The Return of Siebens Lager

One of my favorite childhood memories is of going with my parents to Siebens' brewery for a ham sandwich and a beer. Root beer, in my case, and a really tasty, fragrant one. We'd eat in cobblestone-paved beer garden out back, at picnic tables worn smooth from use and weather. Great ham sandwiches, fresh tap beer. Stick pretzels with mustard to dip them in.

Heaven. Long gone heaven. There's a school now where the brewery was [1400 block of N. Laramee]. Most of the industry that filled the area is gone or going fast.

Over a year ago a co-worker at WGN asked me if I had ever heard of Siebens beer. I indulged in nostalgia as above, only at greater length. Co-worker Bob told me that he was related to the Siebens on his mom's side. He and a cousin were planning to bring the beer back to the market, using the old family recipe. After a sometimes bumpy starting up process, they are planning to release the beer [a lager] to the market late this fall. Huettenbar as agreed to carry it; other distribution is still up in the air.

Red Eye has an article today about the beer. I can't for the life of me find a link to the article, but you can see the whole Red Eye as a PDF at http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/media/ ... 001836.pdf

If you'd like to see some old pictures of the brewery, including one of the late, lamented beer garden, another cousin has a site at http://www.io.com/~tweek/siebens/ .

More as the beer becomes actually available.

Giovanna

If anyone here is so inclined, the beer is back from the dead. You can look up current locations that carry the beer at www.siebensbrewing.com

I am the guy, who labored for years to make the family brew. My father was the last brewmaster at the original Sieben's brewery when it closed in 1967. I appreciate your interest!