Recent Happenings

There has been a lot of great beer stuff happening around the city. Yesterday I was in Andersonville at an Irish restaurant/pub. The place itself was gorgeous: a library, lots of wood paneling, not too many televisions. It was mid afternoon, but the overall atmosphere was great. What I particularly enjoyed was the craft beer menu. I've noticed this more and more at places, especially around the north side of the city. There was an ample selection of craft beer, and I don't believe a macro brew was even served. It's hard to imagine that in a few short years such extensive beer lists would become common. I recently dined at Fork in Lincoln Square (which has a great burger and summer salad) and it was the same thing. An extensive beer list. Now, a lot of the beers won't be rare or hard to find, but they do fit the bill and offer more selection to pair with a mood, meal or atmosphere. It was a cool late summer day, and my wife and I sat outside. I ordered a Scottish ale, which paired nicely with the crisp weather.

Some other Andersonville news: the Hopleaf is having a dinner Tuesday with the Ancient Ales of Dogfish Head. There will be a variety of beers paired with food. The idea is simple: find old recipes for beers and give them a whirl. It's given Dogfish Head some remarkable beers. Tickets are $75.

Also, you might want to get in on this: Hopleaf is holding a raffle for a five-year vertical of Dark Lord. I haven't had this stuff in years, but it is great. I actually had the fortunate pleasure of being at the first-ever Dark Lord premiere. It was like melted ice cream and there were only about a dozen of us. It certainly has grown over the years. Anyway, you can go to Hopleaf and for $20 get in the raffle. It benefits Kegs for Kids.

Side note: City Provisions on Wilson is going start brewing special beers. You can read more about it at Chicagoist.

MillerCoors Sales Decline

According to bizjournals.com, MillerCoors sales have declined for its crap macro brew section. Now, MillerCoors isn't a craft brewer, but it is based in Chicago. The company's sales for its "craft" beer section increased by double digits. All of its premium and subpremium sections declined. MillerCoors is trying to blame this on the economy, but it looks like there is fundamental shift in drinking habits. I hope this is more writing on the wall for these anti-competitive companies such as MillerCoors. Keep supporting your local beer!

Be Your Own Brewmaster

I saw this place when I was at the Ribfest over the summer, and even though I don't have the space for my own home brewing setup, I was nonetheless completely stoked about the idea of buying a house and setting up my own brewing masterpiece. The Brew Camp store is sort of like a general store for home brewing. Not only do they have all your material goods (e.g., malts, etc.), but they also have knowledgeable people to get novices off the ground. If you're like me, you'll need the help. It's great to see the craft beer movement in Chicago moving from microbrews to people making their own beer. (See the Square Kegs post earlier.) You can read more about Brew Camp at the Center Square Journal.

Make Your Own Beer and Brats

Brewer & Winemaker Supply out of south Chicago is hosting a make your beer and brat even June 25 at noon at the Marriott downtown. It looks like it'll be a lunch and learn, which is an informal gathering to discuss the techniques of making your own beer and brats. Now, I'm sure that making your own beer at home is not too difficult, but making your own brats? Stuffed casings of meat? It'd be interesting enough just to see what they are talking about.

You can find the event at the Brewer & Winemaker Supply's website.

Beer and Cheese Pairing at the Grafton

The Grafton in Lincoln Square is pairing with Provenance to bring a beer and cheese tasting event on June 26. In addition to pulled pork and other culinary delights paired with spirits, there will be a tasting of Hook's Cheese from Wisconsin with Bridgeport Highland Ambush Scotch Ale. There will be live Irish music, too. The Grafton is one of Chicago's greatest little Irish bars that ignores the whole "Chi-rish" crap and focuses on food and drink. Provenance is also a great local store that carefully selects food and drink in a boutique setting. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 the day of the event. You learn more at the Grafton's website.

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.