Craft beer distribution networks can be funny. It’s up to the brewery which markets they want to enter, a carefully staged series of gambits based not only on sales potential but gaining a “national eye” or developing hype for the product. With smaller craft breweries, selling all the beer they can produce is often not the problem—they’re fortunate to have demand going through the roof right now. The challenge is making a name for yourself in a market that is expanding so rapidly with so many talented brewers, it’s hard to garner any attention.
Portland’s Gigantic Brewing Company decided to seek its own national presence by spreading out their distribution network quite a bit. Here’s where you can find them, according to their website: “Oregon, Washington, California, British Columbia, Alaska, Vermont, Chicago, Hato’s Bar in Tokyo and Brew Dog Bars in Europe.” The first few make sense but then Alaska? A single bar in Tokyo? Vermont?
Regardless, I’m glad Chicago is one of those destinations, because Gigantic is quickly becoming one of the more unheralded (and reasonably priced) brewers whose product can be found among all the other 22 oz bottles on the rack. The flagship Gigantic IPA is solid, if perhaps not the “best damn IPA in Portland” it’s marketed as. The dry-hopped High Fidelity APA was definitely impressive. And their latest, the Most Premium Russian Imperial Stout, is certainly some thought-provoking beer.