f96h2 CBS Events, Past CBS Homebrew Events

Big Brew Day 2009

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 we rarely follow).

Brewers, if you’re planning on coming, contact Randy Mosher (see phone below) 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. If somebody wants to take charge of Julep fixins, it is Derby Day.

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 2, 2009 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. Also easily accessible from the Metra UPN North line stop (Rogers Park), just a couple of blocks away.

f96h2 CBS Event Recaps

2009 Day & Night of the Living Ales Recap

Day & Night of the Living Ales, the region’s largest celebration of cask-conditioned beers, was held on March 7. Twenty-two breweries from Chicagoland and beyond provided 41 different beers, while 500 attendees sampled the beers over two sessions and cast ballots to decide the 2009 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland.

In very tight balloting, Surly Brewing‘s Tea-bagged Furious  IPA emerged as the repeat champion. Rock Bottom-Yorktown captured second place with its unique ShamRock Stout, while California’s Bear Republic took third with its Apex Imperial IPA.  In addition, the cellar staff (also consulting a list of nominees from the 12-1 professional brewers session) awards an annual Golden Tut Award to the brewery/beer that best exemplifies the overall cask ale experience. Moylan’s Batch #1000 Double Kilt Lifter was chosen for its superior clarity and conditioning.  Congratulations to the champions, and thanks to all the breweries and their brewers for supplying such an outstanding list of beers.

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. To all our devoted members and friends who put in many hours and traveled great distances to help us, we can’t possibly say “thank you” enough!

We also owe a great debt to the Brewers Supply Group for their sponsorship; Marion Street Cheese Market (Oak Park) for their fabulous cheese; Andy’s Deli for the creative meat trays.  Above all, we want to thank John Hall, Greg Hall and Goose Island Beer Company for their unstinting support of the Beer Society over the last 22 years. Goose Island Wrigleyville has been the gracious host of this event every year. Thanks to GI-W’s General Manager Reggie Snead, GI Catering and Special Events Director Sandra Duncan, and all their staff for their help.

Of course, events like this could not take place without the support of our members and guests who buy tickets and attend. Last year we sold way too many tickets than the limited space would comfortably allow.  Many of you spoke up about this and we listened. More importantly, we acted. That’s why we split the event into two sessions and capped ticket sales so we had half the number of people at each session. We’ve already heard some positive feedback, but we know we can always improve, so keep those cards and letters coming.

Cheers!

f96h2 CBS Event Recaps

11th Annual Brewpub Shootout Results

The 11th Annual Brewpub Shootout is over!

There were 12 participants this year (with the area Rock Bottoms pairing up in North/South and East/West teams; two scheduled brewpubs couldn’t make it at the last minute due to extenuating circumstaces) and the usual sellout of some three hundred CBS members. Awards are presented in three categories (Favorite Beer, Favorite Food, Favorite Beer/Food Pairing) , with the top three in each taking home an attractive trophy. The attendees vote and submit their ballots before the event is over and the awards were presented near the end of the event.

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

By the way, the awards as announced at the Shootout were presented as 1,2,3 when they should have been 3,2,1. So, the list below is correct and apologies to all for the mix-up. The 1st and 3rd place plaques will be swapped at the February meeting of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. We promise to be much more careful about this next year!

11th Annual Chicagoland Brewpub Shootout Awards:

Beer
1. Rock Bottom E/W (Chicago & Warrenville)
2. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
3. Rock Bottom N/S (Orland Park & Lombard)

Food
1. Rock Bottom E/W (Chicago & Warrenville) – Seared Kobe Beef Medallions with Andouille Potatoes, Spinach, Balsamic-Chipotle Glaze, Tomato Emulsion and crispy carrots.
2. Gordon Biersch – Ahi Tuna marinated in Sriracha, soy sauce, toasted black and white sesame seeds. Served on a fried wonton topped with namasu.
3. Rock Bottom N/S (Orland Park & Lombard) – Seared Barley-Encrusted Lamb Chop and Porter Marinated Sea Scallop served atop Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro-Lime Pesto and Chipotle Mango Sauce, topped with crispy onion slivers and fried carrot strings.

Pairing
1. America’s Brewing – Bol Le Hautes Terres with Peat Smoked Scotch Ale.
2. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery – Killer Chocolate Silk Tart with Killer Kapowski Baltic Porter.
3. Rock Bottom E/W (Chicago & Warrenville) – Seared Kobe Beef Medallions with Andouille Potatoes, Spinach, Balsamic-Chipotle Glaze, Tomato Emulsion and crispy carrots. Paired with CBS Düsseldorf Alt.

As always, this was a spectacular event. Thanks to all of the Brewpubs, Brewers, Chefs and their Assistants for coming out to support us. And, of course, thanks to our great members who continue to make the Shootout such a popular and enjoyable day.

f96h2 CBS Events

Day & Night of the Living Ales (Sold Out)

For the fifth consecutive year, CBS will be sponsoring the region’s largest celebration of cask-conditioned ales, with some 40 casks of real ale from Chicagoland breweries and some very special guests. As always, this promises to be a big firkin deal for area real ale enthusiasts. Attendees will be able to sample the beers and then vote for the 2009 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland. Last year, Surly Brewing swooped in from Minnesota and nicked the title with their Tea-bagged Furious (Hoppy). Will a local brewer take back the honor in ’09? You decide!

Last year we attracted a record crowd, but it was often uncomfortably crowded. As a result, we’ve split the event into two sessions and limited attendance to only 250 people for each session.

Day and Night of the Living Ales will be held at Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago, over two spirited sessions: 1-5 pm and 6-10 pm (9:45 last call). Admission includes a tasting glass, beer samples and appetizers (artisanal meats and cheeses). You must be 21 or older to be admitted. As of Tuesday evening, March 3, both sessions are now sold out. Thanks!

Thanks once again to all our members and guests for your continuing support of this event. Extra thanks to the Brewers Supply Group for their sponsorship this year.

As always, we recommend that you take public transportation or arrange for a designated driver. Goose Island Wrigleyville is located approximately 2 blocks west of the CTA Red Line Addison station (one-half block south of Wrigley Field). The CTA 22 Clark bus runs past the front door all night; taxis are also an easy option.

f96h2 CBS Events

11th Annual Chicagoland Brewpub & Microbrewery Shootout (Sold Out)

Come out and enjoy the best beers and best foods from Chicago area brewpubs and microbreweries. 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 at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N Knox Ave, Chicago. Tickets are $45 for members, and – due to the overwhelming demand – nonmember tickets will not be available. You must be 21 or older to attend this non-smoking event. NOTE: due to the enormous demand for tickets, the following policy is in effect:

  • An event flyer and ticket order form will be mailed to members only (membership must be valid as of December 1, 2008). Each individual member is allowed to purchase one ticket. Couple members may purchase two tickets. Please do not include orders or requests for additional tickets. Ticket requests must be postmarked no earlier than Monday, December 15th.  Please do not mail your request early. Ticket requests not meeting these criteria will not be honored.
  • Orders will be filled based on postmark date. Once we reach capacity, all unfilled orders will be returned and a sellout will be posted here.
  • If you are unsure of your membership status, please send an email inquiry to membership@chibeer.org (you can use the form on the Contact Us page). If you are not a member, join by December 1, 2008 to be included in the Shootout mailing.

We’re sorry that we have to enforce such strict guidelines, but space is extremely limited and the demand is extremely high. We cannot even guarantee tickets for all our members. Thanks for your unbelievable support for the Shootout. Best of luck with your ticket orders and hope to see you at the IAHC!

As of Monday, December 22, the Shootout is completely sold out. Tickets, or returned checks for orders we were unable to fill, will be sent shortly by postal mail.