Each year, the DMC Chicago team looks forward to one of our most anticipated and well-attended Activity Fund events: Beer Under Glass (B.U.G.). It’s more than just a beer tasting, it’s a celebration of craft brewing, team camaraderie, and a great way to kick off the summer season together.
Organized by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, B.U.G. marks the beginning of the state’s Craft Beer Week and brings together breweries for a night of samples, snacks, and sunshine in Chicago.
A New Venue with a Stellar View
While B.U.G. has traditionally taken place at Union Station, this year’s event got a refreshing upgrade and was moved to the Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace in Millennium Park. It was a big change, swapping the classic “under glass” theme for an open-air setting, but one that paid off in a big way. With perfect weather and clear skies, the rooftop offered panoramic views of the Chicago skyline, creating the best backdrop for the event. Longtime attendees joked that the new venue stretched the “glass” part of Beer Under Glass a little thin, but no one seemed to miss the echoing din of Union Station’s enclosed ceilings.
“The new space was a hit,” one DMCer shared. “It felt more relaxed, and the skyline view really made it feel like a Chicago summer moment.”
Tasting Highlights & Unexpected Finds
With over 100 participating breweries, there was something for everyone to enjoy. IPAs, lagers, sours, stouts, ciders, and everything in between.
“As someone who doesn’t enjoy traditional beer, it’s fun to find the beers/ciders/meads that I will like. Any cider or sour or fruited wheat tends to be up my alley, so it’s like a treasure hunt to find those,” our event organizer said.
Ciders and creative small-batch brews offered some standout favorites, and the open-air layout made it easy to hop between booths and compare notes with fellow DMCers. Bonus points for the sunshine that stuck around just long enough for some golden hour photos.
The B.U.G Attendees
Over 50 DMCers and their partners were in attendance, making this one of the largest DMC Activities we’ve hosted recently. This year, our group included a few DMCers visiting from our regional offices, making it a great opportunity for corss-office mingling and welcoming out-of-towners to one of Chicago’s favorite beer events.
Whether you’re a long-time B.U.G. attendee or new to the scene, the atmosphere was inclusive and fun, with everyone chatting, sampling, and battling each other in UNO the night.
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