Rain or shine, a tale of two festivals: Beer Under Glass andthe Welles Park Craft Beer Fest

When the weather is nice, an outdoor beer festival is a magical place to be. When a steady, colddrizzle falls continually--as it did at Beer Under Glass, the May 14 kick-off event for Chicago CraftBeer Week--it's a little less appealing. Fortunately, some of the beer was actually being served underglass this year, so it was possible to take shelter in the Garfield Park Conservatory and continuedrinking (unlike last year, when ongoing repairs to the conservatory meant many breweries had toset up on the waterlogged lawn, earning the event the nickname "Beer in the Mud"). And the raindid keep the lines down at the outdoor beer tents. It didn't seem to dim anyone's spirits much, at anyrate.

Weather-wise, though, Chicago Craft Beer Week's closing event last Saturday--the Welles Park CraftBeer Fest--had all the luck that BUG didn't. Abundant sunshine and a cool breeze made the daywarm but not too hot, tailor-made for sitting in the grass and drinking beer. The event isn't exactlynew, but this is the first year it's been in Welles Park; aside from some initial confusion about where

the entrance was, things seemed to go smoothly.

It's similar to Beer Under Glass in size and scope, with a few minor differences: food isn't included inthe admission price (but there were food trucks and other vendors selling food), admission is a littlecheaper ($55 general admission, $75 VIP, versus $60/$90 for BUG), and it lasts an hour longer (1-5PM, or noon-5 for VIPs). In addition to getting in an hour early, VIP ticket holders get $10 in foodvouchers and have access to a special area with tables, chairs, and a few beers that aren't poured atthe main event (nothing that unusual, though). Not that it's a competition, but in terms of bang foryour buck I'd choose the Welles Park festival over BUG: it features nearly all the same breweries,and while food isn't included, I'd actually rather spend five or ten bucks on a sandwich than wait inline over and over for little bites of free food. That just wastes time that could be devoted todrinking. Of course, the weather might also have influenced my opinion.

On to my favorite beers, some of which were so good that I tried them at both events. I'll start withBanging Gavel, which is contract brewing with Church Street in Itasca for now. Brewmaster WalterOrnelas was pouring Chicanery, a Russian imperial stout, through a Randall--essentially an infusingchamber attached to a draft line, which in this case was filled with coconut and cherries. The beer'sflavor will vary depending on how long it sits in the Randall, and I noticed a big difference betweenthe two events. At BUG it was creamy, smooth, and chocolatey with lots of cherry flavor and a bit ofcoconut (I think it had been infused longer, since I was one of the first people to taste it); at WellesPark it was much more bitter and roasty, with very little cherry or coconut.

Another new brewery, Around the Bend, is planning to open on the south side, but in the meantimethey're leasing space at the Ale Syndicate brewery. They'd just gotten their license the day of BUG,which was only the second event where they'd poured their beers. I liked Ghost of 'Lectricity, a light,crisp kolsch-style brew, but it was their pale ale, Silk Road, that stood out. Brewed with galangal--arhizome that's a little like ginger in flavor--it's spicy, citrusy, and just a bit floral.

Middle Brow Beer Company isn't new (it's going on three years old, though its first beer came out

just over a year ago) but its Moscow Mule Kombucha is. The brewery collaborated with kombuchamaker Unity Vibration to create a gluten-free beer that was officially released at the Dan Deaconshow at Thalia Hall on May 16. I tasted it at both events, but it was at Welles Park that I mostappreciated it--probably because it's a great warm-weather beer. Or as I overhead a brewery reptelling another attendee, "It's summer in a glass. If you don't like summer, don't drink this beer."Tart with lime and more like kombucha than beer in flavor, the brew has a spicy ginger kick and justa touch of mint--which is more a cooling sensation that suggests mint than an actual flavor. It barelytastes alcoholic, which could be dangerous since it's 8 percent ABV.

I've been hearing good things about Scratch Brewing for a while, but these festivals were the firstchance I've had to try their beers, which are brewed with locally farmed and foraged ingredients(including vegetables, nuts, herbs, and wood) in downstate Illinois. I didn't take careful notes, butthere wasn't a bad beer among the eight or so I tried at the two events; standouts included a bierede garde brewed with chanterelle mushrooms, a basil ale, and a tripel brewed with wild yeast fromthe air around Scratch's garden.

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