GI 312 Day and Stout Fest 2015

It’s unlikely that you’ll find a local brewery that parties harder than these crazy kids. In a span of 72hrs Goose Island hosted 2 massive events that set the tone for what is sure to be a ridiculous 2015 festival season.

312 Day is March 12^th every year. It marks the launch of both their 312 Urban Pale Ale and a beer that makes up 54% of all their global sales, 312 Urban Wheat Ale.

To commemorate the day Goose invited 1500 people over to the old barrel warehouse at Fulton & Wood for a pretty righteous concert featuring Mayer Hawthorne.

If an evening with a Grammy-nominated singer and multi-instrumentalist wasn’t enough, there were plenty of complimentary beer and bites.

 

Here’s the complete 312 Day lineup

Matilda | Belgian Style Pale Ale | 7% | 2-time World Beer Cup Winner

Sofie | Farmhouse Ale, wine barrel aged with orange zest | 6.5%

My Shout | Australian Sparkling Ale | 5%|  brewed specially with an Australian sparkling ale yeast. named for an Australian way of calling the next round of beers.

The Muddy | Imperial Stout | Named after Muddy Waters | 9% | brewed with molasses, brewer’s licorice, and Belgian dark rock candi sugar

 

Green Line | Pale Ale | 5.4% | the beer at the heart of Goose Island’s environmental sustainability initiative, the Green Line Project. draft only, Chicago only.

10 Hills Pale Ale | Pale Ale| 6.2% | named after hops grown on the first 10 hills of GI’s Elk Mountain Farms in Idaho.

In addition to the headlining performance, Goose’s company rock act, Bandcom lead by Ken Hunnemeder kicked off the affair with a soaring rendition of ‘We Built This City’ on the back of a truck bed.

 

Other 312 Day Notes:

• Food Vendors for 312 Day included Big Star, Cheezies, 5411 Empanadas, Taqueria Fusion…and inside we had the Tamale Guy.  Also, Devil Dawgs handing out hot dogs from the brewery loading dock.
•  Everyone in attendance received a souvenir 312 Day Mayer Hawthorne poster.

• Goose Island’s Vintage Fulton & Wood Bus was on display outside the venue.It’s a retired CTA bus that was last in production in the 60’s. It has now been re purposed for travel much cooler than anything the city was using it for.

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Goose Island Clybourn Stout Fest 2015

Some of us would call the 2015 edition of Goose Island’s Stout Fest a return to normalcy. Traditionally this is their St Paddy’s Day Weekend Bash. In 2014 it was moved to the now defunct GI Wrigleyville Pub because of renovations at Clybourn… and it wasn’t on St Paddys Day Weekend. They moved the party by one week to avoid the chaos that is Wrigleyville during that time.

No less than 29 breweries bringing 70+ beers came out this year. For the 1^st time Clybourn dedicated the entire pub for Stout Fest. All 5 sections, Lobby, Henry’s Place, Patio,  The Loft and Cellar were pouring beer..it was quite the scene. It almost felt like every brewery in Chicago was in attendance.

Be sure to check this place out on April 18th for the bottle release of their Belgian Quad. It was aged in 12 year Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrels for 9 months.

 

Other GI Clybourn Stout Fest ’15 Notes:

• A popular vote is taken to determine best in show for Stout Fest. That award went to Bourbon County Proprietors. BCS Vaniila Rye and 4 Hands Madagascar were runners up.

• 18^th Street Brewery’s Bitches B Crazy, barrel aged version of their Bitches Bank Imperial Stout kicked in 16 mins.

• Perennial’s Imperial Stout was the base beer for Abraxas with cherries added.

• There is a rumor that the old Goose Island Wrigleyville Pub may reopen just for the 2015 Chicago Cubs Season. They will then close again forever..until it opens again.

• The Stout Fest Trophy is a massive 25lbs stainless steel award in the shape of a fermentation tank. It was designed by the same company that built the original Goose Island brewhouse…and yes the top opens so you can drink from it. It’s the sickest beer award trophy I’ve ever seen. 

 Here is the complete catalog of beers poured at Stout Fest.

LOBBY

Transient Artisan Ales Lansing, IL

Buckley | Imperial Breakfast Stout | 12.7%

Henry | American Porter | 7.5%

All of Which Are | American Stout | 6.5%

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Empirical Brewery Chicago, IL

Phase Transition | Porter | 7.5%

brewed w chocolate malts and dark brown sugar this porter exhibits chocolate aromas and malty notes of raisin, dark stone fruits and rum.

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Hailstorm Brewery Tinley Park, IL

Vlad The Conquistador | Imperial Stout | 13.3% | Imperial Stout brewed w cinnamon, cocoa, ancho, guajillo, chipotle peppers, vanilla and agave

Vlad The Second | B.A Imperial Stout | 12.2% | Bourbon Barrel Aged Vlad the Impaler w vanilla

Coffee Conquistador | BA Imperial Stout | 13.3% | Imperial Stout brewed w cinnamon, cocoa, ancho, chipotle peppers, vanilla, agave and coffee.

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Scorched Earth Brewing Co. Algonquin, IL

Rugged Coalminer | Robust Porter | 5.9%

The Bitter Chocolatier | Chocolate Imperial Oatmeal Stout | 9.1%

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HENRY’S PLACE

Revolution Brewing Chicago, Il

Paddy Wagon | Dry Irish Stout | 4.4%

Mad Cow | Milk Stout | 7.7% | smooth, charcoal black stout made w lactose for a lingering sweetness

Small & Oats | Small beer made from Imperial Oat Stout

Deth’s Tar | Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout | 11.4

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Half Acre Beer Co. Chicago, IL

Big Hugs | Imperial Stout w Coffee | 10%

Baume | Hoppy Rye Chocolate Stout | 7%

Rambis | Oatmeal Stout | 6.4%

Chocolate Camaro | Milk Stout | 6%

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Flossmoor Station, Flossmoor, IL

Shadow Of The Moon | Imperial Stout | 8.6%

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Ten Ninety Zion, IL

Imperial Porter | 10.8% | w cayenne pepper and pomegranate

Milk And Cookies | Milk Stout | 5.4% |Milk Stout brewed w ginger and spices

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Middle Brow Beer Company Chicago, IL

Milk Eyed Mender | Imperial Milk Stout | 10.3% |Imperial Milk Stout w peppers, oranges and cacao nibs

Stainless Style | Olde English Porter | 6.5% |pre 1900’s method of blending old, sour and freshly brewed porter

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Goose Island Clybourn Chicago, Il

Vainglorious | 10% | Belgian Stout aged in red wine and bourbon barrels w black raspberries and Intelligentsia Coffee

London Fog | 12% | barrel aged oatmeal stout w Earl Grey and cocoa nibs

Sesame Joe 6.7% | Baltic Porter brewed w Dark Matter Coffee, toasted sesame seeds and vanilla

 The Dark Crusader | Imperial Stout | 11.2 %

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Moody Tongue Chicago, IL

Caramelized Chocolate Churro Baltic Porter |Baltic Porter | 7%

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Spiteful Brewing Chicago, IL

Crowd Fund Cherry Stout On Nitro | 7% |roasty stout aged on tart Michigan Cherries

 Barrel Aged Malevolence Chocolate Caliente |10.5% |Imperial Stout brewed w vanilla, cinnamon, peppers and cocoa nibs aged in a whiskey barrels

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3 Floyds Brewing Co. Munster, IN

Backmasking | Oatmeal Stout | 5.6%

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PATIO

Dry Hop Brewers/ Around The Bend Chicago, IL

Nitro Chocolate Milk Porter | Chocolate Milk Porter | 7.2 % | Brewers in collaboration w Around the Bend

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Destihl Normal / Champaign, IL

 Black Angel Stout | American Stout | 6.7% | American Stout w assertive hop bitterness, aroma and flavor

Dosvidanya | Russian Imperial Stout | 12.5% | Aged in bourbon barrels for several months

St Dekkera Reserve Sour | Zure Dubbele Stout | 12.5% | naturally soured by spontaneous / wild secondary fermentation and aged in oak barrels

Oengus | Irish Stout | 5% | treated w lactose, vanilla beans and Jameson Irish Whiskey

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4 Hands Brewing Co. St Louis, MO

Bona Fide | Imperial Stout w Coffee and Vanilla | 9%

Madagascar | Barrel Aged Milk Stout w Vanilla Beans | 9.3%

Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout | 5.5%

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Buckledown Brewery Lyons, IL

Shady Aftermath | Robust Porter | 6.3% | Robust porter w layers of chocolate, caramel and coffee overa base of roasted malts

Stompbox | American Imperial Stout | 8% |a big, hearty roasted ale hopped w Simcoe throughout. Maltiness is complimented by a hefty hopping schedule and a bit of a bitter finish.

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Cademon Brewing Company Genoa, IL

Vanilla Demonic | Coffee Stout w vanilla and oak | 6%

Clockwork Pepper | Ancho Pepper Stout | 7.7%

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Brickstone Brewery Bourbonnais, IL

Dark Secret Dark Matter Imperial Stout | 11% |Russian Imperial Stout aged w Dark Matter Coffee

Brickstone Oat Stout | 6.25% | Oatmeal Stout

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Perennial Artisan Ales St. Louis, MO

Imperial Stout w Cherries | 10%

Abraxas | 10% | Imperial Stout w Cacao Nibs, Ancho Chiles, Cinnamon Sticks and Vanilla Bean

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LOFT

Goose Island Beer Company Chicago, Il

Bourbon County Brand Stout 2014 | 14.2% | Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels

BCBS Coffee 2014 |13.4 % |Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels w Intelligentsia Zirikana and Rwanada Coffee

BCBS Proprietors 2014 | Imperial Stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with cassia bark, cacao nibs, panela and coconut water

BCBS Vanilla Rye 2014 | 13.8% | Imperial Stout aged in rye whiskey barrels w Mexican and Madagascar Vanilla Beans

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Pipeworks Chicago, IL

One Glove, One Oven Mitt | Imperial Stout | 9.5% | Imperial Stout brewed w Sorachi Ace, vanilla and fermented oak spirals

Abduction | Russian Imperial Stout | 10.5%

Toasty Nut Abduction | Imperial Stout | 10.5% | Imperial Stout brewed w cacao, vanilla, coconut and almonds

Grand Guignol Act 2 | Imperial Oatmeal Stout | 13% |Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed w coffee and blueberries

The Jones Dog | BA Imperial Milk Stout | 13% | Bourbon barrel aged imperial milk stout w cacao nibs and vanilla beans

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Pig Minds Brewery Machesney Park, IL

Joe Daddy | Imperial Coffee Stout | 8.2%

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Temperance Beer Co. Evanston, IL

Manhattan Barrel Aged Might Meets Right | BA Imperial Stout |10.9% |Imperial Stout aged in High West Manhattan Barrels

Coffee and Vanilla Might Meets Right | Imperial Stout| 9% | Imperial Stout w Passion House Roasters and vanilla

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Rock Bottom Chicago

Rye And Dry | 5.8% a roasty dark ale brewed w a portion of flaked rye for dryness

Slick Mahoney | Barrel Aged Imperial Stout | 10% |an Imperial Stout aged in Woodford Reserve barrels

Victim Of Illusion | Golden Imperial Stout | 8.5% | A Golden Imperial Stout brewed w cacoa nibs, coffee, and oats

Tomfoolery And Other Shenanigans | Baltic Porter | 7.5% | Baltic Porter w rich dark fruit and caramel sweetness

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CELLAR

Haymarket Pub And Brewery

Crowley’s Irish American Stout | Dry Irish Stout | 4.5%

Indignant | Barrel Aged Imperial Stout | 12% | Imperial Stout aged 14 months in Woodford Reserve Barrels

Clare’s Thirsty Ale | Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 12% | Imperial Stout aged on raspberries for 1 yr in Woodford Reserve barrels.

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Deschutes Brewery Bend, OR

Obsidian Stout | Stout | 6.4% notes of espresso, chocolate, roasted malt and black barley w just enough hop bite to cut the sweetness

The Abyss | Stout | 11% | Imperial Stout aged in bourbon, Oregon Oak and Pinot Noir barrel

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Greenstar Brewing Chicago, IL

Moonless Midnight Russian Imperial Stout | 8.5%

roasty stout aged on tart Michigan Cherries

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18^th Street Brewery Gary, IN

Barrel Aged Hunter Vanilla |11.5% | Barrel aged double milk stout w vanilla

Barrel Aged Black Exodus | 10.5% | Barrel aged oatmeal stout w dates and coconut

Bitches B Crazy |12% | Barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout w vanilla, rye and cinnamon

 

–Nkosi

 

 *denotes photo courtesy of Adam Mattucci ** photo courtesy of Marc Domask