HttA Picks for Chicago Craft Beer Week 2016

The 7th Annual Chicago Craft Beer Week (11 days long to be exact) is upon our beer-loving city once again. With tons of new and exciting events spanning all ends of the city and suburbs, we've dove in and featured 2 fun and affordable events for each day of the celebration. Enjoy, be safe, and cheers to our local, Illinios-made craft beers!

All week, 3rd Annual Battle For Lake Michigan at Links Taproom, 5pm: 10 kegs and a firkin from each participating state will be on tap in a race to determine who is the master of the lake. Follow progress on their digital menu starting 5/19 and going until 1st and 2nd place are determined. Donations to Alzheimers Association.

May 19th, Hop Head Farms Tap Takeover at Hopleaf, 7 pm: showcasing beers from all over the country made with Hop Head Farms hops – 35 different Beers, 2 Ciders & a Mead all made with HHF hops on draft. Learn about basic hop farming, hop selection methodology and hop sensory analysis during a Hop Quality workshop upstairs at 7:30pm given by the founder of HHF. Admission is $10 at the door






May 19th, BUT (Beer Under Tin) at Paddy Long's, 7pm: featuring beers from Metropolitan and Off Color that pair perfectly with our bacon-centric menu.

May 20th, Beauty & The Brews at The Sedgwick Stop, 7pm: All 14 taps will feature women brewed or women owned breweries with brewers and representatives on hand to chat with about their beers.

May 20th, Beer Friends at Hopewell Brewing, 4pm: Kicking off their first CCBW with a new ongoing collaboration with our friends throughout the industry, featuring Ipsento Coffee and Mott Street. Beer Friends will bring in great minds from the worlds of beer, cocktails, coffee and beyond, exploring different ways to offer twists on existing Hopewell beers.

May 21st, Brews & Yoga at Alter Brewing, 11am: Enjoy yoga in the brewery before they open up to the public. $15 for one hour of yoga and one beer afterwards. Ticket sales in the taproom only.

May 21st, Burnt City Brewing Steampunk Ball, 9pm: Channel your inner history buff, get out your dusty sewing machine and don your best steampunk attire for the classiest party to ever pay homage to a fictional era. DJ beats and beer specials.

May 22nd, Goose Island 3rd Annual Sunday Funday Dodgeball Tournament at the Barrel Warehouse, 2pm: Battle of the Breweries dodgeball tournament, special beer tappings. Tickets $25 with 100% donation to Special Olympics.




May 22nd, Pipeworks & Spiteful Fighting Like Cats & Dogs for PAWS at Smallbar, 12pm: Swag and amazing brews with reps from both breweries as they hang out and talk pets and beer, with 100% of the profits from the event benefitting PAWS Chicago. Pipeworks beers on draft: The Jones Dog BA Stout, Passionfruit Guppy IPA, Lupine DIPA. Spiteful beers on draft: Working for the Weekend DIPA, God Damn Chocolate Vanilla Donut Pigeon Porter.

May 23rd, Yoga On Tap at Begyle Brewing, 6:30pm: An hour of yoga (all levels) with Yoga On Tap Chicago followed by two beer flights. $25. Bring your own mat, water and towel. 

May 23rd, Andersonville Neighborhood Brewers at Jerry's Sandwiches, 7pm: Get up close and personal with Half Acre, Empirical and Aquanaut breweries.

May 24th, A Taste of Belgium in Chicago at Beermiscuous, 5:30pm: Get a taste of Belgium from local breweries Empirical, Illuminated, Old Town Abbey Ales, Une Année, Penrose.




May 24th, Corridor & Broken Nose Cider Collaboration Release at Corridor Brewery, 6pm: Taste the 1st collaboration of a sour kettled Apple Brett/Lacto Saison.

May 25th, Stop, Collaborate & Listen: Buckley's Barkstravaganza at Fischman's, 6pm: Showing love for dogs and local beer, this dog-friendly event will feature Mikerphone Brewing, Transient Artisan Ales and Hailstorm Brewing beers including their brand new collaboration "Stop, Collaborate & Listen" Benefitting Hopeful Tails Animal Rescue.

May 25th, Brown Line Brews 4 at The Long Room, 6pm: A showcase of the breweries along the Brown Line hosted by the Cicerone Certification Program and The Long Room also reside. Food pairing provided by Beard and Belly for each featured beer.

May 26th, Art of Craft Beer at Village Tap, 5pm: Celebrating craft beer and the artists who create your favorite craft beer labels in a festive beer garden gallery. While you’re taking in the art you can also enjoy special craft beers from the featured breweries.



May 26th, Celebrating Women of Craft Beer at Riverview Tavern, 7pm: Celebrate with women of the craft beer and cider industry, featuring collaborations by Brickstone/Pink Boots Society, the women of Dryhop/Corridor and surprise firkins by Metropolitan, Rock Bottom and 3 Sheeps. Proceeds benefit Deborah's Place.

May 27th, Ultra Fresh Brews at Bitter Pops, 6pm: The Hop Review and Bitter Pops are bringing together 20 local beers packaged within days of the event, as fresh as they can be, to drink with the folks who brewed them.

May 27th, Werk Force Sausage Fest, 6pm: Werk Force brewing is teaming up with Solstice and The Roaming Hog for a kickass night of beer and sausage featuring 4 collaboration sausages and beer pairings.



May 28th, Memorial Day BBQ Fest at Tribes Alehouse, 11:30am: Kicking off their summer-long "Beer & Smoke Menu" featuring wings, ribs, brisket and more with $4 Tribes pints. Live entertainment and music from 11:30am-4pm.

May 28th, 3rd Annual Pipeworks Tap Takeover at Emporium Arcade (Wicker Park), 12pm: Featuring 30 beers, including barrel-aged beers and never before released variants. Custom tap handles will be given away to the last pint orders of each keg.

4th Annual Celebrating Women of Craft Beer Event

Join us for the 4th Annual 

"Celebrating Women of Craft Beer" event

May 26th at Riverview Tavern (1958 W Roscoe), 7pm - ?

It's that time again and the third year will be bigger and better than ever! Numerous female brewed collaborations and special firkins will be tapped as well with proceeds benefiting Deborah's Place in Chicago.

Featured drafts:

• Pink Is the New Black, Black American Lager brewed by Pink Boots Society/Brickstone

• She Sells Sea Salt, Farmhouse Ale with Hibiscus & Sea Salt by the women of Dryhop/Corridor

• Metropolitan - surprise firkin

• Rock Bottom Chicago - surprise firkin

• 3 Sheeps - surprise firkin

Women from some of your favorite Chicagoland breweries will be in attendance, including Brickstone Brewery, Rock Bottom, Metropolitan, DryHop, Goose Island, 3 Sheeps, Solemn Oath, Church Street Brewing, Twisted Hippo, Revolution, Two Brothers and more!

Event Details:
Thursday, May 26th @7pm
Riverview Tavern – 1958 W Roscoe Ave, Chicago
FREE to attend with drinks and food for purchase
Open to men and women and is a family friendly event
Facebook invite


Come out and support the Midwest's most talented women!

Chicago's Women of Craft Beer - 2015 Edition

Join us for the 3rd Annual 

"Celebrating Women of Craft Beer" event

May 21st at Riverview Tavern (1958 W Roscoe), 7pm - ?

As we embark upon Chicago Craft Beer Week and the third year of hosting Chicago's celebration of women in craft beer, it is hard not to reminisce on how much has happened.

In Chicago alone female brewmasters have quadrupled, quietly but fiercely kicking ass in the rapidly growing craft beer movement. Female enthusiasts have spoken loud and clear, making up at least one-third to half of festival attendance, where it used to be difficult to spot more than a few in a sea of beards and testosterone. Awareness and appreciation has amplified through numerous social and educational organizations such as Pink Boots Society, Barley's Angels, She's Crafty, Girls Pint Out, Girls Drink Beer, Women Working in Mixed Media, Pussycat Beer Guild, Fermenta... the list goes on and on – and we couldn't be happier!

This year, in celebration of the 3rd Annual Women of Craft Beer event we have more brewers involved than ever, taking over ALL 26 TAPS at Riverview Tavern. Each beer represents our local women, in addition to event-exclusive firkins. Breweries involved include Temperance, Rock Bottom Chicago, Begyle, Penrose, Goose Island, Revolution, Lagunitas, Metropolitan, Rude Hippo, Motor Row, Church Street, Forbidden Root, 5 Rabbit, DryHop, Two Brothers and Right Bee Cider.

Proceeds from select pints and raffle tickets at Riverview Tavern will go to the Chicago Chapter of Dress For Success, a charity that promotes the economic independence of women in need.

Below is an introduction to some uber talented women who are continuing to shape the Midwest Craft Beer scene. We hope to see you at Riverview Tavern TONIGHT to say hi and share a pint with the women who are making brewing history!

Amanda Bates, Head Brewer at Motor Row had her first amazing beer on a trip to Freiburg, Germany. "I didn't know what it was, but I was blown away that beer could taste good. When I started learning more about beer in the years after that experience, I figured out that I had been drinking Weissbier!" These days she gravitates toward beer with distinct, clean flavors that demonstrate a high level of precision in process and attention to detail for ingredients in recipe formulation, which influences her brewing no doubt. Words of wisdom: "We should all give people the benefit of the doubt that they don't want to be sexist. Some people just don't know when they are crossing that line. Calling people out for saying sexist/heterosexist things is the only way they will learn that your work environment is not a comfy place for that sort of talk."

Diana Rodgriguez started at Goose Island's Fulton Brewery as an intern and is now a full time Brewer, responsible for our favorite barrel-aged beers. In fact, one of the 2015 Bourbon County Brand Stout variants will be a recipe that Diana designed as an intern! (We begged to know which one, but her lips are sealed). In a short time she has recognized how amazing the camaraderie and support of the craft beer industry is, adding "Always give the respect that you want to receive. Show your strengths through your work and not through your words."

If you've been to a beer, cider or spirits event in the last few years, you've most likely seen Hilary Jurinak in action at the Binny's booth. Now Communications Coordinator, she began working at Binny's Marcey Street during college and fell in love with craft beer pretty quickly. Her go-to beers are Left Hand Milk Stout and Lagunitas DayTime. Hilary has visited 50 breweries throughout 8 states and anticipates making it 100 breweries by next fall! Hilary is also the Liaison for Pink Boots Society's Chicago Chapter. Her words of wisdom: Be confident with yourself and your decisions. “With confidence, you have won before you have started.” - Marcus Garvey

Jacquie Armanetti has been involved with some of the city's best breweries and bars over the years, but her love of craft beer started while working at Paramount Room. She shared that the late Shawn Koch taught her to love and appreciate all different styles of beer, as well as how to pronounce half of them. Thoughts on being a woman in the industry: "Women prove themselves hard working, competent, and a driving force in every industry, and beer is no different. Today, women have the weight of the world on their shoulders more than ever! Balancing home, family, and a business is something women do daily without celebration. We need to stick together and support each other in a non-judgmental way to help forward movement."

Kate Brankin is a Brewer and Do-er of media things at Pipeworks Brewing. She loves how open-minded, adventurous and supportive craft brewers are, with a community that respects craftsmanship and quality. She has found a lot of inspiration from experimental spirits maker and cocktail lover Mhairi Voelsgen, of BroVo Spirits. Kate's own advice: "Pursue curiosities to their fullest end. Be open to criticism, be proud of your accomplishments. Remember that there is no one else in the world who has your specific and unique perspective – value that."

Meet Katie Morgan, "Queen Bee" and Co-Owner of locally-crafted Right Bee Cider, with her husband Charlie. She first discovered the delicious beverage while studying abroad in the UK and Ireland. On May 4th they won the Sam Adams “Brewing the American Dream” competition in Chicago with a two minute ‘shark tank’ style business pitch. Keep an eye out as they head to the National finals in NYC this December! Katie's words of wisdom – "There is no substitute for hard work. Your gender has nothing to do with creating a quality product. No excuses."

Lisa Gregory left the world of healthcare to open Church Street Brewing with her husband Joe, in 2012. "I’ve enjoyed beer forever, but I’d say in the last 10 years I’ve really started appreciating different styles of beer." Their focus is on Old World European-style lagers, with the "Heavenly Helles" being one of Lisa's favorites to have on hand. She admits there were some hurdles breaking into the beer industry, but with her finance MBA and passion for success, she plays an integral role in running the family business. Even their two dogs have positions at the brewery!

Begyle Brewer and Quality Control champion, Liz French, shared that Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA was her craft beer game changer. Previously a stout and porter fan, the deliciously resinous and complex IPA opened her mind towards exploring new styles and flavors with enthusiasm. Liz says entering the industry with limited knowledge about how to actually brew was a small hurdle. (May we add, she had just graduated with a PhD in Microbiology and is modestly brilliant). "Head Brewer, Matt Ritchey, has taught me so much about the process, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything he has learned and passed on to me."

Rude Hippo Brewer Marilee Rutherford's first sip of beer was a homebrew made by her Mom and Grandfather. "God it was good. My Mom had to cut me off at age 6, which is why I really didn't get into beer again until the hubster (Karl Rutherford) and I started homebrewing in my late 20's." Her favorite thing about the industry is the endless imagination, knowledge, passion and tenacity of the people around her, providing opportunities to continually learn, collect and re-carve in her own way. With a more than full plate, Marilee's focus is on building their brand and marketplace presence, in addition to brewing outstanding beer. "Women are blazing trails, kicking ass and taking names, and thanks to the magic of the interwebs, we’re able to be connected to and inspired by those women and their accomplishments."

The Half Acre Taproom has built a team of kick-ass lady Bartenders, including the lovely Rebecca Denton. When she's not slinging some of the city's best beer, she can be found mud wrestling for women's charities – yes, mud wrestling – as "Annie Anthrax" of the Chicago MudQueens (her record is 5-2). Their last event sold a record number of raffle tickets, thanks to the craft beer industry, with donations from Half Acre, Pipeworks, Three Floyds, Spiteful and others. Her other passion is cupcakes, "Tell me your favorite beer, and I'll make you a cupcake that tastes just like it. Then let's eat them and drink that beer. Yum!"

Goose Island Beer Educator, Patti Mandel has a family heritage of slinging booze. Her Great Great Grandfather made moonshine out of the basement and sold it at their family owned candy store in Detroit. These days she keeps a nice rotating stock of beers in her fridge, with a couple bottles of Goose Island Sofie around at all times. On being a woman in the industry: "Take on the challenges and adversities that you will encounter with grace, tact and confidence. There is nothing more inspirational than a woman who pursues what she wants, does the beer industry justice and accomplishes her goals with elegance."

Virginia Thomas, Business Manager at Cicerone Certification Program, single handedly converted an old freezer into a two-tap kegerator for her house. Let's just say her husband and roommate are forever grateful. Her favorite Craft Beer Week event is the Brown Line Brews, which showcases a lot of great, local breweries and is very low-key, yet fun, offering the opportunity to chat with brewers over a pint. Virginia's words of wisdom – "For me, education helped me be taken seriously in a male-dominated field. That, and the fact that I don't take crap from anyone!"






Still didn't get your fill of Chicago's women of craft beer? Check out our previous years posts
Chicago's Women of Craft Beer - 2014 Edition
Chicago's Women of Craft Beer - 2013 Edition

CCBW: 3rd Annual Celebrating Women of Craft Beer

It's that time again and the third year will be bigger and better than ever! We'll be taking over all 26 taps at Riverview Tavern to represent our local ladies. Numerous female brewed collaborations and special firkins will be tapped as well with proceeds benefiting the local chapter of Dress For Success.

Women from some of your favorite Chicagoland breweries will be in attendance, including Temperance, Rock Bottom Chicago, Begyle, Metropolitan, DryHop, Goose Island, Revolution and Two Brothers.

Newcomers to the scene this year: Rude Hippo, Motor Row, Forbidden Root, Lagunitas and Church Street.

Event Details:
Thursday, May 21st @7pm
Riverview Tavern 1958 W Roscoe
FREE to attend with drinks and food for purchase
Open to men and women and is a family friendly event
Facebook invite

Come out and support the Midwest's most talented women!

Your Go-To Event List for Chicago Craft Beer Week 2015

Every Chicago beer nerd’s favorite 11-day celebration is almost here, but which events should you go to? Since science hasn’t evolved to where you can temporarily clone yourself to be in two places at once, we've teamed up with some of our favorite beer bloggers to streamline your go-to events for #CCBW2015. Get your beers cheers-ing and hung over face emojis ready!

HAPPENING ALL WEEK:

Glazed & Infused serves up a one-of-a-kind beer doughnut IPD, "The India Pale Doughnut" to celebrate CCBW. Available at all locations, while supplies last between May 14-24th.

FEATURED EVENT: (3 out of 4 bloggers recommended this daily dose of fun)

BUT - Beer Under Tin (Free entry, beer and food for purchase) 
Paddy Long’s 1028 W Diversey Pkwy
Thursday, May 14th, 7pm

Beer Under Glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory rightfully gets enormous praise but there are other events going on to ring in Chicago Craft Beer Week 2015. If you don’t want to shell out the dough for a ticket, head on over to Paddy Long’s for Beer Under Tin, or “BUT.” The crew from Metropolitan Brewing and Off Color Brewing will be on hand, and rumor has it that Doug and PK from Metro will be filming an episode of their hilarious rare-beer-chug-a-thon web series, Just Keep Tastin’. 

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This year's philosphy: relax and enjoy without breaking the bank. Here are Kim (Hail To The Ale)'s top picks of 2015. Follow Kim during CCBW @hail2theale.

Temperance Trikonasana ($10 includes yoga and a 4oz taster)

Temperance Beer Co., 2000 Dempster St, Evanston

Saturday, May 16th, 1:00-2:15pm

Ohmmmmm! That's the sound of giving something good back to your body during a week of beer binging. Join Temperance for the first of their monthly yoga installments, debuting during CCBW. Proceeds will be donated to a different charity each month.

Brown Line Brews 3 Hosted by Cicerone Certification Program (Free entry with RSVP, beer and food for purchase) 

The Long Room, 1612 E Irving Park

Tuesday, May 19th, 6:00-9:00pm

One of our favorite, most chill neighborhood events of the week – featuring the breweries on and around the Brown Line stops. If you are a Certified Beer Server or a Certified Cicerone, the cool folks at Cicerone will give you a custom glass and your first beer free (first 100 guests)!

3rd Annual Women of Craft Beer Event (Free entry, beer and food for purchase) 

Riverview Tavern, 1958 W Roscoe

Thursday, May 21st, 7pm

Bigger and better than ever – 26 taps will be taken over to represent the women working in Chicago craft beer. We'll have special firkins from Temperance and Rock Bottom, a number of female collaboration beers, and the women of craft beer hanging out to chat and toast a pint. Proceeds benefit the Chicago Chapter of Dress For Success.

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Blogger and beer aficionado Jessica Murphy of Girls Like Beer Too! is no rookie when it comes to craft beer events. Below are her top recos. Follow Jessica during CCBW @grlslikebeertoo.

Craft Beerzaar (Free entry, beer and food for purchase)
Dimo’s Pizza 3463 N Clark St 
Saturday, May 16th, 11am 
Beer often walks a fine line between art and science and this event focuses more on the artisan quality of craft brewing. The fine folks at Dimo’s Pizza in collaboration with Half Acre, Penrose, Revolution, and Solemn Oath breweries are throwing a celebration of all things “craft.” A craft bazaar will be featured during the first half of the event and then, as daylight fades into evening, the party gets going with live music by local talent. Specially crafted pizza paired with a four-brew flight available for purchase. 

Blind Flights (Free entry, beer and food for purchase)
Fatpour Tapworks 2005 W Division St 
Tuesday, May 19th, 5pm 

Think you can tell the difference between pale ale and a saison? Test your beer knowledge at Blind Flights at Fat Pour Tapworks where you will receive four tastes of different beers and have to guess which they are off of a selected menu. Choose correctly, and you could win prizes! 

NW Side Craft Beer Ride (Tickets $20 for transportation, beer available for purchase at each of the participating locations)
Thursday, May 21st , 6:00 pm
While Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square have been exuding craft beer cred for years, the Northwest side is often forgotten. But not anymore. Hop on the bus at any of the participating locations (Rabbit’s, Templestowe, Christina’s Place, Breakroom Brewery, Fischman’s Liquors, to name a few) and join a pub crawl like no other. Special tappings and brews will be on hand for purchase. 

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MC Johnsen of Worth A Thousand Beers gravitates towards events with activity or entertainment involved. If you’re into that too, she recommend these ones. Follow MC during CCBW @worth1000beers.

The Beerfly Alleyfight, Eat! Drink! Watch (Tickets: $40)

The Drinking & Writing Theatre at Haymarket Pub and Brewery

Sat, May 16th, 12:00pm to 5:00pm

This truly unique event mashes together all of my favorite creative things: home brewing competition, food pairing, and art! 10 home brewers will present their beer, paired with a meal they have cooked, then an artist assigned to the pairing will share a piece they’ve created, inspired by the beer and food pairing they’ve just tried.

Goose Island’s Second Annual Sunday Funday (Tickets: $25)
Goose Island Barrel Warehouse

Sun, May 17th, 2:00pm to 6:00pm

I’m as much excited for this event’s location as for the event itself. Held in the Goose Island Barrel Warehouse, enjoy special tappings of Goose’s beers, plus a Battle of the Breweries Dodgeball tournament. As a bonus, 100% of proceeds will benefit Special Olympics.

Revolution Brewing x Stay Smooth Craft Beer Cruise (Tickets: $39)

Shoreline's dock at Navy Pier
Fri, May 22, 8:00pm–9:30pm, boarding at 7:45pm

What better way to spend a Friday evening than sailing around on Lake Michigan, gazing at the Chicago skyline, and listening to music? Plus your eyes and ears won’t have all the fun – Rev will be bringing their best beers aboard, paired with appetizers too.

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While narrowing down a calendar full of events seemed an impossible task, beer blogger Grace Weitz picked some really unique ones. Check out The Beer Mile for more events she's excited about. Follow Grace during CCBW @thebeermile.

CCBW Tuesday Brewsday: Learn to Homebrew! (Free Entry)
CHAOS Brew Club, 2417 W Hubbard St.
Tue. May 19th, 5:30pm-11:30pm
Because my 2015 New Year's Resolution was to learn how to homebrew… CHAOS, the first beer club in the nation with their own brew space, hosts monthly brew days, but this one is extra special since it’s CCBW. Education Chair Matt Omura will be taking attendees through an all grain brew. Whether you’re a novice, like myself, or a homebrew extraordinaire you’ll have a chance to check out the CHAOS community brew space, shoot the beer breeze, sample some home brew, learn a thing or two…and maybe even cross off a New Year’s Resolution.

Northside vs. Southside Tap Takeover (Free entry, beer and food for purchase) 

DryHop Brewers 3155 N. Broadway
Thu. May 21st 6:00pm-Fri. May 22nd 2:00am. 

I have to give a shout out to DryHop, my favorite neighborhood brewery and place to hang out. DryHop continually brews solid iterations of hop-centric ales, along with Belgian and experimental brews. They're featuring a Northside vs Southside gauntlet. Breweries from both areas will be “tapping in” if you will. From the Northside: newcomer Alarmist, Aquanaut and Metropolitan. In the South’s corner: Moody Tongue, Motor Row, and Marz. 

It’s My Birthday SOUR BASH (Free entry, beer for purchase)
The Green Lady 3328 N. Lincoln Ave
Fri. May 22nd 4:00pm 

I love the Green Lady, which usually hosts South of 80 during CCBW (hmm)… and I love sour beer… easy decision. In honor of Owner Melanie's Birthday, 30 drafts and 3 firkins will be full of sour deliciousness, as well as plenty of bottles and cans.

Whichever events you choose, we wish you a very happy CCBW. For the full list visit chibeerweek.com. Thank you for supporting local craft beer, cheers!

Chicago Beer Gals at Lagunitas Taproom

For our next Chicago Beer Gals event we'll be taking it to the new Lagunitas Taproom and brewery in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.

We will be joined by special guest Lagunitas Brewmaster Mary Bauer.

Tickets include sampling of beers, private brewery tour and light snacks.

Advanced tickets required & can be purchased HERE.
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The Chicago Beer Gals Collective is a series of craft beer events connecting enthusiasts with women in the industry. Events produced by www.hail2theale.com 

Chicago Beer Gals June Event

Join us on Sunday, June 22nd for our monthly meetup of female craft beer enthusiasts, which will be hosted at Bottles & Cans by Co-Owner Carly Katz.

We will feature a tasting of local summer wheat beers, as well as a summer beer cocktail featuring CH Distillery.

Special Guests:Amanda, Co-Owner of Only Child Brewing
Lara, CH Distillery

Tickets include sampling of beers, sampling of CH Distillery offerings, light snacks and a swag bag of goodies.

Buy Tickets HERE

Chicago's Women of Craft Beer - 2014 Edition

Last May we coordinated Chicago Craft Beer Week's first ever event celebrating Chicago's own women in the brewing industry. About a dozen female brewers connected to brew a collaboration beer at Rock Bottom Chicago, dubbed “99 Problems”. The ginger and chamomile Saison was tapped as part of our event at Riverview Tavern. Hundreds of people came out for the event; it was overwhelming and wonderful to see and feel so much support.

Over the past year the women featured in last year's article have continued to grown and earn much deserved successes. Ashleigh Arnold who was brewing at Two Brothers is now Midwest Field Manager for New Belgium Brewing. Tracy Hurst is leading Metropolitan through an exciting expansion that will soon include a retail space. Lorna Juett is now on the other side of the bar, selling some of the country's best beer brands for Windy City Distribution. Claudia Jendron left Goose Island to help start Evanston's first brewery - Temperance Beer Company. Their spacious 20-barrel brew house has been busy making beer since last August and hired the help of Assistant Brewer, Amber Hencinski. It only seemed fitting to hold this year's women's brew day at Temperance with Claudia and Amber.

On April 29th we had an astounding 35 women come for the brew day, representing 13 breweries as well brewpubs, beer stores, distributors and educators. We brewed a session Pale Ale called "When Life Gives You Melons", dry hopped with German Hull Melon hops, provided by Bonnie Steinman of Hop Head Farms.

100% of the proceeds from our collaboration beer served at Riverview Tavern will go to the Chicago Chapter of Dress For Success, a charity that promotes the economic independence of women in need.

(Groups represented: Temperance Beer Co., Rock Bottom Chicago, Ale Syndicate, Begyle Brewing, Urban Legend Brewing, DryHop Brewers, Revolution Brewing, Solemn Oath Brewing, Two Brothers Brewing, Goose Island Beer Co., New Belgium Brewing, Panic Brewing, The Beer Temple, The Green Lady, Hop Head Farm, Binny's Beverage Depot, Cicerone Program, Louis Glunz Beer, CHAOS Brew Club, Hail To The Ale.)

Below is an introduction to another group of talented women who are continuing to shape and represent the Midwest Craft Beer scene. We hope to see you at Riverview Tavern for the 2nd Annual "Celebrating Women of Craft Beer" event TONIGHT to say hi and share a pint with the women who are making brewing history!

Erin Lowder, is the GM of Operations for Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville. Erin and her cat, Marsellus are both beer lovers, with Belgian IPA's being the favorite at the moment. The upcoming Oath Day is one of her favorite events, which celebrates the brewery's anniversary. It's an opportunity for everyone - friends, family, beer lovers - to get together and imbibe. This year they'll be setting up ramps in the new space and having a skate demo by the Bluetown Skateboards crew. Her words of wisdom for being a young woman working with a bunch of beer dudes "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Abby Kempf Marketing & Community Relations Manager for Ale Syndicate, still hasn't found a style of craft beer that she didn't enjoy trying. Ale Syndicate's Municipal IPA is almost always in her fridge. Burton Baton, Daisy Cutter, Meantime Porter are all ones she picks up with frequency when she can find them. Abby expressed appreciation for some of the local female business owners that have taken time to talk, mentor, offer help or just chat about beer. "Sonat from Koval, Melani from The Green Lady, Tracy from Metro, Melissa from Big Buzz Events are good examples of women who have a lot on their plate, but took time out of their schedules to help me in some way," shared Abby.

Jess Straka is the Area Rep for Revolution Brewing. Like many of us she was first exposed to craft beer during college. While in Champagne, IL the opening of Blind Pig and Crane Alley made craft beer more accessible. She learned a lot from the bartenders there, embracing the "try 'em all" mentality. When asked about her go-to beer she shared, "Five years ago I would’ve said barrel-aged anything. But these days I appreciate a well-made session beer like a craft lager or balanced pale ale," with beers like Revolutions’s Cross of Gold, Metropolitan’s Flywheel and Two Brothers' Sidekick stocked in her fridge.

JP Pfafflin is the Cicerone Certification Program's Midwest Exam Manager. According to JP's high school journal her love for craft beer has been long lived, sharing how much she was anticipating taking "Microbrewing 101" at UW-Madison. Upon remembering her first taste of New Glarus' Belgian Red she said, "There was something comforting about knowing this beer was made only a half-hour away, and made by people who really cared about the craft. Pair the aforementioned New Glarus Belgian Red with a blue cheese (a Wisconsin-made one, natch) and it will fucking sing."

Margaret Quinn, is Owner of The Beer Temple craft beer bottle shop in Avondale, with her husband Chris. Her love of craft beer especially blossomed with a trip to Europe. "Chris and I experienced a thriving beer culture and visited breweries, bottle shops and café’s that highlighted beer the same way many places in the U.S. feature wine." Her love of beer doesn't end with a good IPA – Margaret and Chris seriously contemplated naming their dog Gumball Head when adopting him, but in the end kept his given name, Maximus, which turns out to be a Lagunitas reference, so it worked!

Jennifer Glunz Faulk, Director of Marketing for Louis Glunz Beer was raised working within the family business, but shared that her passion was ignited when rejoining after 20+ years in other industries. The new start allowed her to explore and understand the industry from all aspects. Her favorite part of the business is the passion and unique stories of their brewery partners. "When you listen to how each of them got started in this industry – it is the American Dream. Some have risked it all, and our job as their distributor is to share that dream and run with it in Chicagoland to make it a reality," shared Jen. She is also the Founder of Beerables.net and is very proud to be helping their brewery partners provide glassware and POS to the public.

Eileen Garrity is the Creative & Communications Manager for DryHop Brewers in Lakeview. They have been open just shy of a year and thanks to Eileen's hard work have held an unbelievable amount of of awesome events – collaborating with local artists and breweries and most recently the Lincoln Park Zoo. Eileen shared her favorite part of the industry being "hands down, the people. The Chicago craft beer community is really welcoming and the entrepreneurial, hard-working, passionate spirit of the industry is contagious." Aside from all of their great events, Great Taste of the Midwest is her favorite festival to be a part of. 2014 will be her 8th year going, 2nd with DryHop.

Melani Domingues, Owner and Beer Director of The Green Lady in Lakeview has a love affair with sour and wild ales. It all began the first time she tried Duchesse de Bourgogne which left her palate eager to devour all beer sour, Belgian, and funky. She loves the passion that the brewers have for making beer and feels fortunate to be the one caring for and serving it to the public. Her advice to women in the industry, "Know that you belong wherever it is you want to be as long as you put in the work to achieve it. No apologies, no excuses, you alone are responsible for your quality of work."

Keli Platek, Sales Demon of Half Acre Beer and fearless craft beer lover had her first sip when she "accidentally" found an ID on the ground and "accidentally" used it to buy a bomber of Fat Tire. Her current beer obsession are session beers, anything well balanced with complex flavors. Keli's advice on learning to become authoritative and not a "bitch", "Forget it's male driven. Work your ass off and everyone will forget you have a vagina. If you want to do it, you fucking can. But, that also means forgetting about your social life. If your philosophical view of life is to work 3 days and relax 4, you’re in the wrong god damn business."

Bonnie Steinman, Director of Whoopass at Hop Head Farms in Hickory Corners, MI has the strength to handle whatever challenges come her way, including proving that they can do hops right in the Midwest. Growing hops isn't just a job, it is a passion – she has hops growing anywhere and everywhere possible at home. Bonnie's love for beer started while in Kalamazoo in the mid 90's. The Corner Bar was her go-to place, with 9 of 12 taps being craft beer, which was a lot back then. She made some of her best friends there, tasting every beer that would come through on tap together. She's enjoyed watching the beer community in Michigan grow into what it is today.

Hail To The Ale T-shirts for Sale

Pre-sale orders are closed. Limited t-shirts will be available to purchase at the event.

We are offering t-shirts for pre-sale, to be picked up at the "Celebrating Women of Craft Beer" event on May 22nd at Riverview Tavern. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Chicago Chapter of Dress for Success.

Ladies t-shirts: Bella+Canvas V-Neck #6005. Color: Athletic Heather
Men's t-shirts: Anvil Sustainable #450. Color: Heather Charcoal

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We also have Hail To The Ale logo t-shirts for sale, for the same price. If you wish to order one of those please make a note in the comments section.

Ladies t-shirts: Bella Favorite Tee #6004. Color: Ocean Blue
Men's t-shirts: Anvil Sustainable #450. Color: Heather Charcoal