Goose Island Migration Week Comes To Chicago's Logan Square

Chicago’s own Goose Island Brewing Co. is bringing Migration Week, a week-long celebration of beer, food and music, to Logan Square September 26-30 to show some local neighborhood love. The week kicks-off with a return of the famous Brewers Workout —an exercise class designed around the day to day life of a brewer. More events are included below with descriptions and links for tickets.

Brewers Workout
Date: Monday, Sept 26
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Illinois Centennial Monument, 3150 W. Logan Blvd., Chicago, IL 60647
Event Description: Kick off your week with a Brewers workout brought to you by Goose Island! Ever wonder how brewers get those svelte figures? We are hosting an exercise class designed around the day to day life of a brewer. After the class we will celebrate with the end product that those brewers work so hard to make. Post-workout beers at 8 p.m. at The Rocking Horse 2535 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647).


Bang Bang Pie Event
Date: Tuesday, Sept 27
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Location: Bang Bang Pie Shop 2051 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
Event Description: Celebrate Logan Square Migration week at a local favorite: Bang Bang Pie Shop. Treat yourself to pies inspired by and created with a variety of Goose Island beers.


Longman & Eagle Matilda Vertical Tasting
Date: Wednesday, Sept 28
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longman & Eagle 2657 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
Event Description: Explore the effects on aging beer using five different vintages (2010-2014) of Matilda from Goose Island accompanied by a tasting menu from Longman and Eagle. This is a rare offering as the older vintages are no longer available for purchase.


Fulton & Wood 1516 Release Party
Date: Thursday, Sept 29
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: The Radler 2375 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
Event Description: 1516, Goose Island’s fall Fulton & Wood release, is brewed to honor the traditional German brewing practices and processes as a gently smoked Bavarian Kellerbier— slightly hazy with bready malt and a clean finish. Well balanced and complex, the beer drinks well alone or with food. The name 1516 pays homage to the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot or German Beer Purity Law. This law stated that the only ingredients that could be used in production of beer were water, barley and hops. It was adopted by all of Bavaria on April 23, 1516, making this year the 500th anniversary. Please join the 1516 team and the rest of Goose Island at the Radler for a celebration of this limited release.

Jessy Lanza Concert
Date: Friday, Sept 30
Time: 6:30 p.m. doors open; ends at 10 p.m.
Location: Comfort Station 2579 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60647
Description: The Empty Bottle presents Jessy Lanza at the Comfort Station

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