Chicago Craft Beer Week 2016

Did the Bud light PR guy get transferred to Goose Island? First tapping Infected BW then charging insane markup for their beers at their brewery. They are literally and figuratively "playing with fire" after all the bad press from all the infected BCBS.Glad to say "No" is indeed in my vocabulary when it comes to Sunday Funday this year.

 

Anybody know anything about the Bourbon County tapping at Flo and Santos on the 24th? The beer week website says it starts at 6:00 AM but it is not listed among the events on the Flo and Santos website.

 

I'll be in Chicago Saturday the 21st and am not seeing anything jumping out at me on the CCBW schedule. Anybody have recommendations for that day? I can go anywhere in the Chicago area. Are the bars like Hopleaf, Local Option, etc likely to have some special stuff?

 

How slammed should I expect Half Acre to be Friday? I'll be downtown until almost noon and currently have a 3:15 flight out of O'Hare. Do I have a prayer at grabbing bottles and getting out quickly or should I be looking at changing my flight if I want to hit Half Acre. I assume traffic out to O'Hare will be nasty all afternoon.

 

Based on how the security lines are at O'hare the last week..you need to get to the airport 3 hours before your flight. It's a complete cluster fuck right now.

 

Thanks all. That's pretty much what I figured but hadn't heard about the TSA issues.

Enjoy beer week. I may try to hit a few of the early events before I leave town.

 

Or get TSA pre-check.

I'm hitting up the GDDC release and then hopping on a flight to New York City to hit up Other Half's release on Saturday with my fiance. 64 cans of OH goodness AND I get to share some GDDC with the fine folks in line with me.

 

Links posted the breweries who will be on tap for their Battle For Lake Michigan, no specific beers mentioned. I believe they post their tap list the day of (tomorrow):

Illinois:
Half Acre
Goose Island
Revolution
Metropolitan
Pipeworks
Off Color
Destihl
Penrose
5 Rabbit
Temperance
Solemn Oath
Pollyanna

Mindionsin (Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota):
Surly
Hammer Heart
FFF
Central State
Upland
3 Sheeps
Lakefront
Hinterland
Ale Asylum

Michigan:
Dark Horse
Bell's
Founders
New Holland
Shorts
Saugatuck
Odd Side
Vander Mill Cider
Uncle John's Cider

 

Rare beer tent according to the BUG facebook page:

Goose Island- 13 BCBS, BA Fassinator and Sofie (not sure how that one is a rare beer, but whatever)
Lagunitas- Few Brew (collab with Bloodshot)
Revolution- Café Deth, Turn Blue, Good Time Charlie and Wild Loganberry

 

http://m.bpt.me/event/2546922 3 years of surly darkness

 

I think my first stop is Urban Legend, then I'm hitting The Beer Market in Bolingbrook.
Both look like interesting releases today.

Update: all four highlighted beers at The Beer Market's event are new to me. I got the four beer flight.
I was underwhelmed by Dogfish head 120, but it was only a 3oz sample and I will not give a full review on such a small sample size.
Founders Stickee Monkey is fantastic. I can't wait to have a full sized monkee.
Avery Uncle Jacob's Bourbon Barrel Stout is boozy.
KBS (2016). Again, I need more. And I want more.

Overall I was surprised that The Beer Market does not stamp the passport. After a brief response of: "what?" (Insert photo of your favorite dog here with its head tilted at an angle one ear to the sky) I had to do more investigating. Even though The Beer Market advertised an event with CCBW, they are not members of the guild, thus they had no idea that passports and stamps existed.
It is clear on the passport itself that they are not listed as one of the places that will stamp a passport, however I am a child of ignorance and I don't read the rules. I am disappointed that I was unable to obtain a stamp, and must re-jigger my planned schedule, but more importantly, I was introduced to a location for fine beers of which I was otherwise unaware.
Thank you CCBW for the learning experience.

Damn it, The Beer Market, you got me. Now join the guild!

 

Don't wanna hype this up, but the BA exclusive beer of Mike's I had (BA Innocent Criminal, at Festibarrel) was phenomenal. If I were going, I'd be maiming people to get a taste of that stuff.

 

Blue Island, 350, Hailstorm to start week off right.

 

From the beer list I saw at Links yesterday:

Updated

 

Selling an extra ticket to BUG if anyone is interested. $50 which is under face value.