Michael Kiser, writer and photographer

I grew up working in restaurants and factories, studied fine arts and poetry at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and currently work as a design and innovation consultant. And somehow all this blends into a love for craft beer — its aesthetics, culture and rustic passions. 

Originally from Pennsylvania, I'm one of the lucky ones that always had a craft alternative in Yuengling Lager — or as we call it back home: lager. Since moving to Chicago almost 10 years ago, I've been fortunate to see the nation's craft beer movement explode first-hand. Few cities in the country have the range in beer styles, rich brewing history and sheer determination to work hard and build an industry like Chicago does. And I get to document this radical transition and help export its culture around the world. 

I've been all over the US, to craft-centric places like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Boulder. I've been back east to Philadelphia, Central Pennsylvania and New York. And I've been all over the Midwest, up into Wisconsin and Minnesota, west into Illinois proper, and I've worn a path to Michigan and back more times than I can count. But I've also been overseas in search of great beer experiences, most recently Portgual, South Korea and Sweden where a completely different set of circumstance and influences create unique craft beer cultures we'd barely recognize, but have certainly inspired. 

I hope you join me on the hunt. Check out the shop for prints of my favorite photographs, publications and more. And if you'd like to talk about a collaboration or project, I'd love to chat. 

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