Saturday at FoBAB
It’s hard to overstate the amount of amazing beers poured at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers. I sampled quite a few standouts at the event in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 12. The highlights include Fremont Brewing B-Bomb, a bourbon barrel-aged winter ale that was smooth and sweet. Odd Side Rye Hipster Stout had a slight smoke flavor for bacon, sweetness from maple syrup, and a hint of coffee. Jackie O’s, an outfit from Athens, Ohio, was the biggest revelation.
Three of their brews – Bourbon Barrel Oil of Aphrodite Imperial Stout with walnuts; Champion Ground Coffee Stout; and Bourbon Barrel Oro Negro Imperial Stout with walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla beans, cacao nibs and habañero peppers – were delicious.
Best in show went to a collaboration from Cincinnati’s Listermann and Triple Digit Brewing. Chickow! is a double brown ale made with hazelnuts and aged in Heaven Hill barrels. It’s smooth (with a nice rich flavor from the hazelnuts) and tastes like boozy Nutella.
Cheers to a couple of locals that took home medals: Milwaukee Brewing earned second place for both Prestige Worldwide Barleywine and Louie’s Resurrection Brandy Barrel Aged Amber. And Lakefront earned a second-place mention for Spiced Winter Lager.
Congrats to both. It’s always good to see the locals do well against world-class competition.
Grand Opening of Third Space Brewing
On Saturday, Third Space Brewing (1505 W. St. Paul Ave.) celebrates its grand opening, starting at noon. The event includes live music and food for purchase, but it’s really about the beer. The brewery has that covered by introducing a new brew, Happy Happy Double IPA.
I paid a visit to Third Space last week, sipped on a Happy Place Pale Ale and asked brewmaster/co-founder Kevin Wright how things are going.
“It’s a lot of learning every day,” says Wright. “People are passionate about beer and we want to make sure we live up to expectations. The last six weeks have been a lot of learning. Now we’re ready to throw a party and have some fun.”
If you haven’t been yet, make a trip to the grand opening. With City Lights Brewing opening up down the street soon, the Menomonee Valley is going to be a nice destination for beer drinkers.
Barley Pop of the Week
I like New Glarus Spotted Cow enough, but it’s not one of my go-to beers. But boy did New Glarus take it up a notch with Spotted Cow Grand Cru. The Thumbprint Series brew is fruity and slightly sweet but still fairly crisp. The 8.5% ABV gives it a kick, but not one that’s too boozy. In fact, I thought the beer was pretty easy to drink for one that is this potent. It’s another example of New Glarus excellence.
Quick Taps
Champps posted the list of beers it’s tapping for the anniversary party on December 3. It’s pretty amazing. If you like barrel-aged brews, be sure to clear your calendar.
After an afternoon at FoBAB, I took a trip to The Map Room in Chicago. There I ran into Metropolitan Brewing’s Doug Hurst, who showed me his brilliant “Just Keep Tastin’ ” YouTube series. Really good beer doesn’t need to be so serious. Just watch this hilariously irreverent take on rare brews.
Events Brewing
Wednesday, Nov. 16: The Milwaukee Craft Brewery League hosts a tap takeover at Raised Grain Brewing (2244 W. Bluemound Rd., Waukesha) starting at 6 p.m. Taste as many as 15 different beers made in the Milwaukee area and find out more about each brewer with a 7:30 p.m. panel discussion. The league is doing a great job at promoting the locals.
Wednesday, Nov. 16: The Crafter Space hosts its second Barley to Barrel beer release party at Company Brewing (735 E. Center St.) starting at 6 p.m. See how the brewers in the class did by trying the Hanal Pixan Mole Porter, Rowdy Night Inn Stout and the Rust Belt Amber Rye. It’s a great event and costs just $16.
Wednesday, Nov. 16: Revolution Brewing takes over the taps at Ray’s Growler Gallery (8930 W. North Ave.), and they’re bringing a couple of beers you can only get at the brewpub. Get there at 5 p.m. to find out what those beers are.
Wednesday, Nov. 16: Stubby’s (2060 N. Humboldt Ave.) hosts a Movember fundraiser at 7 p.m. that includes a silent auction, guest bartenders, and special tappings of brews from Bell’s and 3 Sheeps. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Movember Foundation.
Thursday, Nov. 17: Lakefront takes over the taps and is bringing a few casks to Benno’s (7413 W. Greenfield Ave.) from 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 17: Best Place (901 W. Juneau Ave.) is hosting the Best Christkindlmarket all weekend. The market features beer, polka music, German food, shiny Christmas ornaments and more traditional fare. Check out the event website for more details.
Friday, Nov. 18: Sierra Nevada hands out samples at Discount Liquor Milwaukee (5031 W. Oklahoma Ave.) from 4 to 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 18: Discount Liquor Waukesha (919 N. Barstow Ave.) also has samples of Sierra Nevada available from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 19: Beers for Thanksgiving are the subject of the weekly sampling at both Three Cellars locations (7133 S. 76th St., Franklin and N72 W13400 Lund Lane, Menomonee Falls) from 1 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 19: Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.) teams up with Lakefront and Hello Falafel for an afternoon of tasting at 2 p.m. Lakefront is bringing some rarities and casks, and Hello Falafel is bringing the food.
Sunday, Nov. 20: The Malt Shoppe (813 N. Mayfair Rd.) has its monthly bottle share at 5:30 p.m. The theme is Thanksgiving beers, so bring a bottle or two of anything that makes sense.
