I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. My phone number was (312) 896-.... That was before FAX machines and cell phones and the need to have scores of area codes for one, well, area! I don't live in the Chicago area anymore, but I still call it my hometown. So when I heard about 312 beer, of the Goose Island Brewery, naturally, I had to try it!

This is the 312 Urban Wheat Ale. A hazy wheat beer, yes, but not so "flat" like some. Almost a wheat beer combined with a Pilsner. That's it! It's like "Old Style" meets Wheat Beer! Wow, this is fun!

The fun blew out of my sails when I read the fine print on the label however: brewed in either New Jersey or Colorado. What happened to Chicago??? Apparently Goose Island Brewery is now yet another label of Anheuser-Busch. 

Sigh. They're trying to replace "Old Style" in Wrigley Field, too...

My New Year’s resolution? To resurrect our blog! And yes, I’m aware it’s titled “Beers of Summer,” but what better time to talk about the Beers of Summer than in the middle of winter! 

And as long as we're talking winter, let's talk about a place where winter starts in October and can last through May- the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Today I'm sporting my Minocqua Brewing Company t-shirt, from Minocqua, Wisconsin.  http://www.minocquabrewingcompany.com/

I vacationed in Minocqua every summer all my life. Well, until I moved to the south and it was too far away to vacation there any more. Which was actually nearly half my life ago. But at any rate, now they have this awesome (or so I hear) microbrewery. My daughter visited  there this summer, bringing me back the obligatory shirt I wear today. (I knew I could get this to tie into summer somehow!)

One of their most interesting brews? Wild rice. Some may know Wisconsin is known for its wild rice. So I guess this is a natural! Have I tasted it? No! I told you I haven't been back to Wisconsin since, well, a long time ago! But as I watch Bowl Games in my t-shirt with a picture of a growler floating on Lake Minocqua, and I contemplate opening a beer, I can only wonder what wild rice beer would taste like. Maybe I'll get the chance to try it. Next summer.