Wrigley Field’s Expanded Craft Brew Selection to Include Zombie Dust, Much More

The Cubs announced last week that they’d quite literally be going bigger on the booze this season, offering 24 oz. domestic drafts and wine by the bottle. But in a move that’s long overdue in light of evolving palates of barley soda consumers, Wrigley Field is also expanding its stagnant selection of craft beers. The new menu will have a lot more local flavor as well.

In an exclusive column for the Chicago Tribune, Josh Noel laid out plans to add Three Floyds and Begyle Brewing beers while increasing offerings from Revolution, Half Acre, Lagunitas, and Cruz Blanca. Anheuser-Busch products will continue to account for roughly 50 percent of the available options, but that’s a far cry from a few years ago.

According to Noel, Half Acre will “more than triple its availability of Daisy Cutter” and will also have Pony Pilsner on tap at two locations. Revolution will have Every Day-Hero at two locations as well, with Anti-Hero on draft at one spot and cans of Fist City Pale Ale at two locations. Begyle will have its eponymous blonde in 16 oz. cans, not sure how many locations.

And beer fans who used to show up to Munster, IN only to be greeted by a handmade “NO ZOMBIE DUST” sign taped to the door can go wanting no more. Three Floyds will be offering it’s “intensely hopped and gushing undead pale ale” on alongside its more readily available Gumballhead. The Northwest Indiana brewery has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and has finally increased production of those brews to meet demand, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see supply selling out quickly.

Noel also noted in a series of tweets that while ZD will be on draft, GBH will be sold in 16 oz. cans(!), a first for Three Floyds. Available only at entertainment venues, the tallboys will be more widely distributed in traditional 12 oz. cans. Alpha King is also being sold in the higher-capacity cans, so look for that in the next few weeks at Da Jewels and elsewhere.

The prices for these new craft offering are expected to range from $10-12, which isn’t bad relative to current costs.

https://twitter.com/hopnotes/status/1110930112755703814?s=21

Maybe it’s just the deranged ramblings of a craft snob, but I think something got lost when 3F went bigger with those brews. I’ll still drink them, but neither agrees with me particularly well and the flavor profile of GBH in particular seems to have changed since I first tasted it. That may have something to do with the Amarillo hops used in the beer, a proprietary strain patented by Virgil Gamache Farms Inc. in Washington state.

Since the alpha acid levels of hops can vary based on conditions, it’s possible that subtle fluctuations have occurred over time or between batches. Or maybe the increased demand for Amarillo has led to different growing procedures that have subsequently impacted the resultant product. And maybe it’s just that my own palate has changed or that the intrigue has worn off and I’m tasting with my heart.

I know that’s the case with Zombie Dust, the production of which I still maintain was intentionally restricted in order to drive hype and create a mythology of demand. But the brewery has fiercely denied that notion and has maintained that it was simply a matter of capacity, which has since increased to a level that can support greater production.

But enough of my whining, let’s see what all they’ll have at Wrigley this season:

• Amstel Light
• Begyle Blonde*
• Bell’s Oberon
• Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
• Broken Bat Corre Corre
• Broken Bat Golden Sombrero
• Brooklyn Summer
• Bud Light
• Budweiser
• Corona
• Cruz Blanca Mexico Calling*
• Cruz Blanca Palm Shade*
• Estrella Jalisco
• Golden Road Mango Cart
• Goose Island 312 Wheat Dry Hopped*
• Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat
• Goose Island Born & Raised*
• Goose Island Green Line*
• Goose Island IPA
• Goose Island Natural Villain
• Goose Island Next Coast IPA
• Goose Island Old Man Grumpy*
• Goose Island SPF*
• Goose Island Summertime
• Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale*
• Half Acre Pony Pilsner*
• Heineken
• Kona Longboard Lager
• Lagunitas 12th of Never Ale*
• Lagunitas IPA*
• Lagunitas Sumpin Easy*
• Leninenkugel Summer Shandy
• Michelob Ultra
• Modelo
• New Belgium Fat Tire
• O’Doul’s
• Old Style
• Redbridge
• Revolution Anti-Hero IPA*
• Revolution Every Day-Hero Session IPA*
• Revolution Fist City*
• Sauza Agua Fuerte
• Shock Top Belgian White
• Stella Artois
• Stella Cidre
• Stiegl Radler
• Three Floyds Gumballhead*
• Three Floyds Zombie Dust*
• Virtue Cider Michigan Apple
• Virtue Cider Rose

* Local