Close enough (the sequel).....

...for Gary Gonterman. Once again, nobody guessed the exact spices used in 12 Days of Christmas #3, Ginger and Dried Cranberries. Only one person (winner#2 Heidi K.) detected the cranberries (lucky guess Heidi!). Of all the people whe guessed one ingredient correct, Gary was pulled from the hat to recieve a free growler of his choice. Congratulations Gary. Come on in and pick it up.
Thanks for playing, everyone.

Close enough........

....for Heidi Krystofiak. Nobody was able to get both spices right on 12 Days of Christmas #2 (admittedly very hard). So we drew out of a hat all entries that guessed clove. That was the first and easiest to pick out. The second was.........Rose hips. Yes, the strange berry from a rose plant. Todd has included into beers like Le Chein Blanc (Wit), and rather than make jam out of this fruit with high concentrations of Vitamin C, I stuck it in the beer. Cloves and rose hips.
Good Luck on number Three. Clue...follow the pattern created from the first two kegs.

Heidi, stop by for your growler sometime.

Congratulations Danny....

Mateja, for being the only one to correctly guess the secret spices in the 12 Days of Christmas Keg #1. It was cinnamon and orange peel. I have a feeling he might of been in earshot when I was talking about it or, he just has an incredible palette?? Regardless, he wins a growler of choice. Don't forget #2 is pouring now.
Sorry for the subtlety in Keg #1. I took it off the spices before serving and I think the citrus character became subdued. Most people nailed the cinnamon but missed the orange peel.

Keg #2 only pours until Thursday at 2PM. Stop by and take a guess. One of the spices might be easy and the other is near impossible. Hint: Some guy named Todd Ashman has used this in beers before. Sorry if you've guessed and know it now.....but that's life ;)

Cheers!

Holiday Beer Update

If you've come in this month to see the merry-go-round of beers, here's a quick update:

Ol' Woody is the barrel aged beer du jour. This is our American IPA aged in a Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrel. It was further dry hopped in the keg.
Next up is Trainwreck of Flavor, which is Sheol Barleywine blended with Pullman Brown in a Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrel.

We started serving the 12 Days of Christmas on Wednesday. This is a series of three kegs, each served for 4 days. Each keg has a different pair of holiday spices. Guess the spices, win a growler. See the bartender for details.
Keg #1 pours through Sunday Afternoon. Get it before it is gone!

Finally, we'll tap into a limited quantity of Grandma's Chocolate Mint Stout on Sunday December 17th at 4pm. It will be on during our annual Christmas at the Brewery celebration. Bring the kids to see Santa and have a glass.We only have 6 gallons.

Happy Holidays! Matt and Andrew

Eh, Just because

Tap List 12/7/06 Pearl Harbor Day The Tap List That Shall Live in Infamy

Kind Ale I.P.A. (8.5% abv)
A hazy, orange double I.P.A. with a subtle hop nose, subtle hop body, and subtle hop finish. Subtle additions of Amarillo, Cascade, and Summit hops balance out against the subtle alcohol body.

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)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.

CHEEEESSSSEEEE!!!!!!!!

BEER is the perfect match for cheese. The varied textures, flavors and aromas are a great pairing. Not to mention the scrubbing power of the carbonation just lifts the mouth coating cheese off of your palate, so.....

come in for our Free Beer and Cheese Pairing Open House. Thursday December 14th at 7pm.

we'll have six different beers paired with six different cheeses. Stop on by and sample them all.

'Tis the Season..........

Ahhhhhh... the holidays!! So much to do and so little time. The shopping, the decorationg, the traffic at the mall. The snow and ice and the bitter cold. How can we handle it all??
Perhaps with a beer from Flossmoor Station!

This time of year everyone is asking what is going on at the brewery and what is your Christmas beer? Well, here's a list of events and special beers coming up this month that may just entice you to drop on by after a long day of shopping/working/driving/lying on the couch.

Winter-type Beers(just right for a cold blustery December day-we do have others available):
Man Skirt Wee Heavy
At 8.3% this dark and complex malty brew wil warm ya.

Barrel Aged Beer Du Jour
Check out our Tap of Rotating Barrel Aged Beers. We gots lots!

Grandma's Mint Chocolate Stout
Grandma could always make a mean dessert. Come see what fresh mint grown at my house does to our Iron Horse Stout(think peppermint patty). Tapped only on Sunday December 17th during Christmas at the Brewery-keep reading

The 12 Days of Christmas Ale
To scratch your itch for those Holiday spices. Beginning Wednesday, Dec 13th we will put on the first of three kegs of a big Red ale. each of the three kegs will be spiced differently. Can you guess what I used??
1st keg-Dec 13th-Dec 16th
2nd keg-Dec 17th-Dec 20th
3rd keg-Dec 21st-Dec 24th
Get it? twelve days. Yeah......
Mug Clubbers, there will be no special tapping but please come in and fill up your mug.
RateBeerians, sorry, this one's gonna be tough to log. Whatyagonna do?

Upcoming dates to stick in that Blackberry.
Tuesday Dec. 5th-KindAle IPA is tapped
Wednesday Dec. 13th- 1st keg of 12 Days of Christmas comes on. Noonish.
Thursday Dec. 14th-Beer and Cheese pairing. 7PM. Watch for more details. Free!
Sunday Dec. 17th 4PM-8PM-Our annual Christmas at the Brewery. Santa Claus arrives! Grandma's Mint Chocolate Stout is unveiled. I only have two keggys of it. Can you fight through the Christmas at the Brewery crowd to get to the bar??
Sunday Dec. 17th-2nd keg of 12 days of Christmas comes on tap.
Thursday Dec. 21st-3rd keg of 12 Days of Christmas goes on tap.

Monday Dec. 25th-Christmas!!! (Did you get your growlers filled last night??)

Well, that should help keep you (and us) busy this month. Cheers, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hannakuh, and God Bless you and your family.

*Editors Note* Matt and I would also like to wish you a Happy Kwanzaa, Festivus, Winter Solstice, or Boxing Day. They don't have those holidays in Iowa, but that's why I'm here.

Matt and Andrew

BARREL AGED BEER: YOUNG SARGE IS TAPPED!

As of Saturday December 2nd, the barrel aged beer that is pouring is Young Sarge. This is our Imperial Mocha Stout aged for a couple of months in a Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrel. It was made with Bittersweet Chocolate and aged on espresso beans. This particular beer has LESS coffee character than what was originally served as Imperial Mocha Stout. This beer was named in honor of Andrew's brother, Sergeant Mason, who will be returning home from Iraq any day now.

*Editor's Note*
He's back and safe in Alaska. Jan 22nd he will be back in the continental U.S.

While the keg of Brown Heaven is gone, we do have more in the barrel. Be patient.
Next beer up is Ella's Reserve. This is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale aged over a year in a Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrel. It recently garnered 2nd place in the 2006 Festival of Barrel Aged Beer.