Where've I been?

Well, I have been singularly unambitious in figuring out how to upload my Dark Lord Day videos to YouTube and then to here.  Part laziness, part exhaustion, part reality-TV.  But, you see, the videos have to be uploaded to the PC, not the MAC, which will take forever unless I get the PC hard drive cleaned out first.  All these obstacles, when I should just be blogging happily about beer.  I have been laying low.  Lately, as you know, I have been loving New Holland Brewery.  This week, we received their IMPERIAL Mad Hatter (not the one pictured here, but I love the regular Hatter and I had some in the house).  The Imperial is dry hopped with Cascade, if I'm not mistaken.  I had the great pleasure of riding with Fred Bueltmann from the brewery a couple of weeks ago, and I quizzed him endlessly about this beer.  I'll be at LUSH at 2232 WEST ROSCOE tomorrow night.  I'll buy a bottle, then we'll talk.  Also, Twisted Spoke will have Oak-Aged Hatter on tap.  Edgewater Lounge, here in my hood, will have BOTH the Oak-Aged and the Imperial on tap.  So I'll be eating a meal there sometime in the next few days.  

And yes, I am watching The Bachelorette.  I hate Wes.  I am rooting for Jake, but she doesn't love him, you can tell.  What this summer needs is a classic reality show like BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS.  

This week is all about PENNY SERENADE . . . oh, and Juliet

This week and last week are all about PENNY SERENADE.  It is a lovely musical comedy/melodrama adaptation of a movie featuring Cary Grant and Irene Dunn, performing this week and last week at the Towle Theater on Hohman Avenue in Hammond, Indiana.  I'm doing lights for the production, which means I've been out there almost every night the past two weeks.  I haven't had lots of computer time.  Tonight, though, I cracked open my bottle of JULIET, the belgian style ale fermented with blackberries from Goose Island Brewing right here in Chicago.  I bought my bottle the day it came out, which is good because now it's not available.  

It's very tasty.  Sour and slightly fruity.  Very much like a good American adaptation of a Ichtegem or a Liefman's Flemish ale, with blackberries.  The fruit is so understated, it's almost gueze-like.  NICE.  So I drank that and watched the very satisfying season finale of GREY'S ANATOMY.  

Yes, I'm still going to upload my Dark Lord Day videos.  Stop nagging me.  I've been very busy.  

I would say you should all come see PENNY SERENADE this weekend, but the remaining performances are sold out!  NEXT WEEK, MONDAY, JILLIAN IS THE BACHELORETTE!!!!!  YEAH!!  

an excellent week indeed

The Cubs won today!!  YEAH!!!!  Finally. 
Soon there will be video of DARK LORD DAY on this page!!  But I'm too tired to do it tonight.  Since I posted last:  Tasting at Puerto Rico Food and Liquor on Thursday 4/23,  DARK LORD DAY on Saturday the 25th, Tasting at DiCarlo Armanetti on Grand and Western on Sunday the 26th, The LOUIS GLUNZ BEER GLOBAL BEER EXPO on Monday, April 27, Tasting at Green Grocer on Grand Ave. on Tuesday the 28th, followed by the GREAT LAKES GRASSROOTS kickoff party at UnderBar (I'll blog about Grassroots soon, mmmmmm, spicy and herby), on Wednesday the 29th, the Harry Potter -- the exhibition preview party at the Museum of Science and Industry.  AWESOME!!!  Yeah!  They had Froot Loop rice krispie treats!!!   Oh, and then my mother went in the hospital.  She is better.  BUT that's where I was on Thursday night the 30th, at the hospital with my mother.  My mother is the queen of hyperbole.  Examples:  "these wristbands are as sharp as razors" and "these sheets are so scratchy, I might as well be lying on a brillo pad". . . yeah.  that's how Thursday night was.  I guess she's doing better.  The right side of her heart is not good.  Anyway, tonight, Friday, I had a tasting at Tabb's convenience store on Chicago Ave.  Now, sorry, I'm going to fall asleep on the couch watching the stuff on the DVR (Grey's, Private Practice, Survivor, maybe the Oprah with Hugh Jackman) because tomorrow I am going to be pouring beer at my friend Brian Mayer's event at Durty Nellie's in Palatine.  And you know what?  I love it.  I love every minute of it.  I am the luckiest girl in the world, I really am.  G'night.

Old Heathen? Who's an Old Heathen?

I'm not so old!!  But I drank one a couple of days ago!  It's a lovely stout from the Weyerbacher Brewery in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Brewed with seven malts and two hops, it is a nicely carbonated, chocolate-and-espresso on the palate, 8% ABV but easy to drink stout that isn't sold in Chicago!  

What else is going on?  I taught a really nice Beer 101 class last Thursday at Perman Wines on Washington Street at Halsted.  Craig Perman provided some excellent cheeses to pair with the beers and even opened up a Three Floyds 2008 DARK LORD to top off the class.   Speaking of Dark Lord -- DARK LORD DAY IS THIS SATURDAY, the 25th!  I hope to see all my buddies there!  It's a busy weekend.  This Thursday, I'm doing a little tasting at Puerto Rico Food and Liquor on Augusta, then Dark Lord Day on Saturday, then a semi-Grand tasting at the DiCarlo Armanetti store on Grand and Western on Sunday beginning at 6:30, then the GLUNZ BEER EXPO on Monday!  If I'm still standing, I'm doing a tasting on TUESDAY the 28th at Green Grocer on Grand Ave.  So, yeah, I'll get on here and tell everybody how things went.  I will also be trying out UPLOADING VIDEO to this blog after Dark Lord Day, because Johnny and I will be working there all day and I'm gonna take some home movies.  By the way -- GO CUBS!!  

Summon the flying monkeys!!

Some of you know I went to NEW HOLLAND BREWERY, in Holland, Michigan, on a work field trip last Friday.  In fact, just last week at this time, I was singing, unfortunately loudly, on a bus with my co-workers along with two banjos, everything from "Over the Rainbow" to my semi-famous rendition of "Gilligan's Island" to the tune of "Stairway to Heaven".  It is not so good, but it is very loud.  Oh, I tell you, we had a wonderful time.  Fred Bueltmann really took care of us.  He is a real quality guy and I love his brewery and brewpub.  In fact, on my top five list of favorite beers of the year so far is the New Holland Golden Cap Saison.  I drank a lot of it last Friday.  I mean, A LOT.  You can get the original, slightly spicier formula at LUSH WINE AND SPIRITS at 1257 South Halsted in 22 ounce bottles or you can get the new, slightly smoother formula in six packs in most of your better liquor stores.  It promises to be the new HOT beer for the hot months!  Here's some photos of my most excellent trip to Michigan and my favorite beer of this week.  

Beer and Whiskey go together like pork and barbecue

The lovely beverages pictured above are Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout -- in the small goblet, and Sprecher's Triple X Root Beer, in the tasting glass.  On Tuesday, March 31st, we attended the Whiskeyfest kick-off party at Twisted Spoke on Grand and Ogden, home of the motorcycle-riding skeleton.  It was a celebration of all beers aged in whiskey barrels, including New Holland Dragon's Milk (ultra-delicious), Founders Kentucky Breakfast stout (their breakfast stout aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels, but don't tell the state of Kentucky because legally they have to call the beer KBS because they can't use the name Kentucky), AND the not-usually-available Sprecher's Triple X root beer.  This fantastic brew is Sprecher's original root beer that they aged in bourbon barrels.  Just the aging imparts a 4-5% ABV.  So good!  There also was one of the few Pop Skull BBL's on tap.  Twisted Spoke has TONS of delicious beers, and BBQ pork nachos.  

Holy crap, a week passes quickly these days

Wow!  It has been over a week since I blogged!  No excuses this time.  There's been plenty of exciting things going on in my beery life.  For anyone curious, the brunch went very nicely.  I made tasty beer-inis with cherry and/or pear lambic and prosecco that was on sale at Whole Foods, Auntie Suzie's egg bake did not disappoint, everyone had a lovely time, at least as far as I could tell.  Last Wednesday, I had a Sally-cleaned-the-beer-out-from-under-her-car-seats beer tasting at Lush on Roscoe, and last Thursday I co-hosted a lovely beer dinner at Flo restaurant on Chicago Ave.  And FRIDAY night -- I had the distinct pleasure of meeting author Lucy Saunders and Julie Johnson, editor-in-chief of All About Beer magazine.  Delilah's hosted a book release party for BEER HUNTER, WHISKEY CHASER, a compilation of essays about the late great Michael Jackson.  I also, FINALLY, was able to taste Pop Skull.  Darn good.  

Then on Saturday, we attended a lovely birthday party.  We were able to sample this year's RABID RABBIT -- the spring saison beer from Three Floyds.  You know, the palate is a strange organ.  Just about a year ago, I probably wouldn't really have cared for this beer -- but now, oh, now I LOVE IT!!  It is spicy and effervescent with chamomile and hints of coriander and caraway seed.  It came out last week, you should go buy a bottle or two before it's gone.  Also, don't forget about DARK LORD DAY, coming up on April 25th.  Even if you didn't get a golden ticket online to buy the beer, you can still come to the brewery, listen to music, drink vanilla-bean aged Dark Lord and TONS of other fantastic guest beers from all over the country!  Johnny and I will be there, we'll be helping sell beer.  

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31st, I will be at the Whiskey Fest Pre-game kick-off party at Twisted Spoke.  We'll be tapping the keg of Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, we'll have a sixtel of Pop Skull, and many other beers you can't taste anywhere else in the city.