E-Malt.com News article: USA, CO: Oskar Blues Brewery to expand its line of canned beer

Oskar Blues announced on July, 18, a partnership with craft savvy Windy City Distribution to expand their line of boundary busting canned beer to the burgeoning craft beer scene of Chicago.

Oskar Blues and Windy Distribution have created a distribution plan that will focus on the 9 county areas around Chicago and will start with events and promotions on August, 20, 2012.

Oskar Blues grew from 13,000 barrels (2007) to 59,000 barrels (2011) in five years while craft beer in-a-can has come of age. America's first craft brewery to can their beer is projected to produce 95,000 barrels in 2012. Continued growth, increased infrastructure and the addition of a North Carolina brewing location in 2012 has allowed capacity to make the Chicago market only the second official new market for Oskar Blues in the past three years.

Oskar Blues' head brewer, Dave Chichura, has long-standing ties in the Chicago craft beer scene. He was the original head brewer for Rock Bottom Brewery in Warrenville, IL in 1998. "I'm excited to be back in the Chicago craft beer scene and am looking forward to the collaboration opportunities with old friends," says Chichura.


20 July, 2012