Beer News for January 2012

LAKEFRONT has unveiled on Facebook their new design for six-packs. They have been doing this for the Riverwest Stein case boxes for some time already. It is fun and different, I like it.
Lakefront has been putting its beer further into Chicago recently and I welcome them. I still have trouble getting Fixed Gear, so I still get it, along with Louie's Demise and Spotted Cow from Woodman's Kenosha on my beer runs. I will hopefully be providing a picture of that place next time I am there.

RAM just announced it is looking out for us, the little guy, by offering growler fills every day in the month of January for $5.99 ($6.99 for seasonals). Currently this has been only the Friday or Saturday deal for the Rosemont or Wheeling Ram. It is very refreshing to hear this, and not just because they are offering this special deal. I mean, they are the most affordable growlers around anyway. Mickey Finns is looking at $13 for their normal fill, which works out to about 2.50 per 12 oz. That's a lot considering its draft beer, and its not like their beer has superior medicinal qualities or anything. Good to go on Mondays when they are half priced, or on Sunday to Flatlanders for their half priced ones.

SHEFFIELD'S, my favorite North Side Beer Bar, has begun to set up its new website. See it here.
It really is laid out well, especially since they have four bar areas offering a different selection of drafts and bottles in each. Please be patient until they have it all figured out and all the entries made. It is the way I would like to see all restaurants that have a beer selection, so it is not so much work deciding on the spot at the ones that don't list ABV or price ahead of time.

I have also been visiting A WEBSITE lately really is interesting because it answers a lot of questions concerning craft beer, microbreweries, brewpub and regional brewers. See it here.This is good to know because some states have been creating taxes based on these distinctions. For example, there is a distinction between craft brewers, who are considered smaller and more innovative, but they also are considered craft if they produce less than 6 million barrels per year. For them to be considered microbreweries, they need to produce less than 15,000 barrels. If they exceed this amount they are further categorized as regional brewers. Other information I have gathered concerns taxation differences in some states, new breweries popping up, etc.