Trip to Left Hand

I had been to Left Hand once a few years ago on one of our GABF forays but this time we got a tour from one of the owners so I thought I would share the photos with you.



They have a very cool tasting room/bar attached to the front of the brewery and a lot of really good beer to go with it. My drink of choice while I was there was a Rauch Doppelbock called Smoked Goosinator. It was outstanding.



The ladies (my wife and Matt's) and I were going through a sampler tray as more and more people were trickling into the tasting room. I think during GABF week Longmont, Ft. Collins, and Boulder get a huge influx of traffic from the fest and all of the brewers in town. As the crown swelled there was an announcement that a tour was going to start. Yay! a Tour! I almost never say no to a brewery tour, no matter how many of them I've seen.




brewhouse


Proof that someone is doing work.


Old fermentation room (now small batch room)



It looked like they did all of their barrel aging in this Fermentation room (which was cold) and they also said they almost exclusively use wine barrels for their barrel aging.




Kegs!



Fermenters (of which they said they are going to add more, Left Hand is growing by leaps and bounds)





Their beers are available in IL now, so seek them out because they make some good ones. If you're near Longmont, stop by because it's worth the trip.

The "Joe Borter-I can't wait for the next seasonal" update

So one of the reasons that we started this blog about a year and a half ago was to do a better job at letting people know what our current taplist is AND generate some excitement about what is to come (Luckily, it has turned into something a little more exciting than that with photos and tales of our travels and a smattering of opinionated rants.) Quite some time ago (too lazy to find it and link here), one of those rants involved my pet peeve of putting on new seasonals and then get bombarded with the, "What's next?" question. Sure, I know, you love the seasonals so much, you want to get prepared for your next trip to the pub. And I did say that I wanted to keep you interested in what we are planning. so.. while it is a burr on my butt when I hear it, I will admit that we haven't done a good job of teasing our future.(but please excuse me, we are busy buying a bottling line and all the infrastructure that goes with that AND trying to open a several hundred brand craft beer store/homebrew supply store. Kinda busy!)
So, Joe and everyone else who cares, here's what's coming down the pipeline:

Zwickel 500-10/22/07-our 500th batch at FSBC. an unfiltered pilsner

Pumpkin 3.14-10/31/07-cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, maple syrup, vanilla-PIE!

Some kinda holiday beer thing-December. TBA

I have 9 different barrel aged beers waiting downstairs. we'll dedicate a tap to them from Nov-next year. Yummy!

Sheol Barleywine-making it this Tues. Due around Christmas time-ish
We were gonna make a small bier off of this, but as you can see we are kinda full. If you don't know what a small beer is, you should.

Some kinda new IPA- December TBA

2008-Killer Kowalski Baltic Porter and Black Wolf Schwarzbier-lagerin' em up for World Beer Cup in the spring.

Beyond that, you'll just have to patiently wait on pins and needles.
Cheers!

I need a vacation from my vacation: Reflections on GABF 2007

Wow! What a long, rewarding, educational, exciting, exhausting, and action packed week. As I sit and reflect on my journey to Denver(expect to see a little wrap up with pictures from Andrew later in the week) I can't help but be amazed at the wide range of emotions we went through this week.



First, relief that we had meticulously brewed AND bottled 8 of our beers as best we could, hoping that they would arrive in Denver safely. To say it is a large task for a small brewpub with no bottling system to successfully enter this competition is an understatement. It's a lot of work and effort.
Secondly, I was judging for the first time. I didn't tell anyone, but I was a little nervous. This was a big task and responsibility. What if I messed it up? Well, I knew at the very least it was going to be a great networking opportunity, and it was. I met a lot of great craft beer industry folk. I'm also happy to say that I did not mess it up. Every winner I helped choose was very deserving! I know-it sounds a little cocky, but it was fun to see myself picking the same beers as other judges with far more experience than me. Maybe I was more suited for this than I thought.
Next comes the hecticness. Everyone tries to pack as many events as they can into those few days. From special tappings at the Falling Rock (Denver's premier beer bar), to open house events at places like Great Divide and Sandlot, to trying to meet up with Illinois brewers, other brewer friends from across the country, and my friend Trevor who lives in Denver-it made for a busy week. Add into the mix the judging and the fact that my wife, Jenni, got to come out on Thursday night made it seem like I was always running, and certainly not sleeping.Well, we got through the evening GABF sessions, which were kinda weird because I didn't really feel like trying many beers the first two nights due to the rigorous judging schedule. I was all full up I guess. I made it a point to go by the booths that I didn't want to miss and the beers that were buzzing. Meanwhile I manned the booth a bit and it's a funny thing how a little fame makes a whole lot more people want to talk your ear off. I guess it comes with the territory.
Saturday afternoon was the awards ceremony. Nervousness was the understatement of the century here. Ask, my wife, I couldn't stand still. We cruised to the brewers breakfast at Breckenridge to get the base on. Great food and bloodies guys! Then we went to the Sports column to take in My Iowa Hawkeyes against the rival Fighting Illini. We won. Iowa's back. Bring on the Aloha Bowl! :) From there we headed to the fest and tried to stop thinking about the awards. As always I try to tell myself I will get shut out of the medals. Kind of like breaking the fall I suppose. As an aside, I really don't believe this because I know I have good beers and with the winning of last year, I just don't want to consider not being able to make a great beer. BUT the competion is huge and I really got a better perspective from judging this year. It takes a LOT to win even one award, let alone 8 that I have been fortunate enough to garner.Anyway, 8 beers-5 of which were in the first 18 categories. After some technical difficulties with the visuals, we were off:
Category 2-American Wheat Ales-Station Master-too cloudy I guess.
Category 4-Fruit beers-DeZuidentrein Frambozenbier-to tart I guess (Berry Weiss. WTF?)
Category 7-Specialty-Pullman-Ahhhhhh-we have consistency here, but no-I guess we were too complacent. Time to retool that beer.
Ok, Zero for 3. Bad start. More good beers to come.
Category 15-Strong Barrel-Wooden Hell, last years bronze-too many great beers I guess (71)Category 18-Zwickel-new one for us. Lots o good comments on the floor. Buzzzzzz-loser. So an ale took silver and bronze in the Zwickle/Kellar category. Bummer.
Ok, zero for 5. Not a good start. We feel good about the next two.
Category 33-Schwarzbier- Last years Gold. What!? no Bronze awarded. You're kidding me?Ok, are we going to get skunked here. A pain rang out in the pit of my stomach. All that work for naught. Why did we bother? I give up. The pessimism swelled.
Category 36 Baltic Porter. We made this beer in January. It can't win. Bronze-not us Silver-not us Gold......when the "K" of Killer Kowalski cracked his lips Andrew and I let out a howl for we knew we hadn't been shut out.
I slapped him on the back and we nearly shoved the wall of people out of our way. Nope, we're not getting Small Brewpbub of the year this year, but we are going home with Hardware. And a gold no less! It almost (almost) felt better than last year.Finally Category 60-Belgian Sour-nope, not enough I guess.So that's it. One gold this year. Time to celebrate with my friends from Illinois. And we did great. 12 medals in all. Only California, Colorado, and Wisconsin had more. Brew on Illinois!



So, that's the quick, yet lengthy rundown of my week in Denver. Slogging home Sunday through the rain and cold (and the Denver Marathon and the busy airport, etc. etc.) was a mixed bag. You don't want it to end (b/c work awaits you Monday), but I hadn't seen my two kids since they groggily dropped me at the airport Tues. at 6 AM, waving at me the whole time the train departed for the city. It's funny that no matter how many medals I win, no matter how many colleagues I meet or made anew, no matter what I did wrong this weekend, Nick and Ella sprinted to me shouting "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy". I love that gold medal I won this weekend, but I'd surely trade it for that experience coming home Sunday afternoon. (I told you it was a roller coaster of emotions-now go ahead and cry, you big tough guy!)

GABF 07.

We won a gold for Killer Kowalski. It was great. I said :

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.

Clearly it was.

When we get a chance to digest what last week was like, we'll let you know. Right now, I have a lot of kegs to get clean.

Matt Van Wyk: More entertaining than Mancow

Right before we went to Denver, Matt recorded an episode on Waukegan radio for "The Joan Hammel and Friends" show.

Sept 28, 2007. We're Here for the Beer! Join Joan and her guests: Matt Van Wyk, Brewmaster at the Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery, and on the phone from Denver Colorado, Julia Herz, Director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association. They discuss the history of beer and the growth of the craft brewing industry and it's expanding future. Matt tells us of his journey from Teacher to award winning Brewmaster at the Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery. Julia gives her take on the national scope of the craft brewing industry as well as those of home brewers. She also tells us about the upcoming Great American Beer Festival, to be held October 11-13 in Denver, Colorado. Check out the links to learn more about Matt and Flossmoor Station, the Great American Beer Festival, and the Illinois beer link for Chicagoland events.

(Direct link to MP3)

Mark your calenders...

October 24th at the Maproom in Chicago: Flossmoor Night!

Featuring:

• Matt and Andrew talking to you, our fans
• Flossmoor Station beers!
• A special Cask of a very special beer
• Other cool things

So come celebrate with us.

More specifics to follow.

We're huge in Denmark right now.

You don't even know.

We got a surprise visit from the Mikkeller boys today. They were in Munster yesterday working on a top secret project that I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about.

We found some time to try some beers, and showed them the progress on the store across the street. All of us are heading to denver tomorrow so I'll hopefully have some updates next week. Wish us luck.

Tap List 10/9/07

Meg's Bride-Ale (4.0% a.b.v.)
Andrew got married! To celebrate, have a glass of Meg's Bride-ale, a light and crisp belgian-style wit. Spiced with corriander, and flavored with blood orange juice, this is a very light wit beer that is dry, fruity, and easy to drink.

Hoppy Little O (10% a.b.v.)
Last time we made a Chouffe houblon dobbelen IPA triple cone it was Hoppy Little Gnome. This time our marriage of an American Double IPA and a Beglian Tripel was made with all organic pale ale malts (hence the O) and a slightly different hopping schedule. It comes in at 10% so watch out!

Oktoberfest (6.3% a.b.v.) [Almost Gone!]
The malty German lager that you love to drink this time of the year. Really good this time around! This is one of the best Oktoberfests that we have ever made!

Black Wolf Schwarz bier (5.0% a.b.v.)
The best schwarz bier in the U.S. according to the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. Lager body and finish with a touch of roasty aroma and body. A distinct but not overpowering black beer that just may change your idea about what a "dark beer" is.

Black Moon Rye-sin (5.5% abv)
An American Stout with the addition of Rye. Roasty and chocolaty aroma with a slightly hoppy background. It's a full bodied stout that has coffee and roast flavors in all the right places with a lingering bitter finish from the hops.

ZikadeWeiss (4.5% abv) [Almost Gone!]
No Cicadas were harmed in the making of this beer, but we did have to fight them off while brewing this. Crisp, light, citrusy, and very refreshing. Except for pulling cicadas out of your lady's hair, nothing says summer like a Hefeweizen.

Pumpkin 3.14 in the tank

Tap List 9/26/07

Hoppy Little O (10% a.b.v.)
Last time we made a Chouffe houblon dobbelen IPA triple cone it was Hoppy Little Gnome. This time our marriage of an American Double IPA and a Beglian Tripel was made with all organic pale ale malts (hence the O) and a slightly different hopping schedule. It comes in at 10% so watch out!

Oktoberfest (6.3% a.b.v.)
The malty German lager that you love to drink this time of the year. Really good this time around! This is one of the best Oktoberfests that we have ever made!

Black Wolf Schwarz bier (5.0% a.b.v.)
The best schwarz bier in the U.S. according to the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. Lager body and finish with a touch of roasty aroma and body. A distinct but not overpowering black beer that just may change your idea about what a "dark beer" is.

Black Moon Rye-sin (5.5% abv)
An American Stout with the addition of Rye. Roasty and chocolaty aroma with a slightly hoppy background. It's a full bodied stout that has coffee and roast flavors in all the right places with a lingering bitter finish from the hops.

ZikadeWeiss (4.5% abv)
No Cicadas were harmed in the making of this beer, but we did have to fight them off while brewing this. Crisp, light, citrusy, and very refreshing. Except for pulling cicadas out of your lady's hair, nothing says summer like a Hefeweizen.

It's time for a big O!

Organic that is! We made an Organic Belgian/American IPA (Organic Pale Ale malt, Belgian yeast, and lots o' hops). It's called Hoppy Little O and is a new version of Hoppy Little Gnome-which was quite successful for us. Why Organic? Why not? Just doing our part on this blue dot we call home :)

After 8PM on Tuesday September 25th, it's yours. $4.50/tulip glass. Oh yeah 10% abv-drink responsibly!

Is Brewing an Art Form?

Often in reading about beer or brewing, making beer is referred to as "art." Is it? "Such and Such" as an art form gets thrown around a lot and often times the usage bothers me. When I was in school there were many discussions about "High Art vs. Low Art," and what was what when it came to calling something art. For almost an entire week my class I took about the Simpsons, "The Simpsons as Satirical Authors," discussed whether or not a cartoon could be accurately described as art, and beyond that, act as a moral weather vane and mirror for our culture. We watched a lot of cartoons. This question of "brewing as an art form" has been nagging at me for a while now, and I still haven't been able to come up with a satisfying answer on my own. Something that you hold near and dear to your heart, something that you make your livelihood out of, shouldn't have big unanswered questions hanging out there as far as I'm concerned.

I went to school for four and a half years to study film, specifically cinematography, and walked away with a BA in film (with honors I might add). BA of course stands for Bachelors of Arts. Columbia College Chicago determined that I met the requirements for them to confer a degree upon me for completing their film program. Now on face value, that doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that I completed the film program. It doesn't necessarily mean that I have any talent when it comes to shooting, lighting, or the like. It also doesn't mean that I can watch movies better than the average person, or that I can get into the theater for discounted rates. but it does mean that I know a lot about film, from the history of filmmaking to modern day techniques. I studied under some impressive instructors. I know a fair amount about the art form of film.
My fiancée has an English degree from a large state school in Wisconsin. Like my BA, it doesn't mean that she has perfect grammar, or that she can read faster than anyone else. (She does however have the amazing ability of proofreading and editing papers that have a deadline of tomorrow morning) But she does know a lot about Victorian literature, and about liberal arts studies in general.

So what does all of this have to do with the question of is Brewing an Art? To me, and with my prejudices, an art form immediately conjures concepts of fine art. i.e. film, photography, painting, sculpting, writing, drawing, etc. You don't need a degree or any formal training to do any of those things, but they are readily accepted as art forms. Most of the time art is conveying a message or a feeling that goes from the artist to the other person. Beer certainly goes from my brewhouse to your mouths, and I certainly put a lot of time, thought, and effort into it, but that doesn't make it an art. Does it?


(Are these men artists?)


Part of my problem with this is that brewing beer has historically been a trade. In many medieval cities where brewing was common, the brewers had powerful guilds and lots of political power. In modern times trades such as plumbers and electricians have their unions that wield the power. Do many people think of wiring a building or sweating pipes together an art form? This duality really gives me some pause. Maybe part of it is being a good midwestern boy who doesn't want to think more of himself than he should. Another part of this is from an interaction I saw once on one of the beer sites. A brewer compared himself to Picasso because he felt that his beers were simply misunderstood. The beers didn't have a problem, you had the problem. I'm an artist and you just don't understand me - kind of thing.

If you go by a strict dictionary definition, such as M-W

Main Entry: art
Pronunciation: 'ärt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin art-, ars --
1 : skill acquired by experience, study, or observation art of making friends>
2 a : a branch of learning: (1) : one of the humanities (2) plural : LIBERAL ARTS b archaic : LEARNING, SCHOLARSHIP
3 : an occupation requiring knowledge or skill art of organ building>
4 a : the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced b (1) : FINE ARTS (2) : one of the fine arts (3) : a graphic art

Definition 3, an occupation requiring knowledge or skill, then I think that brewing definitely falls within the realm of art. But I think I'm still not satisfied.

So I'm throwing it out there to you in interwebsland. Brewing as an art form yes/no and why?

Hop Selection with Brewer's Supply Group

Yesterday, Chris German from Brewer's Supply Group came by to let us rub a few different lots of hops that we contract from them. I don't have a ton of photos to share because my hands were super resiny after getting down and dirty with this year's harvest but here is what it looked like.






We got a few sidelong glances from servers, curious as to what the large green bricks were out on the patio.

Flossmoor Station Cures Cystic Fibrosis

Obviously not, But we did pour beer at a CF fundraiser this past Thursday in Lincoln Park.
With Flossmoor Fest over the weekend, I couldn't find time in my 14 hour Saturday to update the blog, and Sunday involved Tuxedo rentals and lots of driving.

The event was held at STATE Restaurant & Cafe which is a pretty cool area, lots of tv's and a very trendy, loungy, feel too it.





Look how dressed up Wil is!



Not a bad turnout, but I suspect the organizers were hoping for more. I know that we certainly were considering the amount of beer we and everyone else brought. The food was really good and we certainly had our fill of that! If they do it again next year hopefully we will have more people and raise more money for CF research.

The Session-September is Brew Zoo

So another month is upon us and time for another Beer Blogging Friday. In what has become a regular first Friday tradition around the beer blogs, we settle into Rick Lyke's idea at Lyke 2 Drink of The Brew Zoo. Also, as a special treat, our usual poster Andrew seems to be a little busy(so a wedding 30 days away is an excuse?-c'mon) so as your guest Session blogger I give you Black Wolf Schwarzbier.

Before that though, I might mention that it has been suggested that we dedicated this months session to the late Michael Jackson and his enormous contributions to the beer world. I decided to go grab my Michael Jackson's Beer Companion and reread the section on Black beers. He starts out, "In the lore of the drinker, several beers might be called black, but the soubriquet has most strongly attached itself to one style. The classic example, right down to its name, is the Schwarzbier made by a local brewery at Bad Kostritz, in Thuringia, in the former East Germany. Schwarz simply means black. This once famous beer retained its life-force in the shadows, and has recently emerged, blinking slightly, in the open air of a new Europe." I love his writing. Our caps are tipped to you, Beer Hunter!

Onward: As a brewpub brewer, we feed on variety and diversity. I love to try to make dozens of styles a year. People always are asking, "whatever happened to the -fill in the blank-beer. Well, my response usually is-I already made that one. Time to move on. So as such, we also have to come up with names for these beers. Some are train related because of our building and theme, of course. Some have that crazy brewer guy humor and play on words that we used as homebrewers (can you believe I had a manager that didn't like "Social Lubricator" as a dopplebock name? It's certainly more tame than 'Full Frontal', 'Camel Toe', or 'Moose Knuckle' that my friend Jonathon at Piece created-hey, I should be writing about the camel or moose, hmmm...so many animals). Anyway, with all the names we've concocted (some good, some bad), there seem to be very few with any relation to animals. In fact, a quick jump over to RateBeer.com (where one can find a quick list of every beer any brewer has created) shows that we have only one other animal related beer name, ZikadeWeiss (the cicadas were a plague in Northern Illinois this summer-we used them as a garnish) So, since the Schwarzbier is a repeat brew, I give you-the Black Wolf.

Last summer as we were brewing up our Oktoberfest, we decided to get the most out of our yeast and make another lager. We chose to do a Schwarz only because we hadn't tried it yet. I consulted Weyerman malting in Bamberg and Todd Ashman for ideas on getting that dark as night beer, without any of the burnt, roast, coffee flavors associated with most stouts, porters, etc. Anyway, we brewed it up and liked the results. Then, at the last minute we needed a seventh beer to enter into the 2006 GABF. After much debate, stress, and struggle we choose the Wolf. We didn't have much hope that it would medal, as it was our first attempt, but we threw it in anyway. Well, lo and behold, the Black Wolf Schwarzbier became my first GABF gold medal! And, you might say it was instrumental in us winning the Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year in 2006. So, we had to try repeat as champs in the Geman Schwarzbier category and have made it again. Is it as good? Will it win again? You'll just have to trek to Denver Oct. 11-13 to find out!

Oh yeah, the name. It actually had nothing to do with an animal. Jim Wolfer of Prairie Rock Brewing in Elgin let us borrow his WL830 German Lager Yeast. As a thank you, we named it after him, kind of. (Black Wolfer wouldn't sound right would it?) This year, Jim was out of Lager yeast, but we bought it ourselves. IF we don't win-it's Jim's fault!

If you attend the GABF this year, please come by Flossmoor Station's booth and try the Black Wolf. We'll tip an ounce to Mr. Jackson. Cheers! Matt

Yes, my name is Michael Jackson, but I don't drink cola, I drink beer

(Ray Daniels (r) on stage with Michael Jackson (l) and a representative from Rogue (m) at GABF in 2005 )

If you haven't read yet, Michael Jackson, "The Beer Hunter," has passed away. Nothing that I can write here will be as eloquent as what others have already said today, so I will give you lots of links to catch up. I will however share my beer hunter story.

Lew Bryson wrote a really nice piece.

Here is Michael's last article at All About Beer magazine's site.

Tomme Arthur also writes. He says this which also stuck me as I was reading MJ's last article, "As I was reading, I was struck by his voice in my head narrating that story. It was his very distinguished British voice that sticks with me." The only other person that this happens with for me is Garrison Keillor.

I have seen the Beer Hunter videos countless times. My dad started homebrewing when I was about two years old and we watched those VHS's a lot. I always hoped there would be more, updated just like his quintessential beer guides. There is word that his final manuscript just went to the publisher a week ago. The Beer Lexicon looks like it might be Michael's final written contribution to the beer world, but his lifetime of contributions will be felt for generations.

Knowledge Dump

Here is some catch up.

Schwarz is on. I think it's tasting good, we'll see what the judges have to say about it in Denver.

Our batch 500 beer is busily fermenting away. -More details will follow when we feel that you can handle it.

Today we made the beer for my wedding. It's going to be a Belgiany style wit with corriander and blood orange. Here is a picture of me adding some of the corriander to the kettle. The wedding is on the 6th of October, so look for Meg's Bride-ale shortly after that.



Still in the pipes is Oktoberfest, which is lagering in our cellar. Expect that out mid Septemberish along with some kind of Oktoberfest party to happen at Flossmoor. Matt's lederhosen are being tailored as we speak.



Flossmoor Fest is coming September 8th, and we will be pouring beers outside.


And most importantly (aside from the wedding) is that I just found out that I will be attending the Siebel Institute of Technology Concise Course in Brewing Technology this fall. I have no formal brewing education apart from reading a lot of books so this will be a rewarding experience that can only make me a better brewer.

Tap List 8/28/07

Black Wolf Schwarz bier (5.0% a.b.v.)
The best schwarz bier in the U.S. according to the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. Lager body and finish with a touch of roasty aroma and body. A distinct but not overpowering black beer that just may change your idea about what a "dark beer" is.

Rot Geist (6% a.b.v.)
We set out to create a deliciously hoppy American wheat beer that wasn't as burly as our normal I.P.A.s but still satiated the hophead inside of us. What came out was Rot Geist (Red Ghost) American Red Wheat. It's a reddish hued American Wheat made with Summit, Centennial, and Amarillo hops with an additional dry hopping of 1lb/bbl Amarillo for aroma.

Black Moon Rye-sin (5.5% abv)
An American Stout with the addition of Rye. Roasty and chocolaty aroma with a slightly hoppy background. It's a full bodied stout that has coffee and roast flavors in all the right places with a lingering bitter finish from the hops.

ZikadeWeiss (4.5% abv)
No Cicadas were harmed in the making of this beer, but we did have to fight them off while brewing this. Crisp, light, citrusy, and very refreshing. Except for pulling cicadas out of your lady's hair, nothing says summer like a Hefeweizen.

Rise from your Grave

From the dusty ashes of a crappy antique store comes one of the best places in all of Illinois to buy craft beer. And only craft beer. No wine, no liquor, just really good beer. And maybe cheese.

I've invited Tom to start posting on the blog but the man is busy with t-squares, levels, and a head full of ideas. For now let me give you a little pictorial idea of what we have been up to.








This coming week should see some new walls being built. We'll keep you updated.

Social Lubricator

We are pouring one keg of Social Lubricator Doppelbock that we held back. Get it while it lasts!

Inagural Festiv-Ale: Benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Greater Illinois Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation





Thursday, September 6th from 7-10 pm


VIP reception from 6-7 pm


STATE Restaurant & Cafe- 935 W. Webster (Webster & Bissell)



Tickets are $40 prior to the event ($50 at the door),
VIP tickets are $65 per person


(for tickets call: (312) 236-4491)



All guests get heavy appetizers throughout the evening and beer samples from all vendors. Guests must be 21 and older and attire is business casual.



Auction Items:
Autographed Walter Payton Football in Glass Case with Certificate of Authenticity


Signed Framed Victoria Fuller "Back Bunny" painting


Jeremy Roenick Autographed Jersey and Stick


Richard Dent MVP Bears CapPoker Table Top and Dealer Set




We will be there pouring Zikadeweiß hefeweizen and Black Moon Rye-Sin stout
Also appearing will be Walter Payton's Roundhouse, Flatlanders, and Goose Island.
For more details follow the link.

Special Visitors

This past Sunday, on their way back to Warren, Michigan we had Eric and Brett Kuhnhenn, Erin Goryl, (all from Kuhnhenn Brewery) and Dan Rogers from Big Rock Chop House stop by.


(From Left to Right: Dan, Bret, Eric, and Erin)

I thought that driving back to Flossmoor from Madison after a liver punishing weekend was a pain, I can only imagine what making your way all the way back to north of Detroit is like. But they said that after Flossmoor they made a stop at Dark Horse for dinner. That would make things a bit nicer.


And since there are almost never any photos of me on this thing, here is the picture that Erin took of us.



Don't I look excited! In my defense, it was Sunday after Madison and the surprise visit was a respite from cleaning up from the fest. We are always happy when other brewers come by.