Stout Fest, Stout Brownies

Just saw on Pipeworks' Facebook post that it has a new Mexican chocolate stout debuting at Goose Island's Stout Fest next month. I'm all for chocolate stouts, especially Mexican chocolate. I grabbed a few bits of Mexican chocolate from Provenance in Lincoln Square, and it was so much better than the typical gas station chocolate bar. I've never been a huge chocolate fan (i.e., Hersey's), but once I started getting into more artisan chocolates (e.g., Voges), I've been a convert. I can only image what this is going to taste like. It'll include malts, hops, chocolate, whiskey or vodka, cinnamon, cayenne and other goodness.

This brings me to my other topic: stout brownies!

I love brownies. Especially brownies that are nice and soft and warm. Add stout, and then it's like a dream heaven of flubbing around on the couch stuffing myself and trying to keep the unused treadmill out of sight. A good friend pointed me in the direction of a fudge stout brownies recipe on craftbeer.com. This calls for a coffee stout, but something like Pipework's Mexican chocolate stout sounds even better. I mean, it's only 11 a.m. and I'm dying for this right now. It only calls for 1/3 cup, so there will be plenty left over. I'd suggest the Rouge chocolate stout, a Stone stout, or Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout.

This takes me to my last food related item: the Grafton is having a beer and truffle tasting night on March 3. A beer will be paired with a truffle and someone will be on hand to talk about the pairing. Here's a list of what will be available:

• Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Chocolate Truffles 
• Lagunitas Cap Stout with Espresso Bean Truffles 
• Tyranna Rocky's Revenge with Toasted Almond Truffles 
• Bourgogne Des Flanders with Dried Cherry Truffles 

Bourgogne des Flanders with dried cherry truffles? I just found my next meal plan for the rest of the month. I'm all for seeing more pairings like this. You can learn more at Grafton's website. Tickets are $15 before Feb. 26 and $25 after. The Grafton has also expanded its beer and whiskey list, so more reason to hang around afterward. So get going.

Pipeworks Brewing

The best part about the Chicago craft beer scene is that there are so many enthusiasts who are trying to start their own craft breweries. Maybe what Silicon Valley is to technology, Chicago can be for craft beer? The best example I have seen recently is Pipeworks Brewery. It's not even around yet. Basically, it's a couple of guys who want to start their own brewery. Instead of focusing on large batches, the brewery looks to be focusing on small batches at a local brewpub.

What these guys need right now is some money to help get their business running. If Chicago truly wants to be a great craft beer city, then we can give a little to make sure that people that want to open their own brewery can do it. It reflects everything that is great about craft beer: community and experimentation.

 Also, it looks like they might be looking for a place in Garfield Park. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it shows how great Chicago is that these craft breweries are looking all over the city and not concentrating in one hip neighborhood.

You can learn more about Pipeworks Brewing at Kickstarter, where you can check out their story and donate some money. The brewery also has a Web page and a page on Facebook. Show some support and maybe in a year's time we can add another craft brewer to the Chicago scene.