the beer Goose Island will be producing after the check is written remains the same, I’ll keep drinking it. Take your idealistic stand. More for me.
Coming soon from Goose Island Brewing is “Big John” imperial stout. The name “Big John” refers to the John Hancock Building in Chicago, Illinois. The label depicts the pattern on the building. The Hancock Building is built with X braces to help the building withstand wind.
Because the Hancock Building is such a stand out in the Chicago skyline, Goose Island wanted a beer that “stands out vividly against the little soft beers out there.” Big John is big on roasted malts and cacoa nibs. This big beer is also “with a body as substantial and black as the building to which it pays homage, Big John is sure to inspire a sense of awe with each sip.”
Style: Imperial Stout
Hops: Columbus
Malts: 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roasted Barley, De-bittered Black
Availability: 22oz Bombers.
Arrival: April, 2011
Getting the behind the scenes tour at Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL) was enlightening. They are growing so fast it’s hard to keep up. The operation is very efficient for sure. I got to meet a few brewers, especially the one responsible for Fleur, a Belgian golden ale. Fleur is brewed with Kombucha tea, and hibiscus. It has a floral nose and taste, with some strawberry flavors peeking through. Check out the brew day vid.
