It’s tough to fault Chicago for their choice of awful cheap beer from their northern neighbors as the city does everything else so well. There ( in my opinion) is nothing better than sharing a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. The goodness from a cracker crust layered with cheese and sauce ON TOP is equaled by very few other creations. Chicago Dogs, with their combination of mustard, relish, onion, pepper, and pickle, are my favorite late night “4th meal”. Chicago food, along with that iconic skyline and blue collar attitude, is some of the best (and most unique) in the world. But who wants to wash that down with an Old Style?
I have set off multiple times in Chicago in recent years searching for some good local brews. This past summer, while walking through the wonderful Lincoln Park neighborhood, I thought we had finally found a spot that would quench our Chicago thirst. The establishment was a corner bar, with classic charm. We pulled up a stool and looked over the beer menu and were disappointed by a menu full of the regulars from St Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery ( I won’t get in to the whole argument of local not local with Goose Island, but I’m looking for the independent brewers).WHERE WAS ALL THE CHICAGO BEER?!
It makes me hungry everytime |
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AJ Hudson's, a must stop for beer lovers |
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The lineup, sorry Z |
What made Alpha Beer special compared to other beer events was the inclusion of brewers as well. 3 local brewers from Berghoff Brewing Company, Temperance Brewery, and Ten Ninety Brewing were on hand to describe their featured brews and answer questions for anyone. They also continued the tradition that we've found nationwide of drinking together and generally caring about each others product. No competition, just collaboration for the betterment of local beer.
I had finally found and tasted Chicago beer. Yes I could have gone to any of the tasting rooms that have popped up all over town, but unfortunately I have yet to have time to do that. What Alpha Beer did was give me more incentive to fill in that Chicago void for me. Not every beer there was my favorite flavor, but they all did have flavor unlike the beer that Chicagoans have been subjected to since the Great Fire (the way cheap Milwaukee beer made itself regional since everything in Chicago had burned down). If you are looking for a reason to make an escape to Chicago in the fall or spring, make sure you check out the Alpha Beer schedule and get some tickets for a wonderful event. If you're going to the Windy City any other time of the year, say no to the big boys and wash down your deep dish with something local, because Chicago is finally brewing some great beer.
Note: I attended Alpha Beer as a member of the press and therefore entered for free, but as always the opinions expressed are completely my own.