The Best Places To Buy Middle Brow Beer

Middle Brow Beer & Wine Co. is a Chicago-based brewery that has been in operation since 2011. They are located at 2840 W Armitage Ave in the Logan Square neighborhood. Middle Brow Beer Co. offers a variety of beers, including lagers, wild beers, and yeast-blended beers. In addition to their beer, they also make wine from grapes sourced from West Michigan and create pizza dough and bread using grains from Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. Middle Brow Beer can be purchased directly from their website or by visiting their brewery in Chicago. They also offer takeout and reservation services.

Middle Brow Beer Co. in Chicago, IL

The venue is open Tuesday to Sunday, with varying hours and offerings throughout the week. Tuesdays are reserved for tavern-style dining, with the kitchen open from 2 pm to 10 pm. From Wednesday to Friday, Middle Brow opens its doors for pastries, lunch, and dinner, with happy hour running from 4 pm to 6 pm. The weekend brings a similar schedule, with Saturday offering pastries, brunch, and dinner, and Sunday featuring pastries, brunch, and dinner again. Monday is the only day the venue remains closed.

Middle Brow Beer Co. takes pride in its diverse selection of beers, including a Mexican lager, an India pale ale, a Berliner Weisse with plum, berries, and cinnamon, and a Kolsch brewed with clover honey. They also showcase a Belgian witbier with apricots and spices, a unique offering from Illinois. In addition to their beer offerings, Middle Brow is a natural winery, crafting an array of wines, including sparkling, rose, and red varieties.

The bakery and pizzary at Middle Brow are equally impressive. They offer classic sourdough country loaf with a light grassy flavour and mild yogurty sourness. The lacto-fermented pepper cheese spread and pecan butter are perfect accompaniments to the bread. Middle Brow also caters to those with a sweet tooth, featuring treats like Christmas babka during the holiday season.

Whether you're a beer enthusiast, a foodie, or simply looking for a unique dining experience in Chicago, Middle Brow Beer Co. is worth a visit. With a combination of craft beverages, delicious food, and a cosy atmosphere, it's an ideal spot to spend an evening with friends or family.

Beer, wine, pizza, and bread

Middle Brow Beer is a natural winery and brewery in Chicago, Illinois, that also serves sourdough pizza and baked goods. The address is 2840 W Armitage Ave, Logan Square, Chicago, IL.

Beer

Beer is a popular alcoholic beverage that has been consumed for thousands of years. It is typically made from four main ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast. The process of brewing beer involves mixing these ingredients together and allowing them to ferment, resulting in a carbonated drink with an alcohol content that can vary depending on the type of beer. Beer comes in many different styles, such as lagers, ales, stouts, and IPAs, each with its unique flavour and characteristics.

Wine

Wine, on the other hand, is typically made from fermented grapes, although it can also be made from other fruits. Wine has a long history, dating back thousands of years, and has played an important role in many cultures and religions. For example, in Christianity, wine is used in the sacrament of the Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion, where it is believed to represent the blood of Christ. Wine also has a significant role in ancient Greek mythology, with the god Dionysus often associated with wine and the grapevine.

Pizza

Pizza is a beloved food around the world and is especially popular in Italian cuisine. It typically consists of a round, flat base made from dough, topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and various other ingredients such as meat, vegetables, or herbs. The origins of pizza can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where people would use flatbreads as a base and top them with different ingredients. However, the modern version of pizza as we know it today was popularized in Naples, Italy, and has since become a staple food in many cultures.

Bread

Bread is a staple food in many cultures and is made from a dough of flour and water, typically mixed with yeast to help it rise. It is baked in an oven, resulting in a soft, fluffy texture. Bread has a long history and is considered a basic food, providing sustenance and nourishment to people around the world. In some cultures, bread is also used in religious rituals and holds symbolic significance. For example, in Christianity, bread is used in the Eucharist, representing the body of Christ.

In conclusion, beer, wine, pizza, and bread are all foods and drinks that have a rich history and cultural significance. They are enjoyed by people worldwide and bring people together, whether it is for a casual meal, a celebration, or a religious ritual.

Farm-to-table focus

Middle Brow Beer is a Chicago-based natural winery and brewery with a farm-to-table focus. They make their own beer, wine, pizza dough, and bread, sourcing their ingredients from local farms in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

The company was started in 2011 as a brewery dedicated to donating 50% of its profits to local social justice organizations. Over the years, Middle Brow Beer has expanded its offerings to include wine, pizza, and bread, all made in-house with locally sourced ingredients.

Their beer is made with grains grown in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana, and malted by Sugar Creek Malt Co in central Indiana. The hops are primarily grown in West Michigan by Hophead Farms, and they always use Lake Michigan water. This ensures that their beer is not just locally made but also supports local farmers and businesses.

The wine at Middle Brow Beer is just as locally focused. They make wine from grapes grown in West Michigan, which tend to be French and American hybrids. These grapes are dry-farmed and hand-picked, and their high-volume purchases have helped support small Michigan farmers in adopting organic and biodynamic practices. Their winemaking process is natural, with no added yeast, fining, or filtration.

The farm-to-table focus at Middle Brow Beer extends beyond just their drinks. Their pizza dough flour comes mainly from Meadowlark Organic Farm in Wisconsin, and they source toppings from various local farms, including Mick Klug Farm, Frillman Farms, Spence Farms, and Blakesville Creamery. This commitment to local ingredients not only supports the community but also ensures fresh and high-quality products for their customers.

Natural winemaking

Middle Brow Beer is a natural winery and brewery located in Logan Square, Chicago. They also sell sourdough pizza and bakery items.

The natural winemaking process can be broken down into five steps: Terroir, Harvest, Fermentation, Racking, and Bottling and Aging. Each of these steps allows winemakers to express their unique techniques and influences the final product's style and flavour.

Terroir

Terroir refers to the unique environment in which the grapes are grown and how it influences the resulting wine. For example, wine grown in mineral-rich soil may have a more mineral-like taste. Many factors, such as sunlight, rainfall, and temperature, can affect the terroir.

Harvest

The harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere is between August and October, and between February and April in the Southern Hemisphere. Natural wine grapes are hand-picked, using only shears and baskets. This is a labour-intensive process that relies on the winemaker's experience to determine the optimal time for harvesting.

Fermentation

After the harvest, grapes are taken to the wine cellar, where they are crushed and placed in open-air containers. This process exposes the sugars and pulp to wild yeasts living on the grape skins, which then ferment the grapes. Fermentation typically lasts between four days and two weeks. During this process, native yeasts and bacteria convert sugars into alcohol.

Racking

Racking involves transferring the wine from one container to another, leaving behind the sediment that has formed during fermentation. This step helps to remove cloudiness from the wine, although some natural winemakers choose to leave some sediment and cloudiness in their wine.

Bottling and Aging

The final step in the winemaking process is ageing. Winemakers move their wine to oak barrels or stainless steel tanks and let it sit for varying lengths of time, from a few weeks to multiple years. Longer ageing softens the tannins and develops a richer flavour, while shorter ageing preserves crispness and fruitier flavours. After ageing, the wine is bottled, using either natural cork or a metal cap.

Social justice donations

Middle Brow Beer is located at 2840 W Armitage Ave in Logan Square, Chicago, IL. They sell premium frasier firs, beer, wine, and pizza.

In recent years, the craft beer community has become more aware of the need for social justice, with many breweries committing to social justice narratives and initiatives. For instance, the Black is Beautiful initiative, created by Weathered Souls Brewing, is a collaborative effort among over 1,200 breweries worldwide to raise awareness for the injustices people of colour face daily and to raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defences for those who have been wronged.

Allagash Brewing Company

Certified B corporation Allagash Brewing Company created a Black is Beautiful imperial stout, donating $10,000 in proceeds to the Indigo Arts Alliance and Maine Inside Out, two organisations working to increase racial equity in the community.

Core4 Brewing

Core4 Brewing has been vocal on social media about the importance of stopping racism.

Crowns & Hops

This young Black-owned brewery crafted the pecan Black is Beautiful beer, with proceeds from the pilsner donated to organisations working to eliminate disparities in education, criminal justice, housing, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Ex Novo Brewing Company

Ex Novo donates 100% of its profits to those "building a better world and bringing hope to places where it is scarce".

Lady Justice Brewing

This Latina-founded, queer- and women-owned company donates money, space, and time to community partners to empower women and young girls in the state.

Modist Brewing Company

Modist Brewing Company offered its taproom as a safe place for protestors during the George Floyd protests and donated all its profits from May 25 to 31, 2020, to organisations supporting those directly affected.

Montclair Brewery

Montclair Brewery, New Jersey's first Black-owned brewery, has created Black History Month Beers inspired by African culture and prominent Black figures.

Orpheus Brewing

Orpheus Brewing offers a Leadership Diversity Program to help a more diverse group of people learn the skills needed to brew beer, including a $1,500 monthly stipend and health insurance.

Greater Purpose

Greater Purpose donates 30% to 60% of their profits to support a range of Santa Cruz charities and nonprofits.

Save the World Brewing

Save the World Brewing is the first 100% philanthropic production craft brewery in the United States, donating money to a wide range of charities.

These are just a few examples of breweries that are committed to social justice and making a positive impact in their communities.

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