Chicago Foodies

Double IPA's For Single People at Jerry's Sandwiches

Think your are going to spend the night of Valentine's Day sad and alone, or at one of those "I'm not bitter. No really" Screw Cupid bar events drinking $2 jello shots?   Well, we're not having it.  Those are for losers.  The winners will be out drinking double IPA's at Jerry's Sandwiches in Wicker Park which is featuring Double IPA's For Single People night.  Jerry's is spreading the love with elite double IPA's destined to set your forsaken heart aflutter. 

What's a Nitro Pour? Or, Why Can't I Get a Growler of Frangelic Porter?

This past weekend, friends and I made a pilgrimmage to Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. What happened between myself and a certain beer in the pub is probably best described as a tragic love affair. With Valentine's Day approaching, consider the rest of this post something of an open love letter to Founder's Frangelic Porter. It first caught my eye with its deep color, and then stole my heart with flavors of hazelnut, chocolate, and coffee, not to mention an exquisite creaminess.

Naturally, after my first glass of this unfamiliar and exotic delicacy, I wanted to take a growler with me. I sauntered up to the bar, looking forward to taking my new love back home to Chicago to meet my friends, and maybe even watch the Super Bowl with me. "Sorry, no growlers of the Frangelic," the bartender replied. "It's on nitro." My heart sinks. The same technology that creates the beautiful head and fantastic creaminess of the porter is the very reason I can't take it home in a growler. This started me thinking: What exactly is nitro pour, and why does it stand between me and 64 ounces of malty bliss?

Northdown Cafe's Half Acre Brewery Night Tuesday 1/31, 6:00 p.m.

Always an inviting spot for a beer event, Northdown Cafe and Taproom is having Half Acre Brewery Night Tuesday the 31st at 6:00pm.

Before getting to that, note that I saw an outstanding film tonight, Maxwell Street Blues.   It screened at Transistor book and record shop on Lincoln Ave. as part of their free movie screening series (BYOB!).  Maxwell Street is a 1981 documentary about the dying Chicago blues scene on legendary Maxwell Street, a transient home to some of the all-time blues greats.  The focus is on the street bluesmen that time forgot, the ones not named Muddy Waters or Buddy Guy. 

This is a Land of Misfit Toys where the discards are weathered black bluesmen playing their last act, with withered fingers, leathery faces, and turquoise eyes blinded by glaucoma and cataracts.  It's vividly alive with brilliant music that in the span of a few strums will make you sad and make you laugh out loud.  Filmmakers Linda Williams and Rual Zaritsky deliver you a Chicago that's as real and tangible as that post-snow gunk you've been cleaning off your shoes.

Three Floyds Brewing – Cimmerian Sabertooth Berzerker

Why that name, I have no clue.  That's Three Floyds for you.  And thanks to Northdown Cafe, which continues to deliver the freshest selection of unusual, unique, rare, and interesting craft brews in town, I got to try some "CSB", a pub-only imperial IPA from Three Floyds.  Northdown tapped their small barrel of this Saturday night, which surely disappeared in a few hours.

As for stats, it's described as being about a 9% monster with 100 IBU's.  That's not unusual imperial IPA territory.  What sets this apart is how much it replicates the West Coast tropical IPA experience.  The color is a light amber.  It hits your nose with a decent amount of floral notes and a citrus perfume.  Its body is the lighter side of medium and it easily slides along the palate with maybe a touch of oiliness.

Goose Island, Revolution, Flossmoor Win Big at Brewpub Shootout

Whether you're more interested in food or beer, chances are you have a pretty hearty appetite for the other as well. This explains much of the anticipation each year for the annual Chicago Beer Society Brewpub Shootout, a members-only event that pits teams of brewers and chefs against each other in a battle to pair the best beer and bites. This past Saturday, the competition moved to new digs at the Zhou B. Art Center on 35th Street, a large enough space to accomodate the 15 competing brewpubs. From grapefruit Sofie to cherry vanilla ice cream pops, brewers and chefs all brought their A-games.

Lincoln Square Beer Festival At Dank Haus

Winter hasn't been that tough on us yet but don't take that to mean there isn't trouble ahead.  You could be experiencing the winter blahs before you know it if you aren't already.  And if you're already in the doldrums over winter, well, you clearly live  in the wrong city.  But there is hope.  There's a sure-fire means of coping out there and it's called beer.  In fact, the denizens of Lincoln Square want to remind you of the healing power of beer through their winter beer fest starting at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28, 2011, at the Dank Haus on Western Avenue in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. 

Brooklyn's Brewing's Shackmeister Ale And New York's Shake Shack

I have returned from a visit to my beloved Big Apple with a report on a beer whose parent restaurant is far more interesting than the beer itself.  I'm talking about the Brooklyn Brewing Shackmeister Ale served at the incredible Shake Shack in New York.  Here's a bit of my review which you can read in full at my beer blog: 

"Yet, as a beer fan, one of my main purposes in visiting this establishment was to try Brooklyn Brewing's Shackmeister Ale, a beer which I have known for years to have been brewed specifically for the Shake Shack.  The Shack sells you a pint of Shackmeister for around $5.  That's reasonable.  During my first of two visits to the Shack, I dined at the 8th Avenue location. The line was short when I got there and grew incredibly long as I waited on my meal, snaking around an airport ticketing type of adjustable canvas rope divider.   I drank my Shackmeister while waiting out my to-go order."

Enjoy it and let me know what you think or if you have had any Shack Shack experiences of your own. 

Shake Shack has already expanded to at least 5 New York City locations and is in Florida too.  Like Five Guys, I hope they find their way to Chicago per the rumors, and bring the same level of quality here.

--M. Sheppard

Local Option Beer Event - Thursday, December 15, 2011

It is being referred to as "biblical."  Maybe so.   Under any moniker, The Local Option in Chicago is having its final beer event of the year, featuring some rock solid beer offerings including some of the Evil Twin lineup, Dark Horse 4 Elf, Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela, Lost Abbey Angel's Share, Surly Darkness, and Victory Yakima Glory.  Stouts, stouts, and more stouts dominate this event, so expect a lot of dark, chocolatly, viscous, amazing, sludge-in-your-glass beers to be featured, and to disappear fast.  Here is the list.

This insanity begins at 3 p.m. Thursday night, so be there to get your favorites.  Local Option is located at 1102 W. Webster Ave. in Chicago.   

The Tim Tebow Christmas/Holiday Beer List

I was thinking about how to organize my list of Christmas/holiday beers to try while I was still fuming.  Last Sunday, Tim Tebow's team, the Broncos, beat my Chicago Bears in an improbable last second victory that was a painful defeat crushing the Bears' playoff hopes.  As an added indignity, it happened on my birthday. 

With my mind on Tebow and how he helped ruin my birthday and darken my Christmas season with the dramatic comeback, I'm going to run through a ranking of ten of the Christmas/holiday ales I've tried this year, organized by the NFL quarterbacks they bring to mind.  This list is not necessarily representative of who I think the top ten quarterbacks are (after all, I've included Tebow), or, for that matter, the top 10 such beers.  This is more of a survey of notable beers.  And since Tebow helped inspire this list, I'm getting him on the list:

Brooklyn Brewing Black Ops

Does it exist?  You tell me.  It's not listed on their website.  I'm not talking about Area 51, Smoking Man, the black cancer, or the Trilateral Commission.  I'm talking about Brooklyn Brewing's mysterious barrel aged stout, the Black Ops, which has just returned to Chicago. That is, if it really existed.  Had I taken a break from all of the Christmas brews that are out there, that I plan to write about en masse soon, I would have gone over to Armanetti's Beverages or perhaps Lush Wine & Spirits and perhaps purchased some Black Ops.  I might have even had a glass of this possibly non-existent beer. 

Had I done so, I perhaps could have told you that it comes in a large black bottle with the brewery name impressed upon it in old school raised glass.  I might have added that it emerges from the bottle into your glass in ninja black color with a dark tan head.  Maybe I would have mentioned that it smells of bourbon, chocolate, bourbon, pumpernickel, and, as an added bonus, bourbon. 

Hoppy HolidAles at Sheffield's – Seasonal Taps This Thursday!

If you have a desire to get your seasonal & spiced beer on this time of year, Thursday night at Sheffield's is a pretty good chance to do so with a global perspective. It starts at 7pm at 3258 N. Sheffield Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657.

Here's the tap list:

Dark Horse Boffo Brown Ale

I'm having home made moussaka for dinner and was trying to figure out what beer would pair with the sweet and creamy-spicy eggplant-potato casserole. I have a nice stockpile of stouts which would certainly elbow into the flavor party but might not do much to reset or cleanse a palate. I also have a New Glarus Double IPA that I love but would be too bright to fit well with the allspice and sweet. Lingering at the back of my fridge, the Boffo Brown from Dark Horse sounded perfect. A gift from our esteemed Beer Editor M.Sheppard, it promises a rich flavor that should keep "creamy" in mind but still be able to re-pave over the rich moussaka.

Prepare for the Arrival of the Venti Pinot Grigio

Starbucks started with coffee. Then they introduced the world to Frappuccinos. Then came free wi-fi. Then the world met the autumnal force of nature known as the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). Next up: booze. The Tribune reported yesterday that next year, the Seattle-based coffee chain plans to roll out seven new stores in Chicago that will sell beer and wine alongside lattes and cake pops.

The Economics of Imported Cask-Conditioned Beer

On my day off from working at Owen & Engine, I decide to stop by to try the Nethergate’s cask-conditioned beer that is imported from Suffolk, England, and selling by the nonic pint (20 oz.). These beers are rare, and they’re larger pours. In addition to Nethergate, there’s the Old Growler English Porter (milder flavor, lighter body, and a hint of smoke) and Azzarat Blonde (creamy finish with a pleasant citric tartness—like an Orange Creamsicle).  These beers are rare stateside because Nethergate only does cask-conditioned beer, and most American bars don’t have beer engines. 

Cask ale, cask-conditioned beer, and real ale are all the same thing: beer brewed with traditional ingredients and techniques, meaning that yeast metabolizing a malted grain resulting in carbon dioxide and alcohol.  Unlike draft beer, cask ale isn’t pasteurized or artificially carbonated, resulting in a creamier texture. 

I often compare cask beer to a red wine in the sense that wine changes for the better with aeration.  The mouthfeel of aerated wine is softer, as is real ale.  That’s the best way I can describe the difference between draft and cask beer.  A big IPA on draft will have a firm, aggressive mouthfeel.  The same beer on cask tends to have that recognizable hoppy flavor but is softer because of the lower level of carbon dioxide.         

Win Free Beer at Sheffield's Chili Cook-Off

Sheffield's has the recipe for your perfect Sunday afternoon: the Bears game, competition chili, and a chance to win free beer. This oasis for beer geeks stranded in a sea of Lakeview sports bars hosts an annual chili cook-off that carries a grand prize of a $100 bar gift card. If you think your chili has what it takes, you'll need to call or email the bar (events@sheffieldschicago.com) by 5 PM today, then bring a whole pot of your creation to the competition on Sunday at 1 PM. If you'd rather just judge others' hard work, show up at 1 PM with $20 in hand, which will buy you a taste of the chilis, some barbecue, and one drink ticket. Judging is left to the professionals; Spiaggia chef and Top Chef contestant Sarah Grueneberg will be joined by her colleagues from The Purple Pig and Southport Grocer to crown a winner. Since everyone will leave with bellies full and thirst quenched, there are really no losers.

Thanksgiving Beer Pairing Ideas

A very bright person who shall remain nameless came up with the idea that I should do a piece on Thanksgiving beers.  Not a hint of sarcasm there.  It’s truly a great idea but I don’t know if I’m up to the challenge. Thanksgiving is a tradition dating back centuries while beer pairing is in its infancy.  Plus, I’ve never been to a Thanksgiving dinner – ever – where they served beer.  If anything, it’s what you might have after the gathering at your friend’s place when the pumpkin pie settles in.   My family rarely drinks and never while I was growing up.  A beer post under my name offering any hint of knowledge about it would have set my mom’s face as aghast as if someone splattered her pumpkin pie on the floor.  We weren’t exactly homebrewing.

Darkness – Surly Brewing

* NOTE– Sheffield's is tapping a keg of Darkness at 6pm Monday night

As I posted on my  beer blog – I got to try the rarely seen Surly Darkness, Surly Brewing's Russian imperial stout, last night at a bar in Chicago you can probably figure out via the clues.  Hat tip to my buddy Dave for the heads up on the tasting.  I can't say a lot about Darkness because I'm convinced that I could never fully capture the experience.  It presents itself beautifully, oily black with a creamy light tan head with gorgeous pockets of bubbles starkly contrasting with the black pool beneath.  Delicious smells of baked bread, coffee, and roasted nuts emerge.  The body is dense and velvety, almost buttery, feeling somewhere in between a chocolate malted and a big Syrah. 

 The taste is hard to describe because everything needed is in there and yet so fleeting.  Flavors such as roasted coffee, blackberry, smoke, almond, earth, and bitter cocoa dip in and out on the palate, one second there, the next, gone, overtaken by something else.  It finishes long and opulent. 

This is a beer I'd drive through several states to buy.  I'm given little choice otherwise because I understand that you can only buy it in its native Minnesota.  It's said to be released one day a year, just like Dark Lord Day.  Perhaps it's known as Darkness Day.  If both beers were released on the same day, all things equal I'd be in Minnesota embracing the Darkness.  That's no slight upon Dark Lord, a singular, exceptional beer.  Darkness is just that much better, or dare I say it, perfect.

Firestone Walker Brewing Parabola Imperial Stout

As the craft beer market explodes violently in Big Bang-like fashion, forming galaxies of new breweries, and constellations of brews in Chicago and beyond, it has my mind wrapped around two thoughts that are not necessarily positive. 

1.  There are getting to be an excessive number of craft brewing choices out there.

2.  In 2009, there were a lot of great beers available in the Chicago market to which no one paid any attention. 

Regarding thought No. 1, it's good to see all the new entrants into the local craft beer market, some are  local fledglings, others are expanded lineups of more established locals, and others still are out of staters.  This is all creating increasing interest in craft brewing and driving demand.  My brother, a Chicago native himself, recently noted in the context of describing his new-found love for Great Lakes Nosferatu, that he's seeing craft beers popping up in bars and places he'd never expect them.  Rock It is a party bar. Sure it's styled as upscale but you would not expect to find a limited release Great Lakes beer there.  But it's there now.  At McGee's in 2005 I watched the White Sox slay every opponent thrown their way while probably drinking "premium" offering Sam Adams light.  They now feature drafts of Founders.  Establishments have captured the demand for craft brewing. 

Dark Horse Brewing Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Michigan brewing leaders Dark Horse Brewing can't make up their mind regarding their branding.  Oddly, they have flipped from packaging their beers with bright tan backgrounds that contrasted nicely with dark lettering, to dark, murky backgrounds which muddle all of the nearly-as-dark lettering.  I have no idea what's fueling this.  Survey data?  The desire to appear mysterious?  A pact with the man down below?   Perhaps a reflection on Michigan's soured economy?   I'm not sure.   But if you need some mental stimulation for pondering this or other issues, start with their coffee dopplebock, The Perkulator.

Bridgeport Brewing Hop Harvest

Bridgeport Brewing dates back to 1984 in Portland, Oregon.  They style themselves as pioneers in the Pacific Northwest beer revolution.   That's a bold claim. We're talking about a brewing movement that has resulted in outright brilliant producers such as Deschutes, Hair of the Dog, Full Sail, and dozens of others that never leave the region.  Thanks to an influx of corporate funding, Bridgeport indeed sent their brews east and started showing up on Chicago taps in 2010. 

The corporate connections paid off for Bridgeport and they ended up on, as I'm told, InBev's mighty distribution train.  If you are like me, you met them with suspici0n, as their "first" beer "Hop Czar" began appearing on taps at the type of bars that list Corona as a "premium import".   That's as much of a misnomer as calling Coldplay "indie darlings".  I tried the Hop Czar and it was what I expected: a watery, thin bodied attempt at an IPA - or maybe a pale ale.  Entirely forgettable.  I figured I'd never have much to do with Bridgeport.