TICKETS ON SALE MAY 8TH AT 10AM! Click on this link for your chance to purchase tickets:

http://westloopcraftbeerfest.brownpapertickets.com/

Breweries invited to participate include:                                                                                   

5 Rabbit Brewery

Argus Brewery

Atlas Brewery

Baderbrau

Begyle Brewing

Buckledown Brewing

Church Street Brewing

Deschutes

Greenbush

Goose Island

Half Acre Brewing

Hamburger Mary’s

Haymarket Pub & Brewery

Hopothesis

Lake Effect Brewing

Lakefront Brewing

Micky Finns

Metropolitan Brewing

Nevins Brewing Company

One Trick Pony

Perennial Brewing

Piece

Pig Minds Brewing

Revolution Brewing

Rock Bottom Breweries

Solemn Oath Brewery

Spiteful Brewery

Ten Ninety Brewing

Tighthead Brewing

Two Brothers Brewing

Virtue Cider

Wild Onion

Chicago French Market Participants include:

Beavers Coffee & Donuts

Fumare Meats

Lillie’s Q

Ovie Bar & Grill

Saigon Sisters

The Ale Syndicate team hosted a dinner at Troy Mediterranean Grill for Chicago-area bloggers on Thursday, March 14, 2013 to allow us to sample two of their initial releases: Municipal IPA, an all-Cascade hopped India Pale Ale, and Richie, a roasty Imperial Porter. Both beers are slowly making their way into the Chicago market and can now be found at some of the better craft beer bars in the city, including Beer Bistro North and Owen and Engine. I was able to speak with Jesse Edwin Evans at the event to ask him about some of the challenges he and his brother faced and how it feels to finally be a member of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.

Illinois Craft Brewers Guild: How does it feel to finally have beer in the market?

Jesse Edwin Evans: Very, very good. Today was especially exciting because we were out there, with the beer in a cooler, and serving it to the beer buyers. And, you know, beer buyers are harder to impress. They get to see the best of the best of everything. So to see their reactions and get positive responses was really exciting. Including [Hopleaf owner] Michael Roper. Having Michael Roper try your beers… It’s a little nerve wracking.

ICBG: Your brother, Samuel, and you faced some challenges when trying to get your brewery off the ground. Can you go over a few of those challenges?

JEE: From the very first point of starting a brewery, you have to convince possible investors to give you money. So it takes a lot of business knowledge that we had to learn. And raising money is a complicated process, and we would like to help other people that are starting breweries with that process. If they want to hear how we went through the process, how we raised money, that’s something that we would like to share with them. Same thing with licensing. Licensing takes a long time. We are still in the midst of finishing up some of the city licenses. And both of those challenges are what took us so long to get here. I think a lot of people get scared about the process, but it is approachable and doable. It just takes time.

ICBG: How has your business model evolved from New Chicago Beer Company to Ale Syndicate?

JEE: With New Chicago, I think we were looking at more of the volume where now we want to do smaller volume to start, but make really high quality beer. And I think the biggest thing I can say is that it’s all about the beer now. I’d almost like to have the taste of our beer represent our brand. So our business model is a lesser amount of beer but more interesting beers, a wider range of beers. We will have a smaller brewing system that can be used to create one-off beers and collaborations. We talked about a couple collaborations today with some of the places that will serve our beer. So that’s a part I’m looking forward to. More of our business will be those small, one-off beers. Those are the most fun anyway.

ICBG: How has the Chicago craft beer scene changed from the inception of New Chicago Beer Company to Ale Syndicate?

JEE: It’s growing and it’s impressive. And it was kind of what I was asking for when I started this process. We know that there can be a lot more breweries than there are currently in Chicago. It hasn’t really become daily life yet. A city of our size should be a beer center of the United States. And I think it can be. It’s all those people like Arcade, Begyle, Dryhop. It’s incredibly exciting to try their beers and hear the stories that they’re creating. I want to see it tenfold over that. I know people say, ‘Oh, how can there be so much beer in Chicago.’ But there can be. It’s all about it becoming a part of daily life; it’s supplanting tap handles that are from someplace else. That was the original view of craft beer; it is a local phenomenon. It’s not meant to be in 25 states. It’s kind of like the model of wine country. We want to make this beer country. There could be 500 wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma, but it all creates part of an ecosystem.

ICBG: You have decided to start with contract brewing while your brewhouse is being built and installed. How did that come about? What do you say to those that still have a bias against contract brewing?

JEE: We could have easily done contract brewing two years ago [as New Chicago Beer Company] but we decided we didn’t want to until we are in a situation where we can control the quality and find people we want to work with. I’m not too hung up on, and I wasn’t before, whether it’s contract or not; it just has to be really good. And if it’s not good and it’s made in your brewery it’s not going to be impressive. But we are controlling the quality, or part of it, and we’re a part of the brewing. But what it really amounts to is that we are using their equipment legally. It’s a good model for people getting started, too. I wouldn’t say that every brewery coming out now shouldn’t do that, because I think they should. If they are able to create good recipes and get good things out in the market, contracting is the way to go. But the contracting portion of our business model is temporary. We’re bringing in a 30-barrel brewhouse where we will eventually brew all of our beer. The goal is to move all production away from Big Chicago and Galena to us.

ICBG: Your first location was at The Plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Your new location at the Green Exchange is similarly sustainable. Was that on purpose? Is that an important aspect for your brewery?

JEE: Yes, it is incredibly important to us as the brewers and the owners of the company. Even when we were at The Plant, we never wanted it to be the point of our beer. We’re not an eco-beer; it’s beer. But we feel that there are a lot of responsible ways to make beer. Especially since we know as brewers that it takes a lot of water, a lot of energy, a lot of natural gas usage and you have to be responsible, for your

bottom line as well as for your own sense of self-worth about the environment. It came about because we met all the right people, like David Baum, the co-developer of the Green Exchange, who brought all of the businesses together, he was someone that we really liked and really wanted to work with. It was a good opportunity for us. But we also love the location more than anything else.

ICBG: How did the recipes for your first three beers come about?

JEE: Sam had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted the beers to be, but we have tested a lot of batches. That is part of the syndicate approach. Everyone around us has tried the beers; we have some other brewers with us, friend brewers, and our other staff. We brought BJCP people in to sample our beers. We’ve evolved the recipes a lot. And I think what we have are really complex flavors and tastes that are different for a porter and different for an IPA. And I’m really proud of it. Because I don’t think these beers could have just come out of Sam’s and my head. It’s part of everybody’s product.

ICBG: You recently joined the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. How has the Guild helped you so far? How do you see the Guild helping you in the future?

JEE: Well, as soon as we put out our announcement, the very first re-tweet was from [ICBG Executive Director] Justin Maynard. I’ve actually looked at that website with intense sadness for not being on it for so long. And just this week, there’s Ale Syndicate right next to 4 Paws, so we were pretty happy about that. I already benefit from the network the Guild provides, but now it is exciting to be a real part of the family.

Illinois Craft Brewers Guild: What is your craft beer journey? How did you become interested in beer and how did you know this is what you wanted to do for a living?                                                           

Nick Barron: It all started with a SoBe fruit drink, actually. I left one in my gym bag over the winter and when I went through my bag in the spring, the drink had exploded. That’s what got me interested in the process of fermentation. My godfather was making his own beer, so I started talking with him about making beer at home. To learn more about homebrewing, I got a job at one of the local breweries in Knoxville, Tennessee. As I started spending more and more time there and doing more and more brewing at home, I realized that this is what I wanted to do for a living. After college, my first job was at Smokey Mountain Brewery. I worked at Smokey Mountain for a year and then I moved to London, England (my wife got a job over there as a Social Worker) and since I couldn’t get any work over there, I decided to go to brewing school. I went to the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and got my diploma in brewing from them. When we came back to the States, we tried to figure out what our next step was and we decided on Chicago. It’s really difficult coming to a new city and getting a job as a brewer because so much of the brewing world is built on reputation. And I was stepping in very new. It was very challenging to get my name in there amidst all of the other people applying for brewery positions, so it took a few months to find a job. There was finally an opening at Flossmoor Station as the Assistant Brewer and I got that job, and then I was promoted to Head Brewer a short time later. And then I received the Brewmaster job here at Goose Island Brewpub.

ICBG: How has the transition been moving from Flossmoor Station to Goose Island? What are some similarities/differences between the two brewpubs?

NB: For the most part it’s been pretty seamless. It’s a lot of the same activity. Both are brewpubs, both are focused on creating a unique and diversified lineup of beers. The big difference is acquiring the responsibility of a second pub as I’m in charge of both here as well as the Wrigleyville pub location. At the time that I left Flossmoor, I had two Assistant Brewers, and now I am picking up a third Assistant. So it is more taxing in terms of management and a little bit more demanding in terms of an organization. So, for those reasons, it is a little bit more challenging.

ICBG: Your predecessor, Jared Rouben, utilized farm-fresh ingredients to create his Farmer’s Market Series of beers. Do you have similar ventures in the works?

NB: It’s challenging because I formed a really good relationship with Jared while I was at Flossmoor and we both talked a lot about using farm-fresh ingredients, so there are a lot of similarities that are going to come out of that. I never had the option of having a farmer’s market a mile away when I worked at Flossmoor so I am really excited to be able to utilize the Green City Market. I was able to use some fresh ingredients while working at Flossmoor; I did a strawberry rhubarb Saison. We always tried to utilize those fresh ingredients but it was challenging since we had to come all the way up into the city to get them. I am definitely really excited about continuing to use fresh ingredients and making a few larger batches of it here. I think it is a 300 mile radius that the Green City Market pulls from, so there are a lot of small farmers doing a lot of really eclectic things; a lot of fun, interesting ingredients that I’ve never heard of before. But overall I will focus on making a beer first.

ICBG: What beers can we expect from you in the coming weeks/months?

NB: We have The Forager, an English Bitter with 30 pounds of cremeni, shitake and oyster mushrooms added at the end of the boil, just to give the beer a little depth of flavor. It’s extremely subtle. I don’t think anyone would be able to say that there are mushrooms in the beer. It is more of a suggestion but it definitely adds a little bit of richness to the back end of the beer. We have an Old World Wit coming out and we have an all Chinook IPA that will be released soon. We try to have a really diversified menu so we’ll have a sampling of everything that we can. There is only a 10-barrel brewhouse here which gives me an incredible opportunity to experiment. Ten barrels really isn’t that much beer and it doesn’t last that long; we go through 20-30 barrels a week. So it’s a great opportunity to try some really eclectic things; you don’t really get that opportunity at any larger scale brewery. Ten barrels is a relatively low risk, rather than the 50 barrel brewhouse at [Goose Island] Fulton or a 1000 barrel brewhouse at Anheuser-Busch. A 10 barrel system is really just a drop in the bucket by comparison.

ICBG: What are your favorite beers to brew?

NB: I love a lot of English styles, especially having lived in London. It’s really close to my heart. I love that we have those beer engines here so it offers a lot of opportunity to serve it well. English and Belgian beers have a particular interest for me.

ICBG: And are those typically your favorite styles to drink, as well?

NB: Yes, probably English and Belgian styles. I’m definitely a fanatic of hops, which seems to be consistent with much of the craft brewing world. But if I was shopping a menu at Hopleaf or Map Room, I would probably pick up something Belgian or something attributed strongly to England. But Belgian styles would probably be the first one I would pick out to drink.

ICBG: What’s the process of brewing for the Goose Island Brewpubs?

NB: It’s completely free reign, which is the wonderful part about it. The burden of making consistent products that will appear regularly on the menu has been lifted from us by being made at Fulton or being made by Anheuser-Busch. So we don’t have to make 312 over and over again, or Sofie or Matilda. They are made at much more efficient breweries. So we can really just make whatever we want.

While tickets to this year’s festival sold out in less than an hour, the cost of admission is well worth it for those lucky enough to get one. With some twenty breweries participating, the selection was most impressive. And with so many beers boasting bold flavors and a high ABV, you’re not likely to get this bang for your buck anywhere else on St. Patrick’s day weekend.

The general admission ticket buys you a commemorative tasting glass and four hours to enjoy as many sample-sized pours as you desire. Though the brewpub fills up fast, this is plenty of time to make the rounds. Inevitably, some beers prove to be more popular with the crowd and go quickly, so it’s best to go in there with a plan. Fortunately, a program was provided upon entry this time around, with a listing of all the breweries present and their offerings.

Before the start of the event, the most loyal of beer geeks stood patiently in the lobby; the line soon extending out the brewpub’s doors, with patrons baring Chicago’s unrelenting chill. From the look of anticipation on their faces, it was clear they barely noticed. I reminisced about last year’s mid-March temperatures reaching a somewhat unsettling 80 degrees as I scanned the beer list. The best strategy? Hit Goose Island’s table first. The crowd tends to get pretty dense around their taps. Goose Island, long known for their stouts, certainly never disappoint and it’s no great secret.

Before the clock struck noon and the festival got into full swing, I was able to chat with Nick Barron, brewmaster at Goose Island’s Clybourn and Wrigleyville brewpubs. Nick recently took on the role, moving on from Flossmoor Station Brewery, so I was eager to get his thoughts on the event. He was gracious enough to answer a few questions, not to mention quick to offer a sample of Goose’s delicious Dublin Stout.

Illinois Craft Brewers Guild: So, was there anything that you brewed especially for this event?

Nick Barron: We did a homebrew contest at the beginning of the year, in January. We coordinated with the winning homebrewer to brew his recipe with him, so that it would be released this week in preparation for Stoutfest.

Dublin stout, we release every year, about this time. We also did a couple spinoffs of existing beers; a couple additions. One’s got milk chocolate and earl grey, one’s got pear and Calvados – a type of brandy – and some coffee added to it as well. We just kind of had a chance to play with them a bit, with a smaller quantity.

ICBG: So this type of event really gives brewers an opportunity to get creative?

NB: Yeah. For these events, the amount of beer that you’re making is like, a half barrel of beer, which isn’t necessarily very much. It’s fun to experiment a little bit. The public, especially going to these kind of beer festivals, respond really well to that kind of experimentation.

ICBG: And are you a stout man, or do you have a preferred style?

NB: It’s really seasonal for me. Right now, I don’t feel like I can get enough stouts. I have a real fondness for a lot of English style beers and stouts certainly fall well within that. We have one that we did, a very hoppy American stout that’s on cask today.

ICBG: Nothing too exotic? I know with the Bourbon County, you get some interesting variants.

NB: It’s fun when you have a base beer and you can start siphoning off certain amounts and trying a bunch of different things out with it; start manipulating it. You just see what attributes you can pull out of a certain beer; what you can play with to make certain flavors and notes come out more.

With that, it was time to jump in line. I thanked Nick and finished my pour of Dublin Stout and was ready to get started. A short while later, I walked through the doors and headed to the back of the room. Goose Island brewpub’s Dublin Stout was available on nitro here, as well as variants London Fog (with earl grey tea) and D-Day (with pear and Calvados brandy) as Nick had mentioned.

Also joining the lineup was Quest for the Imperial Goose competition winner, The Gomez. Named for its creator, Erwin Gomez, the citra dry-hopped Russian Imperial Stout held its own amongst some heavyweights. Congratulations were in order. Rounding out the brewpub’s selection was Black Candle, a hoppy American stout on cask, as promised.

Next, I sampled some Bourbon County Stout variants from Goose Island Beer Co, including Blackberry, Koval barrel Pear Brandy and the elusive Cherry Rye. Also on offer was the Coffee, Vanilla (from 2010) and a 2009 Bourbon County. The ’09 had replaced the first beer to go: the Violet Hour Manhattan, which had been brewed using Heaven Hill bourbon barrels used previously by Chicago cocktail bar, The Violet Hour. Much to my dismay, I never got to sample that one. As expected though, Goose did not fail to impress.

As more breweries open in Illinois, you can expect more great beer at festivals like this. It’s great to see what else they’ve been brewing in addition to what’s hitting store shelves and taps city or state-wide. Newcomers from Chicago included brewpub Atlas Brewing Co, who brought a milk stout and barrel-aged imperial stout and Spiteful Brewing, who brought their popular G.F.Y stout, plus a big Russian Imperial. From Machesney Park, IL (near Rockford) came Pig Minds Brewing Co, a vegan brewpub serving a double stout and dry chocolate stout.
More breweries from outside of Chicago included Flossmoor Station, from (you guessed it) Flossmoor, Emmett’s from West Dundee, Destihl Brew Works from Champaign, Lucky Monk from South Barrington and Wild Onion from Lake Barrington. For city folk like me that don’t own a car, this is a great opportunity try some of the breweries that are spread out across the state.

I slowed down after the first hour or so, trying a little bit of everything, including Flossmoor’s Thundersnow Imperial Stout (appropriately titled for the season!) and Robust Porter from Lucky Monk and the Chai Stout from Wild Onion. Destihl, meanwhile, brought two fruity stouts, a Chocolate Cherry Imperial and a Blueberry Stout.

Three different Rock Bottom breweries joined forces, from Warrenville, Lombard Yorktown Center and from here in Chicago; each bringing a different stout or two. Also present was Two Brothers, pouring their Northwind imperial stout.

From out of state were Bulldog Brewing, who made the trip across the state line from Whiting, Indiana. Recently expanding distribution into Chicago, Deschutes Brewery from Oregon made their presence felt with their Obsidian Stout on nitro.

A number of Chi-town favorites were in the house, including Half Acre Beer Co, Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Pipeworks and Revolution Brewing.

Haymarket brewmaster Pete Crowley always brings his A game, as showcased in Crowley’s Irish American stout, as well as a Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. Pipeworks had an oak-aged Abduction stout, but the Raspberry Truffle Abduction stole the show and was one of my favorites of Stoutfest.

Revolution poured their Paddy Wagon Irish stout and Rise American stout, heavy on the hops. Half Acre brought their goliath feline friend, Big Hugs to the party, a beastly imperial with Dark Matter coffee; just one of four awesome stouts they had on tap.

Personally, I’ll never understand the attraction to green beer when so many great stouts are being poured around St. Pat’s and throughout the season. Stoutfest showcases some of the biggest, best and most memorable stouts you will drink all year; just be ready for a nap after it’s all over.

4 Paws Brewing is a joint venture between Matt and his wife Meghan, who is just as passionate about brewing as Matt is. An additional partner in their business is Sadie, the dog Matt and Meghan adopted in 2010, who now acts as brewery mascot and constant source of inspiration. Many aspects of Matt and Meghan’s plans for the brewery revolve around Sadie’s direct influence, from the names of their beers to the location of the brewery, as well as their philosophy to give a portion of their profits to various animal charities.

The couple started homebrewing and experimenting with their own recipes keeping creativity always at the forefront. While wanting to respect each style they brew, they also want to push those styles to make something that will be conversation starters. Once they knew they had something special with their recipes, starting a microbrewery seemed like an obvious path for them, and it was something Matt had been thinking about for quite some time.

When I asked if he had any photos of the brewery’s location, I watched Matt scroll through screen upon screen of Excel sheets, PowerPoint decks, business plans, and beer recipes. It’s obvious that he and Meghan don’t take this task lightly and want to get it right from day one. But before the brewing could start, they needed a place bigger than their kitchen from which to brew. And so the hunt began.

More Than a Feeling

Matt and Meghan had a good idea of what they wanted in their brewery’s site and healthy set of parameters it needed to fall within. They wanted to be able to walk or bike to the brewery from home. They wanted somewhere they could bring Sadie with them every day. They wanted it located somewhere that patrons could easy walk and bike to it. And they wanted to be part of the greater Andersonville community. 

What they found out was that this was no small order. Matt estimates that he scouted 40-50 different locations with their realtor, each one meeting some, but not all, of their criteria. They were either just out of range from home, or not dog friendly, or in a bad location for patrons to get to, or lacking some basic needs of a brewery like loading docks or easy access for deliveries. At some point, they all started to blur together.

Finally, they found the location they were searching for while checking out an old railroad coal warehouse. Its rustic look, the open space around it, and close vicinity to bike trails and public transportation made it a perfect fit.

“We walked in and it just felt like a brewery,” Matt said. I could see his excitement build as he pulled up the location, 5435 N Wolcott Avenue, on a map and flipped through photos of the building’s interior and exterior. There’s plenty of space inside and out for the Gebhardts’ immediate plans, which include production brewing and a merchandise shop for starters, with a tasting room remaining a possibility down the line. 6,000 square feet are divided between the ground and second floor. A 15-barrel brewing system, with an estimated yearly production around 1,000 barrels, is due to arrive on April 1st.

The location is ideal for Sadie as well. Every day, she’ll get to walk to work with her owners. Once there, she has a fenced-in half acre of ground to run around, play, and greet visitors, which should prove to be a much better option than staying home all day while Matt and Meghan are at work. While she’ll be having the time of her life, Matt will be hard at work inside getting everything set up and ready to brew.

Gearing Up for Chicago Craft Beer Week

Matt and Meghan hope to have their first commercial batch of beer in the tanks as soon as possible. After all, Chicago Craft Beer Week is right around the corner, running May 16 – 26. They would love to have a batch of their two flagship beers, Brindle Amber Ale and Fawn Blonde Ale, ready to present at Beer Under Glass, one of the events sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. Matt knows he will have to push things in order to get the beer flowing by then, but seems undaunted by the pressure and ready to contribute to the festivities.

Brindle Amber Ale is described on the label as “smooth and sessionable,” while the Fawn Blonde Ale aims to be refreshing but complex. Additional releases planned include Pupkin Ale, Kilted Pup, Blueberry Lou, and Brown Dog Stout, of which Matt graciously gave me a sample bottle from a recent test batch.

A Sign of Beers to Come

I took my bottle of Brown Dog home to share with my wife, who’s an even bigger fan of stouts than I am. We cracked it open after dinner one night and were greeted by a warm, toasty coffee aroma. It poured nice and dark with a creamy head. A hint of vanilla is present, but it doesn’t overpower at all, instead balancing out the charred flavors and aftertaste one might expect from a typical stout. It’s so subtle that I might not have noticed it if Matt hadn’t mentioned it to me. If this is an indication of how 4 Paws Brewing approaches their beer, it’s safe to say we’re all in for a treat once the brewery begins production this spring.

ICBG would like to welcome 4 Paws Brewing to the Chicago craft beer community, as well as the Guild. Watch for future updates from Matt, Meghan, and Sadie’s brewery once they are up and running.bbb

Attention valued sponsors of Chicago Craft Beer Week!

Would you like to support Illinois craft beer? Interested in sponsoring on our website/mobile app? Here is your chance!

Official Sponsorship Level:

• Website banner advertisement on the newly developed web app, to be activated May 13^th, 2013
• Brand logo/link placement within “Sponsors” section on main page – www.chibeerweek.com
• Banner placement at Garfield Park Conservatory for BUG event (main hall)
• Complimentary mentions via Q87.7 and 97.9 The Loop radio stations
• Media e-blast via the Brewers Association www.brewersassociation.com
• Featured Official Sponsor presence at  Media Party
• Banner placement at hosting Media Party venue
• A featured article on www.illinoisbeer.com and www.chibeerweek.com
• Featured Sponsor on our Chicago Craft Beer Week t-shirts
• 2013 Official Membership of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild
• Continuous mentions via the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild social media regarding your participation
• (8) Complimentary Passes to closing CCBW event

Associate Sponsorship Level:

• Website banner advertisement on the newly developed web app, to be activated May 13^th, 2013
• Brand logo/link placement within “Sponsors” section of www.chibeerweek.com
• Featured Sponsor on our Chicago Craft Beer Week t-shirts
• Banner placement at Garfield Park Conservatory for BUG event (main hall)
• A featured article on www.illinoisbeer.com
• 2013 Official Membership of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild
• Continuous mentions via the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild social media regarding your participation
• (4) Complimentary Passes to closing CCBW event

Industry Sponsorship Level:

• Brand Logo/link placement within “Sponsors” section of www.chibeerweek.com
• Featured Sponsor on our Chicago Craft Beer Week t-shirts
• 2013 official Membership of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild
• Continuous mentions via the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild social media regarding your participation
• (2) Complimentary Passes to closing CCBW event

Attention participating venues!

Are you a craft beer bar that would like to promote your events for Chicago Craft Beer Week? www.chibeerweek.com will go live on Friday, March 15th. What does that mean? You will be able to upload your craft beer events,  making them searchable by event type, date, time, and neighborhood. We will have a lot more venues involved in 2013, so get your events loaded as soon as possible! Have more questions? We will have all of the details for CCBW participation on www.chibeerweek.com. Get ready!

www.facebook.com/chibeerweek

www.twitter.com/IllinoisBeer

Want to post about Chicago Craft Beer Week on Twitter? Make sure you hashtag #CCBW with your comments.

Whether you describe a beer as having burnt, licorice, sweet flavor with a nutty finish, or don’t know ale from a pilsner. This event can educate or expand your beer knowledge and taste palate.

We feel that the best beers are not ones that have pop stars on their commercials, or the smallest amount of calories. Beer is a drink that helped found America. Without it, Columbus and his crew would not have survived the boat ride, and the Pilgrims would not have been so thankful.

Come celebrate the history and future of beer with classic tastes and new brews that will leave you haunted as you ponder the mad man that would be bold enough to create such an elixir.

We invite you all, from the beer aficionado to the beer novice. Beer is the unifier of people, a great equalizer… and on this day, an excellent reason to get out of the house and join us for a great time.

Ready for romance this Valentine’s Day? You’re going to need the right beverage to help Cupid’s arrow hit its target. Wine or champagne have been the traditional go-to drinks for lovers, but there’s no reason to leave craft beer out of your romantic evening. If you’re hoping to make sparks fly, these four beers from Illinois Craft Brewers Guild members will set the mood better than a box of chocolates.

Coffee Eugene – Revolution Brewing Company

Porter

ABV: 6.8%

The night is young and, since it’s February, bitterly cold. Start your evening of romance with Revolution’s Coffee Eugene, an offshoot of their canned Eugene Porter that’s been aged with whole Dark Matter coffee beans. The dark chocolate malt will warm you both from the inside out while the powerful coffee aroma arouses your sense of smell. No need to worry about any aftertaste ruining the mood. Revolution adds the coffee beans in the bright tank, not the boil, keeping the bitterness minimal and the aroma up front.

La Grippe – Solemn Oath Brewery

Imperial Black Saison

ABV: 10%

They say chocolate is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Luckily for you, La Grippe is loaded with chocolate malt, making it a rich, roasty delight. Farmhouse spices balance out the sweets. Hopefully, you’re both open minded, because there’s so much body in this beer, you’ll be thinking “threesome.”And when that kind of opportunity comes along, you don’t worry about the consequences.

Big John – Goose Island

Imperial Stout with Cacao Nibs

ABV: 11.5%

Innuendo is everything in the game of seduction, and Big John never disappoints. From the moment this beer hits the glass, you’re immersed in its intense aroma. Powerful chocolate overtones pulsate in waves from the cacao nibs as this thick serum delights your tongue. Simply said, there’s nothing small about Big John.

5 Lizard – 5 Rabbit Cerveceria

Latin-Style Witbier

ABV: 4.3%

Let’s get right down to it. 5 Lizard is named after Macuilcuetzpalin, one of the five Aztec gods of excess and desire. That alone should be reason enough to include it on your short list of Valentine’s Day beverages. And while chocolate often reigns supreme on Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean other scents and tastes can’t tantalize your senses. 5 Lizard will take you both by surprise after an evening of dark, heavier brews. Alive with bright, playful ingredients, like passion fruit purée and lime peel, it’s sure to refresh and revive you for the evening’s finale.

Sure, there are many ways to express your love on Valentine’s Day, but do any of them really compare to a well-crafted,  flavorful beer? Which beers have worked wonders for your romantic encounters?

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Are you as enthusiastic about your Illinois craft beer as we are? Of course you are! That’s why the Board of Directors of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild have completely revamped the ImBIBE program, and we are now offering more benefits to our Members! We appreciate your affiliation, and your dedicated support to your local Illinois craft brewers. In 2013, it’s our turn to take care of you! You may have been a Member for years, and we thank you! If you have recently joined, or are thinking about joining the ImBIBE program, you are  in for an amazing year of special benefits. We are excited to bring this new platform to you, and hope that you enjoy and embrace what Illinois craft beer has to offer you!

2013 IMBIBE Membership gives you:

* 1 hour early entry into FoBAB 2013 (must have ticket purchased for 1st session)

* An Illinois Craft Beer Koozie – Coming SOON!

* End Of Year “Celebration of Illinois Craft Beer” party

* Chicago Brew Bus is offering a discount for all ImBIBE members.   Members receive a discount of well over 20%.  Prices are $45 for card carrying members and $50 for their friends and family if tickets are purchased together. For more info http://www.chicagobrewbus.com

* Chicago Brew Werks is offering 10% off Grain, Hops, and Yeast at CBW for all ImBIBE members.  For more info www.chicagobrewwerks.com

* Chicago Beer Experience: Receive 15% off beer tours – type in “ImBIBE” as the discount code on their website www.chicagobeerexperience.com

* Monk’s Pub – Chicago: “Free Taster Tuesdays!” Every Tuesday , stop by Monk’s and receive a 4.5 oz pour of your favorite draft beer for FREE.  Also, 50% on all Monk’s Pub merchandise.  For more info www.mmonks.com

* Half Acre Beer Company: Receive 10% off your total purchase in the tap room or retail shop (1/13/13 – 12/31/13). For more info www.halfacrebeer.com

* One free pint of craft beer at Greenbush Brewery. For more info www.greenbushbrewing.com

* Monthly meet-ups at various brew-pubs

In order to join ImBIBE, please click on the “IMBIBE” link on the main page. Or, go ahead and visit the following URL:

www.illinoisbeer.com/ImBIBE

You can also visit our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on everything ImBIBE:

www.facebook.com/illinoisimbibe

Have a question regarding our program? Email Parker at: chris@illinoisbeer.com