collage of photos featuring bar area and brewery equipment

45th Annual Fall Tasting & Dinner

Sunday December 4th 2022 | 4pm – 8pm

Double Clutch Brewing Company
2121 Ashland Avenue
Evanston, IL

This year’s tasting will be our 45th — one of the oldest and longest running beer events in the country!

For the 2022 edition, we are planning for a truly special evening at Double Clutch Brewing Company, who’ve just returned from the Great American Beer Festival carrying not only two medals, but also the title of Small Brewery of the Year!

(cbs member pre-sale now live, general admission tix avail Friday 11/4/22 @ noon)

Attendees will participate in a blind tasting of over a dozen Chicagoland craft beers before voting on their favorites. This allows the specially procured beers to be judged strictly on their own merits. When the blind portion of the tasting ends, the beers will be revealed and will remain available for your continued enjoyment, so feel free to go back for repeated samples of all of your favorites!

Our menu for the evening features a variety of mouth-watering options from the talented kitchen team at Double Clutch:

APPETIZERS

  • House Salad
  • Humus Platter
  • Bruschetta
  • Charcuterie

ENTREES & SIDES

  • Beef Sliders
  • Amish Wings
  • Portabella Mushroom Sandwiches

SWEETS:

  • Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Mexican chocolate Cookie

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Capacity is limited and we expect this event to sell out, so don’t hesitate – secure your spot ASAP!

CBS Members may now purchase up to 4 tickets at the discounted member rate, and any remaining tickets will become available to the general public at noon on Friday November 4th.

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THE FINE PRINT:

  • 21+ to attend. No children. No refunds
  • Ticket includes a souvenir tasting glass + all food and beer
  • Chicago Beer Society recommends using ride share or public transportation for all our events
  • Imbibe responsibly; anyone who is visibly intoxicated or causing problems for themselves, attendees, or event staff may be asked to leave

44th Annual Fall Tasting & Dinner Recap

The 2021 Edition of our annual Fall Tasting & Dinner (our 44th!) was, as always, an enjoyable and enlightening event. Massive thanks to the brewers for providing us with so much delicious beer, all the attendees, our hosts Old Irving Brewing, and especially to their hard working staff who helped keep the food flowing and our plates full throughout the evening.

Thanks again – we’ll see you in 2022 for the 45th Fall Tasting!

BLIND TASTING WINNERS

CHAMPION: #15 – Old Irving ‘Grizzly Reaper’ Imperial Milk Stout 
FAVORITE: #2 – Duneyrr ‘Sauvyn Blanc’ Hybrid Ale
FAVORITE: #10 – Printer’s Row ‘Cannonball’ Robust Porter

FULL BEER LIST

BREWERYBEERSTYLEABV %
1) DovetailHefeHefeweizen4.8
2) DuneyrrSauvyn BlancHybrid ale Co-fermemted with Sauvignon Grape Must & Passionfruit5.5
3) OrkenoyBowski HamlinGolden Amber Lager4.5
4) Half AcreSouthern Hemi Double Daisy CutterDouble Pale Ale7.7
5) MetropolitanArc WelderDunkel Rye5.2
6) Midwest CoastEnglish Sporting BeerEnglish Pale Ale5.3
7) Cruz BlancaThree KingsHoliday Punch Ale8.5
8) Casa HumildeCampesinoSaison aged in Cabernet barrels4.7
9) MaplewoodCrushinatorSession IPA4.5
10) Printers RowCannonballRobust Porter7
11) Lake EffectGose Barrel Aged Program-TequilaTequila Barrel-Aged Gose4.8
12) Une AnneeLe Grand Monde 3 2021Wild Ale7
13) Imperial OakAdmiral AckbeerDubbel7
14) Old IrvingLeon’s Last StandFruited Sour6
15) Old IrvingGrizzly ReaperImperial Milk Stout10
Beer Hall at Old irving Brewing

44th Annual Fall Tasting & Dinner

Sunday November 21st, 2021
4pm – 8pm

Old Irving Brewing
4419 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL

* CBS Members may purchase up to 4 tickets at the discounted member rate of $60. Any remaining tickets will become available to the general public at noon on Friday October 29th for $70 each.

This year’s tasting will be our 44th — making it one of the oldest and longest running beer events in the country! After the pandemic forced us to skip the 2020 tasting, we are back better than ever with a very special tasting that you will not want to miss!

Attendees will participate in a blind tasting of over a dozen Chicagoland craft beers before voting on their favorites. This allows the specially procured beers to be judged strictly on their own merits. When the blind portion of the tasting ends, the beers will be revealed and will remain available for your continued enjoyment, so feel free to go back for repeated samples of all of your favorites!

The event will take place in the Beer Hall at Old Irving Brewing, and our menu for the evening features an amazing assortment of mouth-watering options from the talented crew at Old Irving:

APPETIZERS

  • Soft Pretzel Sticks

Della Kölsch beer cheese dipping sauce, spicy honey mustard

  • Calaufel

crispy housemade cauliflower-falafel balls, vegan remoulade

  • Reuben Fritters

panko-crusted, house corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, horseradish 1000 island dipping sauce

  • Crunchy Pork Rinds

jalapeño-cheddar cheese spiced, Valentina hot sauce, ranch


ENTREES & SIDES

  • BBQ Brisket Sliders

pulled roasted beef brisket patty, mole BBQ sauce, coleslaw, pickled Fresno peppers, brioche bun

  • Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken Sliders

crispy chicken thigh, Tokyo Hot sauce (Nashville Hot & Japanese spices), coleslaw, pickles, brioche bun

  • Beet Salad

roasted & pickled beets, goat cheese, ginger-honey & black pepper yogurt, grapefruit, avocado, candied sunflower seeds, frisee, watercress, honey beet vinaigrette

  • Crispy Garlic Fries

garlic, parsley, sea salt, garlic-vinegar aioli

  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts

cherry-Fresno glaze, goat cheese, pickled butternut squash, parsley, sesame seeds


SWEETS:

  • Key Lime Pie

graham cracker crust, lime crème, candied lime

  • Cannoli Chocolate Cheesecake

graham cracker crust, ricotta-cream cheese-chocolate-cinnamon ganache, raspberry whipped cream, chopped pistachios *Contains nuts

**Vegan / Vegetarian accommodations available upon request during checkout**

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  • 21+ to attend. No children. No refunds.
  • Ticket includes a souvenir tasting glass, food, and beer.
  • Full COVID-19 vaccination (or negative test within 72 hours of the event) required.
  • Chicago Beer Society recommends using ride share or public transportation. Old Irving Brewing is located at 4419 W Montrose Ave – a 3 minute walk from the Montrose Blue Line stop, and is also on the 78 Montrose bus route .
  • Imbibe responsibly. Anyone who is visibly intoxicated and/or causing problems for themselves, attendees, or event staff may be asked to leave.

* CBS Members may purchase up to 4 tickets at the discounted member rate of $60. Any remaining tickets will become available to the general public at noon on Friday October 29th for $70 each.

2019 Fall Tasting & Dinner

Chicago Beer Society Presents:
2019 Fall Tasting and Dinner

Saturday November 16, 2019
6:00 PM – 10:00PM

Once Upon a Party Banquet
5911 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL

This year’s tasting will be our 43rd Annual — making it one of the oldest and longest continuously running beer events in the country! As usual, we are pulling out all the stops to put on a very special tasting that you will not want to miss.

Attendees will participate in a blind tasting of Chicagoland craft beers before voting on their favorites. This allows the specially procured beers to be judged strictly on their own merit. When the formal tasting ends, all the beers will be available for your enjoyment, so feel free to go back for repeated samples of all of your favorites!

The event will take place at Once Upon a Party Banquet, and features catering from Jolly Inn, a Polish staple of Chicagoland for over thirty years, known for its great homemade food. The evening’s menu will include a buffet-style dinner, offering:

Meatballs with dill gravy
Polish Sausage
Dumplings
Potato pancakes
Pierogi with Sauerkraut
Cucumbers with sour cream
Mix of pastries

21+ to attend. No children. No refunds.

Tickets available NOW!

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The Chicago Beer Society emphasizes responsible consumption and recommends using ride share or public transportation. Once Upon a Party Banquet is located on the 78 Montrose bus route and is a brief bus ride from the Montrose Blue Line stop, the MD-N Mayfair Metra station and the Jefferson Park Blue Line/UP-NW station. The 91 Austin and the 85 Central bus both serve the Jefferson Park station and will bring you within a short walk of the location.

Fall Tasting Results

The Beer List for the recent Fall tasting was not announced before the event because it is a blind tasting event. The beers are voted on by the attendees and the top three beers are announced after everyone finishes dinner.

Just in case you were not able to attend the Tasting, we’re posting the beers that were donated and the winners list is below.

The beer list for this year’s Fall Tasting:

#1 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Chateau Jiahu
Chinese Historical beer

#2 Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
Dark and Curvy
Dunkelweiss

#3 New Holland Brewing Company
Mad Hatter IPA
American IPA

#4 Mickey Finn’s Brewery
Saison
Belgian-style saison

#5 Arcadia Brewing Company
Shipwreck Porter
Barrel-Aged Baltic-style porter

#6 Unibroue
Maudite
Belgian-style strong dark

#7 Goose Island Brewpub
XXX Porter
Hoppy robust porter

#8 New Belgium Brewing Company
Eric’s Ale
Belgian-style peach lambic

#9 Rogue Ales
Shakespeare Stout
American stout

#10 Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – Chicago
Morning Buzz Porter
Porter with coffee

#11 Lakefront Brewery
Barrel-aged Cherry Lager

#12 Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Echt Kriekenbier
Flemish red with cherries

#13 Sprecher Brewing Company
Dopple Bock
German-style doppelbock

#14 America’s Brewing Company
Imperial Stout
American imperial stout

#15 Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Hoppy Little “O”
Belgian-style double IPA

#16 Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
World Wide Stout
Triple imperial stout

Bonus beer: Rock Bottom Chicago Shimkos’ uber-hopped Pale Ale

And these are the three beers that won.

Fall Tasting Beer Winners:

First Place: Arcadia Brewing Company – Shipwreck Porter
Second Place: Brouwerij Verhaeghe – Echt Kriekenbier
Third Place: Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery – Hoppy Little “O”

Thanks to everyone who donated beer! Thanks to the always hospitable Rock Bottom for being such great hosts! Congratulations to the winners! And thanks to the CBS members and guests who attended and once again helped us have a great event!