No growler or pitchers at home? You’ll get a few ounces regardless of container, through bringing additional small snifter(s) is a good idea to allow multiple pours in between glass rensing.
For new people, Manny’s Deli will be packed with Fobab people prior to the festival. It’s walking distance and a great option. Planning to eat at Fobab is a non starter so don’t even consider it. Deviated from Manny’s last year actually and went to Cruz Blanca for 11am tacos and a pint. Would do that again even though it’s a quick uber ride away. Do you have to line up to get in? Well there will be big lines for both Imbibe and the GA session. However, the value of lining up for Imbibe is negligible. You can show up at 11:45 and you’ll lose like 60 seconds compared to people standing in the cold at 10:30
The last couple years I've done the Saturday evening session. Metra in for this suburb man, Manny's deli for a solid base, walk over and get in line 30-45 minutes early, and be in with a beer in hand 5 minutes after the doors open. Works great and I'm looking forward to doing it again this year.
During FOBaB I take a break for some food. Right around the corner from the UIC Forum is Jim's Original. A Polish sausage pairs well with barrel aged beer.
Not yet. I was wondering about it too, so I emailed them yesterday. Supposed to be in the next couple of days.
Anyone see brewery list yet? Noticed it said late September. Not sure if I just can't find it or not up
It's not up yet. The signups went out a couple of weeks later than advertised as well, so I'd expect something in the next week or so?
get this out of the way now, though i'm sure it'll need to be repeated several times before the event: The beer list isn't going to be available until the Friday evening session starts. FoBAB is a competition for the attending breweries, and no announcement is made for the beers each one is bringing due to the risk of tainting the judges. It's supposed to be blind judging. Some breweries may announce it on their own, and there's nothing saying they can't do that, but don't expect it.
If you want even a shot at the whalesiest whales VIP is likely a necessity but there are so many very good options I don’t find VIP worth it. Either way, yes, FOBAB is a shitshow.
I've never found this to be true for the Saturday evening session. I get it's probably different for the sessions where they let people in early though.
Its the only way to go, hit everything you want with no line in the first hour, then meander around hitting what you may have missed the rest of the time. I will never go regular again.
I feel like you may need to qualify with this event. Are you talking about the crowds or just the lingering aroma in the fest?
Highly recommend the VIP but pretty sure you need to have an active membership in Illinois Craft Brewers Guild by late summer in order to get a VIP ticket? Maybe there’s another VIP category available?
For the lazy 10 Barrel Brewing 18th Street Brewery 2 Towns Ciderhouse 25 West Brewing 2Toms Brewing Co. 3 Floyds Brewing Co. 4 Hands Brewing Company 5 Rabbit Cerveceria Afterthought Brewing Company All Rise Brewing Co. Alpha Brewing Co. Alter Brewing Company Angry Orchard Arclight Brewing Company Area Two Experimental Brewing Argus Brewery Around the Bend Arrowhead Ales Brewing August Schell Brewing Company Avery Brewing Company Beachwood Brewing & Blendery Begyle Brewing Bhramari Brewing Company Black Horizon Brewing Company Blackberry Farm Brewery Blue Island Beer Co. Bold Dog Beer Company Bottle Logic Brewing Branch & Bone Artisan Ales Braxton Brewing Company Braxton Labs BrewDog Brewing Co. Brickway Brewery and Distillery Brooklyn Brewery BuckleDown Brewing Buffalo Creek Brewing Burnt City Brewing Call to Arms Brewing Company Central Waters Brewing Company Cerebral Brewing Church Street Brewing Company Collective Arts Brewing Columbus Brewing Co. Confluence Brewing Company Coppertail Brewing Company Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Cruz Blanca Brewery Crystal Lake Brewing DeHop's Brewing Co. Derive Brewing Company Deschutes Brewery DESTIHL Brewery DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works (Normal) DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works (Champaign) Dovetail Brewery DryHop Brewers Elder Pine Brewing and Blending Ellison Brewing Co. Elmhurst Brewing Company Empirical Brewery Epic Brewing ERIS Brewery and Ciderhouse Exit Strategy Brewing Company Farmhaus Cider Co. Fifty West Brewing Co. FiftyFifty Brewing Flossmoor Station Brewing Co. Forager Brewery Forbidden Root Forest City Brewery Four Fathers Brewing Four Peaks Brewing Company Free Will Brewing Co. Fremont Brewing Fretboard Brewing Co. Funk Factory Geuzeria Garagiste Meadery Goose Island Beer Co. Great Lakes Brewing Company Greenstar Brewing Griffin Claw Brewing Company Hacienda Beer Co. Hailstorm Brewing Co. Hairless Hare Brewery/ Dayton Beer Company Half Acre Beer Company - Balmoral Half Acre Beer Company - Lincoln Half Day Brewing Haymaker Meadery Haymarket Brewery & Taproom Haymarket Pub & Brewery Hidden Springs Ale Work Hop Butcher For The World Hopewell Brewing Hopvine Brewing Company Horse Thief Hollow Brewing Illuminated Brew Works Imperial Oak Brewing Indeed Brewing Company and Taproom Iowa Brewing Company Jefferson County Ciderworks JT Walker's Restaurant & Brewery Karetas Brewing Keg Grove Brewing Company Kinslahger Brewing Company Kros Strain Brewing Lagunitas Brewing Company Lake Effect Brewing Company Lakefront Brewery Lil Beaver Brewery Listermann Brewing Company Lo Rez Brewing Lost Forty Brewing Lunar Brewing Company Lupulin Brewing MadTree Brewing Company Maplewood Brewery & Distillery Mark Twain Brewing Company Marz Community Brewing Metal Monkey Brewing Metropolitan Brewing Middle Brow Mikerphone Brewing Mikkeller Brewing San Diego Misbeehavin' Meads Miskatonic Brewing Company MKE Brewing Co. MobCraft Beer Monday Night Brewing Moody Tongue Brewing Company MORE Brewing Company MyGrain Brewing Company New Belgium Brewing New Holland Brewing Co. New Image Brewing Noon Whistle Brewing O.H.S.O. Brewery - Gilbert Oak Park Brewing Company Odd Side Ales Off Color Brewing Off Color Brewing - Mousetrap Okcidenta Old Irving Brewing Co. On Tour Brewing Co. Only Child Brewing Open Outcry Brewing Orpheus Brewing Oswego Brewing Company Penrose Brewing Company Perrin Brewing Company Phase Three Brewing Pig Minds Brewing Pipeworks Brewing Co. Pollyanna Brewing Company Prairie Street Brewing Co. Pretentious Barrel House Pure Project Ravinia Brewing Company Revolution Brewing Revolution Brewing - Brewpub Rhinegeist Brewery Rock Bottom Brewery - Bolingbrook Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago Rock Bottom Brewery - Orland Park Rock Bottom Brewery - Portland Rock Bottom Indianapolis Rockwell Beer Co. Rogue Ales & Spirits Rowley Farmhouse Ales Samuel Adams Saucy Brew Works Scallywag Brewing Co. Shoreline Brewery Short Fuse Brewing Company Short's Brewing Company Side Lot Brewery Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Mills River) Skeleton Key Brewery Sketchbook Brewing Co. Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. Solemn Oath Brewery Soundgrowler Brewing Co. Spiteful Brewing Starcut Ciders Sun King Brewing Company Sun King Small Batch Brewery Superstition Meadery Surly Brewing Co. Taft's Brewing Co. Tangled Roots Brewing Company Taxman Brewing Company Temperance Beer Company The Bruery The Butcher & The Brewer The Collective Brewing Project The Dayton Beer Company The Explorium Brewpub The Lost Abbey The Lucky Monk The Rare Barrel Tighthead Brewing Company Transient Artisan Ales Tribes Beer Company Twisted Hippo Two Brothers Brewing Company Two Doors Down Brewing Two Roads Brewing Co. Unpossible Mead Untitled Art Upland Brewing Co. Upstream Brewing Company Urban South Brewery Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project Virtue Cider Warped Wing Brewing Co. Watermark Brewing WeldWerks Brewing Co. Werk Force West Sixth Brewing Whiner Beer Co. White Oak Brewing Wild Mind Artisan Ales Wild Onion Brewery Will County Brewing Company Wolfden Brewing Company Wolf's Ridge Brewing Woodfour Brewing Co. Zaftig Brewing Co. Zaftig BrewPub Italian Village
Please let Forager and Hidden Springs have a little corner all by themselves in the sour room. I want no part of that mess.
Having VIP passes means you don't have a shitshow for the first hour. Otherwise it's the usual shitshow.
Is there a significant difference between how long things last on Friday night non VIP and Saturday night non VIP? We’ve always gone Saturday PM, but I think this year we have to go Friday PM. I’m worried about things kicking before we are even allowed in.
