Chicagoland Lagers (2023)

Apparently Red Stripe had a special Crystal Malt made for them. I assume the use of this malt is central to the style.

 

So, I grabbed some P3 Helles because I like a good Helles and I like local.

Well, as I went through the first can I wasn't impressed so much by a Helles character, but I'll be damned if this isn't a really nice German Pils.

Anyone else?

 

Have never been impressed with P3's lager game in general. When I first had their beer, I had hoped they would be a place that would nail different styles but it seems like all they are really capable of is haze and pastry, styles which I am bored to death of.

 

I won't say I've been "impressed" with their lagers as much as I have with some of the other localish breweries, but I've certainly found them drinkable. And if the Helles had been labeled a Pils I probably would give it a good rating.

But yeah, I hear you about being over (or in my case, never fully invested) the "flavors of the day."

 

Whose got the best lagers in the game these days? Hit me with ya’ll’s top 3 in Chicagoland.

 

Roaring Table
Goldfinger
Art History

Mic drop.

 

Last year, Hopewell had a marzen called "Endgrain" at 5.2% a.b.v.

This year, Hopewell has a marzen called "Oktoberfest" at 5.2% a.b.v.

@jtg5678 -- are these two the same beer, rebranded?

 

Goldfinger
Metropolitan
Art History

Honorable mention: Double Clutch

 

Yes, it is indeed a re-brand of Endgrain. The label already needed a refresh, so we decided to just lean into Oktoberfest overall and change the name too. You may or may not recall, but we launched in 2016 with Endgrain as a year-round offering, so it wasn’t originally marketed as an Oktoberfest. Funny enough, a year-round Märzen could actually work now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Quick note on this year’s recipe: we slightly tweaked the color to come out a touch paler than previous years. And overall, if you like your Märzen on the drier, easy-drinking side, I recommend ours. Good contrast to some of the the stickier, higher alcohol American versions.

 

I had a Czech pilsner and a Czech dark lager at the Adam's Street Brewery (The Berghoff) this past weekend. Both were good.

 

Is Binny's picking this one up? And if so, will we see it in the hinterlands?

 

Adams Street Brewery? Have they put in equipment? Pardon my ignorance, but I only remember the Berghoff as a bar and restaurant -- they bought the Siebens brew-pub over in River North, back when, and ran it for a while (badly, I might add). I know someone has been brewing and bottling for them in recent years, but I haven't kept up.

 

It’s *approved* at Binny’s, which means any of them can bring it in, but it’ll be store-by-store basis. All the stores in Chicago should have it by the end of this week, but the further you get out, the more spotty it becomes.

We should soon start becoming more readily available in the rest of the state, fwiw.

 

Goldfinger
Dovetail
Art History

 

No roaring table is a bold choice. Can we also include Seedz in this?

 

Not if you know lager styles and really enjoy them.

(if I'm comprehending your comment correctly)

 

Think he meant leaving RT out of the top 3 lager breweries is a bold stance to take. We both agree RT is making some of the most excellent lager in the state

 

Founder History

• November 13, 1852 - Herman Berghoff born in Dortmunder, Westphalia Prussia
• January 6, 1856 - Henry C. Berghoff born in Dortmunder, Westphalia Prussia
• November 21, 1861 - Hubert Berghoff born in Dortmunder, Westphalia
• 1874 - Henry stopped during train stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana for pretzles. He was offered a job, ran back to the train, grabbed Herman and both relocated to Fort Wayne.
• February, 1880 - Hubert moves to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• 1882 - Henry and Hubert became proprietors of East End Bottling Works, a bottler and wholesale beer dealer.
• February 1883 - Youngest brother Gustav Berghoff immigrated from Dortmund to Ft. Wayne.

Berghoff Brewery History - Pre Prohibition

• April 1887 - The three brothers obtained financing in April 1887 for a $100,000 brewery, The Herman Berghoff Brewing Company.
• June 1888 - The Brewery was completed at the cost of $140,000 and brewed first batches of Dortmunder Beer. The brewery produced 100,000 barrels annually.
• August 22, 1888 - A fire caused $50,000 in damage. Beers stored in the cellar were unharmed.
• September 22, 1888 - Brewery was repaired and brewing resumed.
• 1898 - Herman relocated to Chicago, obtained a retail license and opened the Berghoff saloon on the corner of Adams and State Streets, Chicago. The company reorganized with capital of $500,000 and the name was changed to Berghoff Brewing Company. Company, with Hubert taking over responsibility of the brewery in Fort Wayne.
• 1901 - Henry C. Berghoff elected mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• 1909 - Youngest brother Gustav took over the presidency of the brewery, changed the name to The Berghoff Brewing Association.

Berghoff Brewery History - Post Prohibition

• December 1917 - Congressional scum passed the Constitutional Amendment for Nationwide Prohibition, ratified in 1919 and enacted on January 17, 1920, a date which will live forever in American infamy.
• April 12, 1918 - Prohibition began in Indiana, ceasing production of 180,000 annual barrels at The Berghoff Brewing Association. The brewery began making pop and changed their name to Berghoff Products.
• January 1933 - It took 13 years for good to prevail over evil, and America repealed Prohibition. Gustav and his three sons raised capital and incorporated The Berghoff Brothers Brewery, Inc., renamed in 1934 as Hoff-Brau Brewing Company.
• January 1933 - Berghoff Products resumed brewing as Berghoff Brewing Company, and later to Berghoff Brewing Corporation.
• August 1951 - After 18 years of competing against each other, Hoff-Brau Brewing was taken over by Berghoff Brewing Corporation.
• April 12, 1954 - Berghoff Brewing Corporation sold to Falstaff Brewery. The Berghoff family retained rights to sell the Berghoff brand in Illinois. Falstaff operated their brewery #7 out of the purchased plant until 1991.
• Berghoff Beer (beyond Illinois) were owned by Falstaff and brewed by Tennessee Brewing Company (Memphis), Leisy Brewing Co. (Cleveland, Ohio), Walters Brewing Co, (Pueblo, CO) and Pearl Brewing Co. (San Antonio, TX).

Berghoff Post Falstaff Sale History

• 1960 - Contract brewery The Joseph Huber Brewing Company began brewing Berghoff Beers for the Berghoff Chicago restaurant and bar.
• 1985 - The Joseph Huber Brewery (Monroe, Wisconsin) was sold in 1985, which remained open until the subsequent company sold the Augsburger label to Stroh's in 1988.
• 1985/1988? - Fred Huber and the Berghoff family purchased the Sieben brewery and resumed productions until 1994.
• September 9, 1986 - The Joseph Huber Brewery began bottling Berghoff brands for distribution.
• 1994 - Berghoff Brewing rights including Illinois, and the Monroe Wisconsin Brewery were sold to General Beverage Distributors (Minkhoff Family).
• 2006 - Minkoff Family sells brewery PPE, continues brewing Berghoff Beers via contract brewer Minhas Craft Brewery.
• 2013 - Minkoff Family transfers contract brewer contract from Minhas to Stevens Point Brewery which continues to this day.

Adam Street Brewery (Adams Street Brewery and sales at Concourse C in O'Hare)

• 2018 - Spent $2.2M to expand restaurant and create microbrewery, created Adams Street Brewery at the Chicago downtown location.

Sources: Pieced together from this, this, this and this

 

Thanks for the exhaustive dissertation, but this is really all I was looking for.

Been a frequent visitor to both the Berghoff and the Huber Brewery (not to mention the Siebens-turned-Berghoff brew-pub over on Ontario) over the long course of my beer journey -- just not in recent years.