http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/The-Blog.html?entry=rivers-edge-homebrew-festiv-ale
My friend Bill Goetz and I represented two homebrew clubs, CHAOS and BOSS, at the Rivers Edge Homebrew Festiv-Ale on Saturday. It was organized by Jason Parris and Rock Island Brewing Company and was a great time. A nice, warm July afternoon surrounded by brewers and those who appreciate artisanal, handmade beers!
Bill brought a German Pilsner he had made, I brought a Summer Wheat Ale and a Robust Porter. Two other friends from CHAOS brewed beers for the festival but weren't able to attend themselves - Jeff Whelply brewed a Vanilla Cream Ale and Chuck Mac brewed a hoppy brown ale.
It was a hot day by the Mississippi River and we purposely brewed some lighter,easy-to-drink beers for this. Taking that a step further, Bill had the idea of pouring two Radlers, a German tradition of mixing beers with a citrus mixer. We did two combinations: the Pilsner with blood orange Pelligreno and the Summer Wheat with lemon Pelligreno. Light, quenching and refreshing! The Radlers turned out to be very popular.
We met the most interesting people at the festival, both the brewers and those who came to drink our beers. It seemed that about two-thirds of the folks we served wanted to talk about the beers, brewing, and the clubs. Many came back many times. One woman, towards the end of the day, told us that the Vanilla Cream Ale was 'orgasmic'. I assured her I would share her review with Jeff!
After cleaning up our table and heading to the hotel for a quick shower, we joined some of the other brewers, including our friends Scot and Karen Schaar, at Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO). Highly recommended, check it out when you're in Rock Island.
Jason, in addition to organizing the festival, was an advocate for getting the Illinois homebrewing laws reworked to allow festivals like this to take place. He said that some liquor commission officials were there, since this was the first festival like this in Illinois since the law was changed. The key to the law is that the festival must have a charitable purpose - in this case, the money raised supported a youth arts organization in Rock Island, a most worthy cause.
At the end of the day, there was a raffle and I won a 5.4 gallon cask! Thanks to Brian at Quad Cities UBrew. I'll need to start serving some cask conditioned ales at club parties.
My friend Bill Goetz and I represented two homebrew clubs, CHAOS and BOSS, at the Rivers Edge Homebrew Festiv-Ale on Saturday. It was organized by Jason Parris and Rock Island Brewing Company and was a great time. A nice, warm July afternoon surrounded by brewers and those who appreciate artisanal, handmade beers!
Bill brought a German Pilsner he had made, I brought a Summer Wheat Ale and a Robust Porter. Two other friends from CHAOS brewed beers for the festival but weren't able to attend themselves - Jeff Whelply brewed a Vanilla Cream Ale and Chuck Mac brewed a hoppy brown ale.
It was a hot day by the Mississippi River and we purposely brewed some lighter,easy-to-drink beers for this. Taking that a step further, Bill had the idea of pouring two Radlers, a German tradition of mixing beers with a citrus mixer. We did two combinations: the Pilsner with blood orange Pelligreno and the Summer Wheat with lemon Pelligreno. Light, quenching and refreshing! The Radlers turned out to be very popular.
We met the most interesting people at the festival, both the brewers and those who came to drink our beers. It seemed that about two-thirds of the folks we served wanted to talk about the beers, brewing, and the clubs. Many came back many times. One woman, towards the end of the day, told us that the Vanilla Cream Ale was 'orgasmic'. I assured her I would share her review with Jeff!
After cleaning up our table and heading to the hotel for a quick shower, we joined some of the other brewers, including our friends Scot and Karen Schaar, at Rock Island Brewing Company (RIBCO). Highly recommended, check it out when you're in Rock Island.
Jason, in addition to organizing the festival, was an advocate for getting the Illinois homebrewing laws reworked to allow festivals like this to take place. He said that some liquor commission officials were there, since this was the first festival like this in Illinois since the law was changed. The key to the law is that the festival must have a charitable purpose - in this case, the money raised supported a youth arts organization in Rock Island, a most worthy cause.
At the end of the day, there was a raffle and I won a 5.4 gallon cask! Thanks to Brian at Quad Cities UBrew. I'll need to start serving some cask conditioned ales at club parties.
