4/20 & Earth Day Week with Beer in Chicago

Greenbush Brewing

The news has been going around for a few days: Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer, Michigan abruptly shut its doors last Tuesday. Their Facebook post basically cited:

“…the simple reality is that the restaurant world is hurting and we were no exception. We kicked the can down the road as long as we could, but as they say, the secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits, so we’re going to exit stage left and let the sun rise on another day.”

Greenbush had opened 14 years ago, and at one time had a taproom in South Bend, IN.

Lena Brewing

The northwestern Illinois town of Lena was one of the victims of Friday’s tornado touchdown. Lena Brewing was not damaged, and announced after 6pm that they were staying open for people needing a meal, a wash-up, even just a hug, or, of course, a beer. They kept the kitchen open on a cash basis, since they were without phone or internet at first.

Evil Genius/21st Century

Evil Genius Beer Company of Philadelphia has acquired the trademarks and recipes of 21st Amendment Brewing. The San Leandro, CA-based brewery had closed last November, leaving behind a national distribution footprint.

Evil Genius owner, Luke Bowen, announced:

“We are taking a back-to-basics approach with no rebrands, no recipe changes, and no corporate buzzwords. 21A beers have been on tap next to ours since we started. We met in person through a mutual friend and shared excitement over our love of beer. This isn’t a big beer takeover. This is about two guys who love great beer ensuring that a brand people genuinely love stays in their fridges–and ours.” (New School Beer)

Craft Business Daily further related that, “The plan is to return 21A – a brand that did around 100,000 barrels at its peak – to its coast-to-coast footprint that spanned 29 states. And quickly.
To support that, Evil Genius has set up production on both coasts through a mix of internal brewing and contract partners. (They’re keeping the brewer with their original distribs as much as possible; notably the brand is with the A-B network in Cali, and Origlio in Philly, its second largest market.) (CBD’s LinkedIn)

Header Image: Haven’t seen any Waldos beer around here, but it’s the only 4/20related photo I had.

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