Bells 10000

Wow, I can't believe Bell's has made it to batch 10,000. It seems like only yesterday that I've been seeking the individual batches (with some success) and I can't believe that it's been this long. I think the first one I had was batch 2000. Anyway, Bell's has announced that it has started to package and distribute batch 10000 and we can expect to see some at local Binny's pretty soon. It is an American Strong Ale clocking in at 9.2% alcohol. You can read about it at Rate Beer and check out Binny's website for more information.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

I'm not a big one for spending time tracking down special releases (e.g., Dark Lord Day). I think that the best beer is one that is available and consistent. Hunting down a beer to squirrel away isn't my thing, most of the time. However, there are times when a special beer is released that I salivate over. This time, it is Goose Island's Rare Bourbon County Stout. It's aged for two years in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle whiskey casks. Normally, these beers can be hit or miss, but I have great faith in this. At $45 a bottle, I'm probably not going to be getting my hands on it any time soon, and because it is only a limited run, many others will be wanting. If you're lucky enough, I'd get one to drink during winter this year and then lay the other one down to let it mellow for 2011. Lucky bastards.

Read about it on Chicagoist.

Thanksgiving Beer

Lots of people associate Thanksgiving with turkey and food consumption, but many don't think too much of what they drink. Sure, there's wine and maybe some cocktails and punch; however, too many people think the beer extends only to generic cans to swill during the football games. On a related note, I found this interesting article on the Mercury News website talking about the pilgrims and beer and the whole mythology surrounding it. OK, it's not specifically about Chicago, but what can be better than say sitting down with some good beer sharing a holiday with family or friends? I'm thinking about going with something light beforehand, maybe a cider, and then switching to a Pilsner during the feast, and then maybe a barley wine or a barrel aged beer afterward. Thanksgiving: it's not all about the turkey.

Sunday Morning Webs

It's a gray Sunday morning in Chicago. Time to check out what is happening in the world of beer.

I just came across a Web site for a bar in Chicago called Local Option. Never heard of it before, but I'm definitely going to be checking it out. The draft beer list looks delicious including Brooklyn Cuvee Noire, Founder's Breakfast Stout, Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast and Three Floyds Drunk Monk. While nothing out of this world, the food looks like good pub grub. Once the holiday hubbub quiets down, I think I'll head over for a pint or 10, plus it's right near the Brown line.

Do you like beer? Do you like school? Well, the Map Room is putting on a beer school November 27 that will cover holiday beers. If I had the money, I would definitely be there. The great thing about beer is its seasonality, and learning about holiday beers is a great way to celebrate that. It's $25 Mickey Finn's brew master Greg Browne.

Sure, some people will be out shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving, but why bother with sharp elbows and haggard sales folk when you can get your hands on some rare beers at Binny's across from Goose Island on Clybourn. There will be some Goose Island beers and some other rare treats. Perhaps I'll try to convince the family to skip the socks and head here instead. Hmm.... Read more at Rate Beer.

December 2, head down to Jerry's Sandwiches on Division for a winter beer tasting. Yes, it's Chicago. Yes, it will be cold. All the perfect reason to get some belly-warming winter brews to fight the snow. It's $25 and details are still coming in, but the weather is a good enough excuse to drink as any.

When Does Craft Beer No Longer Independent?

I'm sure you've heard by now the merger of Gordon Biersch and Rock Bottom breweries. (If you haven't you can read about it here.) I've never been a fan of "franchise" brewpubs and this news makes me never want to even come close to entering any of these places.

For the record, the new entity will be called CraftWorks and will include the Gordon Biersch, Rock Bottom and Old Chicago brewpubs. There's going to be something like 200 locations, 12,000 employees and 17 different "brands." To me, it sounds like nothing but opportunism and a chance to cash in on the craft beer movement. If you carefully read the press release, it is liberally sprinkled with those words: craft, made-from-scratch, finest craft beer. Basically, what I'm seeing is that we are getting another type of Bennigans or Applebees on our hands: a place to get Irish nachos or chicken fingers with some watered down version of a cherry tart wheat beer.

As someone that works in marketing and the corporate environment, the press release also shows those telltale marks of leverage, diverse solutions for complex challenges and all the other jargon meant to appease investors, especially Centerbridge, the entity that is putting this all together. It is trying to diversify its position by entering the casual dining and fine dining white tablecloth establishments.

I'm not sure where this will leave everything or what it portends for the future. What I'm guessing is that the pulling together will increase advertisement of these places. Because genuine craft beer is such a small percentage of the overall market, I would say that this merger will siphon more sales away from the larger breweries. It also might provide a good stepping stone for those that are looking to expand their beer pallet. Still, there seems something very corporate about the whole deal, which might continue to dilute the whole craft beer movement (similar to green washing for eco-products; maybe we can call it craftwashing or localsizing or something).

Looking at the menu of the establishments, it looks like a standard suburban bar and grille: lots of fried food with servers wearing flair. Interesting enough there isn't an Old Chicago location in Chicago, and I can't really see anything it has to do with Chicago at all. The beers at Gordon Biersch seem pedestrian. Time will tell.

Visit the CraftWorks site here.

Metropolitan Brewing on Chicago Revealed

I knew that starting your own brewery was hard work, but this video from Chicago Revealed shows just how hard it is. With so much work done by hand, it's amazing how they get their beer out the door. I'm really impressed and amazed at the work and dedication of the people at Metropolitan brewing. Watching this reminds me of the movie Beer Wars and just how much of a battle independent craft brewers have against the big guys. After seeing this, I want to go out and buy as much Metropolitan beer as I can. Keeping jobs in the city of Chicago and encouraging local and small business to experiment and setup shop in the city. Check out the video.

Half Acre: The Beer & The Good Time

Some news from our friends at Half Acre. A new beer is going to be release Friday, November 11. It'll be a "monster" brown beer called Thunder & Son. I've seen this at Half Acre's website. I'd suggest getting there Friday or Saturday. I have a feeling there won't be much of this around for long.

Half Acre doesn't look like it's going to stop with the fall releases. Next week they should be releasing S.S. Simon Short. This is billed as an "earthy" porter. Nothing beats nice, earthy dark beers in the weeks leading up to the dark winter. My fingers are crossed that one day we might get a nice barley wine. Sitting around the fire, in my library swirling a snifter of barley wine from Half Acre. Well, the fire would be a radiator and the library is a shelf of old books, but the beer will really tie the room together.

There's also some mysterious event taking place on December 18. I'm not sure of the details, but it says to keep the date open. If Half Acre beer is involved, I'll keep my whole month open.

Two long days until I can get my hands on some Thunder & Son. I might have to run out for a Daisy Cutter to tide me over.

Cheers!

What You'll Find in the Most Interesting Places

A Google StreetView of C&B Liquors. Great place for craft beer.

There's plenty I like about the neighborhood I live in: walkable, lots of independent shops, great restaurants. However, one of the aspects I appreciate the most is the cultural diversity. From Thai to German to Eastern European to Middle Eastern to Greek to Ethiopian to Indian, the area serves a wide variety of people from various backgrounds. My wife was having a craft party with some friends, and I was sent out to get some libations. What I came across typified the area perfectly: a small, hot liquor/convenience store run by an Indian, next door to a Philippine restaurant and Bosnian photography shop. Even though the place was hot, smelled like incense and could barely fit an adult down the aisle, it had quite a selection of craft beer from local and national breweries. Fit in with Bulgarian wine and macro swill sat Half Acre, Goose Island, Southern Tier, Sierra Nevada, Bells and many more. After years of dealing with Icehouse and Busch Lite at local corner stores, we are finally starting to see good beer filter down, more so than wine. I'm not sure if it's just demand or better distributors, but whatever it is, I welcome it.

Bangers & Lace: A Cicerone Lands in Chicago

Bangers & Lace, a new restaurant opening in Wicker Park, has 32 draft and 68 bottle beers with your own cicerone to help you select the right one for your meal.

The name of the place sums up the concept: sausages and beers. However, this is Cheesehead country, so don't expect a bunch of green-and-gold mustachioed guys eating brats and shotgunning beers. There will be more artisan-style fare such as bacon-wrapped kielbasa skewers, Merguez lamb sausage and feta flatbreads, a Bavarian pretzel with chocolate-stout mustard and desserts that include Black Dog gelato and Hoosier Mama pies. (Black Dog gelato is a great locally produced treat.)

Bangers & Lace will also feature a cicerone, a person that acts like a sommelier but instead of wine, pairs beer with food. The owners seem to want to make the learning of beer as important as the drinking of it. Instead of taking a backseat to the food, the beer will be an integral component. I hope that places such as Bangers & Lace will continue to elevate the idea of beer as a part of a meal that extends beyond take-out pizza and ballpark hot dogs.

Nano-Brewery at American Flatbread in Lincoln Square

Here's something new that I hope takes off. The planned American Flatbread outlet in Lincoln Square, which will serve organic flat breads from locally sourced farms, plans to open a nano-brewery on site to brew small batches of beer. The restaurant, which will sit right off Giddings Plaza, will feature a wood-burning oven made of clay and straw as well as a bar and an outdoor patio.

However, I most intrigued by the prospect of a nano-brewery. I know there are brewpubs that churn out beer (e.g., Revolution Brewing), but the idea of a restaurant-first place that makes small beer to complement its food is something that I think is new to Chicago. From what I can tell, there isn't much difference between a micro and a nano brewery except for the size. For a place that is paying such careful attention to the details and sourcing from local farms, the idea of making beer specifically to fit the food is great. This can only further the idea that food and beer can have a synergistic pairing, just like wine, and break the mold of something to get drunk on or to wash down hot wings. Maybe this will start a new trend in the city of places making their own small batches of beer to go with food or special food offerings.

At first, I was a bit hesitant about a chain coming in, but after learning one of the guys is from Chicago and they will be brewing their own beer and using locally sourced food, I'm becoming more eager to see this place open. If the stories about a nano-brewery turn out to be true, then I'm even more excited for what the Chicago craft beer scene holds.

You can read more about nano-brewing here, and you can read the Center Square Journal article about American Flatbread here.