Sloopin Brew Update: Broad Shoulders Brewery Re-brands as Motor Row Brewery, South Loop Brewing Company Reaches CrowdFunding Goal, and Vice Brewery Buildout Begins

Broad Shoulders Brewery has sparked a lot of interest from various people in and around the Sloop, but has had a rough go on their attempt to open their doors.  We first wrote about it in 2011.

Fast forward two and half years later and they're still pressing forward.

Over the past couple of weeks various readers have let us know that they've changed their name and our shooting for a fall opening:

They're changing the name of their brewery (2337 S Michigan) from Broad Shoulders to Motor Row Brewing. Also, buildout is moving along and he is shooting for an August 1 opening. 

I know its been a long time coming, but it sounds like he's getting close. Plus, I guarantee it is going to be worth the wait. I have tried a few of his beers and they are fantastic.

Sure enough the website confirms this.

Their facebook page does a decent job with updates so you can check that out.  Judging from that, they still have a little ways to go.

Back in December of 2013, South Loop Brewing launched a crowdfunding initiative to bring a tap room to the Sloop.  We just went back and it looks like they exceeded their goal - congrats!  They raised $23,785!  While we didn't see any official update, we did find this on a blog called guysdrinkingbeer.com:

South Loop Brewing is planning to brew at Une Année for a year or so before hopefully moving into their own digs. They don’t have a location pinned down yet but are eying the area of the South Loop bordered by Roosevelt Rd to the north, 18th St to the south, Clark Street to the west and Michigan Ave to the east.

Hopefully they find a place soon!

Finally it seems like the guys at Vice District Brewing are moving at a feverish pace. We learned about the project in January.  Read about additional plans in Crain's in April.  And now a reader sent us an email blast they received in May:

We wanted to thank you for your patience and support over the past few months. We’re proud to announce that we now have our Brewer’s License (as of today). We are scheduled to begin the buildout in the coming weeks. What this means is that you’ll be hearing a lot more from us regarding our beers and the specifics of our grand opening in the next two months.

If small batch craft beer is your thing, it looks like the Sloop is going to be home to a variety of great spots for you.  We wish them all the best and can't wait to sip some of their brews!

(Hat tip: DM, CL, AR, JC!)