Beer News: NY Craft Breweries Tie In Big Competition, Chicago Shuts Down Goose Island 312 Day Location

American Craft Beer|March 14th, 2022|

(Courtesy Goose Island)

The beer biz never sleeps at American Craft Beer. And here’s just some of what’s been happening while you were drinking your way through the weekend.

Chicago Shuts Down Goose Island’s 312 Day Celebration

City officials shut down Goose Island Beer’s “312 Day” celebration over the weekend forcing the brewery to scramble to find a last-minute venue for the popular music and beer event after determining the company failed to apply for appropriate permits.

The gathering was to be held on March 12 at a former motor vehicle repair shop, with over 1,000 people expected to attend but the city saw problems.

The “Chicago Department of Buildings found ‘dangerous and hazardous conditions’ including ‘insufficient exit capacity for large crowds’ while inspecting the venue space,” according to the Chicago Tribune, forcing the brewery to move the Saturday night event to a location, that the city deemed safer.

Words to Drink By

“In the pre-internet era there were self-anointed judges, who criticized your taste. Now no one cares. – Bob Lefsetz, Music industry writer and media analyst

Breweries Tie in New York State in New York State Craft Beer Competition

We don’t see this happen very often, when a beer competition’s two biggest honors end up in ties.

Now in its sixth year, the New York State Craft Beer Competition has become the largest state-level competition in the country. Sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association, this year’s competition drew 1,200 entries which were judged by a panel of experts in Rochester in January.

Winners of the 2022 competition were announced Friday in Albany at the annual conference of the New York State Craft Brewers Conference. 84 medals were awarded in 29 categories…

But what made this year’s completion truly unique was that its two biggest awards, the Governor’s Cup (Best Beer) and Brewery of the Year (most medals) ended in ties.

This year’s Governor’s Cup was shared by Lunkenheimer Brewing of Weedsport, NY for its Woodruff Berliner Weisse and Wood Kettle Brewing in Hilton, NY for its Brother Bear Brown Ale.

The 2022 Brewery of the Year award was shared by Brooklyn’s Grimm Artisan Ales (who also won last year) and Strangebird Brewery of Rochester.