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Berghoff Brewing relaunches this summer with new recipes, marketing

The craft brewing boom isn’t just for new brewers and brands. Some of the industry’s old favorites are getting re-inspired, revamping their focus, branding and re-entering the market (to get technical, they are Hulking Up, brother). The latest example is Midwestern staple Berghoff Brewing.

First, a little history. The first batch of Berghoff beer was brewed in 1887 by Herman Berghoff and his three brothers, Henry, Hubert and Gustav.  Demand for their beer grew with astonishing speed, and by 1890, the brothers were producing 90,000 barrels (bbls) of lager annually. A showcase at the 1892 Chicago World’s Fair put Berghoff on the national map, expanding its reach into new markets and introducing hundreds of thousands of new drinkers to their authentic German-style beers.

During World War I, the brothers cemented their brewing company’s place in American history, changing their slogan from “a real German brew” to “a real honest brew” in honor of their adopted homeland. In a bold show of American ingenuity, Berghoff produced soft drinks, including a root beer and a malt tonic, throughout Prohibition, and was the first to…

At The Berghoff, a family restaurant for Chicago families

MenuKids Menu

"I have to be able to see the door," she says, slightly apologetically. "When my dad and I used to eat lunch here growing up, he always had to sit facing the door, to keep an eye on things. I guess he passed it on to me." Among other things the 49-year-old inherited is, of course, The Berghoff, the 45,000-square-foot restaurant/bar/cafe/event space we're sitting in. The restaurant, which occupies nearly an entire block of Adams Street between State and Dearborn, is tightly woven into Chicago's historical and culinary fabrics. The place breathes Chicago history -- renovations revealed ashes from the Great Chicago Fire under the floorboards -- and as we settle in for a lunchtime interview, there's so much I want to know. I want to know what it's like to be the first woman owner in the restaurant's 112-year history. I want to know about all the famous politicians and movie stars who have eaten here. And I want to know what in the name of everything holy they put in the creamed spinach that makes you dream about it. But on this blustery winter afternoon, all Carlyn Berghoff wants to talk about is her kids.…