On Saturday, August 19th, the familiar buzz of bagpipes began to blare promptly at 3pm, and the jockey box taps began to flow – another Oak Park Micro Brew Review was officially underway! As former residents of Oak Park, Matt and I used to live within walking distance of this beer fest which meant A) we looked very much forward to it, oh so much each … Continue reading Oak Park Micro Brew Review 2017
“Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail No of course not. But they have managed to find their way into quite a few modern-day craft beers! Some of them taste like sunscreen juice (not naming names here) and some of them taste like a tropical breeze that wafted through your head holes, touched down on your tongue and gave … Continue reading Ingredient Study: Coconut
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
