Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease. Story courtesy of City's Best.

By Ben Worcester

A few weeks ago, City's Best writer Karen Dybis talked to photographer Michael Hodges about his series of photographs called Unexpected Detroit. This piece introduced me to the growing subculture of artists and photographers who are fascinated with urban decay, not to mention the rather unsavory term of "ruin porn" and all of the controversy surrounding the new artistic genre.

So when I came across this piece on BuzzFeed that presented 75 abandoned theaters from around the country, my eye was caught right away and it wasn't long before I had scrolled all the way through the post. Detroit, as you can imagine, was pretty well represented. Contrary to the criticism surrounding a lot of ruin porn, I didn't find any of the images exploitative. To my untrained eye, they seemed to be celebrating the former glory of the past by finding beauty among the ruins. Take for example the Quo Vadis, a gorgeous and stylish Detroit landmark (designed by World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki), that was torn down recently. In many cases, the photographs are all that's left. Also, they're pretty cool.

But I guess you can decide for yourself. So here are a few examples from photographers around the world of Flickr. I've included MapQuest links for those who want to go check out the areas for themselves, though not everything is as it was. The Eastown was recently gutted by fire and the Duke Theater was also razed to the ground. If these images whet your appetite, you should definitely check out Buildings of Detroit and Water Witder Wonderland for a much more thorough experience.

]]> Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:32:09 EDT 851306 Anheuser-Busch will purchase the company for around $39 million. The craft beer community has understandably been concerned today about what this means for the future of the critically acclaimed brewery.

It's not like this should come as a real shocker. Goose Island has been partnered with the Craft Brewers Alliance for several years now, and Anheuser-Busch has a 32.25% stake in the organization. Only now, it's 100% -- Goose's founders and investors will get around $23 million for their 58 owned by CBA will be acquired for $16 million.

On the positive side, Budweiser dollars mean that Goose Island will now be able to bring its brews to the palates of more beer lovers around the country. But what has most people concerned is the departure of head brewmaster Greg Hall. With the main man heading for an advisory role, what does this mean for the flavor Goose Island's beers? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

But if you're an outraged craft beer fan in Chicago and think that Goose Island has sold out, here are some alternative local choices you can hit up in protest.

Revolution Brewing: With former Goose Island brewer Josh Deth leading the team, it's no wonder this brewery hit the ground running. Revolution Brewing creates 35 different beers throughout the year, including current spring beers like the Village Green English Bitter and the Willie, a Scottish ale made with cherrywood smoked malt that was no doubt named after a certain groundskeeper.

Half Acre: In just five short years, this local brewer has moved from its modest beginnings into a fully functional brewing facility, where they've been since 2009. Surf around their Web site a bit and it's clear that Half Acre knows a thing or two about good aesthetics -- an attention to detail that they bring to brews like the Ginger Twin India Red Ale and their classic, the Half Acre Lager.

Metropolitan Brewing: The native Chicagoans at Metropolitan Brewing are proud of their beer. So much so that they've each got a bio page on their Web site, which also has nifty Google Maps mashups of where you can find their beer on-premise and off-premise. The brewery is located in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor of Chicago, where they are happily producing beers like the Krankshaft Kölsch and Flywheel Bright Lager.

Three Floyds: Founded by brothers Nick and Simon Floyd and their father Mike, Three Floyds has been bottling unique brews out of Indiana since 1996. Grab a six pack of Alpha King or Gumball Head (our favorite) at Whole Foods or go by the bottle at one of the many area bars and that carry the stuff. If you're a true devotee, splurge on a ticket to the sold out Dark Lord Day on Stubhub and make the trek up to Munster, Ind. for this brew that is only available one day each year.]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:41:24 EDT 841990