Tag Archives: beer riot

Beer Riot and Sunday Opening

Sunday and evening hours: You can bank on it

Chicago — the town Billy Sunday couldn't shut down — always had a tough time keeping the Christian sabbath free of trade. An 1845 Chicago law prohibited taverns from opening on Sundays, but the ban was unpopular with Irish and German immigrants, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago. When Mayor Levi Boone tried to enforce the law in 1855, it led to the Lager Beer Riot.

Well, there was more to the riot than the schedule issue, but it's interesting to see this take on it.

Two Radio Pieces on Beer

Chicago Public Radio – Audio Library: Eight Forty-Eight
One is partly a repeat from Steve Dolinsky’s TV report mentioned earlier but with more contextual information. The other one was originally broadcast in 2000 and features Bob Skilnik (who put up an elaborate excerpt from his book right here).
What’s interesting about all of this, apart from the situation of Chicago in the world of beer, is that beer seems to connect to several social phenomena. I’ll need to read Skilnik’s books at one point, especially as he emphasizes the class struggle in the Prohibition movement, but I also think there’s a lot to say about what’s happening now.
For instance, Dolinsky’s extended piece here has a more elaborate comment Hopleaf’s Michael Roper about “artisan” beer in Belgium. Yes, all beer geeks know about this, but it’s interesting to see that these ideas are being brought to a larger audience. As opposed to wine, which tends to be known for its origins, beer is more rarely associated to specific regions or traditions. Well, then again, people probably think of Mexico as a beer producer because of Corona and Sol… 😉

At any rate, two interesting radio pieces about beer, now available online.

Beer: Riot and Diversity

ABC7Chicago.com: Hungry Hound: Extensive beer lists
[Updated Link]

Interesting historical event (alluding to the "ethnic" part of prohibitions). The point of beer diversity does come across, though it's not emphasized so much.
Dolinsky seems to be more of a food geek than a beer geek and there are several mistakes on the website (including their misspelling Maibock and Blanche de Chambly) but it's always good to get some recognition from the food crowd.