"12 Steps" to a beery meery Christmas

If you're not in the know about the Drinking & Writing Brewery, well, you better do something about that and do it soon. The Drinking & Writing Brewery is the brainchild of Sean Benjamin and Steve Mosqueda (of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind fame) and Pete Crowley (of Rock Bottom Chicago brewmaster fame). Exploring the connection between creativity and alcohol, the folks at D&W have a monthly radio show/podcast (which has recently featured yours truly being interviewed to promote our Oktoberfest party and our own Tom Saldana being interviewed AT our Oktoberfest party) and host all sorts of wacky events around Chicago including Beerfly Alleyfight and the Drinking & Writing Festival.

So why am I bringing this up now? Well, each of the next three Saturdays you can get into the holiday spirit as Sean and Steve perform Drinking & Writing Volume IV: The 12 Steps of Christmas. If that's not enough, it's being held at one of Chicago's (and the world's) premiere beer bars: Hopleaf. And if THAT'S not enough, this Saturday's performance will be followed by a Doppelbock tasting courtesy of friends of HOPS! Metropolitan, Goose Island and Rock Bottom.

Shows are at 4pm, tickets are $15, and you must be 21 or older to enter. For tickets or to get more info, follow this link. I'll be there this Saturday... hope you will be too!

AHA club-only competitions... let's get brewing!

Different people have different strategies for brewing. Some brew clones; others brew crazy stuff they make up. Some keep tweaking the same recipe until it's just right; others jump from style to style trying something new. Some map out their brewing schedule months ahead of time; others wake up on a Saturday morning, look at what grains and hops they have in stock, and throw something together on the spot. Different strokes for different folks (and we all know it takes diff'rent strokes to move the world, yes it does).

Well, this year the folks at the American Homebrewers Association are running a series of club-only competitions.
Here's how it works. They pick a style. Our brewers each individually brew to that style. We then pick the best beer Survivor-style (well, maybe not Survivor-style, but we pick the best beer) and submit it to the national competition. In the process, brewers are challenged to broaden their brewing horizons, and our club's members get to really pick a part a style and see how different recipes and processes produce different results.

Anyway, enough on the process... let's talk beer! We're a little too late for the first competition of the season (Belgian strong ales are due Nov. 27th), but we'd like to get on board for the rest of the schedule. Here are the styles and relevant deadlines:

January/February 2010

The Session Challenge – English Brown Ales

Entry deadline is Tuesday, February 16, 2010. Judging will be held Saturday, February 20, 2010.

Hosted by Tim Hayner and the Impaling Alers of Kent, WA, this competition covers BJCP Category 11 styles. For more information, contact Tim Hayner at president@impalingalers.org.

March/April 2010

American Ales

Entries are due Saturday, April 3, 2010. Judging will be held Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Hosted by Bill Lynch and the Carolina Brewmasters of Charlotte, NC, this competition covers BJCP Category 10 styles.
For more information, contact Bill Lynch at brewcnc@yahoo.com.

May 2010

Extract Beers

Entries are due Saturday, May 1, 2010. Judging will be held Saturday, May 22, 2010.

Hosted by Ric Cunningham and the Niagra Association of Homebrewers of Buffalo, NY, this competition covers all BJCP beer categories (1-23).

So there you go. If you wanna get in on the action, plan your brew days accordingly. And stay tuned for more info on how we'll be determining our entry and relevant internal deadlines. Happy brewing!

Style of the Month: Oud Bruin

Oud Bruin or Flanders Brown is a reddish brown ale originated in East Flanders. It is significantly more malty and bitter than a Flanders Red. Oud Bruin is aged in stainless steel tanks, this prevents oxygen contact that contributes the acidic character associated with Flanders Red. Try some tonight!

HOPS get a few new judges

The wait is over and the unofficial results have arrived. Tommy, Michael and Bob are now Recognized BJCP judges. Michael and Bob both scored a very respectable 77. With the necessary experience points they are both on track to be Certified judges. Tommy having years of beer drinking experience was the high scorer with an awesome 81. 20 experience points and he will be a National ranked judge. Congrats to all!

Three beers I'm looking forward to this winter

As the days grow shorter and the wind colder, it seems appropriate to turn our thoughts to that which warms us up. No, I'm not talking about Snuggies; I'm talking about beer! The Oktoberfests and pumpkin beers are slowly giving way to barley wines and winter warmers, so I thought I would briefly discuss three beers I'm looking forward to trying this winter.

1. Friend of HOPS! Metropolitan Brewing has had its beers out on the market for almost a year now, and most Chicagoland beer geeks have tried their three regular offerings: Dynamo, Flywheel and Krankshaft. Well, this winter Doug and Tracy will be releasing their first seasonal: Generator Doppelbock. I had the pleasure of trying a test batch, and if the final product is even tastier than what I sampled this is going to be one delicious Doppelbock. The first batch will be draught only, so all the more reason to meet up at your local watering hole for some holiday cheer! [Full disclosure: Doug and Tracy Hurst are former (maybe even current?) members of HOPS! and several members are investors in Metropolitan, though I am not.]

2. Lakefront Brewing often finds itself in the shadow of New Glarus when it comes to Wisconsin breweries (and that's more a testimony to New Glarus than a slight to Lakefront), but their Holiday Spice Lager is second to nobody. I generally don't like my holiday beers too heavily spiced, and feared that a clean lager would only further accentuate the spices, but I was wrong. This is one smooth beer, and deceptively smooth at 11% ABV. Want to be the hero of the holiday party? Bring a sixer of this stuff and you won't need any stinkin' mistletoe.

3. Okay, this is really five beers in one, but Dark Horse Brewery just released the first of its five seasonal stouts. To be honest, I missed the first two last year and only got to enjoy Tres (a blueberry stout), Fore (a smoked stout) and Plead the 5th (an incredible Russian imperial stout). However, given how great each of those were, I'm looking forward to trying One (an oatmeal stout) and Too (a sweet stout) as well this year. Together these five beers really showcase the range of flavors that fall under the general term "stout."

So those are a few of the beers on my radar this late fall/winter. What are you looking forward to cracking open in front of a roaring fire?

FOBAB this Saturday; tickets still available

So I'm not sure how we neglected to post about it before, but this Saturday is the seventh annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer (or FOBAB if you're into the whole brevity thing) sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. FOBAB is one of those events where if you go there once you end up returning every year. You've got everything from imperial stouts to double IPA's to sour beers to smoked beers aged in everything from wine barrels to bourbon barrels to cedar.

And the breweries involved? Well for starters you've got local favorites such as Goose Island, Rock Bottom, Flossmoor Station and Metropolitan. Then you've got regional craft brewers such as Three Floyds, Bell's and Lakefront. But that's not all... Several highly-respected breweries that don't even distribute in Illinois will be there, including Firestone Walker, Russian River and Stone.

So how much would you pay to try barrel-aged brews from the breweries listed above, as well as 41 additional breweries? $60? $50? Lower. $40? Keep on going. That's right, you can buy your FOBAB tickets for the low, low price of $35. The afternoon session is sold out, but tickets are still available for the 6-10pm session. Buy yours here and I'll see you there!

We don't call ourselves the AWARD-WINNING brewers of HOPS! for nothing.

Congrats to our very own Michael Corey, who took third place in the English Brown Ales category of this year's CBS Spooky Brew Review. Perhaps we'll all get to try some of his Special Dark Mild at this month's meeting (hint, hint)?

Old Style Brewing

I have to share this video of a German brewery from the 1930's. The level of automation is amazing and the decoction mash procedure is cool. Some parts of the brewing process remain unchanged, while others like the wort chiller in this video are completely abandoned. Enjoy!

Join the AHA

The American Homebrewers Association educates homebrewers and promotes the homebrewing hobby through its publications, programs and events. Members benefits include discounts at brew pubs across the country, daily homebrewing advice emails, Zymurgy magazine and access to the members only session at the Great American Beer Festival. Membership costs start at $38 per year.

Each year HOPS members participate in the AHA Big Brew. This year as a club we brewed 60 gallons of English Mild. If you were at Oktoberfest, you might have tried it.

If there weren't enough reasons to join the American Homebrewers Association, here is one more. You can get a free copy of John Palmer's How to Brew. Just enter promotion code TAF2009 when you join and the book will arrive for free in the mail in just a few days. Join today!

Rock Bottom goings on

The picture to the left is what your table will look like at the end of a Rock Bottom Brewer's Dinner. Why do I bring this up? Well, Rock Bottom Chicago brewmaster and friend of HOPS! Pete Crowley will be hosting another wonderful Brewer's Dinner this Monday, October 26th. Ready to drool? Here's the menu:

First Course: 12 Hour Smoked Short Ribs with Blackeyed Pea Butter Sauce and Tomato Coulis
Paired with our Smoked Porter - brewed with 65% Beechwood Smoked Barley

Second Course: Grilled New Zealand Mussel Salad with BBQ Curry Butter, Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette, Arugula and Grilled Flatbread
Paired with our Northwest Amber Ale

Third Course: BBQ Shrimp Bisque with Jalapeno Cornbread Croutons
Paired with our Golden Ale

Fourth Course: BBQ’D Flap Steak with White Truffle Mac N Cheese, Roasted Garlic Spinach, Spicy BBQ Hollandaise and Stout Worcestershire Sauce
Paired with our Dry-hopped Oatmeal Stout (Gold Medal Winner GABF ’08 and WBC ’08)

Fifth Course: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Jim Beam Crème Anglaise
Paired with our Belgian Style Abbey Dubbel brewed with Molasses and Raisins

For more details and information on how to reserve a spot, go here. Assuming I can line up a babysitter, I'll see you there.

In the meantime, you can help Pete celebrate Rock Bottom's 14th Anniversary by attending tomorrow's tapping of their Anniversary Ale, an American-style ordinary bitter. We're talking free beer for Mug Club members (and you can join the Mug Club for free!) from 6-7pm; how can you pass that up???

Wet Hops

What do Three Floyds Broo Doo, Sierra Nevada Estate and Harpoon Glacier Harvest Ale have in common? They are all brewed with wet hops and you'll be able to give them a try at tonight's HOPS meeting.

Wet hopping is the use of freshly picked hops during the brew. Hops are picked and go into the brew kettle the same day. They can be used at any point from mash hop to dry/wet hopping (wet/dry hopping?) Generally wet hops are added closer to the end of boil to showcase their fresh flavor and aromatic qualities. They are used less frequently for the bittering addition because the Alpha Acid content is unknown, making for unpredictable IBU's in the finished beer.

Wet hopped ales are only available seasonally after the late summer/fall hop harvest. They should be enjoyed very young, as the hop flavors and aromas fade over time. Try some tonight!

HOPS members become WIMPS for a day?

No, our HOPS members did not suddenly lose their ability to lift a carboy or stir a 1:1 mash. They did get together at John Rak's annual grape crush. HOPS members were manning the crusher, toting must and filling demi-johns. Everyone pitched in under the watchful eye of John Rak. Our home brewing brothers and sister unofficially became WiMPS, the Wine Makers Pride of the South Side (or is it Southside?) at least for the day.

Tommy, Scott and Lovey proved that HOPS members can be versed in many forms of fermentation. Each were pouring their excellent homemade wines. Everyone's thirst was quenched with free flowing Rak of Ages 2008. A little hard work and a lot of great wine made the day a success.

Tuesday's tasting will be...

...North German Altbier.* Don't get it confused with Düsseldorf-style Altbier, which is actually quite different. You can read the BJCP's style guideline for North German Altbier here.

If you're interested in sampling some North German Alts, as well as (hopefully) plenty of homebrewed libations, join us for our monthly meeting this Tuesday (Oct. 20) at 8pm at the Bridgeport VFW at 32nd and May. Visitors are always welcome.

*I should note that North German Altbier is a fairly difficult style to track down Stateside, and at this point I've failed to find any examples at two of the usual suspects, so there's a chance we may substitute a different style at the last minute. Sorry, but them's the breaks!

Picture courtesy of flickr user AugustGarage.

R.I.P. Greg Noonan

I never met Greg Noonan, but I feel like I did. His seminal book, Brewing Lager Beer, is probably the most valuable brewing resource I own. His contribution to the Classic Beer Style series, Scotch Ale, likewise has a place in my brewing library. Noonan's contribution to homebrewers and craft brewers alike (Noonan also founded the Vermont Pub and Brewery) is immeasurable, and as such I'm sad to report that Noonan passed away this past Sunday at his home in Vermont. I encourage you to read Charlie Papazian's tribute to Noonan here, and also to check out his books if you have yet to do so. Rest in peace, Greg; I look forward to raising a pint of Scotch ale in your honor tonight.

Time to bring home some hardware

I had some incredible beers at Oktoberfest, and I know most of you who brewed for the event still have a little left in the keg. So here's my challenge to all of you: enter your beer in the Chicago Beer Society's Spooky Brew Review and bring home a medal or two.

Full details are here, but the basic facts are as follows... You have to submit two 12-oz. bottles per entry, along with a $7 entry fee, by October 24. Unfortunately, the only drop-off location is the Brewer's Coop (the homebrew store attached to the Two Brothers' Taphouse) which is a hike for those of us on the South Side and collar suburbs. If you're willing to make the trek out there, your reward is some incredible beer and food at Two Brothers. However, if you're not up for the drive, feel free bring your entries to next Tuesday's meeting and I'll drop them off when I submit mine. I won't even charge you for gas!

Oh, and for those of you who are BJCP-certified, they're looking for judges. Even if you're not, they may be looking for novice judges, as well as stewards, to help out. The event itself is on October 31st at Emmett's Ale House in Palatine.

Beer and Baconfest!

Just saw John Manion, the Executive Chef At Goose Island in this YouTube where he raves about two of my fave craves. Great Bacon and Great Beer!



Check out the latest & more videos on Chicago's Baconfest 2009 Pro Cookoff at the Publican coming up on 10/24. Bacon Fat is where it's at!!

Le Sam's est mort, vive le Sam's

The Trib broke news last night that local liquor giant Binny's will buy out Sam's Wine & Spirits. Sam's had clearly fallen on hard times lately, closing its South Loop and Highland Park outposts in the span of a month. But, who knew things had gotten this bad? Unfortunately, this does not bode well for local craft beer enthusiasts as Binny's loses its only real competitor in the city (at least in terms of sale volume). There were already rumblings about stale product and high prices at many Binny's locations, and this turn of events surely won't help matters.

Half Acre tap room open for business!

Breaking news from our friends at Half Acre: their store/tap room is now open to the public! Word on the street (by which I mean, beermapping.com) is that they're filling growlers with all of their regular offerings, plus a guest handle or two. Also, they have a 7% Schwarzbier called Magnus in the works. Mmm... Schwarzbier. Anyway, you can stop by between noon and 7pm, Tuesday through Sunday. If you do, be sure to get an extra growler filled for me.

Fermenting in a garbage can?

No, I'm not talking about Oscar the Grouch homebrewing (though that would technically qualify as fermenting in a garbage can... sorry, bad joke). Adam over at the Beer Bits 2 blog is actually fermenting 26 gallons of beer in a food-grade garbage can. Is he crazy? Part of me thinks so, but at the same time fermenting in open vessels was the norm not-so-long-ago. I'll give him props for thinking outside the box, and I'll definitely keep an eye on how his brew turns out.

At Rock Bottom in Downtown Chicago

Oktoberfest Party! Only $25!Saturday, October 10, from 1 pm to 6 pm

• Sample Over 20 German Style Beers From Over 10 of Chicagoland’s Favorite Microbreweries
• Live German Music 1:pm – 5pm
• Homemade Brats Available for Purchase
• Tickets Available at Brownpapertickets.com $25+Service Charge One West Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60654 312/755/1677 or rbchicagoparties@sbcglobal.net

An Oktoberfest to remember

Thanks to everybody who came out for Saturday's Oktoberfest party! It was our first sell-out ever, and we have all of you to thank for that.

Many members worked hard and thankless hours--and brewed gallons upon gallons of beer--to bring you the South Side's premiere Oktoberfest party. However, we also have some important people outside of the club to thank as well. The Chicago Bridgeport VFW Post 5079 was an awesome host as always. The Polkaholics put on one hell of a show (as you can see to the right). And the icing on the cake was the incredible generosity of Flossmoor Station, Goose Island, Gordon Biersch-Bolingbrook, Half Acre, Metropolitan, Rock Bottom-Chicago and Rock Bottom-Orland Park, all of whom donated some great beers for our guests to enjoy.

Couldn't make Oktoberfest? Here's some of what you missed:








Hope to see you next year!

Welcome to the new HOPS! blog

If you asked any member of Homebrewer's Pride of the Southside (or HOPS! for short) to define the club in just two words, 95% of us would go with "beer" and "Chicago." (The other 5% would probably go with "beer" and "Sox," just to piss off the few Cubs fans in the club.) We're starting this blog to address those two very topics--especially where they merge. Members and visitors alike can find the latest information on club meetings, Chicago-area beer events, homebrewing techniques, and other fermented thoughts. In an effort to keep things fresh and diverse, we'll have several different members contributing their thoughts here. Hope you find our posts worthwhile; you can find each contributor's profile in the right sidebar and we'd love to hear any thoughts you have as to how we can improve the blog. And if you'd like more information on HOPS! in general, you can email us here. Cheers!