Roll Out the Barrel-Aged Beer
Five Boroughs sells to Smuttynose parent, and I take a Piece of the pie
Well, that sure was something. Last Saturday, I attended the Festival of Barrel and Wood-Aged Beer (FOBAB) in Chicago. With the festival in its 21st year, I had heard plenty of praise for it, despite my preconception that a festival full of 10% ABV+ beers sounds downright irresponsible.
I was pleasantly surprised to see most attendees on their best behavior despite several rows of volunteers pouring barleywines and imperial stouts for four straight hours. And in between getting clobbered by beers that were both strong in alcohol content and strong in flavor, I sought refuge in the festival’s fantastic “Lager Lounge” and by sipping on cans of Revolution Brewing’s Super Zero Sparking Hop Water. The Midwest-heavy beer list introduced me to a few unfamiliar breweries, too, like Minnesota’s Idyll Forest Artisan Ales and Illinois’ Hidden Hand Brewing, who won best in show.
But would I go again? Probably not. I like everything in moderation, and I also enjoy interacting with brewery reps to better understand what I’m drinking (though props to some of the FOBAB volunteers who were well-versed in the beers they were pouring). The long tables of pitchers in crowded spaces made me feel rushed to order a beer I had never heard of from a brewery I had never heard of and blindly commit to a pour of a very strong beer. If you do come to FOBAB, do your research beforehand. At least I got to try several different Goose Island Bourbon County variants from over the years, poured from a repurposed Chicago L train, no less. That was definitely special.
Five Boroughs sold to owner of New Hampshire’s Smuttynose
Sunset Park, Brooklyn’s Five Boroughs Brewing has been sold to the New Hampshire-based company that owns Smuttynose Brewing, the brewery announced on Tuesday. The deal closed in October and in the announcement this week, all parties indicated the deal was mutually beneficial, with Five Boroughs consolidating most production in Hampton, New Hampshire and Smuttynose unlocking the brewery’s New York-area resources.
Finestkind LLC, the new parent company of Five Boroughs, was formed among the group that acquired Smuttynose when it went to auction in March of 2018. Since then, the long-time brewery has remained in operation, taking on contract brewing and adding a canned cocktail line to their portfolio, in addition to rebuilding the Smutty brand, which was founded in 1994. Smuttynose and Five Boroughs both hope to benefit from broader distribution. Currently, Five Boroughs is distributed in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, while Smuttynose’s footprint extends as far north as Maine and as far south as Florida on the East Coast.
Five Boroughs launched in 2017 after a long buildout of a large production facility in Sunset Park. The brewery expanded distribution over their six-year history to encompass the entire Tri-State area, and diversified into hard seltzer with a brand called Party Water back in 2021. The Sunset Park taproom will remain as an “innovation hub” brewing small-batch beers, the company said. “We remain dedicated to our Sunset Park taproom's role as a hub for creativity and experimentation,” Five Boroughs Co-Founder and COO Kevin O’Donnell said in a press release on Tuesday. That taproom, on 45th Street, has been in operation since the brewery launched six years ago.
Brewery Tracker
Total brewery count: 3,222
Total breweries visited in 2023: 327
Total breweries visited in Illinois: 67
Brewery Visit of the Week
Brewery #99, Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois (Visited 17-Jun-2012)
By my count, I’ve been to Piece six times on visits to Chicago. Most of those visits have been on Sundays during football season, including this past weekend. It might be one of the most perfect places for a beer nerd to watch the NFL on a Sunday afternoon. All the elements are in place: TVs surround you showing all the games. There’s game sound on. There’s a skylight in the space so you don’t feel like you’re wasting a nice day in some sort of dark bar. There’s really great pizza (New Haven-style, in fact!). And there’s a ton of great, award-winning beer (over the years, Piece has racked up 17 GABF medals and 9 World Beer Cup awards, all on display above the bar).
What’s also nice is that I’ve been visiting for over a decade and not much about Piece has changed. When you’ve got a formula that works, why change it? I’m a sucker for a good Kolsch and their Golden Arm is a must-order every time I’m there — not to mention, it’s a fantastic day-drinking beer that happens to pair perfectly with pizza.
There are so many breweries in Chicago to choose from, and I’d argue even as I sing Piece’s praises that there are better breweries in Chicago. But there’s something comforting about this place that keeps me coming back. It’s worn-in, friendly, and bright, and there’s beer and sports. On certain days in a mostly unfamiliar city, that’s exactly what I need.
The Weekly Reader
An East Village cocktail bar is in the midst of a union drive [Dave Infante, Fingers]
Other Half is expanding to Chicago [Ashok Selvam, Eater]
The birth and rebirth of Saratoga County’s Common Roots [Andy Crouch and John Holl, Beer Edge Podcast]
Your favorite imports might be brewed here at home [Josh Bernstein, VinePair]
One Last Thing
I’m heading to Vancouver, British Columbia this weekend to explore the city’s vast beer scene for the first time since 2017. While I’m excited to check out a whole bunch of new spots, I’m also looking forward to revisiting Storm Brewing, the city’s oldest craft brewery and the one that hung this amazing sign outside when I visited six years ago:
You can read more about my visit to Storm from a past newsletter.
Cheers,
Chris