Damsel!

I had a great end to my day yesterday.  After attending the Craft beer launch at PJ Whelihans in Blue Bell- I scooted over to Earth Bread Brewery where I had a brief beer with Ric Hoffman of STewarts fame and his lovely family.  They had to get going back to Delaware.  I stayed and chatted with Tom Baker, Peggy and some others for a bit.

When it came time to leave, the Suzaru was acting up yet again.  Lately, I've been having problems with my lights. Problem is- they don't turn on.  So I punch them Arthur Fonzarelli style- get style points from anyone that might be watching as it's generally rather impressive. They pop back on I get in my car and vrooooom away.

Not last night. No punching or kicking would get them to turn on. I had to outsource the quick fix this time.  I approached agroup of jovial folk chatting a few feet away.  They were more than happy to help.
The one gent Kevin had some mechanic background.  He made me pop my hood and looked at some wiring...next thing you know the bulbs were brighter than they had been in months.

Thanks Kevin.  Hope you enjoy your Sly Fox reward;)

Just Another Day in Beer Paradise- Meet Phil!

It's always nice when you walk into a shoppe, and people anticipate your next beer release, they want to chat with you about your brewery and the industry at large. They don't ask what can you do for me?  They don't make you feel like your interrupting their day.

I met someone of the likes at the Wonderful  World of Wine in Lambertville, NJ.  They have a nice two room store with 850+ beers.  The man in charge is Phil Pittore III.  Nice guy.  Look for him to start contributing to the Philly Beer Scene Mag.  His first article will be on Vintage beer comparison.

The store is located within blocks of many BYOs in the Lambertville and New Hope area.  Its nice to know folks can go in there and grab a large format bottle of beer to pair with there dinner-=

This Evening's Beerings April 29th

You can catch Nick Johnson with a firkin of Hopback at Swift Half-= A nice night to sit outside the Piazza -= you'll probably need a hoodie but nice nonetheless.

For those in the burbs- maybe make your way to PJ Whelihans in Blue Bell.  They've overhauled their beer program and the side bar is now even more focused on craft. 

A few local beer reps will be hanging there around happy hour- including this local beer rep.

DRAFT Magazine Names Top 10 Beers Brewed by Women

This list of liquid gold was assembled by Teri Fahrendorf,  "Road brewer" and founder of the Pink Boots Society-=a non-profit professional organization of women in the beer biz from QA techs to sales reps. Local Roguester Sebbie Buhler is a co-chairwoman of consumer education-=



Lamman Sahti Brewed by Sirpa Kääriäinen at Lammin Sahti Oy Brewery in Lammi, Finland. Not in the States.

Allagash White
Brewed by Dee Dee Germain at Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine

Urthel Samaranth 12 Quadrium Ale-=Brewed by Hildegard van Ostaden at The Leyerth Brewery in Ruiselede, Belgium.

Bend Big-Hop IPA-=Brewed by Tonya Cornett at Bend Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon.

Stone Smoked Porter-= Brewed by Laura Ulrich at Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California.

Victory Golden Monkey=- Brewed by our  local Whitney Thompson at Victory Brewing Company in Downington, Penn.

Basil T's Maxwell Dry Stout-= Brewed in our neighboring state by Gretchen Schmidhausler at Basil T’s Brewery and Italian Grill in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Smuttynose Wheat Wine-=Brewed by Judi Clark at Smuttynose Brewing Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Snoqualmie Wildcat IPA -=Brewed by Janelle Pritchard at Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company in Snoqualmie, Washington.

Moyans Dragoons Dry Irish Stout-= Brewed by Denise Jones at Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant in Novato, California.

It's Always Sunny at the Royal Stumble

The dates is set for the Nodding Head's 11th annual Royal Stumble-=-an elite mini beer event of a competitive nature with a creative theme that always sells out weeks in advance.


Brewers all bring 1/2 barrel of beer, the first brewery to empty their barrel takes home the heavyweight championship.


Saturday July 10th
Tickets go on sale June 1st.
The theme will be "It's Always Sunny at the Royal Stumble" playing off the sitcom.


Here's YARDS' Tim Roberts- the 2009 Champ.

This Evening's Beerings- Wed. April 28th

Devils Den will host the dashing Dan Conway and his *Left Hand beers tonight from 7 till 9.

*400 LB Monkey (IPA)
*Sawtooth (ESB)
*and Pole STar Pils  $1 off from 7 till 9 drafts and flights.


I will stop by on the earlier side because then I gotta scoot to
Standard Tap for Docs Cider night.
The pours start at 6. Apple, Pear, and Framboise draft.

You're probably so curious about the firkin as Standard Tap has extablished a Wednesday firkin night over the last two years.
Don't fret Jeremy from Doc's has got you covered with
a black currant firkin.

Read all about the New York fruit distillery here. 

AND as always you can grab 1/2 price SLY FOX cans at the Good Dog and pints on the cheap at the P.o.P.e. (recently named by Philly mag as one of the best American Craft Beer Bars in the area).

Drafting Room Spring House Shuttered Up-=

Did I really beat Jack Curtin to something?
His Washington D.C. two-day hangover somehow must have interfered with him gettin' this here newsbit.

The Drafting Room Springhouse has closed its doors.
I first heard this from a Beer Rep that was asked to pick up his breweries' handles.

I confirmed it with a quick visit to the website.

I wish the staff well and thank them for contributing to the craft scene of Montgomery County for the last decade.

In other shut door news...
Michael Klein reports that Ortliebs Jazz Haus has closed after 23 years...

Have you seen this? Sly Fox debuts 113 Cans-=-

"Beer just goes with life."
Brian O'Reilly

Hawthornes to host IPA fest

On Sunday May 2nd while I watch goats race and drink a bevy of bock- 
you can try 20 different IPAs, listen to live reggae music and feast on barbecue at 
HAWTHORNES.  

Beers are only $4.
Hawthornes is located at exactly 738 S. 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 ( Corner of 11th & Fitzwater).

mmmmm. Creme de Violet

Im all beer 99.4% of the time ( I think the same amount you saw on that Ivory soap commercial in the 1980s) but I do have an occasional cocktail and there's barely a bartendress who makes it better than Katie Loeb.

Sansom St. Oyster house breathed fresh air into its walls last year.  When the revamp was done you were left with a beautiful space shucking out all kinds of greatness.

Here is "Good night Gracie" Creme de violet, light rum, bitters and lime.  mmmm.

Happy Birthday Mike Fava-=-=damn glad to know you

Mike Fava's got to be one of the nicest, cutest fellas in Philadelphia.

 I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about attractive people.  Her philosophy was that good looking people should be nice.  They should be grateful for their looks and have a generally pleasant demeanor.  I agree.  So why are hot girls always so bitchy???

Fava is a perfect example of someone who's easy on the eyes, yet kind and intelligent. 

He's an excellent brewer, cook, and athlete.

And on this earth day, celebrating our green world, we- in the beer community are fortunate to celebrate that he's in ours.


This is what his main squeeze Lora had to say:

"The first thing I noticed about Mike, besides his obvious handsomeness and charm, was his passion for beer. It's not just a "wooo let's get drunk" love of beer but something a lot deeper.  It's pretty impossible not to be attracted to someone like that."

A Haiku from Gal Pal April Annie:

Mike Fava, a haiku

Who would think that a 

rough, tough guy like fava would

love Lisa Lisa?

 *********************

When I asked Troegster Nick Johnson to share a nice sentiment on Fava's special day--he contributed a sketch...Of course not one of his own artistic ability...

This one's for you Fava- the new extended mix....

  

What you've waited three years for : The Raging Panda on "Beer"

I asked women out there a few q's about beer- and the first one that got back to me was my roomie, the Raging Panda.  She took time out of her day to share her beer story.  And now I want to share it with you. It's lonnnngg. She's obviously all caught up on work at the office today;) I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For the love of beer!  by the Raging Panda

When i think about beer the first "things" that come to mind are 

1.) Having craft beer poured down my throat by that mischievous Casey Hughes because he has a sick sense of humor and finds my drunken antics amusing and

2. the impressive array of specialty beer that fills my refrigerator thanks to my favorite roommate, you beerlass.  every time i come home with groceries i get a little excited to rearrange the fridge so i can just admire the labels and become humbled by how many different styles there are lining the shelves - at any given time there could be 30 different types of beer at our house (and that's being conservative...).  

I was lucky to be born as the youngest child with two older brothers who liked to drink.  I first realized there was a whole world of booze when I went to some concert with my brother's friends and all these hippies had these weirdo beers in comparison to my Yuengling.  The first beer I was handed was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and some dude had a variety case of Sam Adams in a cooler on a skateboard that he was selling for $4 a beer.  What's THAT about, I wondered....  Hippies are good for something apparently.  

When I got to college and wasn't drinking 40 oz in the dorms we were traveling.  The summer after freshman year brought me all over the country to more hippy places with strange local beers which was awesome.  We got a keg of Fat Tire when we got to Colorado and a case of Anchor Steam was in the fridge in Oakland.  Everywhere we went there was something new and different. Brother John was brewing beer during this time and the whole world of beer had just sort of arrived in front of me. That was 2002.

There are many things that I love about beer.  Here are a few:

1. the science of it - the chemistry behind why different beers have different qualities. As a liquid, beer certainly takes on many properties and it's exciting. Different viscosities and textures, flavors, aftertastes and carbonation levels play with your senses as you drink.

2. the craft of it

it's an art form, to make beer one needs to have a passion for it. As Suz and Mashington show, you've got to have a passion to sell it also.  I've been lucky enough to get to know some great people who make beer for a living and they are so dedicated to the craft of it. this is something i admire about it.  the pursuit of perfection in brewing on the most basic level.  This craft, there's something ancient about it.  i love it. they study intensely, they get up early and spend an entire day sweating and brewing, researching; it's almost like the old alchemist perfecting a potion, or a shaman mixing a healing concoction. that's right, beer is healing if you ask me.

3. the health of it

As a full on advocate of selzter water's health benefits (see http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2005/01/23/sparkling-water/)   (As her room mate I can totally attest to this) I can say that there is something settling about a having a beer with/after dinner.  At times, it almost acts as a digestive. In addition, as a person with low blood pressure, alcohol has been known to raise blood pressure, which I appreciate (until i'm hung over so badly that my heart wants to jump out of my chest, but besides that).

4. The taste of it.  grey goose is grey goose. Jaegermeister is Jaegermeister. and, unless it's a really amazing wine (or a really shitty wine), you know what to expect with the common fermented grape beverage you can order by the glass in most restaurants.  Don't get me wrong, I will get down with a box o' vino (fish eye 3 gallon all day, oh yeah), however, there are flavors that come through in beer that you would never expect. And, more impportantly, in Philly the trend has been for restaurants and bars to carry more and more local and specialty beers  This equals more variety, another thing I like). Remember when Fava made that beer with wormwood in it? There was no mistaking it. There's the rice in the exit 11. The cherries in that one Bell's?  Outstanding. 

A day that stands out in my memory was a day I was breaking up with an ex-boyfriend and I had a Blue Point Blueberry beer.  I know it sounds cheesy- and it was- but I remember tasting it thinking that I wasn't bitter and neither was my beer.  ha. 

The chocolate-y, maltiness of Founder's Breakfast Stout, PAH-lease! That ish is so rich and delicious I can't even take it.

The hint of grapefruit in the seasonal spritzy Saisons is also something I love and it's something that brings on a certain feeling of nostalgia (also a plus). 

  

5. social lubricant.  Sure I can drink cocktails all night with my ladies, but there is nothing better than beers to bring me down the home stretch of a marathon of drinking.  These marathons usually include a stop at the Piazza for an old go-to of Bell's Two Hearted, Stone's IPA or maybe something a bit more fancy like a firkin of something local. I might grab some bottles at the Foodery and head to the park or a house party- something Pils, something Corona 22, something Old E? yeah.  If there's a dance party happening, I'm probably drinking Philly's distilled water, aka PBRs because they are cheap, and well, like water.  By the time a dance party gets into full effect I've already had my fill of big beers with dinner, and as a person on the smaller size it's a trick I've been forced to learn when hanging with some of the brewers (see C. Hughes reference above)  Suz I hope you don't kill me for admitting my love of 40 oz. and gross beer. But it gets the job done sometimes. 

There is nothing better than trying the one-offs that come into town with a couple good friends at a great bar with a familiar face pouring them. The hilarity that ensues when you go from a snack and something malty and mild at Varga to full throttle triple IPAs with a whiskey chaser at Good Dog by the end of the night is something I cherish. Seriously though, the different effects different beers have on a person are strange and intriguing, sparking curiosity in me about who in their right mind would make a 10% beer so easily drinkable to getting to meet that brewer and hearing the story to how they got the hoppiest of beers to have such a smooth aftertaste.  

The stories and the innovation are what get me.

It's an industry where innovation is praised as a market driver, and I appreciate that as an American.  

Beer. 

It goes well with our courtyard. It's a nice accessory for company.  It's a great gift to give and receive.     

xo 

cheers

TONIGHT @ the Wishing Well- In Pursuit of Ale in Pursuit of Shame

I'm not even sure I have ever been in an eating contest- so tonight should be interesting.

I got a run in today and I will have a light lunch so I'll be ready to go.
 
Here are the final details
7:30 sharp
9th and Catherine-Wishing Well Public House
To participate in the contest is free
25% off the rest of the menu !!! How nice!
Pint specials
rsvp if you can.
I suppose men are welcome to watch from afar.

Ladies-= What's your beer story?

I have no idea what my male to female reader ratio is-=-but this post is for the ladies- or men can email me about their wives' beering.

When did you first get into beer?
Throw a few styles/brands at me-= What are you drinking?
You don't feel like an anomaly do you? Is it passe to even ask that question?

 Please email me responses and any other thoughts. beerlass@gmail.com today. Thanks!

In Pursuit of Shame??? Beer Club at the Wishing Well tomorrow

Tomorrow night-= I am calling all meat-eating beer-loving ladies to the new Wishing Well Public House to consume mini shame burgers in large quantities in short amounts of time.
The Shame burger is a patty (I hate that word) topped with scrapple cheese and a fried egg. 

Prizes will be awarded for your gluttonous effort.

The Wishing Well (I think in time people will just say they're going to "the well") opened its doors to the Bella Vista Neighborhood on April 5th. A friendly staff, thoughtful food and great beers make it a most welcome addition.

Email me at beerlass@gmail.com to RSVP and for more details.

Go time is  7:30
Where to go?? 9th and Catherine

Dibrunos 9th st. to host Lance Romance tomorrow night

I've been trying to keep up with the Queso happy hours at Dibruno's 9th st on Wed.
But this week is of  particular importance to me as Lance Romance ( a total cheesehead) is pouring
Iron Hill beers with Hunter and Zeke.

The pours are a bit of a surprise...
Come by and say hi.
Remember the whole store is 10% off from 5 till 8 throughout the duration on the complimentary cheese and beer pairing.
Look how tough guy he gets...don't let him down.

I will be there on the earlier side because I have a big event at the Wishing Well with the ladies beer club at 7:30- we're pursuing SHAME--- the shame burger that is-- with a slider-eating contest. Ladies wanna get your glutton on???  email me for deets or to RSVP beerlass@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Brian O'Reilly

It's Brian O'Reillys big day times two.  It's the last day of the origijnal Phoenixville Sly Fox Brew Pub as well as his birthday.

His wife Whitney threw an amazing party for him on Friday night.  Great music from the Mason Porter Band, yummy eats, and a slew of beer from Sly, Iron Hill and Victory.  But most important a room (or renovated Schoolhouse) filled with some of the best people around to wish him well.

Hopefully some of you will do the same and head to the ol' Sly Fox on Rt. 113 one last time before the operation moves across the street.

This photo is his reaction to the surprise.  Sorry it's a bit blurry.

Taxes and Balloons- Happy Birthdays

A couple birthdays around the beer biz today...

The Lovely Mrs. Whitney O'Reilly is one year older...

As is Craft Specialist of Origlio Beverage, Jim Wiggins-=-

Not sure what Whitney is up to today- I know Wiggins is taking in a Phils game.

If you get a chance wish them a happy one.

So Long, Farewell, Alvederzein-= The Move is Imminent !

This Sunday, the original brewpub of Sly Fox Brewing Co., will be pouring their last pints.
The date on the new Sly brewpub opening on the otherside of Rt 113 is up in the air- although there is the sweet promise of goats in your future on May 2nd...So you can guess the wait won't be long.

I have a bike ride (Ill be sporting my new Sly Fox Jersey) on Sunday out in the Limerick area so I will be headed to the pub afterwards on Sunday afternoon.  As gross as I'll be after a 25 miler- (which is nothing in the big scheme of things I know)
I really hope to see some of you there- looking at you once again John Doherty;)

2009 Volume numbers are in from the Brewer's Association-=-

You can read it all here...

the Regional Notables are-=-=



#16  Dogfish Head
#30  Victory

Dibrunos Craft Happy Hour tonight with Troegs

I suppose its always happy hour when you are Troegs ambassador Nick Johnson... (No Nick this is not another dig).
He's a cheerful guy, no?

Join him tonight at the 9th st. Location of Dibruno Brothers.

They'll pair four of the Troegs delicious beers with four cheese all on the house.

The entire store is 10% off and they stay open till 8.

Nick should start pouring beers around 5 pm.

Hans-Pete Drexeler visits Philly. Copious amounts of Schneider Weisse consumed

Yesterday Hans Peter Drexler came to our fair city. 
He was so kind and willing to speak and take photos with everyone.
I was proud to present him with a can of Royal Weisse from Sly Fox and let him know that our Brewer Brian was a big fan.  Little did I know before I arrived that Devil's Den owner, Scott Wallace was already telling Drexler all about Brian.

Most of the locations that he visited were pouring a variety of Schneider beers.

the Edel Weisse
Aventinus
The Orignial Schneider Weisse
the Eisbock
The Hopfenweisse (collaboration with Brooklyn brewery)

Varying locations would pour varying sizes.  Thus some people were getting pretty tipsy- but I won't mention any names.

I kept it to one original Schneider Weisse at the Devil's Den- I recall thinking it was darker than I had imagined last time I had one.

I tried a side-by-side comparison of the Hopfenweisse from Schneider brewery and the Hopfenweisse from Brooklyn.  Lance told me that Drexel subjected himself to some ridicule from other German brewers for using American Hops.  I found that interesting.  But when you think about it-It's the Belgians that are embracing our hops with beers like Houblon, and Urthel Hop It. As well as the Scottish brewery Brew Dog- with collaborations like Bahsah.  But German Breweries? Can you think of any outside of Schneider?

And I had a few sips of the cask of Eisbock at Brauhaus Schmitz.

That was intense as expected- booze oozing and poppin prune and dark fruit flavor.

Also to be noted of the night-= I had a few of my first bites at Devils Den under the regime of the new chef, Alex Urena.  I enjoyed a few mussels, some oysters, Pulled Pork Flatbread (made with Sly Fox) and some "Cheese Balls."  They reminded me of a Mozz stick in a 360 degrees form.  They were served with smokey sauce of sorts that went well with a sip of the Sly Fox Instigator Doppelbock.

A large crew of local beer peeps came out to support Drexler at Brauhaus.  You had Mike Pearlman of Stouts, Dan Conway of Left Hand Brewing Co, The Foodery Guys Ruby and Greg, Mat Falco of Philly Beer Scene, Local Bartender Buddy Morris of Jose Pistolas, Chris "Biscuit" of TIME, Jennie Hatton of Profile PR, Lance Romance, and Leslie Spellman of Bridgewaters, Tom Pittakas of Misconduct, and Kate a lovely bar tender from Iron Abbey. I am sorry if I forgot anyone but it's early.

From Beer News.org: Samual Adams Beer Lovers Choice options revealed

I noticed this on BeerNews.org on Monday-

Every years according to Boston Beer company code- they must release a couple new beers into the market. The last several years they  have been doing it through a Beer Lovers Choice.  They will put out tasters and voting boxes and a variety of events so beer consumers can cast their vote.

I remember a few years back it was Irish Red.
Last year the Noble Pils beat out Pale Ale as the new Spring seasonal.
The 2010 options were announced Monday.
And its not too much of a surprise that they have been two trending beer styles for the last couple years-=
        Belgian Style IPA                                                                                             American Rye Ale

You-yes you can meet the man brewing behind Schneider today!

Hans Peter Drexler hits a few Philly beer bars for meet and greets throughout the day Today, Tuesday April 13.

Drexler is the brewmaster of the great Schneider Brewery. As the website states, the brewery is revered by all wheat beer connoisseurs-our brew master at Sly Fox, Brian O'Reilly included.

*His events kick off with a "Loaded Lunch" at Jose Pistolas 12 till 3.

*Then after making a few rounds with Shangy Rep, Cameron Saunders, he'll get to Devil's Den
 Happy Hour 5-8 where all beers are 1/2 off.
Just think about that.  Schneider Edelweiss for $3.50?

*And then Doug and Kelly of Brauhaus Schmitz welcome Drexler to their German Bierhall from 8-11for a tapping of a firkin of Eisbock.

All events will have all the draft from them including Weiss, Aventinus, Eisbock, Edelweiss, and Hopfenweiss,  his Collaborative effort with Brooklyn Brewery, a dry- hopped Weissbock.

Learn more about the Schneider family and brewery here.

I'll Have Another Stout and a NEW CAMERA!

I've had a bad week with technology. 

*My gym misplaced my Ipod. 
*My Phone kaputted on me while away.  Nothing worse than being at a conference and not being able to reach people to meet up.
*Then I misplaced my camera on the first day of the trip. Mid-afternoon- I was snapping shots of tapas at the Purple Pig when I left it there.

I was out there as media- so I needed to fix the sitch immediately.
Immediately being the next day as soon as I confirmed that I wasn't getting it back.

I walked Michigan Ave to Best Buy and bought me a new Canon.  My last one was a Powershot SD 110IS.  This is the upgrade of the upgrade (SD1300 IS).  So I am at 12.1 Megapixels as opposed to 8.  I've got 4X zoom, and it performs remarkably in low light.

You'll probably be able to tell as you notice the small grains in the bread resting on my Caprese Omelet at the P.o.p.e. yesterday. My Jpeg quality went from 70 to 88.

Also it should be noted that the P.o.p.e had an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich on the chalkboard.
I am not sure of the staying power of this frozen treat. But I've put my two cents in.  Its $4 and it's scrumptious.

You can almost hear your dentist whispering in your ear, "Don't do it." But you should totally do it.

Chi-Ca-Go! Chow-ca-go!

I've always wanted to go to Chicago. I grew up watching Married with Children (especially when Mom already went to bed- Dad understood its importance in our lives.)  There was an episode that had Kelly taken up very temporary employment as a weather a bunny.  
She actually says, "There is a Strom forming in Chi-ca-go." You can forward to 1:56






Moving on-=  I definitely drank and dined my way across Chicago.  I loved that it was composed of so many different neighborhoods. I hit up Lincoln Park, Buck Town, Gold Coast/The Magnificent Mile, Wrigleyville, and others.


I arrived at 11 am on Wednesday.  From the moment we stepped in Chicago- things just generally seemed to be in our favor.


Our luggae was the first on the bag retrieval belt.  Then we met this cheesy limo driver, Ray.  He told us he could take both of us in a Town Car for $40 to our hotel.  I was questioning it- but my traveling companion went for it.  the town car ended up being a limousine.  He was blasting some hits on radio including Boston's "More than a Feeling."  We pull up to our hotel, the Swissotel, overlooking Lake Michigan.  Megs got a great deal on it so we stayed for $89 a night and it was a two block walk to the Conference hotel, the Sheraton.


We were hungry- so we headed to Michigan Ave, the Magnicficent Mile.  Our selected haunt-
The Purple Pig reminded me of little bit of Amada- based on menu and decor.  You can check out the menu here. There tag line is "Cheese, Swine and Wine."
 We nibbled on some healthy stuff like Beets and Fava beans...then brought on the swine.
We had Milk-Braised Pork Shoulder and a Pork Blade Steak with ‘Nduja & Honey.  This was excellent, but could have been accompanied by a steak knife. Major minus right here.  Our bartender apologized and I understood given their limited time open. (Just under three months).


Two days later I went back for  a brief lunch with Lance who was out there with Iron Hill.
He got a lil bone marrow...then moved on to Fried Pig Ears. I opted for Octopus with acini di pepe & Swiss Chard.

Their beer list was a weird one.  Our bartender who's personally reviewed over 60 beers on Beer Advocate started to defend it- mentioning that the owners wanted things to complement the Mediterranean flair of the restaurant.    But there were 3 German beers on (including the Reissdorf Kolsch) and 3 Italian beers ranging from Usual suspect like Peroni to Italian craft beer in that of Birrificio Italiano Tipopils.  Very dry- a nice complement to the meat and cheese plate.

Here's the quick run down on all our other eats.

Apparently despite the mass amounts of golden (and brown and black )goodness to be consumed around the windy city- there are 3 quintessential beer bars.  I made sure to hit them all before I left...and one even twice.  They are the Map Room, The Hop Leaf, and Delilahs ( I heard this is Monks owner, Tom Peters numero uno).


Map Room- a bit crowded. Would like to visit at another time...when I am not so distracted and I can get a seat at the bar. 
Hop Leaf- I really liked it.  It was much bigger than I had anticipated.  The plates coming out of the kitchen peaked my olfactory senses curiousity- however we would move on for some bbq at Sheffields in Wrigleyville.  I enjoyed the new VAnber de Wulf Lambrusco here.  A combination of Lambic ande Kombucha weighin in at a mild 3.5%.  The perfect beer to start the night.

Delilahs- Prob my favorite stop of the week.  I actually went here twice proving so.
The Dj on the first night was playing New Order, the Clash, Talking Heads and Jesus and Mary Chain amongst other New Wave tunes.   The bartender refused to accept that De Rankke Noir was on the taps, but after a 5 minute back and forth I had the Belgian dark delight in front of me.  The interweb describes it as the "Legendary punk/ rock and roll bar that serves over 400 types of whiskey) Learn more here.  Whiskey seemed to weave in and out of my week.  This was my first whiskey with Brasserie De La Senne Brewer/owner Yvan.  We've known each other for some time....heck, Lance and I might even take a trip to Belgium to visit him one of these days.  Whiskey seemed appropriate for our reunion after a year or so.


And the others
Sheffields- Went for Michigan beer night.  they were pouring a few rarities from the Wolverine state.

Unfortunately they were so busy from the Conference- that they ran out of all things smoked.
I settled for a burger with bacon and some beans.  The owner was so regretful that they had run out.  he took great care of us.We sat looking at a closed beer garte,- I can only imagine how hectic it gets on game days as its mere feet from Wrigley Field.

Green Door-There was a Sierra Nevada event taking place here so I headed over with Jimmy Meiers and Megs Maguire after a few beers.  There was a slew of Sierra Nevada reps and admin...some of the nicest guys.  I would have stayed longer but Lady Delilah was calling my name like a temptress.
 
Rootstock- This was the suggestion of Heather and Dave of Good
Dog.  Sort of reminded me of TRIA meets Ressurection ale house?   Ryan Neibhur ordered 2 of everything on the menu (small plates)...and bottles of wine popped left and right.  They had a great list of big beer bottles that we started off with.  Nice service...overall great place.




Green Mill- Old School Jazz Club. Got there too late - we missed the music, but we did not miss the whiskey. It was there that Megs and I would meet up with a few New Zealand gents that were in town for the conference.  They were funny.  I'd like to go back there on my next visit when the place is in full swing. More here.

Gage- This came at the suggestion of one Jennie Hatton.  She's been out there a bunch working with Jose Garces at his restaurant Mercat a la Planxa.  Gage is rustic yet sophisticated.  It's operated out of an historical building, and if you eat there once, you will want history to repeat itself.  I only got a chance to nibble on a scotch egg, while enjoying a Three Floyds Robert the Bruce- a Scottish Ale seeping malt with every sip. 
I lost my photo so this is from Time Out chicago.
This is definitely a MUST hit if you hit Chicago.


Signatures on the 96th Floor- Not a hit.                I mean it was nice and all -sure we were way high in the sky on the 96th Floor of the John Hancock Bldg... and it was one of the only times I actually saw Lance Romance the whole time I was out there- but lack of ambiance inside the windows, and lack of remotely good service, gives it two thumbs down.  Plus as much as I love coconut- I never have to have another coconut mojito.

Big Bowl- I loved this spot- another recommendation of Good Dog/Swift Half partners Dave and Heather. It was a fresh Chinese and Thai Chain -yes I went to a chain- but it was fresh- and the service was on point and my meal was pretty damn good.  We started off with Chicken Lettuce wraps...which I thought I had had before but never like this.  Then  I went on to have sweet ginger sea scallops and shrimp in a sweet vinegar-soy glaze (just when I didn't think I could consume one more mollusk post Lent- I can).



 
 
My favorite part was actually the beverage.
They make fresh gingerale there as well as fresh gingerale non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails.  It was an N/A moment for me so I stuck with the passionfruit Gingerale.  Such a nice complement to the food.
It made me wish a few bars in Philly made their own Ginger Ale ( I know Tom Baker of Earth Bread + Brewery has done it).  


Kingston Mines- This is one of the spots I actually went to twice.  On the first night there...we thought we would follow the crowd to the Publican. Which looked like a good time and a great meal - but was in the middle of nowhere- with an hour wait just to stand at the Bar.  I had heard amazing things...but alas- we wasted $15 on the cab and got another one after waiting in a hot hallway in everyone's way for 10 minutes.


We ditched the beer trekking for a while and went to the Kingston Mines.  
My friend Andy said "If there's one thing I need to do in Chicago- it's the Kingston Mines."
It's an old school blues club in Lincoln Park.  The beer list is forgettable.  Crafters can drink a Sierra Nevada or an Abita Purple Haze...that's really about it.  They focus on their cocktails like the Hurricane juice that we ordered again and again.   The music was unforgettable as were the characters that occupied adjacent bar stools.  They had 2 stages that rotated 2 acts for $12 until 3:30 in the am.
Just in time for us to make the Wieners Circle...which deserves its very own post to follow.

The Weekend wrapped up with a quick stop at the Clark St. Ale House then off to the
Bottom Lounge- which had multiple stages, as well as a massive outdoor deck to enjoy the beautiful night.  Fred Bueltman, Beer Evangelist of New Holland and his band performed. 

Everyone was there.  The Iron Hill Champs and all.  I even got to shake the hand of  Jeremy Kosmicki-the man that won not only the silver medal for the  IPA category, but the Silver for Robust Porter, the Silver for Strong Ale with the Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale, and the bronze for American Style Imperial Stout with Founders Imperial Stout. He's totally laid back and totally is willing to do a shot of whiskey with me.


Now that I am back from Chicago- which I might rename the Whiskey City as opposed to the Windy City- I am ready to lead a Tully-free life...one full of treadmills, h20 and general self-restraint-=-