Three years after opening in Gary, Ind., across the Indiana state line from Chicago, 18th Street Brewery has torched any skeptics with founder Drew Fox’s hard-charging, heavy metal brand of brewing.
The mythological art on Pipeworks’ Glaucus Belgian-style IPA can be traced back to a cartography exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
No one knows what lies ahead—but if these intrepid small-business owners are any indication, craft beer will be just fine. Here are just a few of the stories that made 2011 one of the best years for craft beer in the country’s history.
