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(FoBAB: Courtesy Illinois Craft Brewers Guild)
The nation’s most prestigious barrel-aged beer gathering recently touched down in Windy City. We’ve that “Words to Drink By” and more.
Barrel-Aged Beer Festival & Competition Rocks Chicago
One of the nation’s most unique and important beer gatherings, The Festival Of Wood And Barrel-Aged Beer recently wrapped up in Chicago. And it was an epic two days.
Affectionately nicknamed FoBAB, this festival (and its prestigious competition) is the planet’s largest celebration of wood and barrel aged beer. It’s also quite possibly the most extensive showcase of beers that have been aged in wooden barrels (or in contact with wood), under one roof.
If you’re a brewery committed to barrel-aging you NEED to be here, because a win at The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer is the kind of game-changer that can rocket breweries into the national arena and jumpstart careers.
This year’s two-day, festival featured 160 breweries from all over the country, and the competition saw over 400 entries. Along with Best of Show & Runner Up, winners were awarded Gold, Siver and Broze medals in 12 additional categories.
And the 2023 event was overseen by a panel of 75 expert judges and industry stewards who weighed in on hundreds of barrel-aged beers, ciders, meads and perries from about 200 breweries.
Naperville, Illinois-based Hidden Hand Brewery took home top honors earning best in show overall for its Oaked Val D’Or. And Huntley, Illinois’ More Brewing Company took home runner-up honors for its Mehndi 2023.
Now in its 21th year The Festival Of Wood And Barrel-Aged Beer is sponsored annually by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.
Words to Drink By
“Lies can come easy, but they’re never consequence free.” – Tom Bobak / Founder & Editor / American Craft Beer
Popular Georgia Craft Brewery Goes Hollywood
Creature Comforts Brewing has gone “Hollywood” with the opening of a new brewery and taproom in Los Angeles, with the help of award-winning film director, Joe Russo renowned for his “Marvel Universe’ movies.
In 2020 Creature Comforts Brewing, one of the fastest growing, breweries in the US, announced plans for a new brewery and taproom slated to open in “La-La Land.” And on October 28th Creature Comforts DTLA open its doors in downtown Los Angeles.
The state-of-the-art facility has a 3,000 square-foot taproom and a 10,000 square-foot production facility. And the vibey taproom is in a reclaimed historic space that incorporates numerous items representing its root
This is the Athens, Ga-based brewery’s first out-of-state operation. But having produced several collaborations with some of California’s most famous brewers including Russian River, Modern Times, Firestone Walker, Alvarado Street, and Sierra Nevada over the years, the West Coast expansion was not completely out of the blue.
Since launching in 2014 in Athens, GA, home to the University of Georgia, Creature Comforts has attracted a passionate following with its year-round and limited-release beers, skyrocketing them to be the number one craft brewer in Georgia.
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