Soon after Maui Brewing Co. vacated this warehouse space in Lahaina for its new production brewery in Kihei, an upstart brewery moved in. It didn’t take long for the new tenant to make its mark. Among 115 competitors in the German-Style Pilsener category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival, Koholā Brewery (910 Honoapiilani Highway... View Article
Located in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood—famous for the once-great stockyards that inspired its name (see The Jungle)—Whiner Beer Co. (1400 W. 46th St. #104) embraces the story of its industrial setting. A ram’s head hangs above the bar, like some gothic joke nodding to the neighborhood’s past. The decorative scheme includes plants planted... View Article
Beer travelers visiting San Francisco often take the trip north on Highway 101 to Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa. There’s now another solid brewery stop along the way. Grav South (7950 Redwood Drive, Suite 15) held its grand opening in October, its brewing headed by highly acclaimed local homebrewer Greg Rasmussen. You may... View Article
HOMER, Alaska—Bald eagles and sea hawks circle and land throughout this city, and fresh halibut and salmon arrive on the shores daily. Salt is in the air and the weather can change by the minute. If it feels like a frontier city, that’s because it is. Thankfully, there’s fresh beer. While the Homer Brewing Co.... View Article
FARGO, North Dakota—Established in 2010, the city’s namesake brewery (610 N. University Drive) has an urban industrial feel with artistic graffiti on the walls, wooden spool tables and a large chain-link fence separating the drinkers from the brewing equipment. It’s a regular gathering spot for many locals looking to catch up over pints or square off in a game of... View Article
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota—Situated on a busy corner on the city’s main commercial street, WoodGrain (101 S. Phillips Ave. #100) opened in September 2015 and quickly established a reputation for clean ales, often accented with wood. That’s thanks to the owners coming from a career in cabinet making. Staves are the method of choice for... View Article
One can catch hints of the old coal industry lingering throughout northeastern Pennsylvania: the occasional jet-black culm banks of discarded mining refuse; here and there, a carved-away mountain side. The last few actual coal breakers, though—massive, sometimes city-block-sized processing plants for the mined rock—have been coming down in the past couple of years. Breaker Brewing... View Article
SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin—It was only a few minutes after opening, but the cavernous space was filling fast. The new outpost for 3 Sheeps (1837 North Ave.) is currently known as a taproom and barrel warehouse until the full brew house is installed (the existing brewery operates out of a local restaurant). With a generous-sized poured concrete... View Article
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The logo for Trim Tab Brewing Co. is “gravitational nectar.” And when visiting Birmingham, Alabama, in summer, one wonders if that statement is meant more to describe the melting customers for whom the beer is a blissful salvo than the drinks themselves. That heat will turn you to a puddle. Thankfully, each beer at... View Article
