Solemn Oath Brewery, together with the longstanding beer institutions of Chicago’s Hopleaf and Lisle’s The Bavarian Lodge, will soon release a new stout, Taproom Exclusive, designed to spark a discussion amongst beer drinkers and the beer community.
A draft-only offering, Taproom Exclusive will not be served at Solemn Oath’s retail location, and instead will be exclusively available at select craft-focused Chicagoland bars, restaurants and retail locations, including its partner establishments.
February 7, 2019 at 7PM at Hopleaf
5148 N Clark St, Chicago
Moderator: Michael Kiser, Good Beer Hunting
Panelists
Michael Roper, Hopleaf
Eric Hobbs, Solemn Oath Brewery
Jay Jankowski, Maproom
Peter Rock-Ternes, Middle Brow Beer Co.
February 13, 2019 at 7PM at Bavarian Lodge, 1800 Ogden Ave, Lisle
Moderator: Michael Kiser, Good Beer Hunting
Panelists
Alan Taylor, The Bavarian Lodge
John Barley, Solemn Oath Brewery
Dave Hawley, Beer Cellar
Dakota Defever, Minor Threat Restaurant Group
““Competition is coming from all directions and in many cases, breweries are built in the same neighborhood as the taprooms that helped them achieve their initial success. If breweries want to maintain a relationship and a presence on our beer list, they will have to be savvy with how they do business with us. This project, making a beer that is not available in the brewery taproom, serves that purpose.””
Taproom Exclusive is a 6% stout featuring rye for complexity, oats for silky smoothness, chocolate malt to round out the beer, and a small addition of lactose to accentuate the creaminess. Prolific Willamette hops pay tribute to trailblazers of beer purveyance and the supply side in the beer world. The beer will be unveiled at two separate release events, each featuring panel discussions about retail competition and the future of the local beer industry. Event details below.
““A modern craft beer drinker has a universe of choices in front of them when it comes to where they drink. For many young people, a stop at the neighborhood taproom on the way home from work has replaced the corner tavern. I’ve been in the industry for more than 45 years, and this era is by far one of the most challenging.””
GBH’s Michael Kiser will be leading a set of panel discussions, sure to include a hearty debate, about the implications and solutions for balancing the producer and retailer sides of the business, and the role and responsibilities of each. Is raft beer part of a survival of the fittest scenario? Or does it align with a rising-tide business environment?
““Since we opened in 2012 this still young industry has constantly evolved. As brewers our best marketing opportunity is our taproom where we can educate and curate an expression of ourselves directly to our customer. That experience is vital but so is our relationships with the establishments that have helped us get where we are today.””