Like many breweries, when the "stay-at-home" order was enacted and Chicago bars closed to the public, Revolution Brewing suddenly found itself with kegs of beer that it had no way of selling. Instead of letting the booze go to waste, Revolution transported 160 kegs of its Anti-Hero IPA to CH Distillery, where it was transformed into a new permutation of Chicago's most infamous liquor, dubbed Anti-Hero Malört.
The Malört variant (denoted only by Revolution Brewing's six-pointed star and fist logo on the bottle's neck) will be released on Friday, May 22, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Chicago Brewseum describes it as "malty sweet, hoppy, and slightly familiar—like a beer and a shot all in one," and Eater reports that the ABV clocks in at 35%—just like a standard bottle of Jeppson's Malört.
Curious drinkers will be able to purchase bottles of collaborative booze for $25 each from CH Distillery, Binny's and the Revolution Brewpub in Logan Square (you'll need to call ahead or order on GrubHub if you're picking up from Rev). Once you have your bottle, you can enjoy it while watching a Zoom conversation between Revolution Brewing founder John Deth and CH Distillery owner Tremaine Atkinson at 4pm on Friday, May 22.
As part of the release of the new Jeppson's product, both Revolution Brewing and CH Distillery will be making $5,000 donations to the Comp Tab Relief Fund, which is raising money for food, beverage and hospitality industry workers who have had their livelihoods affected by the continued shutdown of bars and restaurants.
Since purchasing the Jeppson's Malört brand in 2018 and moving production back to Chicago, CH Distillery has shown a willingness to experiment with the liquor. The Revolution Brewing collaboration is just the latest in a recent string of new Jeppson's products, including a barrel-aged Malört variant, a bourbon that carries the Jeppson's name and a hand sanitizer sold in Malört bottles that is now available for purchase.
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