We look forward to seeing you at Haymarket on October 29.

The Spooky Brew Review winners list is now available here.

Let’s be Frank(lin) – Ben probably never said ”Beer is Proof that God Loves us and Wants Us to be Happy,” and Patrick Henry definitely didn’t say “Give me Liberty, or a Beer would be nice…” And while we’re still waiting for someone to brew a palatable version of George Washington’s small beer (hint: the recipe says hops to taste), thankfully a homebrewer revived Sam Adams’ recipe and one could argue, started a craft beer revolution.

So here we are 236 years later, with the craft beer revolution in full swing, enjoying the fruits of our brewers’ independence and imagination. Join us for Brewed in the U.S.A., featuring a wide selection of American-made craft brews that exemplify the independent spirit that makes our country, and our beer, the greatest!

The event will be held from 1-5 pm on Sunday, July 10 at DANK Haus, 4740 N Western Ave, Chicago. We encourage you to use public transportation to and from the event, and it couldn’t be easier! The venue is located just north (across the street) from the CTA Brown Line station at Western and is convenient to Metra (15 minute walk from UP-N Ravenswood Station). The CTA 49 Western and 81 Lawrence buses can also drop you almost literally at the front door.

Admission is $40 for CBS members, $50 for nonmembers, and includes a tasting glass, BBQ from Smokin’ Woody’s, and American cheeses. As always, anyone who joins CBS when ordering tickets can also pay the member price. Attendees must be 21 or older to attend. Please, no children. No refunds.

To purchase tickets, print out and mail in this form. You can also purchase tickets online (nonmember pricing only) at Brown Paper Tickets. Tickets will also be available at the door.

You are cordially invited to the annual celebration of the American Homebrewers Association’s Big Brew Day. Homebrewers all across the country will be brewing batches of beer at the same time, including some of us. There are even some standard recipes which you are encouraged, but not required, to follow.

Brewers, if you’re planning on coming, contact Randy Mosher so he can save some room.

Of course, the party is mostly non-brewing participants, thank god, as we’d burn down the neighborhood otherwise. It functions as a warped open house event. Doors will be open from 8 am (brewers earlier by special arrangement). As far as food and drink, this is a pitch-in. We usually have a ploughman’s lunch midday, then get the smoker fired up (usually by Joe Preiser, Pitmaster) and eat a hot meat dinner later. We’ll have a grill available as well as the smoker. Don’t show up empty handed. Beer, meat, sides, snacks, and desserts are all welcome.

We will have a big pile of firewood for the firepit. You might bring a lawn chair with you if you care what you sit on.

Date & Time: May 7, 2008 8 am-until Roger leaves.

Location: Chez Mosher-Cline, at 1604 W. Lunt Ave, Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Lunt is 7000 north; that’s 4 blocks from the lake, 2 blocks east of Clark, about a 5 minute walk from the Morse Ave Red Line CTA stop.) 773-973-0240.

For the seventh consecutive year, CBS will be sponsoring Day of the Living Ales, a walk-around real ale tasting featuring the best cask conditioned ales from Chicagoland breweries and some very special guests. We’ll also be serving fine meats, cheeses, and other appetizers to help you consume responsibly.

As always, DotLA will feature the region’s largest selection of real ales (40+ casks), all of them coddled by our own staff of experienced cellarmen, trained in the UK to care for and serve real ale. Remember, a properly served real ale is neither cloudy, flat, nor warm; rather, it is bright, with a gentle carbonation and served at cellar temperature. Accept no substitute!

Attendees will be able to sample the beers and then vote for the 2011 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland. Last year’s winners were:

1. Flossmoor Station Bourbon McElroy Imperial Stout
2. Goose Island Beer Company Oaky Rose Flemish Brown
3. Surly Brewing Darkness

Will a local brewer earn repeat honors in 2011? You decide!

Casks settling at 2010 DotLA

Day of the Living Ales will be held at Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago, over two sessions: 1-5 pm (4:45 last call) and 6-10 pm (9:45 last call). Only 250 tickets per session will be sold. Admission includes a tasting glass, beer samples and appetizers (artisanal meats and cheeses). All attendees must be at least 21 years old. Note: as of January 31, the event is sold out. Please do not call or email, or ask to change sessions, as there are no additional tickets available, and none will be available at the door.

Occasionally some tickets may be made available via our CBS-HB listserv. If you do not already subscribe, you are encouraged to do so.

Thanks once again for your incredible support of this event!

Come out and enjoy the best beers and best foods from Chicago area brewpubs and microbreweries as CBS presents the Chicagoland Brewpub & Microbrewery Shootout for the 13th consecutive year. Sample a bunch of beers and each brewery’s food item and then vote for your favorites (beer, food item, and beer-food combination). Winners will be announced at the end of the event. Support your favorite brewery or brewpub – or discover a new favorite. Either way, you get to taste the very best beer and food that Chicago has to offer.

The Shootout runs from 1-5 pm in the Erin Room at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N Knox Ave, Chicago. An event flyer and ticket order form was mailed to members (valid as of December 1, 2010) in early December. As of Saturday, December 18, orders have been processed and the event is now officially sold out. There will be no ticket sales to nonmembers. If your order arrived after the sellout was reached, your check will be returned. Tickets will be mailed in early January.

If you weren’t lucky enough to score a ticket, your best bet is to monitor our CBS-HB listserv, as occasionally tickets become available due to cancellations.

To our members who we could not accommodate, we are very sorry. We’re still exploring the possibility of expanding the event, but to do so will require a larger venue and the breweries must be amenable to serving a bigger crowd.

Join us at Reza’s Restaurant (432 W Ontario in River North, Chicago) on Saturday, November 20 for the 34th edition of the country’s oldest tasting of commercial beers. This will be a blind tasting to allow you to judge the specially procured beers strictly on their own merit. When the formal tasting ends, all the beers will be available for your enjoyment. There are a limited amount of seats available. Reservations are due by November 13 and pre-payment is required. Everyone must be 21 or older to attend. NO REFUNDS.

Reza’s is renowned for their fine Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cuisine and they’ve prepared a great menu for us that includes:

• Appetizers: Grilled Mushrooms, Baba Ghannouj, Herb Roasted Feta Cheese, Pita and Relishes.
• Entrees: Filet Mignon Shish Kabob, Boneless Breast Chicken Kabob, Shrimp Kabob, Fessenjan (Cornish Hens Simmered in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce), White Rice, Dill Rice and Grilled Vegetables
• Dessert: Baklava and Bameh (Deep Fried Dough Covered with Honey)

Did you know that the Reza’s space was once Chicago’s first brewpub? Sieben’s River North Brewery opened in the same space in 1987 (a year before Goose Island opened on Clybourn) and closed a few years later.  The Berghoff restaurant took over the space and operated its own brewpub there, but it closed in 1993. Don’t get excited by the sight of the mash tun and brew kettle – they’ve long since been disconnected and are purely decorative now. Odd for a Middle Eastern restaurant, to be sure, but perfectly appropriate for the Chicago Beer Society!

Tickets are $45 for CBS members, $55 for nonmembers. As always, nonmembers who sign up for CBS when making reservations get to pay the member rate. Check out the official event flyer for all the tasty details and use the attached form to reserve your tickets. We look forward to seeing you on the 20th!

The Chicago Beer Society emphasizes responsible consumption and recommends public transportation or the use of a designated driver for all our tasting events. Reza’s  is convenient to the CTA (about a 10 minute walk from the Chicago stop on the Brown Line) and Metra, and is also easily accessible by cab. For more details, visit the Reza’s website and hit Click for Directions to River North Location.

After a record number of entries in 2009, our annual Spooky Brew Review homebrew competition tries its luck in Warrenville as we celebrate its 19th consecutive year!

Our host this year will Rock Bottom Warrenville at 28256 Diehl Road in Warrenville, IL, located minutes from the Winfield Road exit on I-88. As usual, SBR will feature judging in all categories of the BJCP Style Guidelines. But a highlight is always the judging of the special Spooky (scariest) and Smashed Pumpkin (Worst of Show) categories, which definitely should not be missed. And for the fourth year in a row, we’ll also include Witches’ Brew, an open category for beer, mead, and cider brewed only by women (and last year was judged by women, too!).

NOTE: All entries for the Spooky and Smashed Pumpkin categories must be drinkable. Anything deemed otherwise by the Competition Committee will be DISQUALIFIED, and that’s very hard to do.

So, please plan on entering, judging, or stewarding Spooky Brew Review 2010. After almost 20 years it’s still here and we’re damn proud of it!

The competition package (including rules & regulations, entry forms, bottle labels, and a style chart) is now available for download here in PDF format. The entry fee is $7 per standard entry (2 bottles) and $2 for Witches’ Brew, Spooky Brew, and Smashed Pumpkin (1 bottle). Entries with fees can be dropped off from October 8-23 at Rock Bottom Warrenville, The Brewer’s Coop in Warrenville, and The Homebrew Shop in St. Charles, Brew & Grew Chicago (Kedzie north of Addison), or at the regular CBS First Thursday gathering on October 7 at Goose Island Clybourn.

Judges and Stewards – we need you! If you are interesting in serving as a judge or steward on October 30, please contact competition organizers Steve Hamburg (stevie @ chibeer.org, 312-401-0513) or Keith Stocker (keith @ chibeer.org, 312-523-7660). All general questions can also be directed to the organizers.