Flossmoor Station pouring.

More importantly for us, it’s Chicago Craft Beer Week.  It kicked off yesterday with little events all over the place, and a big one at the Garfield Park Conservatory and oh, what a kick-off event that was!

From the estimates I hear, there were as many as 1,200 attendees enjoying close to 100 choices from nearly 40 breweries. From what I experienced, this has become one of the best beer events anywhere.  I had been engaged in some soul searching about an unrelated matter in the hour or two before the doors open at 5:30. Once inside I let go of my musings and just took it all in (my first time attending Beer Under Glass).  Visited with many friends from the beer community as the crowd began to form, tasted some beer inside and then headed to the large outdoor patio in the rear of the building.

Pretty soon after acquiring a CCBW official T-shirt and filling my glass with a great new Dunkel Rye from Metropolitan Brewing, I realized that a revelation was coming to me. Started thinking about the combination of the beer selection and the ambiance of the venue—there was something about that…. oh yes! The lightbulb came on. I have long held that the Great Taste of the Midwest, up in Madison has a lock on being the top festival (maybe in the entire country), when the setting and selection are considered. Now I am sure that nothing could beat what we had last night.

Beer among the orchids.

Here we were celebrating Chicago’s craft beer as the Green Line trains swept past the outdoor gardens, lit softly in twilight. We stood inside and out of the 100+ year old conservatory buildings sampling dank, Citra-infused IPAs among peonies and orchids.

Some highlights for me included the tasty produce of Haymarket, Finch’s, Goose Island and Half Acre. Was also thrilled to taste beers from the babies—Tighthead, and the brand new Solemn Oath. It was so cool to walk into the northern gallery and catch the prominent aromas wafting from the Marion Street Cheese Market table.

Marion Street Cheese dishing.

There was music, and other foods to sample. All I can say is Wow! Outstanding job by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, and the Garfield Park Conservatory.

I wrapped up my night by hanging out with a couple close friends in an open-windowed second floor apartment porch in Pilsen, drinking Pizza Port Wipeout and listening to Frank Zappa’s Over-nite Sensation. I would recommend that beer fans try to squeeze in those kinds of activities this week too.

More about CCBW on Saturday. I’m off to check the carbonation level on my beer entry in tomorrow’s Beerfly Alleyfight. I’m predicting that there will be a new beer champ this year, and he will look a bit like Farmer Hoggett.

Cheers for Chicago beers!

Every month or so, panel members receive samples of cheese for tasting and analysis (ah, free cheese!).  We will take notes and photos, send tasting notes to The Cellars, and then post our thoughts on the Culture blog. It should be lots of fun, and the chance to help this great cheese company fashion a new cheese is quite  a privilege. Along the way I’ll make suggestions for beer parings. The first three samples were variations on an Alpine style cheese, so I am going with saisons, Belgian, American or Elsewhere.  Eventually I will get more specific.

In the end there will be a cheese available for purchase, but if you have not had cheeses from Jasper Hill or the Cellars before, don’t wait, go out and get one of their other beauties.

I’ll try to post more about the events in a week or so, but for now, I want to give you a heads up on just one—Craft Day Afternoon. This is a joint venture of Fizz and The Map Room. It takes place Saturday May 19. Tickets start at $50 and include unlimited draft samples from 40+ of the best craft brewers in the country, a souvenir glass, and passed apps. This is also a fund raiser, with proceeds to benefit the Hamilton School.

Find out more and order tickets here.

Cheers!

The idea of Session Beer Day is to encourage folks to honor the traditions of session beer drinking. How do you do that? Well, first, you find a comfortable place with great beer and you sit down and relax. Next, select a flavorful beer with less than 4.5% alcohol by volume. Sit with a friend or a friendly bartender and enjoy that beer over a friendly conversation. And then, by all means, have another, and maybe another.  The focus is on low-alcohol beer, but the point is to unwind, slow down and enjoy the flavor of beer in a relaxed manner… while socializing, and maintaining composure. I would also add that part of the tradition is to drink the same beer throughout the session to truly delve into what that particular beer has to offer.

So, here are a few of my thoughts and suggestions on how to enjoy Session Beer Day in Chicago.

PLACES

Session beer drinking comes from the British beer tradition, so a place that embodies the best aspects of the traditional British pub is a good starting point for celebrating session beer. That said, this is the 21st century, and we are in a big noisy city in the Midwestern United States, so we are talking about approximations. There are few top tier beer places that are free from televisions these days, but there plenty that do not build their entire appeal around giant plasma screens. A compromise is a place with only a few TVs. You also want a place that is quiet enough for a conversation. I love music, and I like it loud, but most places don’t get loud until late at night. Of cousre you want a place with friendly, knowledgeable staffers and a really good beer list. Hipster tap rooms, German beer bars, brewpubs, or Irish pubs, are in the running, or maybe even your own backyard–you decide.

In Chicago, on a Saturday,  finding a proper quiet place is best accomplished in the afternoon with the session extending into the early evening. With these criteria it is pretty easy to narrow things down a bit, but there are still a number of good places in Chicago and the suburbs that come to mind. Among my favorites is the Small Bar at Logan Square. At one time in Chicago there were many neighborhood bars located on residential side streets. They are harder to find now, but but there are few survivors. Small Bar Logan Square (surrounded by residences on the other three corners of  Albany and Wellington) sacrifices none of the quaintness of that kind of bar, while adding great beer. It opens at noon on Saturday, has a great beer garden and a great staff. I  left a phone message today encouraging the staff to feature a session beer or two on Saturday. Hipster alert–if you feel like a fossil around 20-somethings with neck beards, spacers, and fixed-gear bikes, well…..get over it.

Brewpubs are a great way to go for session beer. They open early, usually before the lunch hour, and sensitive session beers (with lower alcohol and hops they can be a bit fragile) are in good hands. They don’t have to travel and they can be served fresh. I think there are now more than two dozen brewpubs in Chicago and the suburbs, and most make very good beer– some are excellent.  Haymarket Brewery and Pub has a great range of house beers and guest taps. Owner/Brewer Pete Crowley said there will be at least two house beers in the middle 3s . Haymarket does have a huge number of big flat-screens in the front room, but if the back room is open, it has much more of a pub feel. Goose Island’s original Clybourn Ave. brewpub is a fairy relaxed room early on a Saturday. The session beer offerings there will be very traditional, and about as good as anywhere, and there may be four session beers on tap Saturday (see below). Revolution Brewing Co. in Wicker Park produces a number of beers with British accents, and usually there are two at any given time that would qualify as session beers.

For my money, there is no better place in Chicago for a beer session than the Map Room in Bucktown.  The beer selection, the friendly, beer savvy staff and the corner-bar ambiance make it a destination any day of the week. On Saturday the Map Room opens for coffee at 7:30 a.m., and the taps are called into service at 11. Laura tells us that there will be at least three session beers available on draft and hand pump this Saturday.  By digging into the extensive bottle list, you should be able to expand your small-beer options.

BEERS

While session beers are usually equated to low-gravity bitters in the British tradition, there are other beers that fit the parameters, including Kolsch beers, some Belgian-style Witbiers, the occasional Berliner Weisse, and even one of the most ubiquitous full flavored beers in the world–Guinness Stout, (the most common version comes in at 4.3%).

Like much of the United States, Chicago’s growing craft beer community does not produce a lot of session beers, but there are a handful of them made here and most of these are very good. I’ll start by listing those and then I’ll move on to other possibilities and also indicate where you can find them. YES there are many beers that are overlooked here. No slight intended.

Honkers Ale, Goose Island Brewing Co. (4.3%) One of my all-time faves. On tap and in bottle at Clybourn and Wrigleyville Brewpubs (Warning–Game Day), and numerous locations in Chicago, and pretty much the entire solar system.

Lang Haul, Two Brothers Brewing, Warrenville, IL (4.2%) a barrel-aged session beer. At the brewery pub or in the bottle at various beer bars.

Poetic Justice, Revolution Brewing (4.3%) No Workingman Mild right now, but this special bitter should be nice. Or how about the Paddy Wagon Stout at 4.4%?

Bula Matari Belgian black (3.4%) at Haymarket, (Randolph and Halsted)  and Oscar’s Pardon Belgian pale ale (3.5%). Plus, Speakerswagon pilsner (4.5%). I’ve tasted all three. Yum!

5 Lizard, 5 Rabbit Brewing Co. (4.3%) This Latin-heritage brewer is one of Chicago’s newest and most interesting. Partner Randy Mosher conceptualized this play on a Belgian Witbier, as well as the rest of the 5 Bunny lineup. This one is made with lime and passion fruit. Its delicious, and you can drink it all day. On tap, and in bottles on premise and off (for the back yard session).

Old Town Yard, German Helles Lager  (4.3%) Goose Clybourn.  Eggggxellent!

Summer Bitter, English Style Bitter (4.3% ) Goose Clybourn, where 312 (4.2%) and a nearly session and very tasty Willow Street Wit (5.0%) will also be served.

Bitter & Twisted Harviestoun Brewing (4.2%)  A bitter from Scotland, served from a cask, hand pumped, at the inimitable Map Room. Check the chalkboards for other possibilities and tell them Cheese and Cheers sent you.

Sankaty Light Lager, Cisco Brewers, Mass.,  (3.8%) In cans at the Map Room.

All Day IPA, Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Mich. (4.7%) Okay, it’s just above the range, but good luck finding an American IPA that is any more restrained and tasty. In bottles on-premise or off-.

Levitation Ale, Stone Brewing Co., Calif. (4.4%)  bottles, numerous locations. It’s from Stone, man!

Hoegaarden, InBev, global, (4.9%) Still lower in gravity than most other witbiers.

Small Bar Pale, Brewed for Small Bar Fullerton (5.2%) Yes, I know this is certainly a stretch and at this gravity I could have included some of the fine lagers from Metropolitan Brewery, but Phil answered my email, and The Small Bar Fullerton will sell you a 16 oz. pint on Saturday for $5.

CONVERSATION, ETC.

Hmm…it’s a presidential election year, how about the economy, of the influence of religion on global strife and international politics.  Something a little lighter?  Okay, baseball season just started. How about them Bulls! Or how about talking beer–one of my favorite topics. Have you heard of this Chicago Beer Society? Do you know that since 1977 this group has run great events for anyone in the Chicago area who loves great beer? Whatever the topic, enjoy the conversation, the company and the beer.

So, I have not yet mentioned cheese. Is there a cheese you can eat all day? For me that depends on how big of a wheel I can get my hands on.  But really, if you are really asking, I’d say go with a Keen’s Cheddar from Neal’s Yard, London, or the Cabot Vermont Clothbound which is finished by the Cellars of Jasper Hill in Vermont. These British and Brit-style farmhouse cheddars are lovely with session beers, or cider, coffee, sparkling water, Oreo cookies.

As for my fellow imbibers, please find an appropriate venue, grab a couple of good friends, talk to your bartender about session beer, order a pint, have an easy conversation, and then…..please have another. Stay tuned for more details.

I brought a couple of Wisconsin cheeses: Roth/Emmi’s Gouda-style Vintage Van Gogh; and La Clare Farms Evalon, a nice semi-firm washed-rind goat cheese.

We tried a handlful of Haymarket beers with the cheese, including a Tripel, a low gravity Belgian Pale called Oscar’s Pardon, Saison Also Rises, and Bula Matari, a roasty black session ale.  The Gouda paired nicely with a Dry-hopped Dubbel, the caramel flavors of the cheese matching the sweet malt flavor in the deep amber beer. I really liked the Oscar’s Pardon all by itself and it’s spicy dry flavors did some nice things with the acidity and eathiness of the Evalon.

For sausage we had Goralska, a garlicky kielbasa. It pretty much overwhelmed anything it came close to.  The cheeses are kind of delicate, and that sausage is anything but.

So you all gotta git yourselves to Haymarket, 737 W. Randolph, Chicago, from 1 to 5 this Saturday March 24. More than 15 sausage varieties will be served, along with 30 artisan cheeses from Marion Street Cheese Market and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s Sara Hill.  And beers? Oh, there will be beers! In fact, Pete just sent a list, and this might not be all of them.  C and C tailgate beers are in italics. Hope to see you there. Cheers!

From Haymarket Pub & Brewery:

Oscar’s Pardon Belgian Pale ale

Bitter Cold takes both the Farty Firkin and the Golden Tut awards.

Cheese and Cheers was in attendance helping with the edible offerings that included three super cheeses from Marion Street Cheese Market, and a spread of cured and smoked sausages and sliced deli meats from Gene’s Sausage Shop on Belmont.

Cheese and Cheers also selected an honoree for the unofficial Farty Firkin Award.  This award recognizes one traditional, British-inspired, low gravity beer. This year’s Farty Firkin went to Goose Island Brewpub’s Bitter Cold.  This is a very traditional bitter of around 4% ABV.  Brewer Jared Rouben says it is made with Marris Otter malt, and Fuggles and First Gold Hops, and fermented with a British yeast strain.  “I certainly didn’t invent that.” Rouben notes. But oh how well he executed it!  The Bitter Cold tapped Saturday was bright and brassy in appearance with a clean toasty aroma, toasty flavor notes, and a prominent bitter finish. The same beer also took the Chicago Beer Society cellaring staff’s Golden Tut Award which is a nod to the beer that best expresses what cask ale should be. In 2011 the Farty Firkin went to Bell End Bitter from Piece.

I tasted some other ales that deserved honorable mention for the Farty Firkin. These included the Old Trafford Mild from Mickey Finn’s and Worryin’ Ale from Piece.  In the popular vote, Half Acre’s chocolate rye stout Baum was the favorite of attendees who cast a ballot and Goose Island Fulton’s Brewery’s Tonic the Hedgehog (a wild Belgian-style) and Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout were the runners up.

A wide variety of beer styles are now served in casks at DOTLA and similar American events. There were lots of nice big American hop bombs in the lineup along with fantastic wild Belgian-style beers. The wild beers included two from Goose Fulton, one from Lakefront in Milwaukee along with New Belgium’s popular potion called Love.  There was also a lot of buzz on the floor for Three Floyds’ Zombie Dust, Lagunitas’ What the Firkin, and Finch’s Mahatma IPA. The latter having been dry-hopped with whole cones and curry powder.

I was intrigued by Revolution’s TV party, figuring I now have another beer-cheese-punk rock trivia question for future presentations: What Chicago-brewed Rye IPA shares a name with a Black Flag song? I was even willing to forgive the slight hint of diacetyl. Then again, I am always willing to forgive a little diacetyl in an otherwise tasty beer.

Anyhow, a great time was had by all. Can’t wait for next year!

March/April  issue of Zymurgy came in the mail the other day.  If you are a homebrewer and you DON’T get this insightful magazine (print or e-version) you need to become a member of the American Homebrewers Assn. Zymurgy is one of the benefits, and there is a free preview on the site to give you an idea of what you’re missing.  The latest issue is a knockout. I enjoyed Randy Mosher’s cover story — a look at homebrewing around the globe. Then I really got a kick out of  a piece from Australia that documented the creation of a homebrewed homage to The Greatest Beer in the World. Ross Mitchell and Stephen “Kurtz” Nelisen are seasoned homebrewers and beer judges who have an appropriate regard for the great Trappist beer. The care they put into the planning and brewing of their KROrval is matched by the thought they put into the article. These guys embody what homebrewing is all about: creativity, love of beer itself, a sense of history, and geeky at-home science. Recipes are included, of course. Once I read their article I really wanted to try brewing something like an Orval, and I realized that it has been way too long since I have enjoyed a properly-served Orval at a fine beer bar or restaurant. Then of course, there are the cheese ramifications.

Vol. 35, No. 2

Abbaye d’Orval produces cheese as well as beer, so when in Belgium, do as the Trappist Cistercians, by all means. But I have no qualms about asserting that the beer outshines the cheese in that equation.  Off the top of my head, I’m going to put Orval with a Rolf Beeler Gruyere, a Sbrinz, or a really nice bloomy rind American goat cheese.  I need to do that in practice ASAP, so keep an eye on this space.

Mitchell and Kurtz were pleased with the results of their efforts, and are planning a similar ode to Westmalle Tripel.

Speaking of homebrewing, I spent Saturday with my brew brothers Kyle and Tony, brewing 15 gallons of dry stout and 5 gallons of a Belgo-stout. Tony threw a variety of goofy spices and fruits (but in small amounts) into the Belgian.  Very nice brew day. The skills of my brewing partners keep building, and our processes keeps getting smoother.  Can’t wait to taste those results.

And speaking of tasting unique beers, the Small Bar Fullerton in Chicago is hosting a special tasting of sour beers this Friday to mark its two-year anniversary. Hope to see some of you there.

Homebrewed Chicago stout

Inside there were three or four cheeses from Sartori, including a couple of Bella Vitanos, and three different Leinenkugel’s beers. The beers come from the Miller-Coors owned Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., located not far from Sartori, in Chippewa Falls.  Along with a Leinenkugel Classic Lager were two wheat beers. I choose the Honey Weiss and the classic lager to put with Bella Vitano Gold (the base, Italian-style cheese) and the Black Pepper Bella Vitano.  These are nice, approachable beers and cheeses, and they created some very pleasant tasting experiences.

Bella Vitano Gold w/ Classic Lager

First the cheese: The heavy plastic wrap leaves a shiny appearance, but when the pale yellow cheese is broken the curds are visible along with some crystals. The cheese gives has a sweet aroma–sugary and caramelized. It has a medium-firm mouthfeel, with some crunch, and some oily moisture. It offers pleasant sweet and nutty flavors, with very little salt. There is a sweet-creamy finish to the Bella Vitano Gold.

The Beer:  The Classic pours straw to pale golden. A loose, fluffy white head collapses quickly to a tight head that eventually dissipates.  It is extremely clear and bright. The beer presents a grainy malty aroma, slightly grassy, with a hint of floral hops, and maybe a little butterscotch. The flavor is malt forward, very clean, with just a hint of bitterness. No hop flavor. Malt mingles with the bitterness. It’s a light subtle flavor that finishes clean.  It has a light mouthfeel and a high level of carbonation.

The sugary sweetness of the cheese masks the malty flavor of the beer, but pulls out the bitterness. Then the sweet cheese flavors re-emerge. The cheese lifts and dissolves quickly in the fizzy beer. Then the malt comes back.

Overall this is a nice combo:   Simple flavors, well-spaced and they all seem to let each other play.  3.0 out of 5.

Black Pepper Bella Vitano w/ Classic Lager

The cheese: This version is slightly darker near the rind, and crusted with black and brown pieces of course ground pepper.  The aroma remains sweet. The sweet flavor still dominates, with just a hint of pepper flavor at the rind.

Beer and Cheese together:  The pepper is nearly lost in the clean flavors of the beer here, so the overall impression is similar to the first pairing.  Would also rate this one 3.0.

Bella Vitano Gold w/ Honey Weiss

Honey Weiss Appearance:  Very clear medium golden color. White head collapsed and disappeared. Aroma: Malt aroma mingled with a hint of wet dog–probably a bi-product of honey fermentation of residual honey.   Flavor:  Clean with a hint of tartness and little bit of malt. Bitterness is way in the background as it should be. Very clean finish. It’s a nice, unassuming beer.

Cheese and beer together: Nice creaminess when combined. Flavors do not clash, but not much happens, although some bitterness is drawn out. Pleasant, but not a lot of fireworks. We’ll call it a 2.5

Black Pepper Bella Vitano w/ Honey Weiss

With a big hunk of the peppered rind washed with the Weiss something nice happens. The pepper contrasts nicely with the easy sweet flavor of the Weiss. All the pleasant interactions of the previous pairings are there, but the pepper contrasting with the sweet tangy wheat flavors adds just a little punch. We can give this one a 3.5.

These cheeses and beers are widely available, and reasonably priced.  I am not a beer or cheese snob, and I can say without snobbery that these are nicely-made products with good flavors, but that they are intended to appeal to a broad audience rather than the most adventurous. If you are looking for more adventure, both Sartori and Leinenkugel offer that too. I enjoy Leiny’s Big Eddy, a special release, imperial stout.

Sartori’s Raspberry Bella Vitano is made with New Glarus Brewing’s Raspberry Tart beer, and I am looking forward to trying one of the newest additions to the family, Cognac Bella Vitano, perhaps with a Belgian Strong Golden. If you need more recommendations look for the nifty pairing guide on the Sartori website.

Beer Buyer Ryne Schofstal

After a wonderful opening beer (Professor Fritz Briem’s 1809 Berliner Weisse) the dozen attendees who squeezed into Pastoral’s tiniest store were treated to three beers, one cider and four Cheddar cheeses that were each delicious and startlingly different from one another. The cheeses were:

* Prairie Breeze, a sweet, creamy cow’s milk number from Iowa.

* Chevre Noir, a deeply-flavored and -textured goat’s milk cheese from Quebec.

* Montgomery’s Farmhouse Cheddar, the gold-standard, Neal’s Yard clothbound from Somerset, England.

* Widmer 6-year Cheddar,  a fudgey, fruity American style from across the Cheddar curtain in Wisconsin.

The cider was a dry-ish tart apple example from Crispin, and it was paired with the Prairie Breeze.  Chevre Noir cuddled up to the Bierre de Garde (Brasserie Castelain, France).  For the Monty’s, Ryne went with Bear Republic’s classic west coast pale ale, Racer Five, and the Widmer was paired with Firestone Walker’s reserved Porter.  A good cross-section of beer styles was also part of the plan.

Not surprisingly they all played nicely together. As Ryne noted, cheese loves beer (and cider).  On paper, I might have looked to swap the beers of the last two pairings. I usually try shield British Cheddars from assertive American hop bombs. But after tasting them, I think the Racer 5 has enough restraint and balance so that it didn’t step on the Montgomery’s. Also, the fudgey texture of the Widmer complemented the roast in the Firestone Walker Porter. We crossed the pairings and tasted other combos and most of them worked very well.

Ryne, a culinary grad from the beery state of Pennsylvania, has been with Pastoral for just about a year. He plans to conduct similar tastings about twice a month, alternating from the Lakeview to the Loop (Lake Street) locations. Check the website for more details, and you can register for email notices. Pastoral began in 2004 with the Lakeview store and has grown to three Chicago locations including the French Market, at Ogilvie Transportation Center.