Author Archives: beerlieder

Cold Comfort Kölsch. A slice of Köln––it’s Dovetail Kölsch Night! Chicago’s been annexed by the Germans––and Dovetail Brewery (1800 W. Belle Plaine Ave., Chicago), has at last responded to Hop Kaiser’s cry (among others) “When are you going to make … Continue reading →

‘Tis The Season, Beyond Reason. Our buttons, pushed, while our holidays are shoved from behind. In keeping with our corporate master’s marketing strategy de jour, each holiday season has been accelerated––calendars injected w/ nitrous oxide to speed sales. Oktoberfest came … Continue reading →

Hats In The Ring. Oktoberfest combatants swagger and roll. The battle for your Oktober–CASH rages. Names and labels fight for your attention––hoping you will crown them König of the clash. Taking A Fall For Märzen. The summer of IPA love––sessionable … Continue reading →

Thirsty For Celebrations. Escaping from the hum-drum, American’s habitually enlarge and lengthen everything. Bags of chips, automobiles, Grab-N-Go cases of beer, sport’s seasons––every entertainment, holiday, observance, and indulgence grows. Mid-August Pumpkin What-Not heralds Halloween’s approach. Christmas doodads and decorations, terrify … Continue reading →

Post-Apocalyptic Repurposed Steam Punk Stronghold. If you’ve got to ‘hold out against the man’, this may be your best choice for last stands. Welcome to Hardware Brewery. Out in the hinterlands of North Aurora IL (2000 W. Orchard Rd) this … Continue reading →

Both Heads And Tails. If you’re lucky and thinking straight––you inhabit Chi-town and Dovetail Brewery occupies a prominent place on your to-do list. Yesterday, HK and I took a few hours off to enjoy a brew or two at DB, … Continue reading →

Roll Out The Barrel. You know the drill––”…we’ll have a barrel of…”. Yet our featured festival was sponsored by everyone’s least ‘liked’ on Facebook and history––Nazis. The eastern German town of Ostritz in Saxony, on the German-Polish border, was the … Continue reading →

Noodling With New England. Seems that to succeed as a brewer, you need to embrace risk. Over the years, we’ve seen past champions of ‘Old Nappy’, dwindle on the vine due to hesitancy––snoozing and loosing market luster, merely by sitting … Continue reading →

Down in the dungeon. I toil away on books and drawers. Sauces and cheese sticks. In the back of my mind, I am aware of a presence, an unknown dignitary has stolen into Guthries. Queen For Today. My labors, with … Continue reading →

HopKaiser on the blower. Let’s watch. It’s been a while since we last hit Whole Foods for a game. It remains one fine find for watching football, and we discover that since last we sat, the fans have thinned, and … Continue reading →