Brew England Visits: Chicago, Part III

As we stated, the Berghoff was not too far from the Art Institute and Millennium Park. We hadn't walked through the park yet, so we headed back over after lunch.

Kind of like the Frog Pond in the Boston Common, the Loop area of Chicago has an outdoor skating rink. Just beyond the rink was our first stop - Cloud Gate, otherwise known as "The Bean".





We then made an attempt to head over to the Buckingham Fountain, but as you would expect it wasn't on. Perhaps that was because it was about 30 degrees and windy out? At any rate, we needed to warm ourselves up, so we opted to head back into the Loop to find a bar to get a drink while warming up.

We landed at Miller's Pub, located on S. Wabash. Miller's Pub was a cozy, dark, and warm place for us when we needed it. Sarah ordered one of their "famous" Tom & Jerry, which was an eggnog drink served warm. I opted for a Goose Island Honker's Ale.





We figured it'd be a good idea to head back to the hotel and rest for a little while before heading out that night with Sarah's cousin Paul and his wife Christie, but of course not before picking up some beer for that night. I ended up getting a six pack of New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale and a six pack of 2below Winter Ale. Did I mention that I fell in love with Fat Tire after the first sip?

Paul and Christie decided to take us to a very cute restaurant called Home Bistro, located on the North Side of Chicago.


Paul and Sarah happy to see each other!

HB is a very quaint and cute BYOB restaurant. Seating is extremely limited to around 40 or 50 guests, and the servers were some of the most friendly we've experienced anywhere. I have to say that we had some of the more interesting food. We ordered a few starters - escargot and crispy veal sweetbread. Both were surprisingly very delicious. For our entrees, Sarah had Kentucky Lamb burgoo, and I went with the roasted quail...though truthfully, the four of us shared each other's dishes.



Sarah's amazing entree

After dinner, a few bottles of wine, and a six pack of New Belgium beers, we headed out (into the snow) to head to iO for an improv comedy show. As we pulled up to the theater, we noticed that we were literally right down the street from the Goose Island Brew Pub Wrigleyville, a place that we would need to visit while in town. It also helped that we were about 100 feet from Wrigley Field, which I noticed as we hopped back in our cab to head back to the hotel.

All in all, quite possibly the perfect day spent in Chicago!

Stay tuned for Chicago, Part IV tomorrow!

What To Do When It Snows in Boston

...well, stock up on beer of course.

Sarah and I decided last night, of course knowing we were going to get blanketed with snow, that we were going to need to stock up on some necessities. Sure, most people get eggs, milk, and bread, but what the hell were WE supposed to do? Naturally, we had to stock up on beer!

Truthfully, we would have preferred to do it last night, but most places were closed on account of this little holiday called Christmas. But, we decided we would go either just before or after the snow started. Unfortunately, that happened to take place around 8:30am this morning.

Either way, we still had to get a few items, so we headed out. But, as you would expect, there were no package stores open when we went out. Fortunately, the snow tapered off a bit, which allowed a safe travel to one of our local places - Shop-N-Save Liquors - in Quincy.

I wound up getting a 12 pack of Red Hook WinterHook Winter Ale, as well as a Saranac Brewing Company 12 Beers of Winter mix pack.





I figured with these beers, in addition to the beers I had at home, should get me through our first major snow storm of the '10-'11 winter season. The snow has also given me the perfect excuse to blog and tweet, so don't be surprised if you see a few more posts before the end of the day!

I wonder what everyone else is drinking?

BrewEngland Visits: Berkshire Brewing Co. - Deerfield, MA

Sometime last year, Sarah's cousin Anna shared with her a bottle of Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Coffee House Porter with her. Sarah enjoyed it so much, she bought a bottle for us to try. Although I had heard about the brewery before that, it wasn't until then when I tried one of their beers for the first time. That was the day I fell in love with Berkshire Brewing Co.

Since trying the Coffee House Porter back in March of this year (which you can read about here), We have just about all of their year round beers, and several of their season offerings. So far, I'd have to say Steel Rail Ale and their Oktoberfests are my two favorite beers, but I really haven't had a bad beer by them. Because we love their beers, we decided it was time to make the trek out west to Deerfield, MA to visit their brewery.

Knowing that my friend Mike loves BBC about as much as I do, and that brewery tours are ALWAYS more fun with friends, we invited he and his wife Jenn. Our friend Andy and his brother Pat were around too, so we recruited them for the tour as well. Mike, Jenn, and Andy also attended my 30th birthday tour at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston, so I knew they would enjoy the BBC too.

Despite the traffic along the way, we arrived (just) in time for the 12pm tour. As of right now, Berkshire Brewing Co. only offers tours on Saturdays at noon, but it didn't disappoint.

When we first arrived, we filed into their tasting area. Fortunately for us, their Oktoberfest was readily available - as we went in October - so we got our first sample prior to heading into the brewhouse. Even though we got some great pictures, there were something around 75 people on the tour. According to our tour guide, they typically have about 8-12 people on the tour each weekend; however, it was the first few weeks of the new semester, so many students from UMass Amherst and other colleges decided to stop in that day.

Nevertheless, that wasn't going to stop us from having a good time!

Our first stop was the grain room. It's a rather small room, but they have quite the mill. They have their grain trucks pull up outside this garage doored room, but blow a good deal of their grain in through an air duct. Some of their specialty grains are stacked on pallets, as you can see in the picture.




The next stop was the actual brew area. BBC is set up with one mash tun and one kettle. According to our tour guide, who is also one of the brewers, the company tours five or six times per week. They have many primary and secondary fermenters, many within a cold storage area (to make lagers) which store their supply of year round beers. They also reserve a few for their seasonal beers.





We then head to the bottling room. We were told that the company started, they filled all of their bottles by hand. For anyone who brews their own beer, you know how annoying it is for a regular five gallon batch - imagine doing that for several barrels! Anyway, they wanted to spend as little time bottling their beer, so they decided to go for the biggest bottles they could get, 22oz bomber bottles. Therefore, the only way you can get their bottled beer is in the bombers. I guess that's not too bad, eh?



Anyway, BBC utilized many volunteers to help them with the bottling process. This helped them meet the demand of their many local consumers.




Much like our friends at Mayflower Brewing Co. as well as Harpoon in Boston, they have one of those kick ass keg washers/fillers. This allows them to fill a keg in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Our final stop was back at the tasting room for a few more samples. Some of the River Ale, a Steel Rail or two, a new Imperial Pint Glass and T-shirt later, and we were off.



L to R: Mike, Andy, Jenn, Adam, Pat, and Sarah

If you get a chance to make the trip, this brewery does not disappoint. Bring some friends and then stop off at the Northampton Brewery for some lunch, and it'll make for a great day!

Cure Me I'm Irish

Some of the readers on Brew England know about a very special boy named Will Lacey; however, I’m sure most of you don’t. Will Lacey is a six year old boy from Braintree, MA who was diagnosed as an infant with a very rare and currently non-curable cancer called Neruoblastoma. Will’s parents, family, and friends created the Friends of Will Cancer Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity to help save the lives of children with cancer. More specifically, to BEAT NB!

The Friends of Will Cancer Foundation's sole mission is to raise money to help create treatment options for children with Relapsed Neuroblastoma. Unfortunately, once the disease comes back there is no cure.

You may be wondering why we bring this up on a beer blog….well, I’ll tell you.

For the past three years, the FOW have put on an event called “Cure Me I’m Irish”, which has been a huge success in raising funds for Will and other NB patients. Last year, Sarah and I happily volunteered during the event, selling raffle tickets, selling merchandise, and we even donated a pair of Bruins tickets for the silent auction (which believe me, was pretty bad ass- the auction that is). We did such a small part to help out, but honestly had so much fun!






I can’t explain how awesome it was to be part of this event. There were dozens of volunteers, and approximately 400 of Will’s closets adult friends enjoying their evening at the Tirrell Room in Quincy, MA. There were Irish step dancers (the ones who danced with the Dropkick Murphy's), a DJ, an endless line at the bars, but an all around great night. This year's event is shaping up to be even bigger and better!

A few month’s ago, I was introduced to Will’s father Pat. He had heard it through the grapevine that Sarah and I ran BrewEngland.com and go around to a ton of breweries. Figuring we may have made some brewery contacts on our adventures, he asked us to help him out with a portion of the 2011 Cure Me I’m Irish event. Naturally, we said “of course!”

I am VERY excited to announce that part of the upcoming Cure Me I’m Irish event will include a Beer Tasting, set up by BrewEngland.com! There will be New England breweries represented, and I’m sure you have probably heard of some of them. The confirmed breweries to date are:

Mayflower Brewing Co. – Plymouth, MA
Cape Ann Brewing – Gloucester, MA
Blue Hills Brewery – Canton, MA

I have been in contact with other MA and VT breweries, which I should hear back from shortly; however, we are extremely happy to have these three breweries on board already and I’m sure you will be too!

So, now you’re probably wondering how you can get in on this beer tasting, and the other exciting parts of the Cure Me event. Here are all the details.

When: Saturday March 5, 2011 from 7pm – Midnight
Where: Lombardo’s – 6 Billings Road Randolph, MA
Why: To BEAT NB and celebrate with a purpose!


Ticket prices currently start at $60 and tickets can be purchased at the Cure Me I’m Irish event webpage. After February 15, 2011 the ticket price will increase to $75 per ticket. The admission price includes a Full Open Bar beginning at 8pm; however, it is likely that the beer tasting will take place from approximately 7-9pm and is included in the price of admission. Appetizers as well as deserts will be served. Also, this year the band Joshua Tree will be performing live at the event.

I strongly encourage you all to come and join us at Lombardo’s on March 5th. This will no doubt be a great time for everyone there, will be a good opportunity to come and support our 1st ever beer tasting, and support a wonderful cause.

If you are a brewery and would like to pour samples at this event, please contact Adam at brewengland@gmail.com ASAP. Space is extremely limited, and will fill up fast!

Please pass on the word of this event, and as the final breweries are confirmed I will update the website!

Cheers!

Adam & Sarah

Brew England Visits: Chicago, Part II

You can't really tell, but that's Adam under the Navy Pier sign

Sarah and I had made a feeble attempt to go to Navy Pier on the day we arrived in Chicago. As it turns out, it was far too cold to venture any closer to the lake. When we arrived, it was around 22 degrees and windy, unlike in Boston where it in the 30's or near 40 degrees. Anyway, when you have the protection of the buildings in downtown Chicago, it tends to block some of the wind coming off Lake Michigan. It makes a HUGE difference!

Because we never made it to Navy Pier on Wednesday, we decided we would head there there next morning. It certainly didn't seem any warmer that morning when we walked over, but fortunately it got a bit warmer as the day progressed. Possibly registering a balmy 28 degrees or so.

We walked through the shops at Navy Pier, and then headed back out into the elements. We have to imagine that it is spectacular in the warm weather months as they have a giant Ferris Wheel, beer gardens- you can actually walk around the entire Navy Pier area with your drinks, and other fun things. We'll definitely have to make it back to hit Harry Caray's!



See, here is where we attempted to take our pictures in front of some weird glass that distorts your body. Pretty awesome, eh?



Anyway, we got some great pics of the skyline while we were there.



Did you know they have a giant macaroni noodle there?



For our safety, they put up this sign. They don't mess around!



We also got some of us goofing around.


Sarah frolicking with children at play


Adam receiving some counseling from Bob Newhart

We decided we would head down to the Art Institute after our time on the pier. We hopped in a cab and were there in no time!


Sarah outside the Art Institute


The Grand Staircase @ the Art Institute

The Art Institute is right at Millennium Park, and could not have been nicer. Truthfully we weren't there for more than a few hours, but we had a great time. We've been to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston several times, which is absolutely amazing. We also visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art a few years ago, which was spectacular. The Art Institute of Chicago was equally as impressive and this visit made us want to go back. There are some truly great pieces of art there...

Notably, "Water Lilies" by Claude Monet,



"A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat (which was much bigger than we expected),



"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper,



and "American Gothic" by Grant Wood.



We always thought the woman in "American Gothic" was the dude's wife, but as it turns out, it's supposed to be his daughter. The story behind the painting is awesome, and if you're in Chicago you should stop by to see it!

Equally as nice were "American Windows" by Marc Chagall,



and "Picture of Dorian Gray" by Ivan Albright.



This was one of the most bizarre and psychedelic paintings I've ever seen! Sarah hated the painting, although she loved the book. I thought the painting was pretty cool, though I'd hate to be looking on this if I were tripping on LSD. I'm sure that shit would freak me right out!

When we had our fill, we headed to the gift shop for a few things, before heading off to find some lunch. We were initially going to hit the Goose Island Brew Pub in Clybourn, but it was going to take us a while to get there. We really had no idea where we were going to eat, but we just decided to walk.


We could have been walking for a while...

Fortunately, we stumbled on the Berghoff Restaurant, located on West Adams street in the Loop! It's considered a historical landmark in Chicago, and is a great German restaurant. Their menu is substantial, yet not too big; however, it made it really hard to decide what we wanted to eat.



Although they aren't a brewpub per say, they do make their own beer. We were instructed by our very friendly server that their beer is brewed in Monroe, Wisconsin, and according to Wikipedia it's a contract beer brewed by the Joseph Huber Brewing Company. Nevertheless, we decided to get the beer flight, so we could give all of their offerings a try.

All of the beers were really good! In all, they had five beers on tap: Berghoff Seasonal - a dark malty winter, Prairie Lager - a standard at the restaurant, Sundown Dark - malty, smokey, and nice, River Red Ale - slightly bitter, nice dark color, and Hefeweizen - light, somewhat sweet, and crisp. It was nice to get a taste of local brewed beers, other than Goose Island. The beers complemented our food nicely too!

We hope you enjoyed Chicago Parts I-II...Chicago Part III will be up soon!

Brew England Visits: Chicago, Part I

Chicago….wow. If you haven’t been there, you are definitely missing out! I’ve wanted to go to Chicago for at least the past 10 years, with hopes of making it to Wrigley Field to watch a Cubs game. Over the past five or so years I’ve wanted to visit the city to experience all the culture, food, and of course the great beer not readily available in the Boston area. Sarah and I found a deal too good to pass up on airfare through South West and decided it was time.

This was my first time flying out of Logan Airport in Boston since probably 1986 when I first got on a plane to Orlando, FL, but I was really glad we decided not to fly out of Manchester (our typical point of departure). We decided we were going to take advantage of the public transportation on our trip, so we caught a cab to Quincy Adams around 6am, so we could hop on the Red Line. This would be our first experience with the Silver Line, which we picked up at South Station. It was easy enough as it took us right to the airport, and direct to our terminal (of course after stopping at the first four). Easy peasy.

Of course we were at the airport almost two hours before our flight was to take off, so what else to anxious travelers (read: Sarah) do at 7:45am? Well, we hit our first bar of the trip – Beer Works at Terminal E.



I managed to get a few tall pints of freshly brewed beer, and Sarah opted for a few Bloody Marys before boarding the plane.

Fast forward a few hours, and we landed at Chicago’s Midway Airport.


From there we took the “L” to our hotel, all the meanwhile admiring this new (to us) city.



Now, Sarah is a globetrotter. She’s been to Lebanon, London, Paris, spent a summer in Kenya, and more. Me…not so much. Granted this was my second trip of the year which required air travel, as I went spent four days in Winter Haven, FL with my buddy PJ visiting his parents; however, I have kept mostly to the east coast – or at least Eastern Standard Time. Until Chicago, I had never been in another time zone, or west of Cleveland, OH, so this was kind of a big deal for me (NERD ALERT!).

At any rate, Sarah and I were both PUMPED to be in Chicago!

We ventured out to find some lunch, but didn’t make it very far, as we stumbled on what would be come our local hangout – Timothy O’Toole’s. We were expecting a small Irish Pub, but it turned out to be a good sized sports bar. Not too big, but it had plenty of room at the bar…which shouldn’t have been a surprise because it was a Wednesday afternoon. We quickly became big fans of this bar.

They had a fantastic beer line up, and it was EXACTLY what we were looking for. I quickly ordered a New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire, and Sarah went with the Goose Island Sofie.



We had our lunch and ordered a few more beers, the Goose Island Matilda for Sarah, and the Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter for me.



We quickly struck up a conversation with our bartender, who turned out to be a really nice guy. We talked beer, chatted about the Blackhawks and how we wanted to go to the game that night, and other things Chicago. As it turns out, we were simply too tired to go very far, but ended up going back that night for a few more beers and some pub grub.

Stay tuned for Chicago, Part II tomorrow....

BrewEngland invades Chicago!

Tomorrow morning, Sarah and I take this show on the road. For the first time, we will be visiting the great city of Chicago. Sure, it's December. Sure, it's cold. But, we're true New Englanders and can tolerate the weather.

I've been wanting to visit Chicago for the past 10 years or so, but haven't had a good excuse to go. Not that I needed one, but oh well. We got a great deal on air travel through Southwest Airlines, and couldn't pass it up. It also helps that Sarah's cousin Paul and his wife Christie live in the city too.

We plan on hitting the Goose Island Clayborurn brewpub, possibly Small Bar Fullerton, and definitely Kuma's Corner. There may even be a trip to Milwaukee in the mix too for a stop at the Milwaukee Ale House. We're also going to see the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Dallas Stars tomorrow night at the Madhouse on Madison to boot. Granted I'm a die hard Boston Bruins fan, I'm still a hockey fan. That should be fun!

We'll be without our computer for the next four days or so; however, we'll each still have our Blackberry smaht phones at our sides, so we'll be checking in on foursquare and tweeting up a storm. We'll have our camera too, so we'll make sure to recap our adventures next week!

Follow us on Twitter! Adam/BrewEngland at @brewengland, and Sarah at @pinkshoe. We'll be updating our Facebook Fan Page too, on occasion; however, we're likely to tweet more than anything else.