Big Brew Day

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 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 3, 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.

Night of the Living Ales IV – Sold Out

For the fourth consecutive year, CBS will be sponsoring the region’s largest celebration of cask-conditioned ales, Night of the Living Ales. This event will feature around 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 select the 2008 Champion Real Ale of Chicagoland. Past champions have been Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Flossmoor Station X-IPA, and Three Floyds Admiral Lord Nelson. Who will win in 2008? It’s up to you!

NotLA IV will be held at Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago, from 6-10 pm (9:45 last call). Tickets are $35 for members, $40 nonmembers, purchased in advance. Admission includes a tasting glass, beer samples, and appetizers (artisanal meats and cheeses; Goose Island grub). You must be 21 or older to be admitted. As of February 17 we are now completely sold out. Thanks once again to all our members and guests for your continuing support of this event. Extra thanks to the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy and 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.

10th 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 $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers (if any are 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:

  • Only current members as of December 1, 2007 can order tickets (1 ticket per single member; 2 tickets for couples) from December 12 through the end of the year. Requests for multiple tickets 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 tickets are still available after this exclusive members-only offer, a PDF order form will be posted here on January 2, 2008. Again, nonmember or additional member orders will be processed based on postmark date. Nonmember orders sent prior to January 2 (assuming tickets are still available) will be returned.

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 31, the Shootout is completely SOLD OUT. We were able to sell all available tickets via our exclusive offer to our members. To increase your chances of getting a ticket in the future, join CBS!

Occasionally a few tickets may be available as current ticket holders run into last-minute conflicts. Please monitor the CBS-HB listserv, as this is typically where people announce that they have some available.

First Thursday

CBS First Thursday is back and better than ever – and back to our roots.

Moving forward, our monthly First Thursday gathering will focus on homebrewing, brewing topics and other subjects relevant to homebrewing and the local Chicago beer community. We will continue to be a forum for local homebrewers to share their labors and receive input from those who love beer as much as they do.

We will convene in the cellar room (downstairs from the main bar) or the Siebel Room (just inside the parking lot entrance) at Goose Island Clybourn at 7:30, with a presentation starting at 8:00. Please bring a homebrew or two to share with the group and receive comments and insights from fellow homebrewers and esteemed CBS members. As always, guests are welcome.

Here’s our upcoming schedule of guest speakers and/or special First Thursday events:

  • Jan 2nd, 2014 – Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Vertical
  • March 6th, 2014 – (GI Clybourn)  – Ray Daniels will joining us to speak about “Balance and Carbonation in Recipe Formulation” 
  • June 5th, 2014 – (GI Clybourn) – This month, our guests will be the crew from a new local startup brewery, Rude Hippo Brewing company.
  • July 10th, 2014 – (GI Clybourn) – Please note the date change.  This month we will be hosting First Thursday on the second Thursday of the month due to the holiday.

The Goose Island Brewpub is located at 1800 N Clybourn, Chicago. Closest CTA stops are North/Clybourn (Red Line) and Armitage (Brown Line). Cabs are easily available on Clybourn Avenue.

Third Wednesday – Map Room

Come and join fellow CBSers for great beer and camaraderie at one of Chicago’s premier beer bars, where there’s always a great atmosphere and an astute beer selection.

Cruise by for some after-work relaxation, and bring your CBS membership card to get $1 off non-discounted draft and bottled beers (discount does not apply to beers priced $4 or less). This informal gathering begins around 6:00 p.m. By the way, your CBS discount is available every day at Map Room, not just Third Wednesday. Just make sure to show your membership card when you order.

Map Room is located at 1949 N Hoyne Ave (SE corner of Armitage and Hoyne), in Chicago. It’s about a 10-minute walk from either the CTA El stop at Western (Blue Line) or the Metra Union Pacific North and Northwest station at Clybourn Junction. The CTA 73 Armitage bus stops virtually at the door and the 50 Damen bus is one block to the east, but neither runs very late. Cabs are always plentiful on Armitage Avenue.