Oktoberfest Road Trip to Wisconsin

By Guest Contributor Eric Zeigler

Ahhh, the smell of Fall is in the air. With it, there is excitement. For Foodies, it’s the beginning of Comfort Food Season. Heartier fare and bigger, bolder beers and wines. For me, September and October hold the promise of my favorite celebration of all. Break out your Trachten shirts, lederhosen and dirndls people. It’s Oktoberfest!!!!

This year, as always, I am headed beyond the Cheddar Curtain to the Promised Land —Wisconsin. Home to a 42% Germanic populace and to the most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations in the U.S. this side of Munich.

The Bavarian Bierhaus, which opened earlier this year, will host the oldest and one of the most authentic Bavarian Oktoberfest celebrations in the Midwest. Modeled after the one that takes place in Munich, Germany, it takes place every September on the four weekends following Labor Day. Admission is $5 at the door or $4 in advance (available at the restaurant). Kids 12 and under are free and firefighters, police, active duty military and veterans get in for free on Fridays. The festivities include traditional German brass bands, Schuhplatter folk dancing, singing, yodeling, sing-alongs, dancing, food and drink. Wearing the traditional lederhosen and dirndls at this festival is as normal as someone putting on jeans and a T-shirt to go to a regular bar. Meanwhile, you can try your hand at various smaller carnival-like games or enjoy a large Bavarian pretzel or bag of hot, roasted candied nuts. It is truly an epic experience. 

To round up your month of Gemütlichkeit, you may also want to try downtown Milwaukee’s Oktoberfest celebration. Situated in the beautiful Pere Marquette Park across from the Hofbrau-franchised Old German Beer Hall (one of the sponsors), this equally exuberant festival is initiated by none other than the Mayor of Milwaukee tapping the first wooden keg to get things rolling. This harkens back to the same tradition in Germany of the Mayor of Munich tapping the first keg. At any festival in Wisconsin patrons are even encouraged to bring their own Maßkrug steins to be filled with the glorious beers produced by Hofbräu. Later, if one is so inclined, you can try your hand at Maßkrugstemmen (beer stein holding). See how long you can hold a 1-liter glass stein full of beer (about 6 pounds) straight in front of you. At any point, you can retreat from the tent’s festivities by walking around the gorgeous park scenery right on the river. I am taking my father for his first experience this year. I can’t wait until he tries his first cold sip out of a Maß in his new Trachten shirt! 

Get out of your normal comfort zone and head to Wisconsin this month. You won’t regret the experience! 

Chicago's Authentic German Food and Beer Scene

By guest contributor Eric Zeigler

My name is Eric Zeigler, and if you can’t surmise from my last name, I am of German descent. Even though my family has been in America for many, many generations, I’ve always been fascinated – enthralled if you will, with all things Teutonic. Whether you are talking of cars, the people, or medieval castles, my fascination with Germanic culture has no bounds.

This is especially true when it comes to German food and libations. As a self-proclaimed foodie and hospitality student at Kendall College, I take great pride in seeking out many of the excellent choices that Chicago has to offer in terms of ethnic German restaurants and bars.

One of my favorites is Laschet’s Inn. Far and away, this low-key tudor-style restaurant serves out amazing examples of common German dishes such as Rouladen, Schnitzels and Sauerbraten. Their sausages – Thüringer, Bratwurst and Weisswurst among them are phenomenal examples of basic, hearty fare. If one chooses to eat “lighter”, a perfect meal at Laschet’s would be one of their flown-in-from-Bavaria pretzels and a rare dish called Hackepeter, essentially steak tartar spread over rye bread with chopped onions and capers. All of this can be washed down with what is certainly one of the best selections of imported, on draught German beers in the city. In fact, they recently added one of the rarest – Kloster Andechs, a beer that wasn’t available in America for the past 15 years and is, in my humble opinion, sublimely wonderful.

Lachet's Inn. Photos courtesy of lachetsinn.com

Those seeking a more “elevated” experience should give The Radler a try. Two established partners in the Chicago scene, Chef Partner Nathan Sears and Managing Partner Adam Hebert, decided to try their hand at elevating German cuisine to a new level, and they have succeeded admirably. Their pickling of vegetables, curing of meats and hand-baked pretzels are all done in-house. They are great supporters of local food purveyors and farmers, and utilize a local suburban brewery to make their house beers. Try the German Onion Pie, a twist on an English shepherd’s pie that is out-of-this-world. One should never pass up house-made charcuterie, and The Radler never disappoints. Venison, pork and boar are transformed into savory delights and are always accompanied by perfectly balanced accoutrement.

Photos by Baskin-White Photography. Courtesy of dasradler.com

There are many more too numerous to mention, but all worth (multiple) visits. Resi’s Bierstube, Mirabell, Huettenbar and the historic Brauhaus round out more of Chicago’s offerings. In the suburbs, the illustrious Hofbrauhaus in Rosemont is astounding, The Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, Schniztelplatz in Glendale Heights. The list goes on and on. 

All in all, the Germanic food and beer scene is well-covered in Chicago, and one would be remiss to pass on an opportunity to experience some authentic Gemütlichkeit.

Courtesy of huettenbar.com

The Release of 5 Rabbit Vida Y Muerte

This Thursday 5 Rabbit will be releasing their seasonal "Vida Y Muerte", Day of the Dead Marzen-style beer. They'll be celebrating this release on Thursday, September 26th at the Hopleaf in Andersonville along with special guest, Brewmaster John J. Hall.  The party starts at 7pm.

Dryhop Brewers and Flossmoor Station Launch "Smoking Nanners"

Join Dryhop Brewers and Flossmoor Station Brewing tonight at Dryhop (3155 N. Broadway) for the release of their collaboration "Smoking Nanners". The 5.5% Smoked Hefeweizen, is a result of Flossmoor Head Brewer Bjorn Johnson and Dryhop Owner Greg Shuff’s time together in Munich for brew school.

Together, they traveled to different regions of Germany to learn about brewing techniques. A memorable stop was in Bamberg, where smoked beers are considered a specialty of the area. Smoking Nanners was brewed in tribute to Bjorn and Greg’s antics experienced there.

DryHop Chef Pete Repak and Flossmoor Chef Eduardo Camarena also collaborated on a dish for the evening – Smoked Guajillo Chile Glazed Texas Quail on Jicama-Tortilla Salad with Roasted Pineapple Relish and Pulped Avocado.

Tapping schedule is as follows:

• 6pm – Flossmoor’s Berliner Weisse, a low alcohol wheat beer, soured with lactobacillus and fermented with a Kölsch yeast strain. (3.0%)
• 7pm – Flossmoor’s Kölsch, a clean, crisp, session beer with a soft malt and hop character. (5.2%)
• 8pm – Flossmoor’s Roggenbier, a dunkleweizen made with rye instead of wheat. (5.6%)
• 9pm – The release of Smoking Nanners, a Smoked Hefeweizen. (5.5%)