Square Kegs Club

Lincoln Square is upping the ante in the craft beer wars raging throughout Chicago. The Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce is hosting an inaugural craft beer event at the recently opened Red Lion Pub on Rockwell. At the event, the Square Kegs Club, Lincoln Square's home brewing club, will educate people about craft beer and how to make it at home. Even if you don't plan on making beer at home, this is a great opportunity to meet with other beer enthusiasts and learn about what you are actually drinking and how it is made.

My only foray into making more own beer at home happened about 12 years ago when I bought a make-it-at-home kit from Borders. I think it had some yeast or something that you had to put in a bottle of water and let it sit for a couple of weeks. I used some old Grolsch bottles. After letting it sit in the basement in the dark, I went to open the beer. Two of the bottles exploded. One of the bottles had some type of thick yeasty gloop. So, the moral of the story is go to the Square Kegs club at the Red Lion pub.

The event takes place Thursday, March 10, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Donations are $10 before and $15 at the door.

Beer Map for Christmas

Finally, a practical map every craft beer lover can use. From Chicago Beer Map, we get an illustrated map showing some of the great craft beer bars in Chicago: Hop Leaf, Sheffield's, Delilah's. Say you're out on the town drinking several beers and want to now where to go next. Take out your handy map and find the closest beer bar. There are a couple of places that could be included, but it's a good start.

You can buy the map here.

The Grafton

The Lincoln Square and Ravenswood areas are quickly becoming the haven for craft beer in Chicago. This past weekend, my wife and I had a successful run at Waters Elementary's craft fair, and to celebrate, we went to the Grafton to get some food, enjoy some beer, watch the snow fall and sit by the fire. The Grafton's always had a decent beer selection and good food, but when I got the menu, I was blown away by how much craft beer was on tap--especially the winter beers. I ordered a Brown Sugga, which at 9 percent alcohol was what I needed on a winter's day in Chicago.

With the Foutainhead, Bad Apple, and now the Grafton, there are more and more places that are selling not only craft beer, but also harder to find and more specialized craft beer. The Fiddlehead Cafe, which is on Lincoln and is soon to be rebranded, also boasts more than 100 beers (I haven't been in.) The new flatbread restaurant coming to the square in 2011 also boasts it will have a microbrewery on site. I'm not sure if this is just some flash in the pan or a conscious effort among the people in this area to seek out great beer, but it is a welcomed change over the swill usually found at typical sports bars or faux-Irish pubs. Perhaps with Half Acre selling out of its winter event so fast, we can safely say there is a foundation of support that will encourage other small brewpubs and beer bars to enter into the area. I'd like to hear what some owners of these places think, what drives them to keep offering new and exciting beers. My next push is to get some good cask offerings in the area.

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.

Drinking Wake of the Flood

Stopped by Half Acre on Saturday and it was crowded with people picking up growlers for the weekend. I actually stopped at Bad Apple, which is across the street, to have a beer and wait for the crowd to thin out. If you haven't been to the Bad Apple, I highly suggest it. There are a lot of great beers on tap and in bottle. I had Stone's Sublimely Self Righteous Ale. A great dark IPA. I'm personally very happy that Stone has finally found its way to the Chicago market. If you have a chance, stop by the Bad Apple, grab some good craft brews and food, and then head over to Half Acre for a growler.

Now to the beer: I picked up a growler of Half Acre's Wake of the Flood. This newly released beer is designed for the fall harvest season, and it works. Full of grain and balanced with hops, this slightly tarnished brass colored beer is chewy and thick and perfect for an October night or afternoon (or morning for you adventurous folk). It's smooth and easy to drink. I hope this continues a great trend of Half Acre making seasonal beers.