Beer impresario Joe Waizmann’s second annual Chicago AleFest went down on Saturday, July 12 at Soldier Field, and I joined a crew of good folks from the Chicago Reader to sample the goods. The skies had cleared after a raging thunderstorm the previous night, leaving a perfectly pleasant day to enjoy one of Chicago’s favorite summer pastimes: drinking beer outdoors (as opposed to the winter pastime of drinking beer indoors!) Entering the festival grounds, I was handed a stack of sampling tickets, a key shaped bottle opener, an adorable mini pilsner glass, and a booklet with descriptions of the festival’s 200 plus beers on tap. I didn’t taste all of them, but I did cut a pretty big swathe, taking small sips to savor the flavors instead swigging the samples in one gulp, a trick I learned while touring the Sonoma Wine Country a few years ago.

I began by educating myself on the brewing process at the Seibel Institute of Technology’s table, where I got to try different types of malted barley (chocolate malt tastes just like burnt toast), smell a variety of hops and sample murky, partially fermented beer. From there, I checked out the Replicale project sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewer’s guild—one recipe for American Belgian Blonde Ale, produced by 13 local breweries using the same ingredients to highlight the subtle differences between local breweries. I sampled four variations: Blue Cat’s Brewpub’s was fruity and spicy, LunaR Brewing’s was smooth and mild, Mickey Finn’s had a complex muskiness, while Destihl’s version had a heavier, fermented flavor. I was amazed how the same recipe could vary so dramatically across breweries; all were uniquely delicious.

Of the 20-something local breweries on site, husband-and-wife run, Andersonville-based Metropolitan Brewing proved to be a big hit, serving their dynamic Dynamo Copper lager out of a Craftsman tool box. This brewery is so new that you’ll have to wait until November to taste its goods, when Metropolitan plans to begin distribution to local bars like Hopleaf.

My personal local faves? Aurora’s America’s Brewing Company’s Chocolate Beer smelled just like a Hershey bar, combining the flavors of chocolate and beer with subtly sweet perfection. Warrenville’s Two Brothers Tap Domaine DuPage (widely available in Chicago) is a well rounded, toasty amber ale with a clean finish. Villa Park’s LunaR Brewing’s Jumpin’ Cow Cream Ale was delectably light and citrusy, perfect for summer. Normal’s Destihl’s Nit Wit is a perfectly refreshing spicy, lemony white beer spiced with coriander, orange peels and peppercorn. And, of course, I couldn’t resist another taste of Rockbottom Brewery’s deliciously sweet-tart Apricot Wheat.

At the end of the day, my friend Austin summed up the festival in two words: “I’m drunk.” Whether sipping or swigging, that’s the inevitable result for beer lovers after a few hours at AleFest, where there’s no such thing as bad beer!

For information on the upcoming AleFest in Dayton, check out alefest.com.

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