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.

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.

OctoBeerFest 4-7, 2009 at David Burke Primehouse

Execute Chef Rick Gresh of David Burke's Primehouse has arranged 4 nights of beer pairing dinners, dubbed OctoBEERfest, from Sunday, October 4th through Wednesday, October 7th. These dinners feature a four course dinner comprised of local seasonal foods paired with the a few of the usual suspects of Midwest brewery fame - Two Brothers, Goose Island and New Holland. Perhaps the most interesting dinner will be on Sunday when Gresh's own homebrew recipes will be featured. The price for one dinner is $55, two dinners $95 and the schedule of beer dinners is $175. Pretty reasonable, given the amazing looking menus, which can be found in their entirety on Rick Gresh's blog.

Space is limited. Call David Burke's Primehouse at 312-660-6000 for more info.