Dario The Dark Don

Dario Daddano’s path to fame and fortune had not always been an easy one. To rise to be the undisputed head of the Chicago Outfit required a great deal of tactical skill and smooth talk. And when that was not enough Dario was known and feared for letting his Thompson Annihilator do the talking – 900 rounds a minute. His temper was known to be as dark as his Calabrian complexion. However, very few people knew that prohibition had ignited an interest in Dario. An interest only his wife Marianna and a handful of his closest family members knew of: Dario had started home brewing. In the club with the boys he would be drinking Canadian moonshine, but he missed his beer terribly. Also, he was growing tired of the mobster life with its constant quarrels. So, when a Ukrainian friend from an associated gang told him about a style of beer that he used to drink back in his cold and miserable country, Dario was instantly curious. A beer designed to be rich and warming for those bone chilling Kharkiv winter nights. So, in the kitchen of Dario’s South Side Mansion, this unlikely duo happened to create what was probably the first Ukrainian Imperial Stout ever brewed in Chicago. A beer so rich, powerful and delicious that it simply could not be kept a secret for long. Quickly thereafter Dario retired as Don, only happy to pass on responsibilities. Instead he opened Daddano & Dadolnikov Brewing Company with his Ukrainian friend; thus effectively being one of the true pioneers of American craft brewing.