Baderbräu Brewing Company

Baderbräu Brewing Company

The Return of Chicago’s Original Craft Beer I was an undergrad and homebrewer at the University of Chicago when Baderbräu launched. It changed the world of beer for Chicago. This was a time when the only decent beer you could find was either an import from Europe or a Sam Adams. But those of us fortunate enough to live in Chicagoland had Baderbräu. Baderbräu was a real relief for those who appreciated good beer in the early 1990′s. In many places it was the only craft beer option. As such, it was a welcome respite. I remember vividly attending the Taste of Chicago back then. I saw the Budweiser tent, the Miller tent, and then … the Baderbräu tent! Baderbräu was the little engine that could, going up against the majors, fighting to make better beer mainstream. It was hard not to cheer for the company. Back then, Baderbräu WAS the craft aisle. Everyone who loved beer in Chicagoland drank it. After a prolonged absence from Chicago, I was saddened to learn that Baderbräu had disappeared. It wasn’t that Chicago didn’t love its first craft beer, but that it had been financially mismanaged; its new owners had other priorities and they sunsetted the beer. But that didn’t stop Chicagoans—or me—from wondering what had happened to our beloved beer. Retailers told us that people still came in asking for it, ten years after its disappearance. My own inquiries led me in a different direction.