Held at the Garfield Park Conservatory in a curated jungle of beautiful plants, flowers, maze-like hothouses, pretty ponds, and the occasional curly tube slide that you just happen to find while you are wandering through said jungle in search of brewery booths, Beer Under Glass is a craft beer treasure hunt. “BUG,” kicks off Chicago fest season as the first major event of Chicago Craft … Continue reading Beer Under Glass 2017
A couple of weeks ago I went on a beer blogger road trip. That’s right! A few of us including Nik White of Chicago Beer Pass and Nick Costa of The Hop Review jumped in a minivan and rode down to Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington houses the wellspring of Indiana University pride, and the source of some of the country’s most delicious sour beers, Upland Brewing … Continue reading Upland Sours: Blended Works of Art
“People who live where the bird comes from say that there exists a cinnamon bird which brings the cinnamon from some unknown localities, and builds its nest out of it; it builds on high trees on the slender top branches. They say that the inhabitants attach leaden weights to the tips of their arrows and therewith bring down the nests, and from the intertexture collect … Continue reading Ingredient Study: Cinnamon
“Why can’t all American Sours be like this?” – Matthew J. Johnsen Happy New Year’s Eve from Chicagoland! On this festive day, Matt and I pulled what we guessed was our most champagne-like beer our of our cellar, and if I may say so, we nailed it. (Booyah!) According to the Firestone Walker website, Bretta Rosé is “A low-alcohol Berliner Weisse style ale, acidified and … Continue reading Quick Draw: Firestone Walker Bretta Rosé
The 2016 Great American Beer Fest has come and gone, and I am still in serious Fun Withdrawal (it’s a real affliction) just over a week after the final session. This was my first time attending, so this post will largely be a massive recap of “bests” and “favorites” plus my usual illustrative touch. In case you’re not familiar, GABF is the largest annual American … Continue reading The Great American Beer Fest 2016
Oh, hello there. You may have noticed that there was no new post last week. Or the week before. Well that’s because I’m disorganized sometimes I’ve been a busy bee prepping for Pour on the Promenade, a beer and wine-themed art fair held THIS FRIDAY in Elgin, IL. I’ll be there as one of 20 featured artists, selling all the beer- and cider-themed art prints … Continue reading Pour on the Promenade – This Friday!
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you already know that Matt and I visited Boston this past Spring. And, full disclosure, I procrastinated big time on writing a post about it. (Obviously – here we are at the end of August.) I took some sadly scant notes, and that’s what I had to work from. Therefore, I’ve now decided to tell the tale of … Continue reading Boston Beercation
What is the difference between an ale and a lager?
Continue reading Lagers vs. Ales
For those of you who didn’t know, I love the Harry Potter series. Are there people who love HP more than I? Of course. Are there those who love it less? Most certainly, because I love it a great deal. In fact, here is a chart, describing my love for HP as it compares to others’: Footnotes: 1. Pope Benedict was known to have opposed … Continue reading Harry Potter-Inspired Butterbeer Recipe (Made with Actual Beer)
You know warm weather is here to stay when Half Acre releases cans of Akari Shogun American Wheat. (Ok, ok, we never really know what the weather will do here in Chicago, but just roll with me here.) This beer tastes like sunshine, hope, North Avenue Beach, tanned bros in tanks, and bike rides down the Lakeshore path. As the brewery website states, “He who … Continue reading Quick Draw: Akari Shogun by Half Acre Beer Company
