The Beeronaut

Chicago Week in Craft Beer, March 9-12

While the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is coming up, the schedule for these weekdays is pretty standards. I am updating these calendars as I find more events, so keep checking in! I am trying to “qualify” St. Patrick’s events by checking for those that offer something better than just green beer.

And there may just be more events for 312 Day, sponsored by Goose Island for its namesake beer. And I haven’t seen anything for Pi Day (3/14) yet, but I’ll have an eye out.

At the date of this posting, Brewbound reports that Craftworks Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Craftworks is the parent company of the Rock Bottom brewpubs, and of Gordon Biersch, Old Chicago and Logan’s Roadhouse. The company has already closed 37 restaurants in New York, Virginia, Maryland, California, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. They have 77 franchise loctions that are not part of the proceeding, and its 261 company-owned outlets will operate as usual for now.

Rock Bottom has four brewpub restaurants in the Chicago area. Some of its past brewers include Tim Marshall, who co-founded Solemn Oath, and Pete Crowley, who went on the start Haymarket. The Gordon Biersch operation makes several contract beers for the Trader Joe’s chain.