ABV Chicago Holiday Party Episode 100!

For the BIG 100th Episode ABV Chicago threw a holiday party, and we were honored to be included. We drink a handful of delightful beers, give our somewhat humble opinions, and catch up on 2015 happenings. Plus some random shenanigans and detours, per usual. Thanks for listening and happy holidays!

Guests of honor included us (Kim) (Hail to the Ale), Ken Getty (CHAOS Homebrew Club), Nick Burica (Middle Brow Beer Co.), Chris Betts (Transient Artisan Ales), Marie Cummins (Down the Hatch), Dennis Lee (The Pizzle), MC Johnsen (Worth 1000 Beers) and Matt Johnsen (Horse Thief Hollow and The Beer Cellar). 


LISTEN HERE: ABV Chicago Episode 100 – Holiday Party 2015


Beers Reviewed

1. Kane Brewing – Cortijo (Agave Nectar Saison Aged in Tequila Barrels)
2. OEC Brewing – Malefactus (Wine Barrel-Aged Stout)
3. Transient Artisan Ales – Black Raspberry Maigre (Berlinner Weisse)
4. Lake Effect Brewing – Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel-Aged)
5. BrainDead Brewing – Bent De Garde (Wine Barrel-Aged Biere de Garde)
6. de Garde Brewing – L’Hiver Melange No. 2

About ABV Chicago:

ABV (Another Beer View) is a podcast about beer and life. But mostly about beer. Beaming out from Chicago, IL. You can subscribe to their podcasts on iTunes and follow them on facebook, twitter and instagram at ABVChicago.

6 Design Observations from the Craft Beer Aisle

We were recently approached by the folks at Top Hat IMC, a Marketing and PR firm in Philadelphia, to write a guest blog post on craft beer label design. We happily obliged and welcomed the opportunity to explore, from a Nationwide perspective, the current design trends and best practices taking place in the craft beer industry.

For the full story click here.

Iron Brew LIVE JUDGING!

That's right -- this Saturday 5 Rabbit will be hosting LIVE JUDGING of the Iron Brew Homebrew Challenge with an all-star panel of judges, open to the public. Here are the details:

We will be meeting at the brewery this Saturday afternoon, February 1st 1pm-4pm. Judging will be held "live" starting at 1:30pm. The competition entry fee is $10 and drop off locations are Brew Camp and Brew and Grow (before 5pm on Friday) or you can bring them to the brewery on Saturday.

If you are submitting beer, bring your friends with you to celebrate your imminent win! If you are not submitting beer, come on over anyway. There will be no cover charge and we will have complementary snacks. Also, first pint of beer is on us!

Randy Mosher and John J Hall will be at the brewery to judge the homebrew and give brewery tours. Come on out and spend your Saturday with us!

Brewery address:

Narragansett Ave, Bedford Park, IL 60638
(312) 895-9591

Chicago Beer Gals January Event

Hey Ladies! Join us this month for a craft beer bottle share at the Brew Camp Classroom -1826 W Wilson Ave. 

Please bring some beer to share. We’ll provide the snacks and conversation.

Special Guests:

Liz Garibay, Beer Historian of Tales, Taverns & Towns
Katie Rains, Beer Jewelry Designer of Katie Rains Designs

Limited seats are available, advanced tickets recommended through Brew Camp HERE

Have questions about the event? Want to be a future guest speaker? Feel free to email me.

Event produced by Hail To The Ale.

Iron Brew Homebrew Challenge - The Rules

Hey Homebrewers! Back in November we held the Iron Brew Workshop at the 5 Rabbit Brewery with special guest, Randy Mosher. He extended the "Homebrew Challenge" and unveiled the secret ingredient - SOUR ORANGES (Seville Oranges/Bitter Orange).

The competition will take place on Saturday, February 1st, 12pm at the 5 Rabbit Brewery. Submissions are open to any local homebrewer (no mail in entries accepted) regardless of whether you attended the workshop. Any style may be brewed, the only requirement is use of the secret ingredient, sour oranges, which your beer will be judged on the application of.

Registration can be done through the 5 Rabbit website and is required to participate. Further information will be emailed to you upon your $10 registration fee purchase.

Below are the Competition Rules. Please contact Kim or Andres with further questions.

GOOD LUCK!!

Brewing With Spices Event

Join us for an evening at the Savory Spice Shop in Lincoln Square. General Manager David Trout will lead us through a series of spice groups, allowing us to experience the aroma and flavor of each. 

Special guests Brewmaster Ben Saller of Atlas Brewing Company and homebrewer extraordinaire Christian Burdulis of Brew Camp will talk about how they incorporate the use of spices in recipe development from both the homebrewing and production brewing perspectives.

** Advanced Tickets are required as space is limited **

We will have spiced beers available to drink courtesy of Bottles and Cans, as well as snacks from Bee's Knees Food Co..

This is a homebrew friendly event. Feel free to BYOB.

Savory Spice Shop will offer a discount for all purchases the night of the event.

The Great Pumpkin Beer Challenge

As lovers of all things pumpkin, we've teamed up with CHAOS Brew Club's Ken Getty to put together a pumpkin beer tasting of epic proportions. We've compiled 24 beers and will be drinking through the good, the bad and the extra gourdy over the next 3 weeks to determine the ultimate Great Pumpkin Beer winner. 

We'll be posting the results of each tier over the next few Thursdays, with the final winner announced on Halloween Day.

The tiers are ranked as follows:
Tier 3 - New Jack O'Lantern City, Limited Distribution
Tier 2 - Patch Madness, Regional Breweries
Tier 1 - Pumpkin O.G.'s, the crew that's been doing pumpkin beers before Pumpkin Spice Latte had its own hashtag

Which are your favorites vying for the win? Any you'd add or remove? Let us know your thoughts and stay tuned for the results!