All Things Hospitality

The Bottleneck blog educates and entertains with posts on craft beer, cooking techniques, trends in the hospitality industry, company culture and restaurant management.

Dine Away Hunger in DuPage County

Dine Away Hunger is an initiative from the People’s Resource Center in DuPage County. We are happy that Old Town Pour House Oak Brook will be donating 10% of their food proceeds to help this charity in May.

Craft Beer Food Pairings

Beer Pairings are fun. We often look to pair beer and food items together for rich complementary flavors and crisp contrasts, helped by having some of the biggest and best craft beer selections in Chicago. How to Pair Beer with Burgers, Wings, Mac & Cheese, Tacos and Desserts? Read on…

The Great Sweetwater Chicken Cook Off

8 Chefs. 9 chicken dishes. 1 new menu place up for grabs. Sweetwater Tavern and Grille held a (kinda) secret Chicken Cook-Off between nine chefs, who were to pit their best chicken dishes against each other. I decided to document the occasion, and volunteer myself as a tasting judge in the process.

Craft Beer Revolution; Growth in 2013

Craft Beer is still experiencing a very strong growth period, with 2013 producing record figures in sales and volume, despite an overall industry decline. In addition to the global sales, the number of breweries operating in the US reached 2,822 and of those; 2,768 are considered craft breweries.

Featured Series

Beer 101: The Bottleneck Guide to Beer

Inspired by our own staff training, our Beer 101 Guide has found a great home on the web. Check out the links below to get a broad introduction to beer and understand more about the basic elements and styles.

  1. What is Beer?
  2. The Brewing Process
  3. Styles of Beer
  4. Types of Beer Glasses
  5. The Perfect Pour
Bonus Video: How to Pour the Perfect Beer