keeping together collage
Tom Gustafson CBS Events, General CBS News

First Thursday: Keeping Together Edition ft. Averie Swanson

In light of the social distancing measures necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, we are once again going digital for this month’s First Thursday meetup. Join us online at 7pm on Thursday September 3rd to see a few friendly faces & chat about beers we’re enjoying during these crazy times… This month will feature a very special guest; Averie Swanson.

Averie is a beer lover and mixed fermentation enthusiast. She is the Founder and Beermaker of Keeping Together in Chicago, IL, and co-owner and former head brewer of Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX. Averie is one of nineteen people to have earned the certification of Master Cicerone®, and is recognized world-wide for her contribution to farmhouse brewing.

Averie will join us for a tasting & discussion of her two most recent releases:

At the Still Point of the Turning World
Saison made with Buckwheat and Rye | 5.6% abv

I Am Because We Are
Lavender-smoked Saison with Honey | 5.7% abv

Both of these are available for online ordering and curbside pickup at Half Acre’s Lincoln Avenue taproom. Get those orders in ASAP if you’d like to taste along with us as we discuss these truly remarkable beers from an incredibly talented recent addition to the Chicago brewing scene.

We’ll get things going around 7pm so place your orders, pick up the beers, and join us for what is sure to be a great discussion.

cheers!

JOIN MEETING –> chibeer.org/keepingtogether

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Tom Gustafson General CBS News

2020 Events Update

Greetings,

We are writing today to provide an update on the remaining events we had in the works for 2020.

The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented situation for all of us. Due to the (necessary) restrictions in place to prevent further spread of the virus large gatherings have been banned which makes it impossible to host our typical slate of in-person events.

We’d been holding out hope that things might take a dramatic turn for the better but recently received official word from the Cook County Forest Preserve that all remaining 2020 permits for more than 50 persons have been canceled, which unfortunately means that the 2020 Umpteenth Annual picnic will not happen.

In addition to the Picnic, we’ve also been forced to cancel Hazy Days of Summer (July), Spooky Brew Homebrew Competition (October), and the annual Fall Tasting (November). We are beyond disappointed that we won’t be able to gather with everyone over the coming months, but  there isn’t much we can do until the situation improves enough for Illinois to enter Phase 5 or restrictions around the phases are relaxed.

We understand that many of you look to these events, particularly the annual picnic, as the primary reason for your membership. We also understand that times are tough financially right now. With all of this in mind, anyone who would like a refund for a membership renewing between March 2020 – March 2021 can request it by forwarding the PayPal receipt (must include the transaction ID) for their renewal to covidrefund@chibeer.org. Requests sent to other addresses might not get processed.

NOTE: this will NOT cancel your membership – it simply provides the option for a one-time refund of membership fees as recompense for fewer events happening this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are exploring possibilities for virtual events and will keep everyone updated should those plans come together, but either way we hope to be back with more amazing events sometime in 2021.

Thank you for your support.

Stay safe,
Chicago Beer Society

Tom Gustafson General CBS News

CBS | Covid Brewery Support

We’re writing today with a simple update. As many of you already know, our beloved local brewing industry is being hit hard by the limitations enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19, and our favorite spots need all the support they can get to make it though this crisis.

With that in mind we’re calling on the entire CBS community to do what they can to help by making purchases directly from breweries. Even with patios & outdoor areas reopening soon in parts of the state, capacity will be limited and the volume of draft/keg sales will be a fraction of what they used to be. This means that packaged beer sold directly to customers will continue to be one of the best lifelines for many brewers as we wait for things to get back to some semblance of normal.

Below is a list of resources detailing online ordering links, virtual tip jars for brewery & taproom staff, opening hours, contact info, and more for many local breweries.

For over 40 years “CBS” has been a simple acronym for “Chicago Beer Society” but right now let’s help it represent Covid Brewery Supportby visintg these links and placing an order (or three)!

We can’t wait until we’re able to see you all once again out in the real world (preferably bellied up to the bar at a taproom) but until then, cheers and stay safe.

Chicago Beer Society

Tom Gustafson CBS Events, General CBS News

2020 DAY of the LIVING ALES!

BUY TICKETS NOW

The national drink of Great Britain, cask conditioned ales have been served for centuries. Before brewers fell in love with artificial carbonation and filtering, beer was naturally conditioned by yeast in the cask, and served at a temperature warm enough to actually taste the beer. A properly served cask ale is neither cloudy, flat, nor warm; rather it is bright, with a gentle carbonation, and served at cellar temperature.

Sample a vast array of different beers at our walk-around tasting featuring the best cask conditioned ales from Chicagoland breweries and specially selected guests. Food will be available for purchase.

>>> NEW FOR THIS YEAR: CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE! <<<

During the afternoon session Hook’s Cheese, Mineral Point Wisconsin, will sample one of its blue cheeses, a sheep milk Gouda, a mixed milk number called Triple Play, and Hook’s classic 5-year-old cheddar.

For the evening session, Dave Phillips of Cheese and Cheers (and an active member of the Chicago Beer Society) will sample a specially-curated selection of cheddars, blues and odd styles that pair well with cask beer. All the cheeses will be available for purchase at Potash Markets State Street, where Phillips spends his days running the chain’s gourmet cheese department.

Casks are handled by the Chicago Beer Society’s own experienced cellarmen, trained in the UK to care for and serve real ale. Attendees will vote on their favorites to crown The Champion Real Ales of Chicagoland for 2018!

Admission includes souvenir tasting glass, program & beer samples. All ticket sales and sessions chosen are final. All beers will be available for both the afternoon and evening sessions.

Participating Breweries:

All Rise
Alter
Around the Bend
Burning Bush
Church Street
Dovetail
Finch Beer Co
Goose Island Clybourn Brewhouse
Goose Island Fulton Street
Hailstorm
Half Acre
Haymarket
Hopvine
Illuminated Brew Works
Imperial Oak
Lake Effect
Metropolitan
Noon Whistle
Off Color
On Tour
Open Outcry
Prairie Street
Revolution
Roaring Table
Rock Bottom Chicago
Rock Bottom Orland Park
Rock Bottom Warrenville
Rolling Meadows Farm Brewery
Sketchbook
Spiteful
Tighthead
Two Brothers
Urban Renewal
Werk Force

*Note that sometimes beer gets spilled. Brewery participation is subject to change based on factors beyond our control.

Tom Gustafson CBS Events, General CBS News, Other Beer Events

“First” Thursday: Bourbon County Vertical Edition

NOTE: due to the first Thursday in January being so close to New Year’s day, we are shifting this “First” Thursday meetup to the second Thursday – January 9th @ Goose Island Clybourn.

You are invited to come out to our monthly meeting to share your homebrew, get critical feedback, and sample other fine beers.

For the January meetup we are coordinating a crowd-sourced vertical/horizontal tasting of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout including any & all of its wonderful variants. To help keep things organized, we’ve set up a spreadsheet where attendees are encouraged to indicate which of the variants they will be able to contribute.

SPREADSHEET: https://bit.ly/2YjYzAg

NOTES:

-Contributions not required for participation, but we appreciate all the help we can get in putting this together, so if you’ve got something to share, please do.

-For smaller 12oz bottles, we are aiming to have 2 of each so that there are samples for more attendees

-While we most likely will not complete the full vertical/horizontal, we’re hoping that with help from our attendees & friends we can put together a strong lineup, so dig through those cellars, fill out the sheet, and get ready for some good times!

Many attendees arrive around 7pm for beer & food at the bar with the meetup/tasting officially getting going by around 8pm.

RSVP HERE

See you There!