South Chicago Suburbs

Another weekend of homebrew judging sent us to the South Chicago suburbs and a couple brewpubs prior to the event.  First stop was the Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, IN  http://www.3floyds.com/ under normal conditions a three hour drive.  Upon arrival around 11:30 a.m. the parking lot was already full and we had to park on the street.  Currently they are doing some remodeling and have limited service for their beers.  However, they still have 20 tap beers for the offering.  

The taps run from session beers to high octane IIPAs and barley wines.  Of course the year round beers are on tap, but also a bunch of seasonal as well.  Between the four of us we tried 12 of the 20 tap beers, ranging from several ESBs to IIPAs.  My first beer was Das Kleine Schwarz Einhorn a wonderful Schwartz beer.  Black in color but light in taste, probably one of the best Schwartz beers I have had recently.  A proper Schwartz is dark, malty and refreshingly hoppy.   My next beer was Lord Admiral Nelson a good traditional ESB.  My last beer was Zombie Dust; I am now a new convert to this beer.  This is an outstanding IPA. I think it supplanted Arrogant Bastard as my favorite beer.  It has a strong hop presence with a strong malt backbone.  Even though the hops are featured in the beer it is well balanced making it very drinkable.  Now if someone asks which IPA to have, I will mention Zombie Dust first.

 Among our group we also tried the Lawless ESB, Stygian Darkness, Jinx Proof, Arctic Panzer Wolf,  Mushy P and Brian Boru the few that I remember.  The tap list can be seen at http://www.3floyds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/current-beer-menu1.htm.  Every beer we had was at worst good if not great.   After our visit I understand why they have such a cult following for their beer.  Unfortunately we were a bit early for Dark Lord, but we still enjoyed the visit.  If you find yourself within an hour of Three Floyds make the detour and enjoy the beers you can only find at the brewery.    With beer requests to bring home the four of us left with over $200 of packaged beer for friends and ourselves.

Next stop was Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery in Flossmoor, IL http://www.flossmoorstation.com/.   This is a great location in downtown Flossmoor in the old train depot next to a current train station stop.  Our group has all been to Flossmoor previously and we were not disappointed with our return visit.  We found seats at the bar and promptly ordered a sampler of their beers, which entailed a total of 16 different beers. Here is a link to the beer selections: http://www.flossmoorstation.com/brew/selections.htm.  Some of my favorites include Panama Limited Red Ale, Pullman Brown Ale (of course since this is their flagship beer), Intercontinental Pale Lager, Smoked Porter and Wallonian Saison.   The IPL was smooth, refreshing and hoppy.  The porter had a noticeable strong smokiness that I loved.  The saison was dangerously smooth and refreshing, this is not a session beer.  Flossmoor is a worthy stop all by itself.  They have great beer and a good food menu.  Another good thing was that we happened to be there at the correct time and we able to partake in a happy hour food bar.  We also we able to picked up some growlers to go of our favorite beers.

At the hotel we enjoyed a growler of the IPL and watched some NCAA tournament basketball.  It was an early night for all of us since three of the four of us had a judging event on Saturday.  The beer judging contest was very enjoyable, and our friends that we were with won some ribbons including the Best of Show Mead.    
 All in all it was another great weekend of beer.

QC Beerguy
  

 

Iowa's Small Brewers need your help

Below you will find an email I received from the Brewers Association in regards to an upcoming bill in the legislature.  In effect it is authorizing the control of the Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board from the state's Tourism Department to the Midwest Wine Institute at Iowa State.  This will lead to a heavy emphasis on the Wine industry and leave the brewers behind.  They are asking for concerned citizens of Iowa to contact you state senators to voice your opposition.  Here is the email:

 March 16, 2012

Dear AHA, BA and Support Your Local Brewery Members,

The Iowa Brewers Guild has requested that beer enthusiasts take action to oppose legislative language detrimental to the state's small and independent brewers and craft beer consumers.

Please read the following information provided by the Iowa Brewers Guild.

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The Iowa Brewers Guild is asking for your support in opposing certain provisions in Amendment S-5084 to HF 2337 (the specific language we are opposed to begins on line 20, page 14 and runs through line 1, page 16) that has been proposed by the Iowa Wine Growers Association. The wineries are hoping to transfer funding and control of the Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board out of the state's Tourism/Economic Development Department and place the funding (and program) under control of the Midwest Wine Institute at Iowa State University.

We are asking you to act immediately. Please contact the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ask them to remove these provisions from the amendment before taking a vote. Time is of the essence as the amendment is scheduled for a vote this coming Monday, March 19.

We are asking you to express opposition to these provisions because:

1. The Economic Development Authority has been doing a very successful job promoting both the wine and beer industries and the proposed amendment will transfer the program to the Wine Institute where there is an unproven record of marketing and promotional efforts. The Wine Institute in Iowa is a higher education authority that may not have compatible goals with the beer industry.
2. The brewing industry hasn't been a participant in discussions and currently doesn't believe this is in our best interests. Additionally the Iowa Economic Development Authority has expressed opposition and would like to see this halted until all affected parties can come to agreement. Many wineries have also expressed concerns about this legislation.
3. The Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board has spent considerable resources preparing for this year's programs and promotional efforts. These efforts will be abandoned and wasted if the proposed amendment proceeds. This will be a waste of over $80,000 to the Wine and Beer Promotions Board's programs.
4. Brewing industry representation on the proposed amendment is assigned by the Wine Institute, not the brewing industry. We feel we are being locked out of support to a legislatively mandated tourism and economic development program that has existed since 1986.

First priority is to contact the senators on the appropriations committee.

Again, ask them to remove these provisions from the amendment.

Second priority is to contact all our state senators.

Thank you for your support of Iowa Beer!

Cheers,
Dave Coy
President, Iowa Brewers Guild 

Southern Kansas

This past weekend my wife and I were in southern Kansas for a wedding; it was a classmate of my wife's daughter.  So in planning our visit, I did my usual amount of research to find local breweries or brewpubs.  Unfortunately for us the closest brewpubs were in Wichita an hour away from Arkansas City. So there was no trying out of brewpubs since our main intent was the wedding on Saturday.  Instead we spent the day roaming Arkansas City, KS.  An aside here it is pronounced "R Kansas City" in Kansas not "R kan saw" as in the state of Arkansas.  Locally it is made much easier since they just call it Ark City.

First we went to a museum for the Cherokee Strip Land Rush.  It is a cool museum telling the local history of the Oklahoma land rush.  At the museum one of the pamphlets we received was a walking tour of the historic architecture of the downtown. When we were on our walking tour we noticed across the street what looked like a bar with a barber shop in it.  Since I needed a haircut we decided to check it out when we came back on that side of the street.

 Our place of interest was about two thirds of the way through the walking tour so we worked up a bit of a thirst and were ready to check this building out.  When we arrived at the doorway we saw that there are actually two doors one for the bar and one for the barbershop.  We went in the barbershop door and found a sign in the barber chair "The barber is in the bar", so we headed through the common door between the two establishments and we saw the barber walking towards us.  I got seated in the barber chair and joked about having a beer while I was getting my haircut.  The barber said right back you can if you want to.  I decided to hold off on the beer, since did not want a bunch of hair clippings in my beer.

 As I got my haircut we find out a little about the barber.  His name is Adrian and he graduated from Ark City in 2005.  He then went to barber college and after graduating he was recommended to the Barber/Owner of the shop we were in.  So he began working there and now is in the process of buying the shop from the current owner.  His prices are great for a haircut it was $11. Can't beat that!
 After my haircut was finished I settled up and thanked Adrian. Then my wife and I headed back into the bar to have a beer.  We took seats at the bar, joining a couple of locals and the bartender.  My wife asked what beers they had and the bartender mentions all Bud products and Coors Light.  I got a Bud draft and my wife gets a Bud bottle; the good thing is the beers are only $2 a piece.  Fitting for the beer we purchased.

 The bar itself has seen better days; it was dark, dirty and age worn.  With that said we still enjoyed ourselves. The locals and the bartender talked with us, telling stories about the relationship between the bar and barbershop.  They told us about a previous barber that you only want to get an a.m. haircut from, because he was bombed by the afternoon.  When he was not cutting hair he was in the bar drinking.  He also kept a bottle of whiskey in his shop and one day he was drinking from the bottle when a state inspector arrived for an inspection.  Somehow though the barber passed inspection.

To me this is a great idea to combine a bar and barbershop and the only one I know of is located in Ark City, KS.  So if you find yourself in need of a haircut in Ark City go here for a cut and a beer.  It is a cool place.

 After we finished our beer we paid up and finished our walking tour. When finished we went to a local liquor store to see what beer we could find.  We found enough beer to fill up two cases with some local like Free State in Lawrence, KS and Marshall Brewing in Tulsa, OK.  We also picked up a couple six packs of Gordon Biersch in bottles.  So we will be enjoying some beer that we cannot normally find.

 That evening we headed to the wedding and then the reception.  They had a margarita machine and several kegs of Bud.  After a bit of time they provided a bottle of champagne for each table, so my wife switched over to champagne for the rest of the night.  When the kegs ran dry, which was about the end of the night, we raided our stash that we purchased that day and shared them with our friends.  Also one couple came from Colorado and had a bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon.  It was a little harsh, not smooth like Mississippi River Distilling's Cody Road Bourbon, so I will don’t think I will be purchasing the Breckenridge Bourbon any time soon.

 All said my wife and I had a great time in Ark City.  Even though we did not find a great new brewpub or brewery for us, we still had a beer adventure.

 One last thing, someone please open up a brewpub or brewery in Ark City, KS so when we go there again we will have someplace to go for good beer.  Also probably more important the people of the town deserve some good beer!

QC Beerguy        

My wife goes to Bodega Brewpub

Through a series of events my wife was with me last Thursday and we stayed overnight in La Crosse, WI so we made a stop at Bodega Brewpub http://www.bodegabrewpublax.com/.  Past readers of this blog know this is a favorite beer bar of mine and in my opinion it is a top 100 beer bar in the U.S.  So needless to say I was very excited for my wife to experience Bodega Brewpub.

When we walked in the bar was more crowded than usual and at first we stood for a bit allowing my wife to take in the whole persona that is Bodega Brewpub.  It took her a bit to understand where to look for the list of beers.  I pointed out the board that had the tap list on it and was trying to help her choose a beer.  As we were doing that John, the manager at Bodega, saw us and came over to talk with us for a bit.  I did introductions all around and John went and got us a beer menu.  We found a seat at the bar for my wife and after a short while I was able to sit next to her. 

Are first beers we enjoyed were Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine and a Schell's Schmaltz Alt.  We both really enjoyed the Barleywine and my wife liked the Schmaltz Alt but preferred the barleywine.  The barleywine was rich, thick, sweet and complex.  Also the amount of bourbon in this beer was just about perfect.  If you see this beer grab it, this is an outstanding beer.  One word of warning about the beer it is 11.5% ABV so this is not a chugging beer. 

While we were enjoying our first beers my wife learned the secret of Bodega, there are no strangers.  She and I quickly became engaged in a conversation with a couple of nice people in town from Milwaukee.  We learned that they were in town for work; they work at a publisher that publishes college books. We had a great time talking with Heidi and Ben.  With a great conversation going time quickly passed.  Since I had been at Bodega frequently, I was able to steer Heidi and Ben towards some good tap beers…one being Lefthand's Milk Stout on Nitro, the nitrogen smooths out the beer and makes it ever more creamy and enjoyable. 

My wife and I we each ordered a second beer.  My wife ordered New Glarus'  Barleywine, she found it a bit lacking after having tried the Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine.  We are not saying that it is a bad barleywine, it is just that after tried such a complex barleywine having a second one may have not been the best choice.  So a true determination on New Glarus' Barleywine will have to wait.  I decided to go in a different direction and ordered a Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.  It had just arrived a day or two before our visit, so I was lucky to try it.  Hoptimum is a whole cone imperial IPA.  It was exactly what I needed to go against the sweetness from the barleywine I had previously.  As with almost every IPA or Imperial IPA that is coming out lately it has a noticeable Simcoe hop presence.  I still do not understand the draw of this hop, to me the taste of this hop is unpleasant best described as "cat pee".  I will let this hop fad go on without me.

As we continued our conversation with Heidi and Ben and enjoying our beers, the bartender opened a wrong bottle.  It wound up being Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine. Samples of the bottle were poured and Heidi and Ben tried the beer.  Heidi really liked it and Ben thought that it tasted like burnt marshmallows; so he was not a fan.  My wife and I finished our beer and bid good bye to Heidi and Dan.  Needless to say my wife loved Bodega and is more than willing to go back when the opportunity presents itself.

QC Beerguy

Boston Beer expanding beyond Sam Adams.

Boston Beer has added a new subsidiary, Alchemy and Science.  This will be an opportunity to keep experimenting and expanding the Boston Beer brands under another brand name.  Follow link to learn more http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1785609783/Boston-Beer-goes-beyond-Sam-Adams-with-new-venture

QC Beerguy

Northern Chicago Suburban Beer Tour

On February 24th my wife, another couple, and myself did a beer tour of the Northern Suburbs of Chicago, prior to judging at a Homebrew Competition on Saturday.  We started off at Geneva Ale House http://www.genevaalehouse.com/.  When you first pull up you see the old marque from days gone by and when entering the place it is updated with lots of exposed wood and bricks.  I felt at home almost instantly, even before we sat down at the bar.  At the bar we were quickly greeted by the bartender, while we perused the beer menu.  They advertise over 140 beers, which includes 12 tap beers.  After looking at the menu the men ordered a pint each and the ladies ordered a sampler of three beers.  We wound up staying for a couple beers both drafts and bottles.

A few of the standouts included Trumer Pils http://www.trumer-international.com/, a wonderful German style Pils.  It poured light yellow with a dense white head, crystal clear and it was nice and crisp from hops and had a wonderful malty taste.  Another standout was Founders All Day IPA http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-lineup/all-day-ipa as the name implies this is not your average IPA.  It checks in at 4.7% ABV with 42 IBUs, so it is an IPA that could be a session beer that could be enjoyed all day.  The last standout was Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine http://www.3floyds.com/our-beers-2/, a wonderful American Barleywine.  It checks in at 10.5% ABV and 80 IBUs, and it is rich and malty with caramel notes.  The high hopping rate offsets the malty sweetness and high alcohol making this a really good drinking barleywine.  Just make sure to share the beer, this is not a beer to have all to yourself particularly if you are driving or planning to have more beers later on in the day.



Next stop was the Fikin in Libertyville, IL http://firkinoflibertyville.com/ , which has around 30 draft beers and at least another 50 in bottles.  This is a must stop for all beer lovers in the northern suburbs.  Walking into this bar has the feel along the lines of an English pub; I am sure that is why the name.  It is dark wood with a wonderful old bar back that just says home.  

With that many taps there is always a beer on tap for your particular taste.  Some fine examples were Stiegl Brau, Kasteel Rouge and Mongo IPA.   Stiegl is a wonderful malty Austrian Lager, Kasteel is a great Belgian Brown ale aged with cherries and Mongo IPA is a big IPA with lots of hops.  On the weekend if you want a seat come early.

Next on our tour was Tighthead Brewing Company in Mundelein, IL http://www.tightheadbrewing.com/; this is a brewery started by a homebrewer.  Located in a warehouse area it is a bit difficult to get to if you do not know the way.  It is a combination of a brewery and a tasting room.  Since it is located near a train stop this could be a great place for the commuter to enjoy a beer or two to relax after work.  They have six tap beers: Comfortably Blonde, Scarlet Fire, IRIE IPA, Boxcar Porter, Hat Trick Tripel and Upright Extra Pale Ale.  All are good solid beers, but a couple I could pass on were the blonde and the tripel.  A couple growlers were filled to be taken back to the QC and shared at the MUGZ meeting on Sunday, Scarlet Fire and IRIE IPA made it home unopened.  Since this is a homebrewer that went pro I really liked this place and suggest any one giving it a try when in the area.

Lake Bluff Brewing Company in Lake Bluff, IL http://www.lbbrew.com/index.html is a place my wife and I have previously been to when visiting the Northern Suburbs.  It is still as quaint as my wife and I remembered.

We wanted to introduce our friends to this little place.  They enjoyed it as well.  They have seven beers currently on tap: Udderly Oatmeal Stout, Autumn Rye, Bohemian Blonde, Inspiration Pale Ale, Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout, Hard Tail Imperial IPA and Weeee!! Heavy Scotch Ale.  A couple standouts were the Black Squirrel and the Weeee!! Heavy.  Both are big beers in flavor and alcohol.  Located in the downtown area of Lake Bluff this seems to be a gathering place for the locals.  Stop in when you are in the area.


Last stop on the beer tour was Mickey Finn's in Libertyville, IL http://www.mickeyfinnsbrewery.com/. A brewpub we have been to a few times now and it is always crowded.  They have eight beers on tap and a full food menu.  This is a good brewpub, but not a must hit every time in the area.  There are also numerous other bars and brewpubs we did not have time to hit, so I believe another trip is in order.


QC Beerguy