Event Review: Day and Night of The Living Ales

Each year the Chicago Beer Society (CBS) holds the Day & Night of The Living Ales: A Celebration of Real Ale.  This event features real ale, also known as cask beer.  Real ale has no carbon dioxide added and the beer naturally carbonates, additionally the yeast in this beer is still active almost up until the time you drink the beer.  The beer also likes to exist around 53F so festivals like this can be a bit chilly.  Normally CBS finds a deli or other caterer to put out a small selection of higher end meat and cheese to munch on.

CBS splits the day into two sessions the Day and the Night.  There is no real difference except time of day.  The organizers try very hard to make sure beer is held in casks for the second session.  Occasionally one will run out, but not usually half way into the second session.  A benefit of the second session is you can call people you know at the first session and know what is worth it and what is not.  Personally I am done for the day after drinking for hours so I typically crawl into bed after an event like this.

Night Session 2011

In 2011 there were 45 beers available and for the most part were very good.  Chicago brewers dominate at this event, but there was a fair sprinkling of brewers from elseware.  Metropolitan had an intriguing ginger infused alt and Piece had smoked chocolate porter that reminded me of cocoa puffs.  The bad side of cask events was evident in Revolution's Village Green Bitter which had some off flavors.  This can happen easily and I would note their Eugen Porter was above average.  With the ale be alive right up to the end it is hard for a brewer to ensure the perfect flavor.  I do not know if this was the situation with Village Green, but many brewers never get to crack open the cask until the event itself making it near impossible to provide the level of quality control we have become used to.

CBS also gives awards at this event and Firestone Walker's Double Jack Double IPA won the Golden Tut Award for being the beer that best exemplified the cask experience.  Attendees also vote for their top beers.  This year first place went to Goose Island's production facility for Scully an oak aged saison with strawberries, honey and Champagne yeast.

Overall, this is one of the better events on the annual beer calender, and does sell out.  I try to attend each year as I never know what I may find.  I have done both the day and night sessions, and I lean towards liking the night better.  CBS holds Living Ale each March and I hope to see you there next year.

Event Review: Chicago Craft Beer Week

Last week I talked about American Craft Beer Week, but this week I want to talk about a local event, Chicago Craft Beer Week.  Why do I like Chicago Beer Week?

The first thing I like about Chicago Craft Beer Week is the ownership.  This is our week.  This is the week for our people our town and our beer.

Secondly, the people come.  Each year there seems to be a distribution announcement by another big brewery in Chicago.  Famous brewers also come in and put on dinners and tastings, or randomly just show up in a bar.

You can expect events at brewery in the city and suburbs.  Also, many of the beer bars will likely be holding events paired with local and out of town breweries.  I will try to post updates on some of the better events here, but you should head on over to the Chicago Craft Beer Week website and sign up for email updates.

What else can you expect:

• Passport for sale on April 26 for exclusive events
• iPhone App to guide you also available April 26 (no word on an Android version so may trade phones with Beer Bitch)
• Rumors of Chicago History Museum Events
• 80 participating establishments

Event Review: American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) is a way to set aside a special time to celebrate craft beer.  Personally I think every week should be beer week, but the powers that be decided we need a dedicated national time.  ACBW is not the same as your local city or state beer weeks, although usually they have the same goals.  


What is the point of ACBW?  
Honestly, I do not know the behind the scene reason.  The Brewer Association's website states ACBW is "an exciting opportunity for small and independent craft brewers and the community of better beer retailers to feature craft beer in their community."


Do not get me wrong, I love local beer weeks, but a national event just seems lackluster.  The establishments holding events should be featuring craft beer everyday.  There is no reason to wait until May to do so.  I  started thinking about this and determined it is not about getting a guy to try a beer or to hold events in breweries, although those are great things and part of ACBW.  I think what is really behind ACBW is a chance to pressure establishments to sell more craft beer and host related events.  It is really about a brewery rep walking into a bar and talking about this big national week and trying to get a Miller or AB product off draft and a craft beer on.  Believe it or not, there are still a lot of bars that will not ditch macro beer or open the door to craft beer.


For what it is worth, you should see a slight bump in the craft beer scene in your area May 16-22, 2011.  If you are reading this after May, note in your calendar that ACBW is always middle May.  Come back next week for a discussion of local beer weeks and how they can change your life, or at least get you drunk.


A constantly updated list of ACBW events.