Chicago.com
If you’re looking for a different kind of a festival this coming weekend think about Turtle’s 1st Annual Street Festival as an alternative to The Peace Fest, The Taste of Randolph Street or the Wrigleyville Block Party.
Here is some info on Turtle’s 1st Annual Street Festival:
WHEN: Saturday June 18th
WHAT: Come stop by for a drink or something off the grill.
Bag tournament @ 3:00 with cash prizes. Sign up is earlier that day. Teams will be picked right before the tournament.
Live music @ 5:00. Pig and lamb roast, too.
WHERE: In the Bridgeport neighborhood
Can’t beat a great day outside in the summertime!!!!!!! This is a fun event for people of all ages!
Goose Island, Chicago’s most famous and successful brewery, announced today that it will be acquired by Anheuser Busch, which controls half of the beer market in the United States.
Goose Island founder John Hall said, “The transaction is good for our stakeholders, employees and customers.” This is undoubtedly good for stakeholders, but whether or not this is good for everyone else is debatable. And what Hall does not say is that this is devastating news for the microbrewery segment of the beer market.
It is important to note that due to the amount of beer it sells, Goose Island is technically no longer a microbrewery. It is now classified as a regional brewery, but from the perspective of Anheuser Busch all of these small breweries pose the same threat.
To understand why this is detrimental to everyone everywhere we must take a look at three forces in the beer market in the United States:
Microbreweries are becoming more popular
Microbreweries have surged in popularity in the past 20 years. This year they are expected to make up 11% of all beer sales. And in a market where Anheuser Busch controls half of all sales, microbreweries are on Anheuser Busch’s hit list.
Anheuser Busch has a bad habit of crushing vulnerable microbreweries
Anheuser Busch usually deals with microbreweries by attempting to bankrupt them through lawsuits. It sued Dogfish Head, one of America’s most distinguished microbreweries, for using the terms Punk’in Ale and Chickory Stout, saying that these terms were too generic. In reality Anheuser Busch wanted to run Dogfish Head out of business with a frivolous lawsuit.
Anheuser Busch has gained a virtual monopoly on beer sales by taking advantage of antiquated post-prohibition era laws
Anheuser Busch benefits from the three tier system of alcohol distribution in the United States. Set up after the repeal of prohibition, this system separates brewers, distributors, and retailers. As a result brewers must sell alcohol to the distributors, who then resell the alcohol to retailers. Anheuser Busch monopolizes this system by buying out inventory in the distribution trucks, so there is conveniently no room left for the small brewers to sell beer.
Microbreweries, like Goose Island, got around the three tier system by opening brewpubs, which allows them to sell alcohol directly to customers. Goose Island’s brewpubs in Chicago are exempt from this takeover.
Given all of these facts how is this takeover bad for everyone everywhere? Anhesuer Busch’s takeover will allow Goose Island to expand its operations and produce more beer. Unfortunately, Goose Island will not use its expanded facilities to produce its more distinctive beers such as Pere Jacques, Sofie, and Night Stalker (my personal favorite).
Instead Goose Island will now emphasize the production of bland beer that has wider appeal, such as Honkers and 312. Right now you can walk into any liquor store in Chicago and find it stocked with at least a half dozen different kinds of Goose Island beer. But a year from now do not be surprised if you have to travel to one of Goose Island’s brewpubs to find the same beer as Honkers and 312 begin overtaking the shelf space of the company’s less popular beers.
Anheuser Busch became popular by creating ultra light beer with muted taste, and selling it at astoundingly low prices. Beers like Night Stalker do not fit in with the rest of Anheuser Busch’s products, so it and many other Goose Island beers will fall to the wayside. Who knows what kind of specialty craft beers will never be produced because of this?
Goose Island has influenced microbreweries across the country. Its small beginnings and booming popularity in the 90s and early 2000s proved that there was a market of beer drinkers who wanted more than what Anheuser Busch was willing to offer its customers. Despite hostile market conditions created by post-prohibition hysteria, and strengthened by big beer lobbyists in the following years, Goose Island created a niche for itself. Today Goose Island betrayed its humble beginnings and gave up on the microbrew segment altogether by selling out to a corporate behemoth.
Enjoy your millions of dollars, Goose Island stakeholders. You have just been added to the list of beers I boycott. Luckily there are still plenty of microbreweries left in Chicago, including Metropolitian Brewing, Rock Bottom Brewing, Revolution Brewing, and Piece Brewery.
When I found out about this tasting through www.drinktown.com , I said to myself this sound like fun. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Bourbon and then I went to PitchFork’s whiskey tasting. The host of the night was Evan Williams’s master distiller Craig Beam, Jim Beam’s great grandson.
The Bourbon
When you talk Bourbon with a man like Craig you learn a lot. By law, Bourbon must be made up of at least 51% corn and aged a minimum of two years in a new charred white oak barrel. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, though nearly all brands are made in Kentucky, and Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle. Bourbon is not Bourbon unless the label says so. The term proof originally referred to “gunpowder proof.” One of the ways early distillers checked, or “proved,” that their whiskey was strong enough was by mixing equal parts of whiskey and gunpowder, then setting the mixture on fire. A slow, yellow flame meant the spirit was too strong, while a steady blue flame “proved” it was good whiskey. Yellow flame spirits were diluted with water until they burned blue. Later, the whiskey which burned blue was found to be 50 percent alcohol. This level was considered to be 100 percent proved or, as we know it today, 100 proof. Today, the alcohol content is measured more scientifically in the distillery using a hydrometer. Proof is still calculated as 2 times the “alcohol by volume” of given Bourbon.
The BBQ
Besides the awesome information I learned about Whiskey we sampled some amazing BBQ. PitchFork has award-winning Cordis Brother’s ribs,so tender you can suck the meat off the bone. The sauce is a little on the thin side for consistency, has a noticeable deal of acidity, but it is balanced out by a good dose of sweet. The result is a full bodied base to the sauce that is phenomenal. Spiciness is done very well in this sauce. It produces a pleasing back heat that builds as you continue to eat the sauce. Not an overbearing heat just enough to give ya a kick in the kester. Ingredients that contribute to heat are usually easy to point out some include cayenne, chili powder and liquid smoke. But their sauce is a little more complex and harder to figure out. I think I also tasted other spices maybe nutmeg or allspice to round out the flavor. The sauce has the “one flavor” feeling that I like, no ingredient really dominates, and they all work together to make one taste. We also sampled the BBQ beef brisket and BBQ pork sangwiches and they were served on house made buttermilk biscuits “delicious”.
The Joint
The service was great! The Manager Pete Mazzone was friggen spot on. He constantly made sure that we had everything we needed and drinks were always replenished. During a jam packed event like that, it is rare to have such great service. PitchFork is like an old west corner saloon. If you bring your horse I even think there is a hitching post. Just kidding! This place is humongous. I am sure it would be great for private parties. Lakeview has tons of nightlife, but only one amazing saloon -PitchFork. You can sample their different whiskeys or try one of their house cocktails, either way you won’t be disappointed. Food and drink specials are no stranger to this joint either, every day of the week there is a different special. Be sure to check out their website for more details on their daily specials -www.pitchforkchicago.com. PitchFork is located at 2922 W Irving Park Road Chicago, IL 60618 or give them a call at 1(773)866.2010.
Here is a recipe I learned from the Bourbon prince himself Craig Beam.This is the perfect drink to enjoy the Kentucky Derby Saturday. Have fun and be safe. Thanks Craig!
Classic Mint Julep
Dissolve sugar into water. Bruise mint sprigs with fingers and rim the cup. Fill of cup with shaved ice. Add Bourbon, then sugar solution. Stir gently. Add ice to fill cup. Garnish with mint sprig.