Ale Street News Online

payday

Another Chicago Beer Week is in the books, and by all accounts it was a rousing success. Many pints were downed, many passports were stamped and thousands of beery enthusiasts enjoyed events throughout the city and suburbs.

As we mentioned last issue, one of the highlights of the Beer Week was the grand opening of Revolution's production facility on Kedzie Ave, less than two miles from their Logan Square brewpub. The new brewery is very spacious, easily accommodating the 45 barrel brewhouse, fermenters and canning line. There is also tasting room open Wednesday through Saturday from 2  to 10 pm. Go to  www.revbrew.com to see what's on tap. You can even order a keg on-line to pick up at the brewery!

From Revolution Brewpub brewer Wil Turner's viewpoint, one of the nicest things about the new brewery is that it frees up capacity at the brewpub to bring back popular beers that haven't made the lineup recently. Look for three lagers to be on tap soon: Riot, a Czech-style Pils, an Octoberfest and a Schwarzbier.  A new batch of RISE American Stout will be going out to the Great American Beer Fest. RISE scored a gold medal at the World Beer Cup, maybe they will repeat in Denver!

A Belgian Single goes on tap in August. It's Revolution's take on the 2012 Replicale. Each year Illinois Craft Brewers Guild members brew a beer to the same recipe. They also use the  same ingredients, but this year the brewer gets to choose which yeast strain to ferment with. Around 15 breweries are participating. You can try them all at the Oak Park Micro Brew Review on August 18th. See the details (and the ICBG's redesigned website) at www.illinoisbeer.com.

Collaboration brews, where two or more breweries team up to create a beer, have become pretty popular. DESTHIL brewing has changed it up a bit though. DESTHIL's Champaign brewpub happens to be located across the street from Volition Games, a video game design company. The pub has been so popular with Volition's employees that they approached head brewer Fred Morrisette about doing a brew with him. Brewmaster Matt Potts was enthusiastic about the idea and gave the go-ahead. Fred developed the recipe while Volition designed the logo, the tap handle and provided labor. The labor part was not inconsequential, since Volition Triple IPA is a monster beer. It came in at around 14% abv and utilized six different base and specialty malts, locally sourced honey, and liquid malt extract for extra kick. The 8.5 barrel batch got 31 lbs. of hops, including 13 dry hop additions and two separate yeast additions. Volition plans to feature the beer and brewpub in an upcoming game. Hmmm, I might need to invest in an X-box.

Battle Creek, Michigan's  Arcadia Brewing has announced an expansion to meet growing demand for their British-style ales.  The new 45 barrel brewery will be built in Kalamazoo and will include a pub and beer garden. This will triple Arcadia's current 10,000 barrel capacity and allow them to expand their market from 13 to 19 states. Ale should start flowing from the new brewery sometime next year. The Battle Creek location will continue in operation with no changes.

If you hurry you can still get in on St. Louis Craft Beer Week, which started on July 28th. There are daily events and specials, including tap takeovers by Goose Island. See http://www.stlbeerweek.com for an event listing. Of special interest is Firkin Fest in Soulard and a pub crawl in St.Charles on Saturday August 4th and a closing festival on the 5th.

If you didn't get tickets for this year's Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, don't feel lonely. I didn't either. But that doesn't mean we're left out in the cold. Mickey Finn's Backlot Brewfest will be held the same day, August 11th. It features live music, a rib cookoff, and of course – beer. Maybe I'll see you there!

Mark your calendars for:

Aug 24 - 25th – Traverse City Microbrew & Music Fest, Traverse City MI. www.porterhouseproductions.com

Aug 25th – Potosi Brewery Fest, Potosi WI. Benefits Potosi Brewery Foundation.  www.potosibrewery.com

Aug 27th - 2nd Annual Midwest Brewers Fest, Plainfield IL. $40 advance/$50 gate. www.midwestbrewersfest.com/index.html

Sept. 8th - 3rd Annual Springfield Oyster & Beer Fest, Springfield IL. Www.SOBFestival.com

Sept 15 – Hop in the City, St.Louis MO. Schlafly Tap Room www.schlaflybeer.com