Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tap List 2/27/07

X-IPA (8.0% abv)

You know it, you love it, you ask us for it every time we don't have it on. It's X-IPA, our 100% Amarillo hop bomb. It's not subtle, it's not weak, and if it's at all like our last IPA it won't be on tap for long.


Killer Kowalski Baltic Porter (8.3% abv)
Our deep, dark, full-bodied lager. A slightly bittersweet chocolate aroma with a malty body that hints at dark fruits. It's complex and very enjoyable with a touch of roast finish. This may be the best beer we make all year long.

Social Lubricator Dopplebock (7.2% abv)
A malty, caramel colored German lager with a medium body and a crisp lager finish. Subtle roast and caramel malt aroma that remind you of fresh baked bread or toffee. Loosen up and get out of the cold with a tall glass of this special treat.

Replicale Saison
(6.3% abv)
[Almost Gone]
This year's installment of the Illinois Craft Brewer's Guild's Replicale project is a belgian-style farmhouse saison. Ours ended up very fruity and spicy from the saison yeast that we let go wild. Look for a pale to yellow beer that has a complex, tart, and refreshing flavor to it.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

A Good Beer Blog

Alan over at A Good Beer Blog asked me to write a little something for his site after I thanked him for mentioning our blog in the latest issue of Great Lakes Brewing News.

Go read it and thank him for extending the internet emprire of Flossmoor Station.

Beautiful Weather.

These past few days have been so nice outside I thought I would take a moment to reflect on the weather. For me, getting up early and heading to work is dramatically different when it's nice outside. It feels like a weight is off your chest and when bad things happen during the day, they seem less bad. Some people get "cabin fever" in the winter when they can't get out for long periods of time. It makes them crazy. Like Max Madsen crazy. We aren't mad or bad, but we do feel like celebrating so....
----------------------------------
SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
GRAVE DIGGER
ROSEMONT HORIZON
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no wait, that's not it.

Flossmoor Station, it's just like a mini-mall


Ok, that's not it either.

Maybe we can SLASH PRICES! BARGAIN BASEMENT DEALS AT FLOSSMOOR STATION.




I guess we don't really do that either. How about instead we stick to what we know, beer. On Tuesday night we will tap X-IPA, our popular double IPA made with 100% Amarillo hops. It's 8% a.b.v., citrusy, and ready for this great weather that we are having.

Also, X-IPA, Killer Kowalski, and Social Lubricator are all getting shoved in their own respective bourbon barrels. X-IPA will beget Ol' Woody and we will be anxiously awaiting how the other two turn out.

over and out.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Tap List 2/20/07

Killer Kowalski Baltic Porter (8.3% abv)

Our deep, dark, full-bodied lager. A slightly bittersweet chocolate aroma with a malty body that hints at dark fruits. It's complex and very enjoyable with a touch of roast finish. This may be the best beer we make all year long.

Social Lubricator Dopplebock (7.2% abv)
A malty, caramel colored German lager with a medium body and a crisp lager finish. Subtle roast and caramel malt aroma that remind you of fresh baked bread or toffee. Loosen up and get out of the cold with a tall glass of this special treat.

Replicale Saison
(6.3% abv)[Almost Gone]
This year's installment of the Illinois Craft Brewer's Guild's Replicale project is a belgian-style farmhouse saison. Ours ended up very fruity and spicy from the saison yeast that we let go wild. Look for a pale to yellow beer that has a complex, tart, and refreshing flavor to it.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tap List 2/14/07 Happy St. Valentine's Day

Social Lubricator Dopplebock (7.2% abv)
A malty, caramel colored German lager with a medium body and a crisp lager finish. Subtle roast and caramel malt aroma that remind you of fresh baked bread or toffee. Loosen up and get out of the cold with a tall glass of this special treat.

Dopplegänger I.P.A. (7.8 % abv)
A German IPA. We think the first of its kind. What would it be like if a German brewer made an American style I.P.A.? We used 100% German Pilsner malt. German grown Perle and Magnum hops for the bittering. Amarillo and Centennial for the aggressive dry hop addition. We used our house ale yeast but fermented it cool like a lager. A light colored I.P.A. with assertive floral and citrus aroma. Clean but bitter I.P.A. finish. First experiment of 2007.

Next I.P.A. will be on Feb 27th.

Man Skirt Wee Heavy
(8.3% abv)
This year's winter warmer is a hearty scotch ale. Deep mahogany, malty, and a little peaty smoke thrown in too. Medium carameled body, with very little hop presence, and a warming alcohol finish, it's big but very enjoyable.


Replicale Saison
(6.3% abv)[Almost Gone]
This year's installment of the Illinois Craft Brewer's Guild's Replicale project is a belgian-style farmhouse saison. Ours ended up very fruity and spicy from the saison yeast that we let go wild. Look for a pale to yellow beer that has a complex, tart, and refreshing flavor to it.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Lot's of stuff coming up

Often times the winter months are slow and uneventful in the beer business but this year is different. We have a lot of events coming up and we are hitting the road.

February 24th: Febfest Libertyville Il 6pm-11pm put on by Brewers on the Bluff

March 3rd: Night of the Living Ales III, Chicago Beer Society @ Goose Island Wrigleyville
The largest, (I think,) collection of real ales in one place at one time in the U.S. Real Ale Fest is probably never coming back, so if you want your cask conditioned ale jones fixed, make it to GI.

March 4th: Stoutfest, Goose Island Clybourn
Didn't get enough beer on the 3rd? Do you have a special place in your heart for dark and delicious stouts?

March 9th-18th: I'm going to be in Germany and Northern Italy. Not a beer event for you, but if you see me in Munich, I'll buy you a liter of beer. Pictures will be posted after I get back.

April 7th: Repeal of Prohibition Fest, Schlafly Brewing St. Louis Mo. 1:00-6:00 p.m.
We have been invited along with Piece and Mickey Finn's to represent Chicago at this annual celebration of the best piece of legislation congress has ever passed. ROADTRIP!

April 14th: Alefest @ Arlington Park, Arlington Heights Il
Alefest has been put on in Dayton OH for many years and is now coming to Chicagoland. More details to follow.

April 18th-21st: Craft Brewer's Conference, Austin Tx.
BBQ, music, and beer learning. Last year it was in Seattle, this year we head south to Texas.

April 27th: Night Before Dark Lord Day, Flossmoor Station
Those guys across the border that make those "not normal" beers are releasing 2007's Dark Lord upon the masses the next day. If you're going to drive all the way in from Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, Connecticut, Arkansas, Texas, and God knows where else; then why not come down the road a bit and say "Hi" to us? We'll make it worth your while. We are the Best Small Brewpub in the U.S.

Late April (date TBD): Beer dinner @ Galway Tribes in Frankfort Il
We haven't had a beer dinner in a while but look forward to this one at one of our favorite Irish Pubs.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Shootout Re-cap



The annual Chicago Beer Society Brewpub Shootout has come and gone again. It was cold, it was busy, and it was fun. Last year we brought chips and salsa paired with a chili beer. We didn't win anything. So after much though and research Matt came up with the idea of making Croque Monsieurs, a french take on the toasted ham and cheese sandwich. They were made with Black forest ham, gruyère, orange bechamel sauce, and lots of love. We paired it with our German-American I.P.A. Dopplegänger, hoping that the hops would cut through the richness of the butter and cheese, and that the citrusy Amarillos and Centennials would match well with the orange bechamel.


The lines were long from the start and our team needs to be commended for their hard work. Our GM, Sandi, Matt's Wife Jenni, Matt's friend Paul, and Matt himself stood behind the booth for most of the event doing their best to crank out fancy grilled cheese sandwiches. We were disappointed not to win anything for either the food or the food and beer pairing but we did win in a tie for 2nd place for favorite beer along with Three Floyd's and Behemoth Barley Wine.

My picks for best food would have to be either Goose Island's magnificent whole roasted hog or Three Floyd's lamb curry.


(The Floyds crew who won in favorite beer, food, and food and beer pairing.)

All in all it's nice to be recognized and I should probably mentioned that we poured through all of our beer AND served all of our food. Clearly the sandwiches had something going for them if we cranked through almost 300 servings.