Chicago Beer Society

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.

Day of the Living Ales, the region’s largest celebration of cask-conditioned beers, was held on March 5. Twenty-six breweries from Chicagoland and beyond provided 44 different beers, while 500 attendees sampled the beers over two sessions and cast ballots to decide the 2011 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland.

The winners:

1. Goose Island Beer Company Skully (saison aged in oak barrels with fresh strawberries, honey, and Champagne yeast)
   
2. Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
   
3. Three Floyds Zombie Dust

In addition, the cellar staff awards an annual Golden Tut Award to the brewery/beer that best exemplifies the overall cask ale experience. The winner for 2011:  Firestone Walker Double Jack Double IPA.

Congratulations to the champions, and thanks to all the breweries and their brewers for supplying such an outstanding list of beers. Take a look at the event program to see what was featured.

DotLA/NotLA could not take place without our great volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Any beer event requires a lot of effort, but the logistics of a cask event are even more complex. And everyone who organized, set up/broke down, stillaged, spiled, tapped, served, sold, etc. was an unpaid volunteer. Many put in many hours and traveled great distances to help us – they all deserve your thanks.

We also owe a great debt to our sponsors, the Brewers Supply Group, Cicerone Certification Program, and Owen & Engine. Thanks also to Goose Island, Marion Street Cheese Market, the Cellars at Jasper Hill, and Gene’s Sausage Shop & Deli for the great selection of appetizers, meat & cheeses. Goose Island Wrigleyville has been the gracious host of this event every year. Thanks to all GI-W staff for their assistance during the planning and functioning of this event, especially to manager Daria Olechowski.

Of course, events like this could not take place without the support of our members and guests who attend and make DotLA so much fun. The two sessions sold out in record time and proved once again that the passion for real ales is growing every day.

Cheers!

The usual sellout crowd of approximately 300 CBS members attended the latest, greatest, and luckiest (13!) edition of our annual Brewpub Shootout at the Irish American Heritage Center‘s Erin Room on January 22.

There were 14 participants, including our area’s newest brewpub,  Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Awards were presented in three categories (Best Beer, Best Food, Best Beer/Food Pairing) , with the top three in each taking home an attractive trophy. The attendees cast their ballots and the awards were presented near the end of the event.

Talk about making a statement: Haymarket wasted no time by earning an award in each of the three categories. Flossmoor Station and Gordon Biersch Bolingbrook were also very impressive, both grabbing two awards. The other two prizes were won by Revolution Brewing (1st place pairing) and the Rock Bottom North/South team (Lombard, Orland Park). Congratulations, all!

To see what you missed, check out the program (PDF) listing all of the featured beers and pairings.

13th Annual Chicagoland Brewpub Shootout Awards:

Beer
1. Haymarket Pub & Brewery
2. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
3. Rock Bottom North/South – Lombard & Orland Park

Food
1. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
2. Gordon Biersch, Bolingbrook
3. Haymarket Pub & Brewery

Pairing
1. Revolution Brewing Company
2. Haymarket Pub & Brewery
3. Gordon Biersch, Bolingbrook

As always, this was an unbelievable event. Thanks to all of the Brewpubs, Brewers, Chefs and their Assistants for making this possible; to the staff at the IAHC for their assistance;  and, of course, thanks to our great members who continue to make the Shootout one of the best beer events in the world.

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.

Approximately 120 members and guests attended the 34th Annual Fall Tasting & Dinner at Reza’s Restaurant. A whopping selection of 18(!) craft beers were available for all to sample in our now-standard walk-around format. Then, after careful evaluation, attendees cast ballots  for the top beers  in both session beer and strong beer categories. After such exhausting work, Reza’s family-style dinner was a welcome respite!

The 2010 winners were:

Strong Beers
First place: Two Brothers Brewing Co. Cane & Ebel Rye IPA
Runner up:  Goose Island Beer Co. Dominique Belgian-Style Sour Oak-Aged Pale Ale

Session Beers
First place: Revolution Brewing Co. Iron Fist IPA
Runner up: Goose Island Brewpub Schwarzbier

Filling out the rest of the impressive field were (in alphabetical order):

• Arcadia Brewing Co. Panama Red (thanks to Map Room)
• Bear Republic Brewing Co. Apex (thanks to Map Room)
• Crown Brewing Co. Crown Brown
• Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works Belgian Sour Wheat Beer
• Flatlander’s Restaurant and Brewery Buster’s Brown Ale
• Flossmoor Station IPA
• Flossmoor Station Marzen
• Lakefront Brewery Holiday Spice Lager
• Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. Big EddyRussian Imperial Stout
• Metropolitan Brewing Dynamo Copper Lager
• Mickey Finn’s Brewery Scotch Ale
• Revolution Brewing Co. Skara Brae Scotch Ale
• Rock Bottom Chicago Belgian-style Dubbel
• Rogue Ales John John Hazelnut Barrel-Aged Brown Ale

CBS thanks all of the brewers, distributors, and taverns who made such a great selection possible; the board members and volunteers who solicited those donations and helped tap the beers; and especially event organizers Brad Reeg and Brian Turner for all of their work behind the scenes.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Chicago Beer Society Spooky Brew Review Homebrew Competition. After a record number of entries last year, we had a solid but much more reasonable 274 entries this year – still quite an impressive showing for the 19-year-old Little Homebrew Competition that Could.  We also had many new participants this year – brewers, judges, and stewards – and we really appreciated your support. Next year we plan to return to the city limits, to the new Haymarket Pub & Brewery.  It will be a blast!

Of course, that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a great time in The Loft at Rock Bottom Warrenville this year. Banquet manager Kelly Montelo couldn’t have been more supportive, not only taking care of the room setup and beer/food logistics, but also tending bar during our stay and even helping judge our women-only Witches’ Brew category. Thanks a lot! We also had great support from brewer Davin Bartosch and his assistant brewer, Dave Fairbanks (who also entered an English IPA in our competition). RB Warrenville serves excellent beers and has a tasty menu, so make sure to visit them often.

But now let’s cut to the chase: the winners.

Daryl Hoedtke of Chicago and CBS captured Best-of-Show with his Orval clone (“Lavro”),  while Justin Klink of Bloomingdale capped an impressive sweep of the American Ale and India Pale Ale categories by also earning Runner-Up BOS with his IPA.

The Witches’ Brew attracted fewer entrants, but the highest quality, as Kate Jones from CBS and Eileen and Heather Uchima from UKG were the outstanding co-champs. On the Spooky side, multiple winner Calvin Rowland (UKG) showed a creative streak with his astounding Litter Box, while Crazy Ron Stazuk’s streak of incredibly foul Smashed Pumpkin victories was ended on a DQ (OK, we were sick of just the smell of his entries). Instead, the judges recovered from their apoplexy and awarded the traveling trophy (a 15-year old burst can of malt extract and a “Mr. Beer” kit) to Daniel Dugan’s “Scary Cherry Sludge.” The complete results are available here.

Thanks to all entrants, judges, and stewards, and special thanks to our crew – Chief Steward and Cellar B*tch Luann Fitpatrick; Art Director and master factotum Zemo Holat; Beer Registrants Joe Preiser, Jeff Sparrow, Matt Mayes, Meg Rutledge, and Mark Staelgraeve. Finally, a special nod to Lu, Joe, and Ed Bronson for their extraordinary beer disposal skills at the end of a very long day.

See you next Halloween!

Cheers,

Steve Hamburg and Keith Stocker, Organizers

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.

The results are in from the latest food, beer, and fun-filled picnic that was attended by another record crowd. Here is the rundown on total entries:

Salsa: 34
Chili: 23
Ribs: 10
Other Meat: 13
Dessert: 26

The Winners:

Ribs – Popular Vote
1. BBQ-tioners (#6)
1. Bogyo’s Mojo (#7)
3. Pigsiclicious (#2)

Ribs – Blind Judging
1. BBQ-tioners (#6)
2. Zemo Holat (#9)
3. Dan Luksetich (#8)

Chili – Popular Vote
1. Thomas Griffin (#12)
2. Dmitry Shub (#15)
3. Jason Arrigo (#6)

Other Meats – Popular Vote
1. Fish Team (#52)
2. Pigsiclicious (#51)
3. Planet Tim (Norris) (#56)

Salsa – Popular Vote
1. Linda Maher (#24)
2. Bryan Welsh (#7)
3. Dori Kaminski (#21)

Dessert – Popular Vote
1. John Warnik (#3)
2. Livia Glatz (#13)
3. Lowell Defrance (#19)

Thanks to all who prepared food, donated beer, set up, broke down, and cleaned beer taps and lines, schlepped kegs and/or soft goods, coordinated the competitions, DJ’d, checked in members and guests, and did whatever else was necessary to pull off such a major undertaking. Above all, we thank all our members and guests for taking part in one of the best beer and food events in the region.

We know we can always improve our events and thank everyone who has taken the time to offer suggestions here, on the listserv, and in emails. You can be certain that the Board will address your concerns and ideas to assure that the CBS Picnic remains a great time for all who attend.

Congrats once again to the winners! See you next year.