Shedd Joins Revolution to Brew 'Penguin Hops' to Lake View

Shedd Aquarium’s commitment to sustainability grows beyond its building walls, where native plants and fresh produce provide shelter for wildlife and snacks for aquarium animals.

Now, tasty hops for craft beer enthusiasts grows in the Shedd Gardens, too, thanks to help from hometown company, Revolution Brewing. North Siders can now raise a glass to the gardens by buying "Penguin Hops," a harvest ale made by the Logan Square brewery using hops grown in the aquarium's sustainable gardens.

Even in Lake View, the tasty suds will be one sale at one popular location. Starting Dec. 7, Lake View residents can swing by Sheffield's at 3258 N. Sheffield Ave. to not only support a local business, but something more.

Craft beer lovers can sip on the brews while supporting a worthy cause, coordinators said. For each pint of Penguin Hops sold, Revolution Brewery will donate $1 to support the aquarium’s global and local conservation initiatives. 

Like many of the 400-plus types of strategically planted foliage surrounding the iconic Chicago building, the aquarium planted the hops a decade ago to be visually pleasing and purposeful, according to a news release.

"The vine-growing plant helped enhance the aesthetic look of some of the building's exterior walls during the marine mammal pavilion’s re-imagination in 2009," it says.

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When Shedd realized the hops needed to be removed in late October, the organization looked for ways to ensure it would not go to waste. On Nov. 2, staff members delivered the harvested hop clusters to Revolution’s brewpub to create a special ale blend.

“Our Shedd Gardens are a labor of love, fueled by our passion for protecting the environment throughout the world and clearly in our own yard,” Christine Nye, Shedd’s manager of horticulture programs, said in a news release. “... We’re excited to partner with Revolution’s brewers to offer a truly local, and flavorful, new taste of our organic practices.” 

The gardens at Shedd are pesticide-free; only using natural compost to build healthy soils and eliminate chemical runoff into local waterways and aquatic systems.

In step with the aquarium’s conservation mission, Nye and her horticultural team created a lush space of native plants that serve as a home, or migration resting place, to many species of birds, pollinators such as butterflies, and other beneficial insects, like bees.

In addition, the fertile soils of the organic gardens cultivated nutritious produce such as parsley, lettuce and zucchini that serve as enrichment food items to many of the resident herbivores and omnivores at Shedd. 

“Water is the No. 1 ingredient in beer” Josh Deth, chairman of the party at Revolution Brewing, said in the release. “With Shedd growing hops on the shore of Lake Michigan, we have a unique opportunity to help the city’s aquarium craft a fun beer and highlight the important work they do.” 

Penguin Hops went on sale Nov. 28 at Revolution's Brewpub, 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave., as well as at its Tap Room, 3340 N. Kedzie Ave.

Beginning Dec. 7, Shedd’s sustainable suds will also be available at:

• Bad Apple, 4300 N. Lincoln Ave. in Northcenter.
• Farmhouse Tavern, 228 W. Chicago Ave. in River North.
• Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St. in Uptown.
• Long Room, 1612 W. Irving Park Road in Lake View.
• LUXBAR, 18 E. Bellevue Place in the Gold Coast.
• Sheffield's, 3258 N. Sheffield Ave. in Lake View.
• Smallbar, 2956 N. Albany Ave. in Logan Square.
• Whole Foods Market, 1550 N. Kingsbury St. in Lincoln Park.