The Week with Beer Around Chicago, February 2-5

Short Fuse Closing

Christmas and Bears playoffs are a make-or-break time for retail and restaurants, it seems. First, Alarmist, now Short Fuse Brewing Co. in Schiller Park is closing down after 10 years.

The announcement on Facebook blames rising costs of rent and of running a restaurant space in a brewery. They have said they the closing in intended to be temporary, looking ahead to a new location in the future.

Short Fuse has produced beer on premises and packaged for stores. In 2024, they bought the IP of the shuttered Metropolitan Brewing, but they didn’t seem to get it relaunched.

Their final day of service is planned for February 15, with a farewell celebration the Saturday before.

Hopleaf Nominated for James Beard Award

Some good news going on the the meantime. Chicago’s beer mecca Hopleaf has been nominated for a James Beard Award in the “Outstanding Bar” category.

According to the awards website:

The James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US. Since their inception in 1990, the Restaurant and Chef Awards have made icons out of the nation’s top restaurant and bar professionals. Today, these semifinalists join a constellation of James Beard Award–recognized leaders who collectively embody the breadth of American culinary excellence.

Guidelines for the nominees: “A wine bar, beer bar, cocktail bar, coffee bar, or any other business whose primary offering is beverage and that demonstrates consistent excellence in curating a selection or in the preparation of drinks, along with outstanding atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.”

Hopleaf joins a list of 20 bars in their category. After a round of judging, the Top 5 candidates are announced as Nominees on March 31, with winners to be announced June 16.

Great Central

Great Central Brewing has also closed down unannounced. They had a core of German style lagers, and served as a client brewer for other brands. They closed after being unable to pay suppliers and vendors.

Header Photo: Short Fuse Brewing in Schiller Park

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