Josh Noel – Page 62 –

Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

Goose Island identifies bacteria that caused tainted beer, but not source

August 21, 2019 at 6:29 p.m.

A rare form of bacteria led to the massive recall of two Goose Island beers earlier this year, though how exactly the iconic Bourbon County beers became infected remains unclear,...

Jack the dog looks up at Paul Cooper on the patio at Cultivate Brewing Co.

Road-trip time: A guide to southwest Michigan’s booming brewery scene

August 23, 2019 at 2:01 p.m.

Nick Kuhn and I sat on the front porch of the brewery he opened last summer in a pastoral slice of southwest Michigan hugged by farms and trees. A two-lane...

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant celebrates with teammates after scoring in the sixth inning against the Diamondbacks on April 19, 2019, at Wrigley Field.

Kris Bryant dishes on life outside of baseball

May 10, 2019 at 1:26 a.m.

Oh, to be Kris Bryant. He's handsome, hits the ball a mile and has his face plastered around Chicago as a brand ambassador for Express. And if the Cubs can...

Pedro and Araceli Perez, with their 9-year-old son Victor, before the start of Monday's game in St. Louis.

Change of T-shirt policy: ‘Try not to suck’ welcome at Busch Stadium

May 15, 2019 at 10:30 p.m.

Clad in matching T-shirts bearing a potentially offensive four-letter word — no, it wasn't "Cubs" — the Perez family didn't know if they would get through the Busch Stadium gates...

Dead Ringer is described as a "traditional marzen lager" on its label but that's a bit misleading; Dead Ringer is no traditional marzen. But it is a terrific beer and an ideal match for summer's segue into fall.
<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-food-beer-of-month-september-0912-story.html">Read more about Dead Ringer here</a>.

Stone, Dogfish and Victory brewery founders poke at the craft beer bubble

June 11, 2018 at 11:35 p.m.

There's a story that Greg Koch, Sam Calagione and Bill Covaleski like to tell. Back in 2003, the three craft beer luminaries – Koch of Stone Brewing, Calagione of Dogfish...

Chicago Craft Beer Week: Your guide to the best events

August 21, 2019 at 6:22 p.m.

I have no proof, but I do have a theory about this year's Chicago Craft Beer Week, which begins Thursday: There is less buzz, less chatter and less excitement than...

The former Breakroom Brewery is in the midst of renovation intended to lighten and tidy the space as it's transformed into Finch's new brewpub.

Finch’s Beer recasts itself with acquisitions of Breakroom, Hopothesis

May 2, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.

Finch's Beer Co. is sorry, Chicago. It's sorry for coming out of the gate with, shall we say, less than stellar beer. It's sorry for not being terribly engaged in...

A mural inside Bitter Pops, a beer store with a tasting room in Lakeview.

Beer stores add tap rooms as retail reflects craft brewing’s creativity

August 21, 2019 at 6:16 p.m.

A generation ago, back when the United States was home to fewer than 500 breweries, a beer store existed for a simple transaction. Customer enters store. Customer grabs six-pack from...

Basica (dry-hopped lager; 6 percent) So much fresh pine in the aroma that this could almost pass for an IPA. The last beer on this list I'd think of in terms of food pairing, but with a clean, bright finish, an ideal first beer before ordering food. Sembrano says: A jab at the need people feel to have an IPA or pale ale, but I do see the need to have something for the person who wants something hoppy. We'll see how long this lasts, and if we start making an IPA instead.

Tasting the beer at Rick Bayless’ new brewpub, Cruz Blanca

June 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

One look at the opening beer menu for Rick Bayless' Cruz Blanca makes clear that the West Loop spot is not like most other brewpubs.Three versions of a modestly popular...

Chicago cleans up at World Beer Cup

August 21, 2019 at 6:16 p.m.

Haymarket Pub & Brewery's The Defender stout defended its crown Friday night, scoring its second consecutive gold medal at the World Beer Cup in Philadelphia in an awards ceremony that...

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