United Nations of Beer

AleFest Chicago

by Matt Morgan
(Beer Delegate, IL, USA)

AleFest Chicago 2007
Arlington Heights, Chicago, IL, USA

Being a Chicago resident, I've been to many city and neighborhood festivals all overflowing with jubilant drunk patrons donning the latest ornamental kitsch, looking for their soul mate, or hookup as it were. I've discovered one common theme amongst all of these festivals not including the carnie-like atmosphere; they are all primarily sponsored by big market breweries offering way too much of their limited selection.

Once the novelty of being of legal drinking age wears off (for me it was sometime between 25 and 30), these events all become very passé. I may sound like a dick, but it's true. You tend to travel less often in large packs and you can only tolerate so many plastic cups of Miller Lite or Budweiser for six bucks each before your gastric and financial ends are threatened.

I like most any beer as much as the next guy, but enough is enough and the inflated prices are insulting. Fortunately (tongue in cheek), capitalism and democracy have become the new tour de force with traveling beer festivals. They all come in the name of fighting disease affliction and taste oppression and in the end, offer enlightenment.

The first annual AleFest Chicago was my baptism into such an event. It was held Saturday April 14, at Arlington Park Racecourse in Arlington Heights, IL. I should first mention that AleFest Chicago distinguishes itself from other beer tasting events by putting an emphasis on Ale more so than Lager. Beer as a whole is divided into two groups; Ale is beer that is fermented by the yeast, metabolizing the sugar into alcohol at higher temperature and at the top of the tank. Lager is bottom fermented at lower temperatures.

Ale tends to have a little more character and higher alcohol content; Lagers tend to be better suited session beers. Then there is Lambic Ale, where wild yeast goes ape-shit on uncovered vats of beer creating volatile and unpredictable flavors, usually reigned in with fruit additives.

So I approached the entrance of this event, armed with my flimsy knowledge and Fletch-like game plan to use my UNOB Delegation to get free admission. I flashed my UNOB badge at the admissions counter to try and sway the co-ordinator to comp admission for my wife and myself in lieu of a great review on a highly trafficked website, denied.

Turns out I was lying about both the great review and the website being highly trafficked anyway, so I shelled out 30 clams for the two of us and went in. The price of admission to AleFest Chicago included a glass and six sampling tickets per person.

To my amusement upon entering this event, the band Sweet Japonic was playing the theme song from the Nintendo game Super Mario Bros (I was in 7th grade when that game came out), which put me in a nostalgic trance. I think I saw someone flashing their lighter calling out "Legend of Zelda!"

There were 45 sampling stations representing over 50 breweries and we had only six samples each: square peg, round hole. The event being for a charitable cause, the Lupus Foundation of America, I immediately bought more tickets (like I wouldn't have anyway).

My wife and I huddled briefly and then hit the first row of tables. She went for the Unibroue Blanche de Chambly which she compared favorably to Hoegaarden. I know Unibroue gets great coverage on the UNOB site and for good reason. The Unibroue Maudite was worth writing home about and then some, worth writing a chain-letter. I'm just noting standout brews; it's pretty difficult to get to know a beer over a small sample.

I spotted the Founders Brewery table which I knew was a Midwest brewer, so I sampled Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale (because of the name) which was tasty, but I could find no better adjectives than the sweet caramel tones I've used on other Scotch Style Ales.

A few brewers were offering lambic ales in raspberry, cherry and apple varieties (framboise, crique and pomme are the proper lambic style terms respectively). We chose to go to the Lindeman's table because they had their lambic on draft.

It turned out to be a mistake. We had an 80s retro guy in the classic sport coat and T-shirt look, with a white man's Jerry-curl and bad teeth ignore us for a while as he chatted (something about casting calls and head shots).

AleFest Chicago was actually much less crowded than I anticipated, there were no more than four people around the table and he was not talking about his product. Apparently this guy had no experience in the service industry and was not aware that you could talk AND pour beer at the same time. If you looked up the term "pompous" in the dictionary, then his picture would be there. It was the only sour note of the AleFest Chicago experience.

Our spirits were lifted when we visited the Two Brothers table, representing their brewery with Domaine Dupage French Country Ale and The Bitter End Pale Ale, both on draft. They shared a table with Boulder Beer Company of Colorado, although I'm not sure of the affiliation; Boulder Beer was represented with Mojo IPA and Hazed and Infused dry-hopped ale. (Click for my review.)

Afterward we had a giant soft pretzel to absorb some alcohol and the saltiness made us thirsty for more beer. We then made plans for our final round of samples at AleFest Chicago. We visited the Three Floyds table, where I tried Alpha King Pale Ale, very crisp and tasty.

I've tried Three Floyds Pride & Joy in the past, which is their Weiss beer and thought it was weak, at least in comparison to Ebel's Weiss and Flying Dog's In Heat Wheat. It might be worth trying again just to be sure. The Alpha King, though, made a great first impression.

I have many more honorable mentions from AleFest Chicago to dish out. Walter Payton's Roundhouse offered some sweet treats, with America's Brewing Co. Dirty Summer Blond Chocolate, which tasted like a Hershey bar, yet crisp and light. Sounds gross, but don't knock it unless you've tried it. It paired well with their Bourbon Barrel Hannah's Cherry Imperial Stout. Wine- and Bourbon-cask conditioned beers are very expensive to create, so don't ever lose the decadence that accompanies them.

Another Midwest winner was Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale, very charming flavor, refreshing. The Onion Brewing Company had a nice Maibock and Saison, both so delicious and yeasty they tasted like buttered bread. One had more of a sourdough lean, but I can't remember which one now.

The last table we visited at AleFest Chicago was Arcadia Brewing Company of Michigan. My wife had the Whitsun and I had the Hopmouth Double IPA. The Whitsun was outstanding: very light and refreshing. It went above and beyond the call of duty for wheat ale.

The Hopmouth Double IPA made me a convert. It took me all day (and all these years, for that matter) to admit that I love IPA. Not just any will do, this was the best IPA I've tasted so far, most likely because it cut through everything else I tasted to that point. It was a strange epiphany and one that I could only have at such an event.

There were so many more beers at AleFest Chicago: I've just scratched the surface. I give kudos to the event coordinators and participants of AleFest Chicago for supporting a good charity and hosting a great party. I look forward to attending their next event.