Big Hurt Brew House

[Ted]

There is an item on today's city council agenda to sell the bank building on Cermak and Oak Park Avenue to Big Hurt Brewhouse LLC to turn it into a micro brewery.

I am not sure if this is the same group as the World of Beer group and I am not sure whether this group has some connection to White Sox great Frank Thomas (a.k.a. the Big Hurt)

[justme]

I thought the city sold it to World of Beer. Or did the sale not go through? I remember that they had to have it opened by a certain date otherwise pay fines and they extended the date twice for them. I can't remember what the deal was with the transfer of property. In any event, we saw that coming-World of Beer was not going to happen. Let's try again!

[whitesoxfan]

It is indeed Frank Thomas from the White Sox. He already has a "Big Hurt" beer an he is trying to buy the bank building to have a sports bar/ brewery. From what I am being told he is actually looking to move back to the Chicago area ( from Vegas) and be hands on. World of beer is out.

[mustang54]

  That property has been supposedly sold how many times now? The one big thing all the so called buyers had in common was none seemed to have any money, yet the city did deals with them. Hmmm didn't Big Frank go bust a few years back with his record company? How about this time Berwyn makes sure the buyer has the money and can actually close the deal and open that eye sore. If they don't it will remain as the biggest cluster f#ck in the history of the city.

[~LL~]

  How about this time Berwyn makes sure the buyer has the money and can actually close the deal and open that eye sore. If they don't it will remain as the biggest cluster f#ck in the history of the city.

Very sad - but I'm beginning to feel that this 'historic' building should just be leveled and maybe a parking garage would be a better idea for that site.

[Bonster]

Desperation dictates we'll take anything the BDC can lure in there, but the steroid abuser from the hillbilly white sox?   

[Ted]

Desperation dictates we'll take anything the BDC can lure in there, but the steroid abuser from the hillbilly white sox?   

Frank Thomas did NOT use steroids.  He had one of the flabbiest bodies in baseball.

[mustang54]

  Actually this could be the deal that finally works. I'm sure like most celebs Thomas has no trouble getting investors because of his name just like Ditka and all the other famous people who get into the restaurant business. He already pulled off opening his beer company so this sounds like a plan that could work out well for Berwyn. If it fails like the others I would just throw in the towel and do what should have been done 30 years ago and knock it down. If its a nice place it will get alot of exposure because of his notoriety and could give that area the shot in the arm it has needed for so long.

[mustang54]

Desperation dictates we'll take anything the BDC can lure in there, but the steroid abuser from the hillbilly white sox?   

Frank Thomas did NOT use steroids.  He had one of the flabbiest bodies in baseball.

Actually Frank was one of the first athletes to go out and hire his own personal trainer. My brother knew the guy from softball. Frank has been very out spoken about the steroid use because it cost him an mvp title.

[whitesoxfan]

I can assure you that money is NOT a problem.

[J'sMom]

Big Hurt Brew House is a go. Last week I was having a late lunch at Public House in the city and Frank Thomas and two investor-types were sitting at the next table discussing this venture and property. My friend spoke with Frank about his beer and Frank said he was ready to launch a new one called MVP with his Wisconsin brewer. I hope it is better than Big Hurt Beer. The taste and quality of Big Hurt rivals The Beast.

[Bonster]

Desperation dictates we'll take anything the BDC can lure in there, but the steroid abuser from the hillbilly white sox?   

Frank Thomas did NOT use steroids.  He had one of the flabbiest bodies in baseball.

He went from a skinny twerp to a monster.  (that is the proper benchmark, right?)
He was at the forefront of steroid abuse.

[dukesdad]

He was a little twerp tight end at Auburn?

From Wikipedia:

As early as 1995, Thomas was advocating drug testing for professional baseball players.[30] After hitting his 500th home run, Thomas stated, "It means a lot to me because I did it the right way," alluding to Barry Bonds's then-ongoing pursuit of Hank Aaron's career home run record.[31] Thomas was, then, the only active baseball player to be interviewed during the preparation of the Mitchell Report. He did so voluntarily.

[justme]

Big Hurt Brew House is a go. Last week I was having a late lunch at Public House in the city and Frank Thomas and two investor-types were sitting at the next table discussing this venture and property.

I'll believe it when I am sitting in the bar  there having a beer. Sadly, everything has been "a go" and yet the building is still the major eyesore of the city.

[Bonster]

He was a little twerp tight end at Auburn?

Yes, have you forgotten?  He was a rail when he came to the big leagues. 

Drug testing in 1995 and steroid/HGH testing now are two entirely different things.

[Ted]

He was a little twerp tight end at Auburn?

Yes, have you forgotten?  He was a rail when he came to the big leagues. 

Drug testing in 1995 and steroid/HGH testing now are two entirely different things.

When Thomas came up to the big leagues, he was 6'4" and weighed 240 lbs.  His weight grew to 275 pounds.

240 pounds ain't no rail.

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Sports/Frank-Thomas-7582.html

[rbain]

So any idea if "Big Hurt" will be making anything other than their mediocre-reviewed "American Malt Liquor" in a can? Is that going to be the theme? Malt liquor, maybe with a side of Hot Cheetos and Takis?

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26946/74145

[rbain]

Favorite review comment:

"Notes: Surprisingly decent, especially for a cheap malt liquor. Not a good beer, but given all the circumstances this is a winner. If it were a higher ABV, this would be a wonderful gift for a quick, cheap drunk."

[Ted]

Does anyone know why "World of Beer" couldn't make it?  Was it because they couldn't meet the deadlines or that they didn't have enough money? Or that they decided this was not a good investment?

[buzz]

From NPR yesterday......

"Arsenic in beer hit the news this week when Mehmet Coelhan, a researcher at the research center at the Technical University of Munich, reported at a meeting of the American Chemical Society that many of the nearly 360 beers tested in Germany had trace amounts of arsenic."