April Craft Beer Events

Ommegang Game of Thrones Release Party - The Beer Bistro 1061 W. Madison, Chicago, Illinois
Join Ommegang to celebrate the release of Iron Throne Blonde Ale. They're also tapping Gnomegang (collaboration with Brewery A Chouffe) and Duvel Rustica (collaboration with Duvel).
Tuesday, April 2nd 5:00pm
www.thebeerbistro.com


Ommegang Game of Thrones Tapping - Fountainhead Chicago 1970 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL
Tapping limited released Ommegang Iron Throne, Art of Darkness and Gnomegang
Tuesday, April 2nd 6:00pm
www.fountainheadchicago.com

Local Beer Showcase - Atlas Brewing Company 2747 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
Featuring the beers of Lake Effect, 18th Street, Spiteful, DryHop, Begyle, and Flesk Brewing. Sample fresh local beers and talk to the people who made them! Tickets
Thursday, April 4th 7:00pm
www.atlasbeer.com

"Visit Us at the Rabbit Hutch!" - 5 Rabbit Cerveca 6398 W 74th Street Bedford Park, IL
Join 5 Rabbit Brewery for a tour of their brand new brewery for tasting, snacking, music and mingling. They want your help to find the perfect cheese pairing for HUITZI, their Midwinter Ale, and have a go at some hands-on experiments to find the perfect combination of fruits and spices for the new summer series, PALETAS. They're also giving a sneak preview of their spring seasonal MISSIONARIO, a strong wheat beer brewed with Muscat grape juice and a hint of almonds.
Saturday, April 6th 2:00pm - 6:00pm
www.5rabbitbrewery.com

Beer Academy - Experimental Styles Goose Island Clybourn 1800 N Clybourn Chicago, IL
On the last Wednesday of each month Goose Island  offers a Beer Academy class to learn about a different beer theme. Enjoy a sample of different beers from various craft breweries. Tickets $20. To RSVP call (312) 915-0071
Wednesday, April 24th 6:30pm
www.gooseisland.com

Dark Lord Day - Three Floyds Brewpub 9750 Indiana Pkwy, Munster, IN
FFF infamous festival celebrating the one day release of Dark Lord Day Russian Imperial Stout is set for it's 9th year. This ticketed event is SOLD OUT - all of the "day of" details can be found at www.darklordday.com
Saturday, April 27th 10am

Allagash Coolship: Resurgam Release

Written by Dave Leshinski

Portland, Maine’s Allagash Brewing has always had a soft spot for experimenting with Belgian brewing traditions. From barrel aging with fruit, to wild yeast strains, there isn’t much they haven’t done. 

In the fall of 1997, the brewery decided to take it a step further and bring back a very old and traditional process of cultivating wild yeast from their own back yard. They built a coolship, which is a large, shallow metal pan that quickly cools the freshly brewed wort over night, as well as letting the naturally occurring wild yeast in the air to inoculate their beer. The wort is then placed in wooden barrels to ferment for up to 3 years, or whenever the brewery deems it fit for consumption.

Their Coolship series is very limited due to the length of time it takes for the beer to mature. It is only sold from the brewery and is rarely publicized with hopes that each batch will be readily available to the beer enthusiasts that visit and tour the facility.

Allagash's Coolship. (Photo courtesy of Allagash Brewing Company)

Spontaneous yeast getting wild. (Photo courtesy of Allagash Brewing Company)

Luckily, being the beer stalker I am, I found out that they released Coolship Resurgam the beginning of January and still had plenty of bottles left. I immediately rushed to Portland and snagged 2 bottles.

Coolship Resurgam is a gueuze style beer, that is a blend of one, two, and three year old, un-fruited coolship. It pours a hazy, straw color with a sizable head. Aromas of freshly milled grain, citrus and yeast are present. Tart and lemony up front on the palate, there is a pleasant “funk” from the wild yeast, with a refreshing, peppery finish. It is definitely one of the most balanced and flavorful examples of gueuze I have tried yet. Let’s just say that the second bottle in my cellar will not be around very long.