Chicago Tuesday

Derek is being the perfect flatmate again. When I emerge from the bathroom, tea is on the go. Just what I need to kick off the day.

Derek rustles up bacon sandwiches again. And porridge with mixed fruit. This is so much better than staying in a hotel. We need some ballast, as another busy day is planned.

Which wasn’t the original schedule. We were supposed to be free until the evening. But plans can change.

Yesterday, Matt and Luke suggested meeting up at Off Color at noon. Why not? It sounds like an interesting brewery that I haven’t visited before.

Luke entered his number on my phone so I could message him. But I can’t get it to work. Eventually Derek manages to send off a message. 12:30 is now the time.

They're sitting in the bar when we arrive. It’s pretty empty. Other than the four of us. It is a weekday lunchtime. And this isn’t exactly a city centre location. There’s a massive building site opposite.

What to drink? There’s quite a lot of mixed fermentation stuff. Probably not a good idea to drink anything acidic, given the state of my guts. So, I plump for Beer for Burgers. A 7.1% ABV bourbon barrel-aged Lager.

It could easily be a disaster. Luckily, the bourbon flavour isn’t too over the top. Quite restrained. Rather tasty.

Matt and Luke are a good laugh. I always enjoy their company. But we don’t have long this session. Just time for one more beer. This time it’s Waddle, a Märzen. Pleasant enough, if a little too buttery for my taste.

But we need to rush off. We have a date with John Hannafan at the Siebel Institute.

He starts by talking a little about the history of the institute. Which is quite long, having been founded in 1872. A very neat 150 years ago.

Derek has many questions when John shows us their brewing kit. Most of which I don’t fully understand. Or understand at all, to be honest. Every now and again, it’s useful to be reminded of just how incomplete my knowledge of brewing is. Especially the technical side.

There’s a very international group taking a class. Which looks far too technical for me.

John mentioned earlier that we’re close to Greek Town. Could be a good place to eat. And perhaps our last chance for a proper meal today. He recommends Athena, which is just around the corner.
Athena has lots of outdoor and semi-outdoor seating. We choose the former, as it’s a lovely sunny day.

The beer list is crap. Cocktail time for me. A margarita. Derek doggedly opts for the least bad beer choice: Mythos. Mmm. Why is my margarita pink? Who cares? It tastes fine.

It’s time for some healthy eating. Dips and pita bread to start. Followed by seafood and a Greek salad. Very good. My portion of calamari – supposedly a starter – is enormous.

No time to return to the flat. It’s straight to the Goose Island Taproom to prepare for tonight’s event. And this was supposed to be a rest day. It’s just after 5 PM. Doors open at 6 PM.

There’s time to chat a little. Working out the, very loose, structure. Roger will be compere. Mike will do introductions. While me and Derek will . . . what exactly? Talking. OK. I’m quite good at that.

Beer time, now that’s sorted. An Obadiah Poundage on draught to start. I’ll never see that again. Still tasting pretty good.

Then the serious business. Well, semi-serious, for me. The Stock and Runner versions of the Barley Wine are available. I’d so hoped for this. Mike did the same with Obadiah Poundage. A chance to compare the sum and its component parts.

The Stock is really full on. Quite extreme. No oak (as intended) but quite a lot of Brettanomyces character. A bit too much of everything. Runner is fruity and, for the gravity, surprisingly light. But without any great depth of flavour.

The sum? Definitely better than the parts. The third of Stock Ale added way more complexity to the Runner, without compromising the latter’s drinkability. It explains exactly why this practice was common. It produced a beer which it wasn’t possible to make individually.

I came to exactly the same conclusion with Obadiah Poundage.

There’s a fairly good turnout. Around 50. Including Greg and John Hall, from the early days of Goose Island.

The talking stuff goes well. Other than the mike playing up. And there are plenty of questions. Sensible ones.

“Does anyone still blend in the UK?”

“Other than Greene King, I don’t think so”

Which is a shame. Why hasn’t anyone picked up this technique?

Just as well we ate earlier. We stay until 9 PM chatting with various people. And drinking draught Black Eagle while I can. The Black Eagle won’t be flying anywhere, being only available in the taproom.

Mike gives us a lift the short distance back to the flat. I’m very pleased not to have to walk. After standing up for large parts of the day my legs are killing me.

A tot of Heaven Hill eases the pain.




Off Color Brewing Taproom The Mousetrap
1460 N Kingsbury St,
Chicago,
IL 60642.
http://www.offcolorbrewing.com/taproom


Athena Greek Restaurant
212 S Halsted St #1,
Chicago,
IL 60661.
http://www.athenachicago.com/


Goose Island Taproom
1800 W Fulton St,
Chicago,
IL 60612.
https://www.gooseisland.com/fulton-brewery/ 

 

My flights were paid for by Goose Island and my accommodation by Chicago Brewseum.