It’s been a hell of year for IBW. We’re working our asses off, chiseling away at a dream and we’ve only started to cut back the stone.

And 2015 promises to bring More. We’ll be doubling our capacity early in the year and putting in a tasting room. We are small batch bottling in 2015 as well. All this means that we’ll be in more great bars, more great restaurants and, soon, you’ll be able to buy IBW’s beer in bottle shops around Chicago as well as straight from the twisted source at our scary, back-alley, underground lair. Stay tuned as these developments develop.

We are humbled and hungry. But mostly, we are Grateful. We know this ride of passion and poor planning is a privilege and not a right. And it’s a privilege gifted to us by the big hearts, big brains and good taste of all of you. We literally could not be doing this without you.

So how about this: We’ll keep making beer unlike anyone else is making in 2015 and you keep drinking it. Deal?

ALSO! Please do not think for a second that running a beer bar and restaurant in this hard-bitten and beautiful city of ours is easy. We’ve seen a number of great bars that taught us how to drink properly close this year. And we don’t want to see any more close in 2015. So, please, support us by supporting the great bars and restaurants that have taken a chance on us and many other great brewers in this city and beyond.

Here’s the Roll Call, please stand and salute with me:

Steve-O @ Logan Arcade
Sean, Jerome and all the good people at Twisted Spoke
Bob & Andy at the Beer Bistro
Matty & the insanely talented crew at Parachute Restaurant
Mike, Davis & co. at Mott Street
Zach @ Pour Phil’s
Mike & Ed @ Maria’s Community Bar
Chris @ Iron Horse
Diana at the Village Inn
Tony, Noah, Alexi @ Local Option
Dustin & Jerry @ Une Anne
Justin @ Bangers & Lace
John & Chris at Fountainhead
Christina @ Au Cheval
John @ Table, Donkey & Stick
Emily @ Burger Bar
Greg, Brant, Adrian, Danny, Allison @ Dry Hop Brewers
Brandon, Ashley & Dave @ Andersonville Brewing Company
James, Olga, Marshall and crew at Jak’s Tap
MAX at Standard Market
Scott at The Owl
Ferber & the Jam crew at Hoptacular
Nick, Jason & Adam @ Bottlefork

Every one of these organizations are kicking ass and shaving years off their life for your pleasure. Please shake them vigorously.

So here’s to 2014 and here’s to the future. Let us all go now and stick our face into god and come back only for the Treasure Bath!

We will knock glasses with you again soon…

Brian, Matt, Jason & Willie (and Eric our killer volunteer, too!)