Midwest Brewers Fest 2012

In case you couldn't tell, I was super pleased with the 2011 MWBF and it had me pretty excited for the 2012 experience.  All the previews and information looked good.  Would it live up to expectations?  Let's find out.

Shuttles were running like crazy, taking fest-goers from parking to the festival entrance.  A nice touch.  Heck, even the line was made enjoyable as I saw Dan from Chicago Beer Geeks, Mark Hedrick founder of The Brew Shed, and even had my logo recognized twice (it was emblazoned on the t-shirt I was wearing)!  This year I had VIP access and I was granted access to the grounds an hour early.  The setting was remarkably serene.  Blue skies, some green grass despite the drought, and also this guy...

I didn't find out until after some digging that this guy is called "Jack Avery's Kin."  It was really chill, acoustic music with an early American sound that definitely set a nice vibe for those entering the fest.  You can check out more about him here.  I'm not getting paid or anything to endorse this guy, I just happen to dig his sound.

Talk about your gorgeous days to have a festival!  It eventually got a little hot, but even that was tamed by a later breeze.  The fest was not to be thwarted!

People I Met

In the same vein as last year, I met a ton of good folks.  Some were folks I hadn't seen in a while and some were entirely new to me.  Again, it proved to be one of the most exciting parts of the fest.  As always, I had a great time with the crew that came with me.

Everyone else that I'm about to post pictures of I have met ENTIRELY because of the Sud Savant website. I either met them via the Twitterverse, at a festival, through Facebook, or because they were a reader who started a conversation or two.  It's a great testament to craft beer folks and the community that they create every day.

Of course Lance was there.

I got to see Master Steve again of Misfit Brewing and met Ashleigh from Two Brothers.  Ashleigh and I had a great conversation about craft beer (what else?) and only wish I had a digital recorder present because it turned out that it would've been a great interview.  A project for another time, no doubt.  She even started up a conversation with my wife about craft beer (the subject of cupcakes may also have been breached).

Second annual photo with Darien (a.k.a. "Utilikilt")

I even got to bother/re-shake hands with  Marty Nachel and bugged him for a picture as the poor man was just trying to sit down for some food! Though I must confess, I liked it better last year when he was administering tests about beer knowledge and giving us crap for our answers.

There was even a guy there dressed as Ben Franklin!

Unfortunately, there were also some people that I met for the first time and somehow did NOT get a picture with them.  I finally met Facebook craft beer cohort Pete Bochek and  The Brew Shed  founder Mark Hedrick!  While there were no photos this time, I'm sure our paths will cross again.

   VIP Perks

Inside the VIP tent.

This is the first festival that I have attended as a VIP and there are certain pros and cons to such an experience.  The pros were as you'd expect:  much-needed, complimentary bottled water, a spacious, shaded tent with plenty of seating (shown above)...

some classy table decor,

A VIP exclusive pouring schedule (click to enlarge),

And a perk one might not expect... ALL THE BAR-B-QUE YOU CAN EAT!  It was hosted by Brand BBQ and it was delicious!  The meats were tender, the sauces were delicious, and the servers were fast.  What more do you want?  The "burnt ends" sandwich was my particular favorite.

The VIP ticket was also redeemable for a souvenir glass.

Truth be told I had very few issues with the VIP tent, but there were some things to be improved upon.  First, for a VIP tent I thought that the lines were a little long.  Perhaps I'm being sensitive, but I feel an additional volunteer pourer or two (or even an additional pouring station) could really have sped things up an improved the process.  Second, many of the "special pours" were beers that I would have no trouble finding in a local beer store.  I know it's hard to find the quantity they did, but I'd be willing to sacrifice some of that for some beers that I've either never heard of or never tasted before.  Third, there was no where that a VIP could simultaneously smoke a cigar a get a beer.  Sure, there was a designated smoking area right next to the VIP tent, but the VIP tent was the only area in which the "no smoking" was enforced.  Granted, I support this.  You don't want a big, smokey tent when you're trying to taste amazing beer.  However, any of the general admission tents did not have this problem.  You stood in line with your cigar, received your pour, and got out.  Maybe since the rest of the festival was so much more of an open air environment that it wasn't as large of an issue, but it was the one time I felt penalized for having a VIP ticket.  When it came down to it, we cashed our cigars early and went in to the VIP tent to get more beers.  We have our priorities after all.

General Perks
Speaking of cigars, the cigar booth was again rocking this year and was another great source of tasty vices.

Promise not to tell my mom.

Photographic evidence of a successful day.

Besides the cigars, the festival as a whole had a ton going for it.

1.  There were no rest room lines.  Ever.  Plenty of toilets in plenty of locations.
2.  The extra beer from the VIP "special pours" were brought out to that brewery's spot in the general admission area.  Double awesome!  Talk about some unexpected surprises for a few lucky fest goers.  I actually ended up getting some Sixpoint Resin that way.
3.  Gorgeous grounds of course.

4.  There were some glass blowers/spinners there again this year making custom glasses from old beer bottles.

This is the gadget they used to heat the glass.

5.  Some pretty cool vintage beer shirts for sale.

6.  Plenty of rinsing stations!  There were 2 per tent and they had golf carts coming around regularly to make sure they were still full.  The kegs were full of cold, filtered water that really hit the spot on the hot day.

7.  Free samples of food from Whole Foods!  Just like they rocked it last year with their chocolate covered bacon, this year they were handing out bread that you could dip in a Gruyere & Gouda fondue.  Wow!  There was also some sort of mustard that they were offering, but I was unable to try any of it.

8.  Speakers in the Chicago Craft Brew Werks Tent (a.k.a. Craft Beer 101 Tent) were insanely well-informed, well-spoken, and more than accommodating for questions.  I didn't get to see all of the speakers, but the ones I dropped in for were a real treat.  This is a really undervalued portion of the fest.

9.  Even the general admission area had plenty of space for sitting in some shade in between beers.

Winners and Losers

Winners:
1.  B. Nektar Meadery absolutely ROCKED IT!!  The line for their tent was massive once word spread how friggin' delicious their brews are.  They truly built on their success from last year and were easily the celebrity of the day.  Their Cherry Chipotle was out of this world!  Hopefully, my good karma will let me get my hands on a bottle soon and I can do a full write-up on it.  What a beautiful, beautiful mead!  It began with a sugary cherry nectar, not the tart cherry flavors most commonly seen, and then flows into this spicy, roasted beautiful mixture that still incorporates the thick, sweet cherries from earlier.  If you see this, buy it.  No question about it.  The heat is quite a bit more substantial that most beers that involve chipotles.  You have been warned.

This picture is taken from the back of the line, which has
started to curve, full of people who want B. Nektar Mead.

2.  Big Muddy's Pumpkin Smasher was truly outstanding.  It is the closest beer to pumpkin pie that I have ever had.  It had a great nose and was a great blend of sweet gourd and milder spices.  It even featured some malts that gave a very "crust-like" charateristics!

3.  Gilbert's Sausages.  I enjoyed these guys so much last year that I HAD to have some again this year. Put it this way, as good as the FREE bar-b-que was in the VIP tent, I still shelled out $5 to take a bite outta one of these.  Boy am I glad I did because they brought a new sausage variety.  Just for me, I'm sure.

Does that not sound insanely delicious?

4.  5 Rabbbit Cerveceria.  Not only did they serve their beers from behind a super fancy podium with a built in rinser (see below picture), but they were also serving some damn tasty beer!  The most notable was their "5 Grass," a 'hoppy ale brewed with sage, juniper, and Tazmanian pepperberry.'  It smelled of lemongrass and juniper, but the flavor was slighty minty and refreshing with a bitter finish.  It had the flavor of pepper, but no heat.  Very interesting and certainly unique.

5.  Oskar Blues.  They were pouring cans of Deviant Dales.  'Nuff said.

6.  Alltech's Lexington Brewing Company.  This is the second time that I've had their Kentucky Bourbon Ale and both times I've been impressed.  It smells like it should and tastes even better.  Tons of bourbon flavor that eventually invites in some crème brûlée notes.

7.  Sixpoint.  They brought three big, hop-forward beers, but still showed definite distinctions between them. It just goes to show how nuanced a brewer can be with hops.  Kudos!

8.  John Henry - 3 Lick Spiker Ale.  Brewed by Cold Spring Brewing Co, this brand is new to the area, but is a welcome and tasty addition.  The aroma was rather light, though that could have been the breeze, but the flavor was sweet and full of chocolate, oak, with a nice bourbon flourish.  It's worth a try kids.  Check it out.

Losers:

1.  Horny Goat from WI didn't bring enough beer!  They ran out pretty early in the fest AND didn't show up for one of their "special pours" in the VIP tent.  For shame!  They really could have showcased their product to a lot more people.  Granted, there's something good to said about running out, but still...

2.  Criminals.  There seemed to be a heightened number of police, but I never saw any actual crimes.  There were no fights, no vomiting/passed-out people, no nudity, etc.  Everyone seemed really well-behaved, so why all the strong presence?

Wow, well that turned into a much longer post than I anticipated.  And I pretty much covered everything except the other musical acts, the bags tournament, and the contest that Marty Nachel judged.  It was a seemingly short day that captured all of the great aspects they incorporated into last year's fest:  good food, good fair grounds, good folks, and plenty of craft beer.  It was definitely a success and something I look forward to attending in the coming years.

B. Nektar - Evil Genius

You gotta have a lot of respect for a beverage style that survived the Middle Ages.  OK, so technically there is evidence for it stretching back to 7000 BC.  However, having been so popular with the vikings (and at every Rennaisance Festival ever), I tend to associate it with the Middle Ages.  It was an era of plagues, serfdom, Crusades, famines, Joan of Arc, a very angry church, knights, castles, endless jabs by Monty Python, and the aforementioned vikings, and none of them could send this style of brewing in to the forgotten annals of history.  Oddly, despite its longevity this style of fermented goodness is remarkably hard to find commercially today.  This brand of mead is no exception.  B. Nektar is only available in a select number of states (FL, IL, ME, MD, DC, MA, MI, NJ, NC, OH, WI, & SC) and I have @kellyrose82, and her seemingly frequent trips to Michigan, for this bottle.

In case you couldn't tell by the label, this style is going to be a little bit of an experiment for them.  B. Nektar Meadery has been pretty good about experimenting with different things that taste good: meads, ciders, cysers, cherries, vanilla, cinnamon, agave, lime, etc.  This brew is truly a blending of styles.  Hops... in a MEAD?  I've never heard of it before and have been curious about this brew ever since I first read about it.  B. Nektar uses Chinhook, Cluster, & Cascade hops to make its Evil Genius and that sounds fine to me!  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

This brew presents two very different aroma profiles depending on whether you see the forest or the trees.  The forest is an interesting "hop funk" that is not without its light sweetness.  If you begin to dissect that aroma to see the trees, you will find a lot of the quintessential characteristics that make a good IPA.  There is a nice spiciness, noticeable resin, and some lesser pine notes.  Granted, these are much more subdued than you would find them in an American IPA that craft beer folks are used to drinking, but they are undeniably present.  Blending with that is the delicate sweetness of the mead.  It smells of honey (duh) and fresh green apples.  As the mead warms the "evil" in the "Evil Genius" becomes steadily more menacing and the hop traits become more aggressive.  The spice and resin of the hops take a big step forward, leaving the pine scent in the lurch, but still allow that crisp apple sweetness to shine.  A fascinating blend, even if it lacks a robust quality.

Appearance 3/3

Meads are only lightly carbonated, so I won't be able to judge the head on this.  However, for a mead it looks spot on.  It pours and sits in the glass like a white wine, even though some of the carbonation initially fizzed to the top after pouring.  It has extremely high clarity and its color is off of the SRM/Lovibond scale, making it lighter in hue than even some of the palest lagers.

Flavor 17/20

Trying to put such a unique experience into words or down on paper seems a daunting task after just the first sip, but you shall all have my best effort.  The first sensation is the wash of honey that slides all too well over the tongue.  It turns sugary sweet and then begins allowing in other flavors, such as the dry fruits of a champagne, vanilla, and an interesting bitter.  The bitter is surrounded by such sweetness that it's reminiscent of when you bite too far into an apple and get part of the bitter core.  The sweetness fades slowly after the swallow into the champagne dryness, which in turn fades into a bitter aftertaste.  Not long after swallowing this very sweet mead, the mouth has the "apple core" bitter spread all over it and it leaves the mouth very dry.  Not an experience I was expecting from something this sweet, but definitely something I would expect from a hoppy IPA.  Overall, this is a very sweet drink that borrows very little from the IPA style.  I hope my inexpertise with meads doesn't effect this review too negatively.  I found it to be sweet for my taste, but maybe for a mead this is perfect.  I simply don't have the background to know.

Mouthfeel 5/5

There is so much that B. Nektar has done correctly I scarcely know where to begin.  Might as well start with the first impression?  This beer is criminally smooth.  It's "Eddie Haskell" smooth.  It knows exactly what it's doing and it's way too good at it.  If this level of smoothness came over to pick up my teenage daughter, I'd be sure to be cleaning a shotgun in a conspicuous area of the house.  It coats the tongue with its sweetness and then gives a surprise ending, by ending bitter and dry like an IPA.  It was a great twist considering there were no hops detectable in the flavor itself.  It's carbonation is infintesimal at best and not inappropriate for a mead.

Did I mention the kick-ass bottle art?

Overall Impression 9/10

This is pleasing and I love the creativity involved in its creation.  It features distinct traits of both the IPA and the mead.  IPA drinkers will be disappointed if they are expecting a large hop flavor, but mead drinkers should see this as a neat innovation that adds something different to a tasty beverage.  The IPA style was detectable mostly in the aroma and in the aftertaste and left the mead to its own devices the rest of the time.  My only negative about this beer is that the strong sweetness and the smooth body do not make this something that I could drink all night.  However, that's not much of a negative as there are many beers that I enjoy that I would not wish to drink head to tail all night long.

Total 4450

I dig it and as long as you're not expecting an American IPA because it says "IPA-Style" on the bottle than you should too.  This is first and foremost a mead.  It's going to be sweet.  It's going to be smooth.  It's carbonation is barely detectable at all.  However, the aroma and aftertaste really do capture of elements of the IPA that I never would have guessed that I would see in a mead.  Not only is this a unique experience because it's a mead, it's a unique mead on top of that!  If you love craft beer and trying new flavors and new breweries and new ingredients I don't know how that could not appeal to you.  Overall, it's sweetness was higher than my personal taste would've wished, but I'm such a n00b h4x0r in the world of mead that maybe this is exactly how it is supposed to be.  Looks like I'll just have to keep drinking them until they're more familiar to me.  At least, that's what I'll tell my wife.

B. Nektar Meadery - Zombie Killer Cherry Cyser

Today's choice of review is appropriate for two reasons:  1.  Last night was the mid-season premier of "The Walking Dead" on AMC which the wife and I enjoy quite a bit.  2.  An article last week in the NY Times about the Renaissance of Meade.  (Click here for article)

For those not yet acquainted with mead, it is a wine made with honey in lieu of grapes.  Just as grapes can be early or late season (especially in Gewurztraminer varieties), so can flowers and thus even something as incalculable as the seasons can result in some major differences in mead.  Not to mention the different types of flowers (orange blossoms, wildflowers, etc).  Talk about the potential for nuance!  Also this is labeled as a "Cherry Cyser" which I found out is a mead (honey) with apple juice added.  Cysers are also a likely precursor to ciders/hard ciders.

The first time I tasted mead from B. Nektar was at 2011's Midwest Brew Fest in Plainfield.  They made a great showing and were one of the celebrities brewers of the day.  I bought a Zombie Killer t-shirt that day because of the great label art, even though B. Nektar did not have any Zombie Killer with them.  Today is my first taste of this mead and I've been more than patient.  Let's pour!

Big hand to Kelly for picking up this bottle in one of her not-so-recent forays into Michigan!!

Aroma 10/12
This is difficult for me to judge as it's mead and not my usual "comfort zone" of beer.  I have a feeling that will be a recurring theme here.  The bottle smelled of cherries upon opening, but with a 2-3 oz pour in my tulip the smell is mostly wine-like tannins.  They are slightly acidic and smell similar to a sweet white wine.  I am serving this chilled as I saw them doing at the Fest so I hope it is appropriate to do so for this particular style.  It has a lovely floral character that becomes more exposed as the bottle warms a bit.  The added cherry juice begins to show as well, but still lies well behind the "tannins" and the floral esters.  The more this glass warms, the better it smells.  I clearly didn't let this bottle sit out enough.  Make sure this is served LIGHTLY chilled if you have it.  Anything more will do this mead a disservice. (Even if the bottle does say to "Serve cold... zombies hate the cold...")

Upon finally achieving what I felt was an optimum temperature, the mead is an excellent combination of the sweet white wine, apples, and cherry juice with the floral note hanging way back.  Each sniff seems to allow the primary aromas to alternate in the spotlight!  The cherry note does smell like a juice and not that of cherries off the tree or cherry pie, etc, but it is fairly rich.  I'm not smelling any honey directly, but I assume that fermenting greatly alters honey's characteristics.

Here's a question for mead drinkers:  Is the aroma growing stronger because the mead it warming, because like wine it also needs to "breathe" and oxygenate, or a combination of the two?

Appearance 3/3
Since mead is not carbonated, there is no head to judge.  It is crystal clear and has a color a bit lighter than that of a blush wine.  The cherry juice and natural pigments of the honey create a light coral or salmon shade.  Not a lot of hue changes throughout the glass either, just one big cup of cyser-looking goodness.  I really wish I knew if this were good or not.  I can say that it also has some fair legs when given even a small swirl.

Flavor 18/20
This is phenomenal.  Immediately the tongue is bathed in a sugary honey sweetness and a tart cherry wave.  It's not sour the same way that Brett is, but in a sour we're more accustomed to in fruits.  Holding the mead in the mouth reveals a backbone that showcases all this mead's flavors in a wonderfully complex harmony.  The cherries are sweet, but ring sour on the sides of the tongue.  Its tart cherries are the star of the show and we find out now that they are quite understated in the aroma.  Honey lends its smooth, coating nature and blends its sweetness flawlessly with the cherry.  It's a delicious pairing that I'm surprised doesn't exist more in other flavored goods.  The finish shows the darker, more authentic, almost bitter cherry flavor that throws the salivary glands into overdrive.  The aftertaste isn't much, but is a faint haunting of the sour recently swallowed.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Smooth!  Smooth!  Smooth!  I can only assume that honey's naturally viscous quality help make this mead so wonderfully silky.  The body is light as expected, but I don't believe it to be any different than a wine.  Oddly, lightly swishing the mead in the mouth allows what feels like an extremely light carbonation to appear.  I know that most will think that its just from the swishing, but I'm not swishing this like mouthwash!  I don't believe what I'm doing is enough to cause bubbles in the mead.  Is carbonation possible?

Overall Impression 9/10
This is good stuff.  It's not in my wheelhouse of expertise, but I really enjoy this flavor.  It is, of course, very sweet like a cider, and has many characteristics of a wine with out all the acidity.  I would say it's more akin to drinking a juice, but I would not degrade this mead like that.  Juice is too simple and easy.  The blending of flavors in this mead took a lot of work and brewing prowess.  The body is one of the best attributes and if all meads exhibit a similar characteristic due to the honey in the brewing process, then you can expect me to incorporate many more meads into my regular imbibing.

Total 45/50
Why aren't more things flavored Cherry + Honey?  With what a great combination it is, I'm rather surprised that we don't see it in bubble gums, lollipops, sodas, and various other sweets.  Besides utilizing a great flavor combo, B. Nektar has really blended them superbly to allow the best of each ingredient to be recognized.  Can I again comment on the smooth mouthfeel!  Wow!  Even in oak barrels, I don't believe I've ever drank something so smooth.  They have a pretty good distribution in the eastern U.S., so if you find them, buy them. It's a great experiment into the world of mead.  I end with the quote from their bottle.

"Dedicated to the freaks and the geeks!  what started as a top-secret experiment with Michigan honey, cherries, and apple cider became a viral epidemic.  It won't be easy to survive, so grab your weapons and don't forget this bottle for backup!  Serve cold... zombies hate the cold...

B. Ware

GRrrHaarrhUrrgh"

Midwest Brewers Fest 2011

Quality ticket!  Even moreso than most minor league sports teams.
This is like NFL-grade tickets!

I don't how else to start out except saying that this beer fest was amazing.  It seems like everything was planned for, thought of, and somehow miraculously executed.  The devil is in the details after all...  Since it has been almost a week  since this happened all my short term memories have worn off as has the exact order of the day. All I have to go on are pictures, impressions, and notes from my complimentary beer tasting book.  It should be more than enough.

The first thing you see when you walk in are tents.  Huge, white, nicer-looking tents and they're lined up probably a good quarter mile.  These are not just tents that the brewers are under, these are tents that the brewers are centered underneath and that the samplers also get to go under to escape the ridiculously gorgeous weather.

The flow from the entrance puts you right into the tents and the day starts immediately.  My day happened to start with Stone 15th Anniversary Imperial BIPA.  It was a sign of things to come.

I had to stop and try it (despite my best judgement about not stopping at the first tent) and it did not let me down.  However, I could not dawdle.  There were amazing craft beers to be drank and I was just the man for the job.  Before I go into a ton of different beers though, allow me to talk about the different aspects of the festival and how fantastic they were.

The Grounds
This was basically set in a forest preserve.  I know it wasn't really, but you could've fooled me if it were not for its close proximity to some train tracks and the rest of the Chicago burbs.  It was a massive grassy clearing with the aforementioned white tents down the middle.

This looks toward the entrance. VIP tent on the right.  Could this
weather have been any more gorgeous?!

Enjoying the grounds with accessorized hops.

Lining the right hand border of the grounds were porta-potties about every 40 yards, each "station" even had its own hand washing station.  Sure, that seems like common sense, but I have been to events/concerts/etc that do not have them and I always appreciate them when they are there.  The left border of the grounds is a river with picnic tables stationed here and there.  Not only did they have seating, but I didn't have to bring it myself, nor pay extra for it, it was scenic and (except during midday) shaded!  I am pleased beyond words at this.

Taking full advantage of the free seating.

The Facilities
I have already discussed the abundance of porta-potties, hand-washing stations, and shade-giving white tents so I won't rehash them here even if it would have been more appropriate to list them in this section.  On thing I have not mentioned are the kegs of water.  Yes, that's what I said.  There were four kegs of water located near the corners of each tent for rinsing of tasting glasses, palates, and for hydrating on this sunny day (jokes about Miller Lite kegs were abundant).  The food tent also had plenty of room for seating and navigating.  Halfway down the river side of the festival was also a cigar tent/area manned by Burning Leaf Cigars (www.burningleafcigarsonline.com).  They were selling some really good cigars, providing all the classic cigar stores services (cuts, lights, etc), and had roped off seating for the smoking the cigars you just purchased.  Even though you were only supposed to smoke cigars in that area, people were walking around with them outside of the disgnated area (its outside, so no big deal), but the smokers never seemed to wander in the tents where others might be effected.  This theme of common courtesy and mutual amicability seemed to rule the day.  I smoked a Pinar del Rio on their recommendation and did not regret it.

There was even had a Homebrewers tent which featured tutorials on brewing and some people's actual homebrews.  This tent was packed throughout the day and it was only toward the end of the day that I fought through the crowd so I wouldn't miss out on this neat opportunity for homebrewers and future homebrewers alike.

Remember how I mentioned the tents were plenty spacious inside, so as to give shade to the brewers AND the fest-goers?  Check it out.

Stone Brewing was in one of the very first tents.

Limestone was in a tent with TONS of other local
Chicago microbrewers.  An awesome tent!!

Some folks from Mendocino.  Frank (white polo) of Mendocino was one
of the friendliest folks manning a booth that day.

Chi-town folks were plenty chatty too!  Good work.

This booth got a TONS of buzz (pun not intended) as the
fest went continued.  They had some amazing varieties of
mead and it was EXTREMELY well made.

5 Rabbit, another Chicago microbrewer, had a very neat
passionfruit beer.  Trust me.

Head Brewer of Big Muddy Chuck Stuhrenberg manning
his own booth.  They had $10 shirts and free temporary tattoos!

Yet another Chicago microbrewery.  Awesome.

Headbrewer Pete/Pedro (beard) at the Haymarket Brewing
table.  Probably my favorite brewery at the fest!

Food
The food tent was just as spacious as the rest of the fest and had more than enough seating both in the shade of the tent itself or by the river.  Whole Foods showed up and donated a bunch of food!  They were handing it out to everyone that entered the food tent.  What were they handing out?

Just chocolate covered bacon is all.  Eventually, the chocolate must have been running low and they started just drizzling it.  Also, eventually they ran out of bacon and switched to hot dogs.  I know it sounds gross, but keep in mind the following 1) This is Whole Foods.  They don't have $0.99 hotdogs.  These are like big ol' ballpark hot dogs.  2)  How is it that different from bacon?  Either way it is sweet and salty and smoky meat.  Needless to say, we walked past a few times.  Overall, food was not expensive by any stretch but was amazing.  My vote for best food booth goes to the folks at Gilbert's Craft Sausages who were serving up sausages with clever names like "Oui-sconsin" (beef smoked sausage with bleu cheese), the Shebeergan (beer brat), and the Catalana (pork, mozzarella,chipotle, & lime).  I know the last one doesn't have a clever name, but look at all that stuff in the brat.  Not "on the brat" or "served on the side."  All those flavors were inside the sausage and it was fantastic.

The Beer
What a friggin' lineup!  For an established beer festival this would have been a great selection.  As a first-year foray into the burgeoning world of festivals, this was nothing short of spectacular.  56 different brewers and many were from the Chicago area and its surrounding suburbs.  Here is what I can testify to:

1.  5 Rabbit Cerveceria - 5 Lizard:  Aroma like a pink starburst.  Flavor is sour passionfruit with a bit of citrus.  Lots of carbonation and a sweet finish

2.  5 Rabbit Cereveceria - Golden Ale:  About as I expected.  Light.  Though I did try it much later in the day.  After a lot of bigger beers, its subtleties may have been lost on me.

3. Brickstone Brewery - Hop Sinner:  Aroma of caramel & citrus hop.  Flavor is complex and has brown sugar, rye, and a pine citrus hop.  This is nicely balanced, has a defined hop profile, a moderate bitter, and is a bit on the sweet side.  Very nice!  This beer was so tasty I felt compelled to buy one of their moderately priced glasswares.

4.  Big Muddy Brewing - Big Muddy Monster:  According to Head Brewer Chuck Stuhrenberg this beer sells so well that they're not able to distribute it like they are their other beers.  Lots of red malts and a sudden, almost coffee-ish bitter.  India Brown Ale?  Good work IL craft brewer!

5.  Chicago Beer Company - Windy City Wheat:  A lighter version of the style.  It's plenty crisp, coriander notes, and a little banana in the finish.

6.  Clown Shoes - Clementine Witbier:  Light, crisp, not overly done or syrupy in the least.  A wonderful blend of a bright tangerine and the creaminess of the witbier.

7.  Finch's Beer Co. - Sapsucker:  Another up and coming Chicago microbrewery!  This was red with a nice hop bitter.  There was no real distinct rye flavors, but this was another bright, crisp, refreshing beer on a day that suited it perfectly.

8.  Flossmoor Station - Hopfenweizen:  Aroma of banana and pine (wow!).  Flavors of dark banana, bitter notes.  Great head retention!  Really need blend of flavors that don't usually get put together.  Well done!  Of course, they're from IL.

9.  Emmett's Brewing Co. - Pale Ale:  Classic.  Bitter.  Refreshing.  Flavorful. Representing IL.

10.  Goose Island - Marisol:  Previously only available at the Frontera Grill (despite rumors of future bottling).  This smells of Belgian yeast, strong florals, and vanilla.  Body is lighter than expected and beer is well-carbonated.  Flavor is citrus, apples, and Belgian yeast with a finish of lemon and oak.

11.  Haymarket - Mathias Imperial IPA:  This brewery has been open 7-8 months after their Brewmaster Pete started his own brewery after working at another.  If these beers are any indication, these guys are going to be huge.  This beer was argued by many to be the "Best of Show."  This beer was amazingly rich, with caramel malt and a hoppy pine that flowed seamlessly back and forth between each other.  They were perfect compliments and this was a superior beer. IL owned and operated

12.  Haymarket - BUK:  This is a black rye bock full of dark cocoa, dark roast malt (with a slightly lighter body than expected for the color), and a lite rye that wasn't tangy, but a neat bitter/sweet blend.

13. Limestone Brewing Co. - Springbrook Honey Heather Ale: Honey & floral flavors (duh), but with woody notes and fairly crisp.  A heavier body contrasting the lighter flavors, but not in an unpleasant way.  More IL goodness.

14.  Mendocino Brewing - Imperial IPA:  Not too big with a nice balance.

Frank broke this out for us from behind the table.
I was glad that he did.

15.  Mendocino Brewing - White Hawk IPA:  Apples, soapy head, cracker malt, and citrus.

16.  Brewery Ommegang - BPA:  Very interesting.  Maybe not my cup of tea, but classic elements of each are easily discernible.

17.  Revolution Brewing Co. - Eugene:  Helluva porter.  Not a heavy version of the style, but lots of muddy chocolate and a drying finish.  Extra brownie points for bad ass tap handles and being from Chicago.

18.  Stone Brewing Co. - 15th Anniversary BIPA:  Grapefruit, bitter, coffee, and a delicious dark brown head.  This was easily a top 5 beer of the fest.  These guys were also cool enough to take out a growler of BPA from underneath the table, but I neglected to take notes on it because I was geeking out with some fellow bloggers about it.

19.  Two Brothers Brewing Co. - Robust Porter:  Chocolate, smokey, and smooth.  A suburban favorite brewer.

20.  Uinta Brewing Co. - Punk'n:  Not as sweet as other pumpkin varieties.  Lots of balance and carbonation.  Lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

21.  Wild Onion Brewing Co. - Jack Stout:  Brownie points for being distributed in cans.  Lots of sweet malt, chocolate, toffee with a molasses finish and a lighter bitter for the style.  Finally distributing on the west side of IL.

22.  B. Nektar Meadery - Barrel Aged Dry Cyser:  I don't get much experience with meads, but after this I may have to seriously rethink that.  This drink was mature, honey, light tannins, and a finish of vanilla oak.  My brief notes, literally say "WOW!"  Plus the selection that they brough along was ridiculous!  He had no less than 8 varieties of his wares.  Please see the picture of this guy pouring it up in the "Facilities" section of this post.  He was talking it up, educating drinkers (including myself), and I'm pretty sure soaking up the excitement that his product was generating.  Toward the end you could barely approach this table because of the crowd!

The People
I saved the best for last.  Thankfully, I was able to attend with good friends and fortunate to make some new ones.  In an impromptu fashion, a meeting was arranged in the Twitterverse between several bloggers.  Around 3:30 we all agreed to meet up with Jason of TGBOAT at the Craft Beer 101 tent to meet in real life for the first time.  What a cool sensation to finally meet some of the people behind the avatars and website banners!  Lots of warm greetings, introductions, hand shaking, and laughs were shared.  It was like meeting old friends despite them being only the newest kind.  I don't know how I didn't cross paths with some (I'm looking at you theperfectlyhappyman, and Lance!), but the ones I did have the pleasure of meeting made the last half the fest truly memorable.  Nik of Chicago Beer Geeks,Wes from TGBOAT, and I definitely made the most of the last few hours of the fest laughing like idiots, trying to use up copious amounts of drink tickets, sharing beer opinions, and soaking up the last few drops of a beautiful day.

My l337 craft beer drinking crew for the day.

Craft Beer 101 tent

People meeting more people IRL.

Wes from TGBOAT manning the tent.

More of the l33t crew and the one who has to tolerate
me the most.

Having a great time toward the end of the day with
friends and extraneous hand gestures.

These two random dudes came up and gave me all their
tickets as they were leaving.  Their exact words, "Well, you're
smoking a cigar and wearing a New Glarus shirt.  We
figure they're in good hands."

In case you couldn't tell, I enjoyed myself immensely at this fest and cannot wait to return in any number of subsequent years.  The organizers put on one helluva good time and if you missed it, be ready for next year.  This thing can only get bigger and better.

I'd like to make a joke about blurry vision and leaving
a beer festival, but I in no way like to joke about drunk
driving.  Sorry to pee on your corn flakes.