Going Soft from Local Drink

By Tom Keith
November 24, 2009 at 5:15 pm

Rob asked me for a post about what I was thankful for. In order of importance:

 Family and friends savoring good health and happiness.

 My aunt, Harriet Keith, a well-acclaimed artist, who recently turned 97, is still sharp, and has a most wonderful smile.

 

This somewhat fanciful watercolor of downtown Chicago in 1937 has never been publicly displayed before.

 More to the point of my beer beat on The Local Beet:

Any beer drinkers in the city have to be thankful for the recent uptick in craft beer activity in Chicago – particularly Metropolitan Revolution (maybe open by Christmas?).

Half Acre (possibly an unfair review ), and Goose Island’s specialty beers … the Clybourn Heritage Collection (Red Felt, Demolition, Naughty Goose) and Belgian-style beers (Matilda, Pere Jaques, Juliet, Sofie). Any city should give thanks to such a great variety of craft beers, particularly for a large city that was a craft beer wasteland (excepting Goose Island, and not counting suburban offerings) a mere five years ago.

 And, vaguely related, Chicago should be thankful for its new distilled beverage scene. Koval is making many interesting, hand-crafted spirits, as is North Shore. And it would be irresponsible to leave out the South Side’s own meadery and winery, Wild Blossom.

 And I give thanks that many consumers seem to be headed in a more local direction for much of their eating and drinking needs – a trend I look forward to seeing grow in the coming years.

 Hey – was this too soft? Am I not being my usual irascible self? Giving thanks is kind of a mushy topic. But it’s not my fault. I blame Editor-at-Large Rob Gardner for suggesting it.