Beers for Winter at The Bluebird

The Bluebird
1749 N. Damen (at Willow) | Chicago, IL | 60647
Tuesday, December 15th
7:30 - 9:30 pm

Sample a variety of beers to keep you feeling toasty this winter at the Bluebird.  The main event will be a sampling of Two Brother's Brewery's just released beer called "Why Winter." It's a Barley-Wine Style Ale that's aged in oak for 18 months. They only produced 100 3-liter bottles.  Other beers include "Red Eye Porter" from Two Brothers that was released last February, the 2008 "Double Black Stout with Coffee" from Red Hook, Arcadia Brewing Company's "Cocoa Loco," Great Lakes "Christmas Ale," Avery's "Old Jubilation," Rogue's "Santa's Private Reserve Ale," Three Floyds "Alpha Klaus," Tyranena's "Sheep Shagger Scotch Ale," Almar Orchards "J.K. Scrumpy's Winter Solstice Cider," De Koninck's Winter Ale, and a two year vertical tasting of the "Barbar Winter" Ale from Brasserie Lefebvre (2008 and 2009 vintages, respectively).

Flatbreads and snacks will also be served.

$30 per person, reservations required. Email info@bluebirdchicago.com to hold a spot.

Alpha Beer at The Globe Pub

Think you know beer from A to Z? You will after this event! Sample a brew from every letter of the alphabet, poured lovingly by Eric Hobbs of Goose Island this Saturday at 6p at the Globe Pub. Cost is $40 per person.

You will taste:

A Anchor Steam USA 
B Belhaven Scottish Ale Scotland
C Carlsberg Denmark
D Dog Fish Head Brown Ale USA
E Eggenberg Doppelbock Austria
F Franziskaner Germany
G Goose Island 312 USA
H Hoegaarden Belgium
I Inveralmond Blachfriar Scotland
J Julius Echter Germany
K Kostritzer Black Lager Germany
L Left Hand Milk Stout USA 
M Murphy's Irish Stout Ireland 
N Northcoast Scrimshaw USA 
O Old Speckeled Hen England 
P Paulaner Hefeweizen Germany 
Q Quilmes Argentina 
R Rogue American Amber USA 
S Stiegl Austria 
T Tetley's English Ale England 
U Unibroue Maudite Canada 
V Victory Prima Pils USA 
W Wells Bombadier England 
X Xing Tao China 
Y Young's Chocolate Stout Endland 
Z Zywiec Poland






Registration is required

 

Saturday, November 21, 2009 - 6:00pm 

 

The Globe Pub

1934 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago
312.282.7466

 

Price: $40.00

A la Card Chicago - Pre-order Discount

I wrote in a previous post about my love for the A la Card and the restaurants that you can expect to see on the docket for 2010.  If you are planning to purchase the 2010 deck of cards, you should get on the ball this weekend while they are offering a 20% discount to those who pre-order by Sunday.  Use promo code 2010 for 20% off the $30 deck today and tomorrow. Buy online at http://www.alacardchicago.com/buy_online.html

Sheffield's Chili Cook-off

A 'Pre-festival' of Barrel Aged Beers

Can’t wait for FoBAB (The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers) tomorrow? The Beer School Bar at Sheffield's Lakeview will be tapping at least six wood or barrel aged beers, plus a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Vertical at 9 pm of 06’, 07’, 08’, & 09’ tonight!

Friday, November 6th

Sheffield's

3258 N. Sheffield Avenue 

Chicago, Illinois

New Holland Brewery Tasting

On Tuesday, November 17th from 7:30p-9:30p The Bluebird will be welcoming New Holland's own Beervangelist, Fred Bueltmann, to host an amazing tasting of some very special beers.

The lineup includes New Holland's usual suspects: Mad Hatter IPA, Full Circle Kolsch, Sundog Amber Ale, and The Poet Oatmeal Stout. Also included will be Imperial Mad Hatter, Cabin Fever (winter seasonal), two different years of Dragon's Milk Barrel Aged Stout, and two different years of Pilgrim's Dole Wheat Wine. They will also be sampling out some of the New Holland Artisan Spirits Gin from the New Holland distillery.

The star of the tasting will be a few bottles of the Blue Sunday. This is the brewery's rare sour beer, of which only 5 cases have ever been in Chicago before!

Flatbreads and snacks will also be served.  $25 per person, reservations required. Call 773.486.BIRD or email info@bluebirdchicago.com to hold a spot.

Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer

We attended this event last year and enjoyed it enough to buy tickets again for this year.  The afternoon tasting session is already sold out, but tickets for the 6-10p session are still available for sale at Brown Paper Tickets for $35 per person.  The event takes place this Saturday, November 7th at Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Auditorium (1340 W. Washington Blvd.)  This is one of the larger beer festivals in the city of Chicago each year and is not to be missed if you are a fan of beer!

The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild invites you to the Seventh Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer, spotlighting beer that has been aged in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood. Enjoy a sampling from our selection of beers, which may or may not be available commercially from breweries Coast-to-Coast. You will be treated to a vast array of exotic flavors from some of the rarest beers you will ever find!

Enjoy beers aged in new or used wine, whiskey or Bourbon barrels that take on many of the characteristics of that libation. Brewers of traditional or not-so-traditional Belgian-inspired beers often prefer used barrels so different resident microorganisms will impart a refreshing tart and acidic character. Fruit, spices, coffee and syrup may compliment the already complex character of wood-aged beers.

Long before the advent of stainless steel, the use of wooden barrels imparted many unique characteristics to beer. In many ways, the U. S. craft brewer has come full circle, returning to the roots of brewing while demonstrating a creativity unmatched anywhere in the world!

2010 A La Card Restaurants Announced!

If you are not familiar with the A La Card, you should take a moment to check out their website (www.alacardchicago.com). Each card in this 52 card deck features a $10 coupon to a different non-corporate, chef-owned restaurant in the city of Chicago.  The deck retails for $30 and is good for one year.  Last year, I saw the return on investment within the first couple of months - after just three uses, you have made your money back!  Also, $1 per deck is donated to Common Threads - a non-profit organization that educates children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being.

See the website to pre-order your 2010 deck (or purchase the 2009 deck for only $10).  The full list of 2010 restaurants was just published and is listed to the left.

36th Annual Professional/Amateur Wine Tasting Contest

Geja's hosts a wine tasting contest this Sunday at 1p that pits amateurs against the pros.  

Think you have what it takes to earn the coveted crystal decanter? Would you like to have the bragging rights as the winner of the oldest wine tasting contest in the country?

You'll have one hour to determine the grape variety, producer, region, sub-region, country of origin and vintage of eight unidentified wines.

Please call Geja's Cafe to RSVP. Both professional and Amateur division winners take home a trophy

*To be classified as an amateur you must not have been employed in the restaurant or any wine related business for at least three years.

Sunday, November 1st
1:00 PM

Geja's Cafe
340 West Armitage

Chicago, Illinois 60614

773-281-9101

Free Shipping from Bon Appetit Wine Shop

I constantly get emails from various online wine purveyors listing incredible sale prices. For me, these sales pose only one problem - shipping costs! I hate paying shipping on wine. I have belonged to a wine club or two in my life, but the cost of shipping is largely offset by the fact that you are getting multiple bottles of wine, often at a discount. That price becomes more difficult to stomach for just one or two bottles.

I was pleased to see that with the launch of Bon Appetit's new online wine shop through Uncorked.com, they are offering free shipping on orders of any size through December 10, 2009. Use promotional code BAFREESHIP at checkout. You’ll find seasonal and themed wine sets and clubs and Bon Appetit bonuses with purchase.

Slow Food Thanksgiving

Slow Food Chicago encourages you to buy your Thanksgiving turkey locally. There are many farmers in the tri-state area who are conscientious stewards of land and animals, and are committed to sustainable and humane livestock production. Not to be forgotten is that the food they produce is delicious. The farmers listed on Slowfoodchicago.org have turkeys, ham, geese, ducks, goats, and lamb available for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Freaktoberfest Beer Tasting

Get a jump start on the Halloween weekend this Thursday and pick out your seasonal brew of choice at the Freaktoberfest Beer Tasting at Cigars and Stripes in Berwyn. For $20, you can sample Freaktoberfest Blood Red Lager from New York's Shmaltz Brewing Company's Coney Island line, plus more than 60 other seasonal and craft beers. Shmaltz Proprietor, Jeremy Cowan, and other brewers will be on-hand to present their beers.  Includes sideshow-style entertainment and Coney Island hot dogs for sale. Costumes are encouraged.

October 29 : 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Price:$20

Cigars and Stripes
6715 Ogden Avenue
Berwyn, IL 60402

708-484-1043

Salon Series at The Bluebird on Sundays

Art - Food - Wine

The Bluebird pairs up with two local artists, Mary Livoni and John Coyle Steinbrunner, to bring you food, beverages and art with The Bluebird Salon Series: "Picture This Like This: Paintings by Mary Livoni and John Coyle Steinbrunner." The series will take place at Bluebird located at 1749 N. Damen Ave. starting at 7 p.m. with aperitifs. At $30 a person, individuals will receive a night of family-style food/wine/beer pairings, and a short presentation from Tom MacDonald, owner of Bluebird. The series will take place on Sundays, Nov. 8 and 15. Each night will follow the following schedule: 7:00 – 7:30: mingling and aperitifs 7:30 – 8:15: shared dinner 8:15 – 8:45: artist discussions 8:45 – floor opens to a public discussion   This event includes a half hour reception with Gran Sarao Cava (sparkling wine), a family-style dinner with tomato, basil, arugula, mozzarella & pine nut flatbreads, goat's cheddar mac & cheese, Lake Superior whitefish in lemon butter & capers, sauteed grean beans with shallots & garlic, Kasseler-style grilled pork chop (smoked & brined) with Riesling-poached pears and apple cider sauce, house frites with aioli and curry ketchup, and desserts of assorted bakalva with nuts and dried fruits.  Wines will be paired with the three main courses (flatbreads, whitefish, and pork chop).  A brief discussion of the wine pairings will be conducted by Tom MacDonald, owner of Webster's Wine Bar and The Bluebird.  The meal will be accompanied by a discussion of the artworks by artists JC Steinbrunner and Mary Livoni with a question and answer session.  Call for reservations. The Bluebird 1749 North Damen Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60647 773.486.BIRD (2473)

Sheffield's 2nd Annual Harvest Party

Sheffield's celebrates fresh hops with their 2nd Annual Harvest Party, featuring "wet hop" beers (also known as Harvest beers) on Monday, October 26th.  Last year, all 3 Sierra Nevada wet hops were featured (New Zealand, Washington, and even one from their very own Brewery Grounds).  At Sheffield's Lakeview, 7 p.m. - close.

Sheffield's Lakeview

3258 N. Sheffield Avenue

Chicago, Illinois

773-281-1989

Gioco's 10th Anniversary Tasting Menu

Gioco is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago and happens to be the spot where my husband and I had our first date, celebrated our first anniversary and held our wedding rehearsal dinner. Not only is the rustic Italian food wonderful, but the atmosphere (complete with converted speakeasy) and location (close to museum campus) make for the perfect date spot.

Celebrate Gioco's 10th anniversary from Sunday, October 25th, through Thursday, October 29th with a special pre-fixe menu. The five course menu comes with your choice of a glass of Pinot Grigio or Sangiovese for only $30!!!

Anniversary Menu

Mortadella Involtini
bufala ricotta, bell pepper, garlic toast point
Pumpkin soup with pistachios
Lamb ravioli with lemon egg sauce
Wild striped bass
Fennel, carrots and gregola apple cream sauce
Fig Tort
blackberry pastry cream

Gioco

1312 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60605
312.939.3870

Local Great American Beer Festival Picks

I was walking by Piece Brewery the other day and noticed that they had a sign up announcing their gold medal win at the Great American Beer Festival for their Top Heavy Hefeweizen.  As a matter of fact, that was the ONLY gold medal given to an Illinois brewery.  I figured it would be good for everyone to know which other local and Midwest beers brought home a medal last month at the GABF.  

Illinois

Brewery	Beer	State	Medals	Category
Goose Island Beer Co.	Red Woody	IL	Silver	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Goose Island Beer Co.	IPA	IL	Silver	English-Style India Pale Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.	Demolition	IL	Silver	Belgian and French-Style Ale
Piece Brewery	Top Heavy Hefeweizen	IL	Gold	South German Style Hefeweizen
Piece Brewery	Fornicator	IL	Bronze	Bock
Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago	The Crow and The Sparrow	IL	Silver	American-Belgo-Style Ale
Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago	Drunken Angel	IL	Bronze	Specialty Beer

Michigan

Brewery	Beer	State	Medals	Category
Arcadia Brewing Co.	Cereal Killer Barleywine	MI	Gold	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Bastone Brewery	Saison Du Bastone	MI	Bronze	French- and Belgian Style Saison
Bell's Brewery, Inc.	Bell's Lager Beer	MI	Bronze	Bohemian Style Pilsener
Big Rock Chop House & Brewery	Red Rock	MI	Silver	Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales	Bam Biere	MI	Bronze	Session Beer
Kuhnhenn Brewing Co.	4th Dementia Old Ale	MI	Bronze	Old Ale or Strong Ale
Redwood Brewing Co.	Cream Stout	MI	Silver	Sweet Stout
Shorts Brewing Co.	Bloody Beer	MI	Silver	Experimental Beer
Sullivan's Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill	Pirate's Porter	MI	Bronze	Robust Porter

Indiana

Brewery	Beer	State	Medals	Category
Barley Island Brewing Co.	Dirty Helen Brown Ale	IN	Gold	American Style Brown Ale
Brugge Brasserie	Diamond Kings '09	IN	Bronze	American-Style Sour Ale
Brugge Brasserie	Bad Kitty	IN	Bronze	German-Style Sour Ale

Ohio

Brewery	Beer	State	Medals	Category
Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon	Up In Smoke	OH	Silver	Smoked Beer

Wisconsin

Brewery	Beer	State	Medals	Category
Capital Brewery Co., Inc.	Capital Bavarian Lager	WI	Bronze	Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest
New Glarus Brewing Co	Totally Naked	WI	Bronze	American-Style Lager or Premium Lager
New Glarus Brewing Co	Raspberry Tart	WI	Bronze	Fruit Beer or Field Beer
Rock Bottom Brewery - Milwaukee	106 Pilsner	WI	Gold	German-Style Pilsener
Titletown Brewing Co.	Dark Helmet	WI	Bronze	German Style Schwarzbier

Oktoberfest Beer & Food Pairings at Binny's Beverage Depot

Meet WGN Radio’s Greg Jarrett as he hosts a Beer & Food sampling that includes great brews from Barley Island, Hofbrau, Flying Don, Sam Smith and Lindemans.

October 29, 2009, Thursday at 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Binny's Beverage Depot
1132 S. Jefferson 

Chicago, Illinois, 60607

(312) 768-4400
www.binnys.com

American Craft Beer Expo at Binny's Beverage Depot (Lakeview)

Sample a collection of the best beer from the finest craft breweries in the country. Binny's will be pouring over 100 different beers, from old favorites to new, hard to get and seasonal selections. Space for this tasting is limited and reservations are required. $15 W/Binny’s Card / $20 non-members.

October 21, 2009, Wednesday at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Binny's Beverage Depot (Lakeview)
3000 N. Clark 

Chicago, IL 60657

Contact: Call (773)935-9400 or email bmorgan@binnys.com for more information.

www.binnys.com

Western Michigan Top Unsung Beer Destination

"Ale Street News" recently named Western Michigan one of the top unsung beer destinations in its October/November 2009 issue.  This might come as a surprise to those of us who are from Michigan or live close by and see the state as the beer destination of our Midwestern world.  On last count, there were 77 microbreweries and brewpubs in Michigan.  The three big names in Western Michigan brewing (and those that drew the spotlight of "Ale Street News") are Bell's, New Holland and Founders.  Another fantastic reason to visit this region of the state are the miles of beautiful lakeshore and plentiful wineries, which make for a scenic and festive long weekend away from Chicago.

Wine, Waves & Witches

Saturday, October 31 (Halloween Cruise) 3:00pm-5pm
Wendella Boat Tours hosts a 2 hour wine tasting architectural cruise featuring wines from Kafka Wine Company and food from Buca di Beppo. Prizes will be given to the best costume on board.

Limited Space available.

Saturday, October 31 (Halloween Cruise) 3:00pm-5pm

$59.00 per person

Wendella Boats
400 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611
P. 312-337-1446