Since the inaugural appearance of Philadelphia’s Philly Beer Week in 2008, various week or 10-day-long celebrations of beer have exploded across America, reaching from big metropolises like San Francisco, which held its SF Beer Week in early February, and New York, Sept. 24–Oct. 3, to such smaller cities as Cleveland, Oct. 16–23, and Milwaukee, Sept. 12–18, and even encompassing entire states, like Alabama, June 4-13.
The latest to join the party is Chicago Craft Beer Week, which takes place May 17–23 and is presented by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. As is typical of such events, the week will be comprised of a mix of beer tastings and “Meet the Brewer” nights, beer dinners, brewery tours and beer book signings. Timed to coincide with American Craft Beer Week, an initiative sponsored by the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, the Chicago event seeks to put “a decidedly ‘Windy City Spin’ on this event-filled week,” according to organizers.
For more information on Chicago Craft Beer Week, visit