Chicago's Barrel-Aged Beer Bash Returns as Kedai Makan and Rêve Close

Craft beverage producers and independent restaurateurs are navigating contrasting milestones this month as the 24th annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer returns to Chicago's Credit Union 1 Arena with more than 250 pours, while Seattle's Kedai Makan prepares to close its Capitol Hill dining room at 15th and Pine and Birmingham's MICHELIN Guide-recommended tasting-menu restaurant Rêve shuts down after rising ingredient costs and months of decline.

According to Hoodline, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild is hosting its 24th annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB)—the guild's largest annual fundraiser—at Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave. on Chicago's Near West Side, following its 23rd edition at the venue on November 7–8, 2025, which expected more than 150 breweries. The 2026 festival runs across two sessions: Friday, November 13, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, November 14, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with WGN-TV's Spotlight Chicago (airing weekdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.) previewing the event and participating producers such as Vibes Beer Project joining the roster.

FoBAB's session descriptions highlight more than 250 barrel-aged beers, ciders, meads, and perries spread across 13 style categories, while the event FAQ cites more than 300 pours from hundreds of breweries and The Crafty Brewers podcast notes 250-plus drinks from more than 130 breweries. An expert panel evaluates entries ahead of time to award gold, silver, and bronze medals plus Best in Show honors during the live awards ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, November 14. General admission tickets cost $85 plus fees and VIP tickets cost $250 plus fees, with first-come, first-served lot parking.

Kedai Makan Departs 15th and Pine on Capitol Hill

In Seattle, Hoodline reported via CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News that Malaysian restaurant Kedai Makan will close its restaurant at 1449 E Pine after service on Sunday, November 15, 2026, ending a three-year stay at the corner of 15th and Pine. Founded about 15 years ago as a Broadway farmers market stand by Kevin Burzell and Alysson Wilson before moving to E Olive Way, Kedai Makan was taken over and reopened at 15th and Pine in 2023 by Khampaeng "KP" Panyathong, Joe Ye, and Lucy Ye, who had been developing a concept called Money Frog and became sole owners on city permits in 2025.

While diners have until November 15 for a final bowl of Roti Jala at 1449 E Pine—a corner that previously housed Le Zinc, Shota Nakajima's Naka, Adana, and Plenty of Clouds (opened in 2018) near 2023 arrivals Sakana Sushi and Coché Valley and the closed Stitch Cafe—Kedai Makan's Belltown location in the former Lai Rai space on 1st Avenue (upgraded in 2024) will remain open as the owners explore a possible replacement Capitol Hill site. The move follows other Capitol Hill shifts, including The Jilted Siren closing on Bellevue Avenue in December 2024, Stateside ending service by August 2025, and Skillet closing its E Union diner in November 2025 while keeping its Seattle Center Armory and Sea-Tac Airport spots.

MICHELIN-Recommended Rêve Closes in Birmingham

In Alabama, Hoodline reported that Rêve, Birmingham's only tasting-menu restaurant located at 1821 2nd Ave. N., Ste. 176 inside The Pizitz Food Hall, served its last meal on October 30, 2026. Chef and founder Jacob M. Stull told AL.com reporter Drew Taylor that the French restaurant experienced several months of decline alongside building changes and rising food and ingredient costs, adding that earning a MICHELIN Guide recommendation in November 2025 did little to bring in additional customers.

Rêve began as a pop-up concept in March and April 2024 before opening its permanent brick-and-mortar space in March 2025 and reopening after a June 2026 renovation that added a French Rotisol rotisserie for a Rotisserie Experience. The restaurant offered walk-in bar and booth seating for six-course and ten-course dinners that could last more than three hours and cost more than $165 per person.