Museums and beer are two huge parts of Chicago's cultural scene, so it makes a lot of sense to combine them. Cue the Chicago Brewseum, a concept that's being backed by a substantial lineup of local and national movers and shakers.
As its name suggests, the place would highlight the history and culture of brewing not only in Chicago, but across the world. It's currently just a concept—they don't have a facility or much funding, but they've officially registered as a nonprofit.
The plan is to find a four-story, LEED-certified historic building that's centrally located and accessible by public transit. Yes, it's a pretty steep wish list. In concept, the Brewseum would have a taproom, classrooms, interactive exhibits, multiple galleries and a sweet rooftop.
Liz Garibay of History on Tap came up with the idea in 2013, and she's since brought on more than a dozen big names to its board of directors, including John Hall of Goose Island, Andres Araya of 5 Rabbit, Dan Oliver of the Chicago History Museum, Michael Roper of Hopleaf and Bill Jacobs of Piece Brewery & Pizza.
Don't expect to be downing pints in a beer museum any time soon, though. The board has launched a GoFundMe campaign and hopes to launch a "mobile museum" in an RV next year that would travel the country while raising both awareness and cash. If all goes according to plan, they'll break ground on a location to be determined in 2019.