Chicago Craft Beer Week Begins Tonight

There's a handful of events on the official Chicago Craft Beer Week website, and chances are there's at least double that going on around town.

Here's some of tonight's highlight.
Owen & Engine: first ever keg of Askew, Two Brothers newest sour ale is tapped
Revolution Brewing Company: Firestone Walker, makers of the fantastic Double Jack Imperial IPA, are taking over the taps at Revolution. Five Firestone Walker beers will be on tap, including Dos Osos, a collaboration IPA between Firestone Walker and Revolution
Jerry's Sandwiches: Port/Lost Abbey tasting.

I haven't received my passport in the mail, which should include some flyers of events not listed on the official website. As I hear of stuff, I'll try to post as fast as possible. Any brewery friends, please feel free to email me a list of your events not on the website, and I'll post them as well.

Finch's Beer

Welcome to Finch's Beer Company! They had a party at their brewery this past weekend, that I unfortunately missed due to work obligations. But, friends went, and took some photos for OMG Beer! Thanks to Magen Spencer for these.

So far, the breweries putting out Cutthroat Pale Ale (on tap a few places around town so far, and definitely OMG Beer! recommended) and Golden Wing Blonde Ale. One of the pictures below looks like it is labeled as a bag of rye malt. Not sure which beer, if not both contain rye.

An Early Welcome to Chicago's newest brewery, Finch's Beer Company

While a lot of the recent brewery opening talk on your other favorite beer sources focused on Pipeworks and their kickstarter campaign, as well as their location searches, Finch's recently received government approval for two upcoming craft canned beers.

Here's there website: http://www.finchbeer.com/

Golden Wing Blonde Ale 4.7% ABV - (from their website) Finch's Blonde Ale is an easy drinking and approachable American craft beer. It has a moderately sweet malty aroma and is deep gold in color. We like to think of this particular one as more of a 'Dirty Blonde.' When you first pour it, a soft lacey foam clings to the glass as malty aromas fill your nose and linger to the final sip. Upon finish, this blonde turns heads with a smooth finish and a touch of bitterness in the aftertaste. Enjoy this medium-bodied craft beer anytime of year.


Cutthroat Pale Ale 5.5% ABV - (from their website) Finch's Pale Ale is a refreshing experience from the pop of the top. Its fresh and hoppy taste with just enough supporting malt makes it easy to kick back more than just one. Our late kettle additions of American hop varieties and dry hopping techniques make this beer one of our favorites. The citrus hop character balanced with a malty backbone creates a delicious, accessible pale ale that is sure to satisfy with every sip. Enjoy this pale with just about any pairing of your choice.

Chicago - Sheffield's Beer Fun in February

Some events coming up at Sheffield's in Lakeview. Raise a beer here in honor of Rick Hess, the owner, who passed away a few weeks ago in the very place he loved.

Brewery of the Month - Capital Brewing; check out the growler deal if you need a Super Bowl bar. $14 of any Capital Brewing beer for your table.

February 9th - Goose Island Dominique tapping. About to be in OMG Beer's first Beervana of 2011. Fantastic.

February 14th - Valentine's Day Beer-Dessert Pairing. chocolate covered strawberry with white chocolate drizzle with Goose Island Sofie, Rocky Road Brownie with Rogue Mocha Porter, and Raspberry Cheesecake with The Lost Abbey's Serpent Stout. The Serpent Stout is another OMG Beer Beervana pick.

February 16th - New Beer Wednesday. Smuttynose, Uinta, and Firestone-Walker (try the Double Jack).

February 23rd - TEXAS BBQ and Founders Beer Pairing. 5 beers, 5 delicious examples of Texas BBQ. Armadillo eggs, sausage, brisket, beef ribs, and texas-style peach cobbler. $45. Cornbread and beans as well.

Happy New Year - have a stout Chicago!

Especially appropriate for those of you that prefer your dark beers in the winter, Quenchers presents Stout Fest 2011. The epitome of dark beer gets its place in the spotlight. Below are the groups of stouts that are tapped for the first half and second half of January. Previous years have seen a deal wherein if you buy all but one of the stouts in a group, you get the last stout in that group free. No word on whether that's going on this year. This is an event no Chicago beer drinker wants to miss.

Group 1 – Tapped January 1st.
Emelisse Russian Imperial Stout – Netherlands – 11abv
Stone Brewing IRS – CA – 10.5abv
Brooklyn Chocolate Stout – NY – 10.6abv
Lion Stout – Sri Lanka – 8.0abv
Two Brother’s Northwind Imperial Stout – IL – 8.5abv
Belfast Bay McGovern’s Oatmeal Stout – ME – 6.5abv

Group 2 – Tapped January 1st.
Southern Tier Oatmeal Stout – NY – 11.0abv
New Holland Night Tripper – MI – 10.8abv
Lefthand Brewing’s Imperial Stout – CO – 10.4abv
Great Lakes Black Out Stout- OH – 9.0abv
Bells Double Cream- MI – 6.1abv
Belhaven Stout- Scotland – 4.5abv

Group 3 – Tapped January 15th.
Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout – CA – 11.0abv
Lagunitas Imperial Stout – CA – 10.14abv
North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout- CA – 9.0abv
Grand Teton Black Cauldron Imperial Stout- WY – 8.0abv
3 Floyd’s Hell’s Black Intelligenser – IN – 6.0abv
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout – CO – 4.95abv

Group 4 – Tapped January 15th.
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout – DE – 18.0abv
Half Acre Big Hugs – IL – 9.5abv
Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout – Norway – 9.0abv
Founder’s Breakfast Stout – MI – 8.3abv
Dark Horse One Oatmeal Stout – MI – 8.0abv
Summit Oatmeal Stout – MN – 4.7abv

Oktoberfest v. Harvest Fest in Chicago

Much like an OMG Beer! tasting that occured a few weeks ago and will be written up tomorrow, fall and beer have become trapped in a complicated yet delicious seasonal dance. The hop harvest ends in September, and harvest ales and wet-hop ales are plentiful in this hop loving world of ours. But, traditions remain strong in the beer world. Oktoberfest starts at the end of September and ends of course, in October. Other harvests occur as well, and of course, pumpkin beers have been around for years. Thus, you get tastings like this one, with one bar full of Oktoberfest, and other full of harvest ales. Delicious! And you can get to both with a long walk or a short cab ride.

Where: The Fountainhead and Bar on Buena
When: Noon Saturday running til Sunday night or when they're out of the participating beers

Bar on Buena's Oktoberfest beers:
Ayinger Oktoberfest
Great Lakes Oktoberfest
Left Hand Octoberfest
Spaten Oktoberfest
Flying Dog Dogtoberfest
Hofbrau Oktoberfest
Victory Fest Beer
Avery The Kaiser
Monchshof Festbier

The Fountainhead's Hop Harvest related ales:
Founders Harvest
Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest
Sierra Nevada Estate
Left Hand Warrior
New Holland Hopivore
Port Brewing High-Tide
Three Floyd's Broo Doo
Two Brothers Heavy Handed Cascade
Two Brothers Heavy Handed Centennial
Two Brothers Heavy Handed Columbus
Two Brothers Heavy Handed Galena

Cask Conditioned:
Two Brothers Heavy Handed Columbus

As well as:
Southern Tier Imperial PumKing
The Bruery Autumn Maple
Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela
Half Acre Wake of the Flood
Victory Festbier
and a keg of:
Sierra Nevada Octoberfest

Chicago Beer Tasting - FRESHLY FERMENTED (Smallbar Fullerton)

FRESHLY FERMENTED, presented by Smallbar Fullerton and Cheese and Cheers:

This tasting makes me hungry.
5 beers, 5 cheeses.
Thursday, July 29th, at 7pm, at Smallbar Fullerton (1415 W. Fullerton St).

Beers selected by Dave Phillips of Cheese and Cheers and Chad Lynd of Smallbar Fullerton.

$25 from your beer and cheese budget.

Alphabeer III: A to Z (THE BEERLIST)

Check out more info on Alphabeer III here.

* A Avery New World Porter
* B Brooklyn India Pale Ale
* C Cerise, Founder's
* D Dark Horse Amber Ale
* E Eel River Certified Organic Porter
* F Fort Collins Chocolate Stout
* G Goose Island Summertime Ale
* H Harpoon Summer Beer
* I Iron City Lager
* J Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
* K Krankshaft, Metropolitan
* L Louie's Demise, MKE Brewing Co
* M Moose Drool, Big Sky
* N New Belgium Skinnydip
* O Ommegang Hennepin Ale
* P Pullchain Pale Ale, MKE Brewing Co
* Q Quilmes Lager
* R Red's Rye, Founder's
* S Summer Shandy, Leinenkugel
* T The Poet, New Holland
* U Unibroue La Fin du Monde
* V Victory Brewing Golden Monkey Ale
* W Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen
* X Xingu Black Lager
* Y Young's Double Chocolate Stout
* Z Ziedler-brau, MKE Brewing Co

AlphaBeer III: Beer from A to Z! Saturday, July 10th in Chicago.

Saturday, July 10th, at the Four Points Sheraton (630 N. Rush St), Chicago's www.localtourst.com will host AlphaBeer III! For three hours, 26 beers, from A to Z, will be available in three-ounce tastings. There will be a beer for every letter of the alphabet, and the tasting is led by Brewmaster Jim McCabe of Milwaukee Brewing Company. 40 dollars for 3 hours of beer. That's a deal people, promise.

Partial proceeds benefit Endure to Cure.

OMG Beer! likes letters, as well as beer, and will be there to enjoy this fine event.

Goose Island - Beer and Food Pairing Explanations from Jared Rouben

Goose Island head brewer Jared Rouben explains his and Chef Andrew's food and beer pairings.

Hopcast, Manbque, and SmallBar Fullerton present another Beer and Burger pairing. The flyer above says it all, and OMG Beer will be there.

Chicago Beer News - Goose Island's 22nd Anniversary

Goose Island's 22nd Anniversary Party begins tonight at the Clybourn Brewpub, with founder John Hall serving beers for an hour, before heading over to the Whole Foods Military-Industrial Complex (they've annexed an entire planet's produce in that behemoth).

Stop in tonight at Goose Island, try the new 22nd Anniversary Pale Ale (brewed with Citra hops for a bright citrus flavor, and finished with Simcoe hops for that American pine forest aroma), or perhaps you need some Imperial Stout? Night Stalker's is available in bottles, and there's sure to be a bourbon county variety on type.

Say hello to me as well, I'll be there from about 6:30 to 9:30, drinking and writing. Look for the beard, tattoos, and laptop (that really could be a dozen people, you'll have to be daring too).

Chicago Craft Beer Week

From May 17 - May 23, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild celebrates Chicago Craft Beer Week, as part of the nationwide celebration of American Craft Beer Week. This city-wide celebration of craft ales, lagers, and specialty beers from around the world promises to be a whirlwind of tastings, beer pairings, meet the brewer events, special featured beers, craft beer specials on tap, restaurant deals, brewery tours, book signings, and limited edition releases.

Get in on it or miss the second of the two biggest beer events in Chicago Beer History (the other being last month's Craft Brewers Conference).

Check out the "SCHEDULE" tab on the Chicago Craft Beer Week webpage for details on daily events. I'll be attending quite a few.

Beer and Food Pairing - Chicago

Smallbar's recent Fullerton addition hosts this fantastic combo of internet media, burgers, and beer. Hopcast, ManBQue, April 22nd (Earth Day event?). Two Brothers Oak Aged Long Haul and Schlenkerla Helles paired with ManBQue's The Godfather's Gouda Burger.

$20 gets you sliders of the burger, unlimited beer for two hours (7-9pm), and a raffle ticket.

Craft Brewers Conference

The Craft Brewers Conference kicked off yesterday, right here in Chicago, as we undergo our own transformation (or rebirth, really) into a city of craft brewing (the enthusiasts have been here for awhile, but distribution laws require...sacrifices.

Check out this video of the Symposium Ale for 2010.

Made by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, the 2010 Symposium Ale blends four fantastic styles into one mad concoction. Only a state with this many corrupt governors would even dare try blending a Russian Imperial Stout, a Barleywine, a Scotch Ale, and an Imperial IPA, aging it all in Woodford Reserve barrels, and then bottling it for the CBC. Perhaps a bottle will slip out into the real world, but that seems highly unlikely. Craft Brewers all seem to enjoy drinking their product.

In celebration, OMG Beer has two new beers in store for friends. A very limited wild Belgian Black Wheat, known as The Remnants, and a Belgian Wit brewed with coriander, orange peel, cumin, and fenugreek, known as Shiva's Wit. Recipes for each will be posted tomorrow, along with daily CBC-related/celebration events across the Chicago beer scene.

Chicago Beer News - Flossmoor Station Brewery

Bryan Shimkos and Richard Grant of Flossmoor keep themselves busy. They still find time to keep the internet informed as to what they're doing at the brewery and around Chicagoland, so here's an update on all things Flossmoor.

First off, they put a new stout on tap. A bourbon imperial stout clocking in at 10.5% abv.

Second, Flossmoor has taken rye to a new level, and created what they call a rye-wine. It's made of 58% rye malt and is 11% abv. Should be available, in I believe wine bottles, but check here and at the Flossmoor Blog for more announcements about the March 20th Release of Hi-Fi Rye Wine.

While you're over at Flossmoor Station's blog, check out their new English IPA, Mick Jaggery. The name might make you grown, but I vouch for the likely awesomeness of this brew, made with an indian palm sugar called jaggery, and a boatload of english hops. Mick Jaggery gets tapped on March 13th.

Chicago Beer News - Half Acre's Ginger Twin Available Friday

Friday, you can pick yourself up a growler of Half Acre's India Red Ale, Ginger Twin. 22 oz bottles will be available at the brewery next week, and then after that, out in the world and on draft at your favorite Half Acre-carrying watering hole.

Check out In Your Guts, the Half Acre blog, for updates, as well as special discounts for burly, ginger-haired people.

Chicago Beer News - Collaboration Alert! - Half Acre and Three Floyds team up for Invasion Helles Bock

Three Floyds of Indiana and Half Acre from Chicago's northside allied their forces to create a Helles Bock, which beernews.org reports is now fermenting. Check out the label below. A helles bock is a pale, yet strong and malty german lager, at times dry, with a lingering touch of german hop flavor. Helles Bock and Maibock are often considered to be the same, if not similar styles of german beer, with Rogue Brewing's Dead Guy Ale being one of the more commonly available American-made Helles Bock/Maibocks. Looks like we're being invaded by carp (makes sense, given the recent lawsuit about the invading asian carp species).

Chicago Beer News - Half Acre's Ginger Twin India Style Red Ale

There's something special about the way Half Acre does "business." Really, without having met them, I've learned a few obvious things: they really love beer, they really like brewing it, they really like making it available to people, and they really like to do this whole process of giving people new beers as fast as possible. It's remarkable how often a new fresh beer shows up 5 miles north of OMG Beer! Headquarters. I think it's at least once a month, with old favorites returning already (Baume, their rye dry hopped stout is deliciously spicy on top of a solid stout foundation). The next Half Acre beer appears soon; go over to the Half Acre blog In Your Guts and check out the discounts for specially "gifted" ginger individuals.

Prepare for the Revolution, Chicago

Revolution Brewing Company, that is.
The newest brewpub to Chicago's beer scene (which, we here at OMG won't fully be satisfied with until there's a Portland-like beer feel to this city) opened Wednesday and rave reviews have swiftly followed. The food's being talked about, besides the beer.

Cross of Gold
Crisp golden ale with a delicate hop finish
$5 pint (5.0% ABV)

Workingman Mild
English luncheon beer with toffee and caramel notes. Low in alcohol, high in flavor
$5 pint (3.5% ABV)

Iron Fist Pale Ale
Dry-hopped American ale featuring Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo hop varieties
$5 pint (5.5% ABV)

Eugene
Striking, robust porter full of warmth and chocolate malt.
$6 pint (7.0% ABV)

COMING UP NEXT:
Bottom Up Belgian Wit
Anti-Hero IPA
Wee Heavy