Half Acre Hike

Now this is a way to get exercise and drink beer. A bevy of Northside bars are having a Half Acre hike. Half Acre, Acre Restaurant, Hop Leaf and Fountainhead will all have Meat Wave on tap. The "hike" will start at Half Acre, head up to Acre Restaurant, go to Hop Leaf and finish at Fountainhead. It starts at 4 p.m. If you don't have to work in the afternoon or late or maybe even get up early this might be just for you. In fact, just take the day and next day off. That's a lot of beer to be drinking and ending at Fountainhead is just begging for a late-night romp (maybe ending at Jerry's?). This is the way it's meant to be done: having a couple of pints, stretching the legs and enjoying a few more. There are a few spots left, so hurry up!

Missing Beer, More Beer

I have a confession: I haven't been drinking as much craft beer as I'd like. It's mostly been due to a lack of funds. Even though craft beer provides a much better experience and supports local business, sometimes the price makes a six pack of craft beer out of reach. This is the classic dilemma: is it possible to create a well crafted beer that is also affordable? Living in Chicago, beers are subjected to a bunch of taxes and an inflated cost. This usually leaves the major macros in a position to undercut craft brewers by offering discounts on volume or by using some other dubious ethical strategies. As much as I love craft beer for what it represents, there is something very bourgeoisie about it. Most craft beer enthusiasts are in the financial place to enjoy the beer, which strikes against the more egalitarian, democratic nature of the movement. There are obvious factors living in Chicago that will always keep prices high. Even if the taxes were lowered, the nature of living in the city will cause a price inflation. Them's the breaks. There's also the issue of quality ingredients, lower volume and attention to detail. Right now, it costs to enjoy craft beer.

So what to do? Implement balance. If you can't afford to be drinking craft beer all the time, it is at least nice to strike a balance between cocktails, wine and craft beer. Drink craft beer when you can. The best time is this coming week. Chicago Craft Beer week is promising to be amazing.

The event at the Garfield Park Conservatory on May 19 looks phenomenal. Alas, tickets are $50, but there are 25 breweries represented and the location is unbeatable. For someone who enjoys sitting in Millennium park during a concert looking at the skyline, the location can pair just as well with a craft beer as cheese and a burger.

May 21 is the Beerfly Alleyfight at Haymarket. I'm still kicking myself for not making it down to this place. I also like the brewery's commitment to literature. In a great literary city like Chicago, it is only natural to combine beer and writing. There will be 10 home brewers combined with artists. Maybe the double IPA John Coltrane Ode or the imperial stout Nelson Red Line. Who knows? 

I've written about this before, but the Chicago History Museum is putting on the Voyage of the IPA on May 22. Learn about the IPA in America while tasting various styles. I love that Chicago likes to combine learning and drinking. Perhaps it's the romanticism or the European influence of the city's history.

An understated beer style is the sour beer. Most people can't stand this. I don't see why! It is so good. Anyway, the Bristol is having a sour tasting night with Goose Island. I'm conflicted about adding Goose Island as it isn't a craft beer but part of a large mutlitnational corporation, so it goes against everything about this blog; however, some of the beers are good and the style is seriously overlooked.

On May 27, the Map Room, the venerable Chicago stalwart, is debuting new beers from 5 Rabbit Brewery, which says it is the first ever Latin microbrewery in the U.S. Honestly, I don't know what that means, but trying new beers debuting in Chicago is always an event.

Keeipng an Eye Out: Microbrewers Self-Distribution Bill Passes Senate

Here's some potentially good news: the Illinois senate passed a bill that will allow microbreweries to self-distribute their own beer. This is good news because it allows small fledgling operations (like Finch and Pipeworks) to get their beer to market in a way that doesn't leverage the current three-tier system against them. The bill still has to go to the house and be signed by Quinn, but it's a good start.

You can read more here and here.

Now This is Just Stupid

Now, I try to keep everything on a craft beer level, but sometimes stupidity just requires to be called out. I came across this press release by Coors that promises to achieve super coldness. Yes, not just cold, but super cold. In case your beer drinking was being negatively impacted by the simple coldness of your beer, Coors has decided to go a step further with a two-stage activation process to make its crappy beer Super Cold!!! Take that summer.

The extent of this is Coors' new incredibly stupid marketing campaign. The beer appears to be exactly the same, but now a new "strip" is added to the label to indicate when it is Super Cold. Coors tries to back this decision up by saying that 70 percent of drinkers put beer in a freezer to get it cold. Of course, it is to get the beer cold, but also in Coors case to get it cold enough to drink. A better strip would be something that said, "Hey this beer sucks warm. Make sure it is at least this cold before you drink otherwise you will hate yourself. Also, if you are not in college or at NASCAR, you should not be drinking this beer at all."

In another case of hell freezing over, Ice Cube (yeah from NWA) is going to be advertising the beer. Really Ice Cube? This might just trump Snoop Dogg shilling for AOL. This is the best Coors can do? Unfortunately, I'm sure there will be a lot of tailgaters all to willing to buy a case because they think a girl in a bikini will come out on some snow-encrusted train.

Good Find from Argentina

Even though I try to focus on Chicago-only beers, I also like to look at beers outside of Chicago that are sold within the city. There is of course many great beers made all over the place, and the great part of the city is that there are more options than the local supermarket or gas station (and believe me, I've lived in places where the local Meijer is the only place to get beer).

I've written about Gene's in Lincoln Square many times, and one of the best aspects of the place is its constantly rotating stock. Some places tend to keep the same types of beer with minimal diversification. It's the same selection every time. This might work when you want something specific, but a place really worth its salt will have typical standbys and different brews to check out. It keeps it fresh and interesting.

Today, I'm working on La Bella Figura's website (an amazing natural beauty line) and to fuel the senses, I stopped at Gene's for some lunch: basically a turkey sandwich (it is much more than that, trust me) and a beer. It's a rainy day, and I'm feeling a bit European, so I thought what the hell. What I picked up was Otro Mundo's Red Ale. It's from Argentina and has a dark roasted malt nose with bright fruit flavors. It's a great find and relatively inexpensive.

There are many great beers to try from all over the world, and one of the best aspects of trying craft beer is the opportunity to travel without leaving your home. Even though I've never been to Argentina, I'm able to have a beer from a part of the world I've never been. It briefly allows me to look into that culture. One of the greatest aspects of traveling isn't just the art or sites, but the food, people and culture. Beer makes up that culture just as much as a restaurant. Drinking this beer, for a moment, makes me feel more connected to the world at large, in a way that drinking Coors or something similar just doesn't.

Half Acre Craft Beer Week

I just came across Half Acre's post about the events it is having during Craft Beer Week. Quite impressive. Highlights include the beer under glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory and the event at the Empty Bottle, where a band called The Growlers will perform and Half Acre will take over the beer lines. There will also be a special tour that ends up at Acre, Hop Leaf and the Fountainhead. Also, in Bridgeport Half Acre and 3 Floyds will partner at Maria's. Arguably the best two brewers in the region in Bridgeport.

I'm loving Half Acre's take on Craft Beer Week. It's keeping in the democratic, everyman spirit of craft beer: keeping it local and artistic. To commemorate Craft Beer Week, Half Acre is also releasing a new beer called Meat Wave. It's going to be an IPA, which is great; however, with a name like Meat Wave, I was hoping for a smoked beer.

Anyway, check out Half Acre's blog for more information about its upcoming Craft Beer Week events.

In addition to Meat Wave, there's another beer that has come out, which honors the greatest known people of earth: gingers. As a natural redhead, I cannot say how important it is that gingers have a beer to call their own. Actually, this Half Acre brew, called Ginger Twin, is an India-style red ale. There is also a discount for gingers, gingers with longshoreman beards, and twins with red hair and longshoreman beards. I'm sans the beard and twin, but maybe I'll head over to get my discount.