CHICAGO | Economic & Business Development

[Klippenstein]

Originally Posted by sentinel

I wanna know which idiot executive thought this would be a good idea, because it's most likely gonna cost them a lot more to ship to the Great Lakes region than making the beer here and distributing throughout the region.

Maybe Cinespace can finally expand into that facility once it has been vacated.

Not in the immediate future.

The brewery will continue operating its Chicago facility as a warehouse and distribution center, but it will no longer produce beer or serve as a taproom.

[Rizzo]

I still had no idea the taproom reopened. The place was always busy pre-covid. I haven’t drank lagunitas in awhile and I’ve been drawn to other breweries. Same sentiment with friends of mine.

[Steely Dan]

The Heineken takeover certainly didn't help their brand image.

[ardecila]

They're just retreating. I've been amazed how Heineken tried to position them as a ubiquitous brand like Sam Adams or Goose Island - seems like every little dive bar now has a Lagunitas beer or several. Convenience stores sell them right alongside the macros.

I think their footprint was probably way too big for the actual demand, and the NorCal stoner brand image didn't connect with a lot of people.

[left of center]

Heineken getting involved in the first place was the beginning of the end for Lagunitas. A repeat of Goose Island and AB InBev. I simply stopped drinking both brands when they underwent their corporate takeover, and I'm sure a lot of people did the same.

It doesn't help that the craft beer space has gotten incredibly crowded in the last few decades, and the beer market overall is somewhat struggling as consumers switch over to hard seltzers and spirits.

I will miss the tap room. Was a fun spot to pre-game before going to Riotfest

[twister244]

This article is inherently political, but I think it's worth highlighting the $500 million for quantum computing did make it into the final budget for Illinois. It passed both chambers and will be signed into law.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/poli...ar-2025-budget

That includes $500 million to support the development of a regional quantum information science and technology campus, allocated from a specific economic-development focused bond fund known as Build Illinois.

Another bill allowing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to designate “quantum campuses” also lays out infrastructure and business incentives to lure developers of new-age higher-speed computing technology to the state. That measure also expands and extends several other popular tax credit programs, such as the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act and the Economic Development for a Growing Economy, or EDGE, program.