No shocker here, but 18 hours is not enough time to check out Chicago’s beer scene. Nevertheless, we made a valiant effort to enjoy as much as we could during the pre-conference Chicago excursion before the official start to the 2012 Beer Bloggers Conference.
Friends old and new gathered at Clark Street Ale House for some pre-dinner brews, swapping stories and adding to our growing check-ins on untappd. Clark Street Ale House reminds me of many of the classic old bars in Montana. Heavy, dark wood forms the formidable back bar, a mixture of brick and wood filling the walls and a certain immediate comfort greeting you through the door. An impressive tap list, too, with a wide variety from crisp Belgians to full-bodied coffee porters. Oh, and Moose Drool. Those Big Sky boys sure are getting it out there. We blew the keg on some Three Floyds Arctic Panzer before heading out the door to dinner.
A quick subway train ride and quarter mile walk in the Chicago heat and humidity took us to Goose Island’s Clybourn Street Brewpub, where it all started for Goose Island many years ago. I didn’t catch the full description, but we were immediately handed a glass of Sofie aged in wine barrels that quite possible may be the best saison I’ve ever had.
Over the next two hours Goose Island pulled out all the stops with a four course dinner of pan seared trout, pork belly, leg of lamb and a flourless chocolate cake, all paired with Goose Island’s sour series of brews. While the Juliet and it’s tart cherry and apricot-like flavors was a bit strong for the leg of lamb, all of the pairings worked well. It’s always great to visit with the people who produce the beers and it was obvious the Goose Island folks truly enjoy what they do.
A quick tour of the brewing facility followed dinner. Goose Island is a pioneer in the modern barrel aging movement – and even had their first barrel aged beers rejected by the Great American Beer Festival because there wasn’t a category for them. Think about that for a minute. Take a look at any top 25 beer list and it’s sure to be full of barrel aged beers. Now days, we take it for granted that barrel aging produces some of the most incredible flavors of beer. And here’s a key tip I heard more than one of our hosts say (and more than a few brewers could do well to heed): “The barrel will tell you when it is ready. You can’t rush it.” Good words from folks who would know.
Goose Island has taken a lot of heat over the past year or so after AB-InBev purchased them. My take? Get over it. AB-InBev did not purchase the brewpubs. More importantly, it’s clear Goose Island’s brewers, educators and everyone in between are dedicated and fully invested in continuing to make the great beer Goose Island is known for.
Next up, we climbed aboard a bus equipped with disco lights for a quick pub crawl to three of Chicago’s hot-spot breweries, Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Revolution Brewing Co. and Haymarket Brewing Co. We finished out the night with a late night visit to Pizano’s Pizza and Pasta for my first, authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. I need more of that, for sure.
It’s hard to pick a favorite brew from the crawl, plus the fun at Clark Street Ale House, but it just might be Revolution’s Eugene Robust Porter. Or maybe the Haymarket Indignant Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout. Or maybe the Two Brothers Brewing Co. Red Eye Coffee Porter. Or . . . . . oh, I give up.
