What Makes 3 Floyds Brewery
This Northwest Indiana brewery is the daddy of craft breweries. Find out how the owner’s ‘not normal’ style has helped him create a ridiculously loyal following of beer aficionados.
‘Not Normal’
Nick Floyd has a very simple brewery motto: ‘not normal.’ And his faithful fans couldn’t agree more. They flock to this Munster, Indiana brewery for craft beer that’s anything but normal. That’s how Three Floyds Brewery has become one of the trailblazers in the craft beer industry.
Floyd got his start 20 years ago with a random mix of brewing equipment he bought from a Wisconsin scrap yard. That first year, he brewed 300 barrels of beer out of an old warehouse in Hammond. He said of that time, when he started this business with his dad and brother, hence the ‘three’ in Three Floyds, he didn’t know what he was doing. A lot has changed since then.

Three Floyds has become one of the most popular breweries in the country, producing more than 50,000 barrels of their popular beers. The brewery is especially well-known for these three beers: Their flagship American pale ale Alpha King, a ghoulishly named American pale ale Zombie Dust and a Russian imperial stout named Dark Lord. And yes, it is dark. If February, they produced a pilsner named Hopped Half.
Heat it up at
Charcoal Bar in Old Town
Charcoal Bar is a hidden gem on Wells Street and a perfect post-dinner drink spot. Check it out just to taste the drinks named after Game of Thrones characters. Mother of Dragons or Perfect Snow, anyone?

The mixologists at Charcoal Bar bring a pop culture flair to naming their drinks at Charcoal Bar. The Smoking Gun has a smoky, sweet taste with mezcal agave and pineapple. Drinks have entertaining references like Mother of Dragons (from Game of Thrones) and whimsical and unexpected combinations of ingredients to amuse the senses.
Charcoal Bar is a hidden gem in Old Town. Literally. To get in, you have to go through a “hidden” entrance and are led down a staircase to the bar.
It’s nestled in the lowest level of Sumi Robata Bar, a Japanese barbecue restaurant. Their drink list is known to guests as creative concoctions with a deep focus on the flavors once there, you can expect a lot of effort to go into one cocktail at a time. It may take a bit longer than you’d expect to get a drink, but it’ll be worth it.

Goose Island Still Going Strong
Nearly 30 years after its founding, the granddaddy of Chicago craft breweries is still one of Chicago’s most loved and successful beer companies.
Written by: Andy Roesgen
There are a couple things to know, right off the bat, about Goose Island Beer. First, the brewery isn’t located on Goose Island (but it’s not too far away at 1800 W. Fulton St.). Second, the general manager has the perfect name for the job: Ken Stout, just like the beer.

With the explosion in craft beer brewing in Chicago over the last 10 years or so, it’s easy to do a double take when you find out that Goose Island was founded in 1988. Back then it was a simple brewpub at Clybourn and Sheffield, and the founder wanted to give it a name that was distinctly Chicagoan. From there, word of mouth spurred the popularity of the brew, resulting in its expansion to the commercial side of things in 1995. At that time, the brewery moved to its current location where it began shipping its product to liquor stores, grocery stores, pubs and restaurants.

With 45 styles of beer and 120 employees (and growing), Ken says he’s not just blowing smoke when he says, “The number one reason for all the growth is our people, and we have a great culture here, a lot of camaraderie, and the beer—our brewers make a world-class portfolio of beers.” And it doesn’t hurt that Goose Island has won plenty of awards at craft brew competitions—109 medals since 1989 (and yes, Ken is counting).

Ken says there was an explosion in specialty beer brewing in the early ’90s, followed by a bubble burst or a “shakeout” as he calls it. He senses that there’s a second bubble brewing now with the public’s renewed interest in craft beer over the last few years.
“Opening a brewery is kind of like opening a pizza parlor in Chicago. If you open a pizza parlor, you better be making great pizza, because you get one chance. If someone doesn’t like your pizza, they’ve got too many other options.”
There is a new chef in town and her name is Nicole Bayani and she bringing her high end experience to our favorite Logan Square Pub, Scofflaw

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From Ken’s perspective, the business grew steadily from a city beer to a regional beer and is now available nationwide with plans to expand to Mexico and Canada.