Two of Chicago’s most beloved booze brands have teamed up for a clever solution to a problem caused by the coronavirus pandemic: CH Distillery and Revolution Brewing joined forces to release a special edition of Jeppsen’s Malört — the notoriously bitter but widely popular liquor — distilled from old kegs of Anti-Hero, Revolution’s flagship IPA.
With local bars closed due to the virus, 160 kegs of Anti-Hero were returned to the brewery, forcing them to come up with a creative way to avoid simply dumping it.
“They were getting near their expiration date,” John Carruthers, communications manager for Revolution, told Block Club Chicago. “We were looking for a home for this beer rather than destroy it.”
The result is Anti-Hero Malört, which is available for purchase beginning today (Friday, May 22) at local Binny’s, as well as at Revolution’s brewpub in Logan Square. Bottles will retail for $25, and to celebrate the release, Revolution and CH Distillery will each donate $5,000 to Comp Tab Relief Fund, a Chicago-based relief effort for hospitality workers.
“This is the most Chicago beverage, between Malört and Anti-Hero, that I can think of,” Carruthers said. “I think it works well.”
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