One Year Later: Dovetail Brewery Bursts onto the Craft Beer Scene

    CHICAGO, IL, July 22, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dovetail Brewery (1800 W. Belle Plaine, Chicago, IL; 773-683-1414) recently celebrated its 1st anniversary producing exceptional continental style beers. Notable for using traditional methods to brew straightforward delicious craft beer, the brewery literally burst onto the scene, quickly becoming renowned not only in Chicago but across the country's ever-growing craft beer scene. Deemed "a must for any serious beer lover" by Josh Noel, columnist at the Chicago Tribune, the brewery's growing list of accolades includes being named one of the most promising breweries to open in 2016 by Beer Advocate Magazine and finishing in fifth place in USA Today 10Best's Best New Brewery reader's poll. Dovetail was one of twenty breweries across the country selected by USA Today's panel of beer experts, and the final top ten list was determined by reader voting.

Dovetail was founded by co-owners and head brewers Bill Wesselink and Hagen Dost in June 2016. The name pays homage to the dovetail joint, a joinery technique used in woodworking that is notoriously difficult to pull apart and difficult to make manually. Like the joint, the brewery brings a high level of quality and craftsmanship to its beer through the marriage of both traditional brewing methods and modern brewing creativity. Believing brewing is a fine balance of art, science, hard work and fun, Dost and Wesselink use it all as they merge continental European styles and techniques with American creativity to produce the kind of beers found in small, family-run breweries in Europe.

Although Dost and Wesselink are native Chicagoans, the pair actually met in Munich at the Doemens Institute while studying for their Master Brewer Certifications. While bonding over the great beers and food of Bavaria, they quickly discovered a shared respect for the traditional brewing methods of continental Europe. As two educated brewers cut from similar stock, Dost and Wesselink decided to join their talents and shared vision into a stronger form--hence, the name Dovetail Brewery.

One year later, that vision is now reality as Dovetail established itself as one of Chicago's favorite microbreweries and one of the nation's best new breweries. Raise a glass to Dovetail's accomplishments and cheers to its future.

Dovetail Brewery Timeline: a list of firsts, accolades and milestones
September 15, 2015 - Hagen Dost and Bill Wesselink announce plans to open Dovetail Brewery and use traditional methods to brew continental European style beers.

March 26, 2016 - Dovetail's first brew day.

June 11, 2016 - Dovetail Brewery opens in Ravenswood at 1800 W. Belle Plaine. The 22,000-square foot brewing facility includes a dog-friendly tap room that is open to the public for drinking, retail sales and available as a rental space for private events. The first selection of beers includes a classic Lager, refreshing Hefeweizen and smoky Rauchbier. Many other styles emerge throughout the first year: Pilsner, Grodziskie, Dunkelweizen, Festbier, Holiday Bock, Rauchweizen, Vienna Lager, Hopfenlager, and Maibock.

June 9, 2016 - Guys Drinking Beer reviews Dovetail (Dovetail Brewery: Chicago's New Classical Beermaker)

June 22 2017 - Josh Noel at the Chicago Tribune declares A visit to new Dovetail Brewery is 'a must for any serious beer lover'

June 23, 2016 - The Hop Review reviews Dovetail (Traditional Brewing with Northcenter's Dovetail Brewery)

June 28, 2016 - SommBeer reviews Dovetail (Testing out Chicago's Newest Brew Spot: Dovetail)

July 12, 2016 - HedonistShedonist reviews Dovetail (Dovetail Brewery - Raising a Glass to Traditional Craft)

July 25, 2016 - Chicago Reader reviews Dovetail (Dovetail Brewery's tour serves up a potent look at the art of making craft beer)

August 10, 2016 - Chicago Magazine names Dovetail one of The Five Hottest Bars in Chicago Right Now

August 25, 2016 - TimeOut Chicago names Dovetail 5 Chicago breweries you should check out now

August 26, 2017 - Dovetail Brewery releases its Grodziskie, a classic Polish beer and Dovetail's first limited edition specialty. Pale straw in color, with a feisty effervescence, it is a 100% smoked wheat beer offering light, citrus-like overtones with a hint of spice and smoke in the back notes.

September 4, 2016 - Windy City Paws reviews Dovetail Brewery: A Dog-Friendly Beer Haven

October 2016 - Dovetail Brewery releases two seasonal beers for fall, the Dunkelweizen and Rauchbier. A winter version of the brewery's Hefeweizen, the Dunkelweizen is darker in color and features rich chocolate and roast notes in addition to clove and banana, which are traditional Hefeweizen characteristics. The Rauchbier is dark with reddish tones, an off-white head and a rocky foam standing above the rim of the glass. Produced using 95% beechwood-smoked malt, it is full and rich with generous hopping to balance the flavor of beechwood smoked bacon.

October 14, 2016 - Dovetail featured in Things to Do This Weekend by Chicago Woman

October 15, 2016 - Neighbors Dovetail Brewery and Begyle Brewing Company join forces to host Oktoberfestiversary. The event celebrated Begyle's fourth anniversary and Dovetail's first Oktoberfest and featured live music, a variety of food trucks and delicious craft beer. In honor of the event, Dovetail released a specialty lager, the Festbier.

October 21, 2016 - Thrillist names Dovetail one of Chicago's Best New Breweries

November 2016 - Dovetail's taproom now exudes the warm, cozy glow of brewing tradition with the installation of new hand-crafted copper lighting fixtures by Wade Creighton of Walking Bird USA (walkingbirdusa.com) in Collinsville, Oklahoma. "Copper is the soul of the brewery," says Creighton.

December 17, 2016 -Dovetail brings European-style craft brews to Chicago by WGN-TV

December 18, 2016 - Dovetail Brewery hosts first annual Holiday Market in their taproom

December 21, 2016 - Dovetail's lager mentioned in Chicago's best new beer, cocktails, and spirits of 2016 by Chicago Reader

January, 2017 - Dovetail releases its seasonal winter beer, the Vienna Lager. Brewed with 100% Vienna malt and Styrian Golding hops, the lager is a warm copper color with an equally a warm and malty character

January 2, 2017 - Beer Advocate Magazine names Dovetail one of the 34 of the Best New Breweries to Open in 2016

January 27 and January 28, 2017 - Dovetail participates in Winter Brew Fest hosted by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

February, 2017 - Dovetail adds a second brewery tour to its schedule. Fans can stop by the brewery at either 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to enjoy an informative and fun tour. Tour admission is $15 which also includes choice of three Dovetail 0.3L servings of beer.

February 2, 2017 - Dovetail featured in 8 New Craft Beer Havens to Visit When Exploring Chicago's North Side by Paste Magazine

February 11, 2017 - Dovetail participates in the Polar Beer Festival at Rock Bottom

February 18, 2017 - Dovetail participates in Winter Wonderland of Beer, a beer festival sponsored by the Illinois Craft Beer Guild

March 2017 - Dovetail places 5th in USA TODAY 10Best Contest for 'Best New Brewery' to open in the United States of America within the past three years. 20 breweries across the country were selected by a panel of beer experts before the contest opened up to the public to vote for the top 10

March 2, 2017 - Dovetail hosts a B Corps Reception in its taproom. B Corps is a non-profit advocacy organization that certifies for-profit companies that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. Essentially, B Corps is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee and Dovetail Brewery is hoping to become Chicago's first b Corp brewery.

April 2, 2017 - Dovetail Brewery and Artisanal Imports Announce Sales Partnership, a highly-respected importer of the most highly acclaimed, internationally award-winning beverages from around the world. At this point, Dovetail beer is only sold in the brewery's tap room and wholesale by the keg to bars and restaurants near the brewery. While Dovetail continues to self-distribute in Chicago, the new sales initiative enables the brewery to expand its presence in the greater Chicagoland area and down the road, into other regional and national markets. Read more about the partnership here.

May 10, 2017 - featured in Choose Chicago: Fun Festivities are Bubbling up at Dovetail Brewery this Spring

May 18 through May 25, 2017 - Dovetail participates in Chicago Craft Beer Week for the first time, attending events like Beer Under Glass (the official kick off to Chicago Craft Beer Week), Ultra Fresh II, Sweet Home Chicago, Brown Line Brews, Newbies and Freshies and hosting a Maibock preview (a Dovetail limited edition beer). Read more here.

May 26, 2017 - Hagen Dost makes a guest appearance on WGN Radio's Wintrust Business Lunch. Read about it here.

May 27 and May 28, 2017 - Dovetail and Begyle Brewing team up to host Mayfestiversary, a friendly block party celebrating Dovetail's one year anniversary and the second anniversary of Begyle's taproom. Additionally, Dovetail officially releases their Maibock. Read about the event here.

June 4, 2017 - Dovetail partners with the Illinois Brewery Running Series, hosting a 5k-ish beer run. The Brewery Running Series is all about being active, having fun and giving back to the local community; 10% of all proceeds go directly to the Chicago Parks Foundation, a local organization that helps fund and execute projects for the Chicago parks system. Read about it here.

June 15, 2017 - Dovetail is used as a filming site for pilot of new TV series, "Vendors."

July 11, 2017 - Dovetail starts selling Summer Helles, a limited time beer, at Lucky Dorr at Wrigley Field.

August, 2017 - Dovetail Brewery takes the first steps towards limited regional distribution by selling in Indianapolis.

About Dovetail Brewery
Dovetail Brewery, located at 1800 W. Belle Plaine in Chicago, Illinois, is a craft brewery owned by brewers Hagen Dost and Bill Wesselink, specializing in delicious, balanced beers brewed using traditional German and Belgian brewing methods. Signature beers include unfiltered German-style lagers, traditional Hefeweizen, Rauchbier and Lambic-style sour beers. Dovetail Brewery also produces a variety of special seasonal beers.

Taproom hours are: Tuesday- 2 pm - 10 pm; Wednesday- 2 pm - 10 pm; Thursday- 2 pm - 10 pm; Friday- 12 pm - 11 pm; Saturday- 11 am - 11 pm; Sunday- 10 am - 8 pm.

Brewery tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $15 per person and includes the tour and three Dovetail beers.

The 22,000-square foot brewing facility includes an attractive tap room that is open to the public for drinking and retail sales. The tap room is also available as a rental space for private events.

Dovetail Brewery delivers beer by the keg to venues near the brewery and also to some select venues closer to the Loop. All bars, taverns and restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area that wish to serve Dovetail beer on tap are welcome to pick up kegs, in two sizes, at the brewery during normal business hours.

See what passionate beer lovers and industry professionals are saying about Dovetail: https://www.newsline360.com/dovetailbrewery/itn/.

For more information about Dovetail Brewery, please visit the brewery's website at http://dovetailbrewery.com, their newsroom at http://www.newsline360.com/dovetailbrewery or contact Bill Wesselink or Hagen Dost by email. For information about special events, promotions and private events, contact Adrianne Dost. For additional information, call 773-683-1414.

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