My friend, Bruce Tammen, is the founder, artistic director and conductor of a fantastic choir in Chicago - the Chicago Chorale. For years, my wife sang in the Chorale and now serves on the board of directors. The Chorale performs a wide diversity of programs and often presents religious or liturgical works acapella. If you are in the Chicago-area, you should seek them out - a Chorale concert is a transcendent way to spend an hour or two. Their next concert is Sunday, December 15th, 3 pm, performing Advent- and Christmas-themed music spanning the centuries, from plainchant to the present day, featuring a mix of meditations on the texts of the season by Bruckner, Schoenberg, and VIctoria; contemporary favorites such as Whitacre and Sandström; plus traditional carols and an audience sing-along.
The Chorale had a fun event last Sunday afternoon - Suds in the City - at a local brewery. It was a social event, time to visit with other Chorale fans, volunteers, and singers, as well as enjoy some beer and pizza. It was a fundraiser for the choir, with a raffle with some really great prizes, including arts tickets. For the raffle, I made and contributed a case of a beer I called the Chicago Chorale Pub Ale. We've got a couple of gallons of it that we're drinking at home now and are enjoying it quite a lot.
Its an English-style pale ale, with the addition of some honey. It is based on the White House Honey Ale recipe released in 2012, when the White House chef made a couple of batches of homebrewed beers for President Obama. Back in 2013, we brewed a batch based on that recipe which won a silver medal at the Chicago Cup competition.
This batch turned out well - easy to drink, mostly dry but with an impression of honey sweetness in the finish, a bready malt flavor balanced with a moderate bitterness, and a floral hop aroma and flavor. Some mild English esters that remind me of pears and apples add some complexity and interest to this beer.
The recipe features Challenger and East Kent Goldings hops - typical English hops, which have a very different character than American hops. Hugh and I also used Windsor yeast, an English style yeast that some homebrewers hate, but I think that often stems from misusing the yeast - trying to brew beers for which it is ill-suited. It is highly flocculant, leaving a clear beer, with a nice pleasant English-esters profile and a lower attentuation than many yeasts, leaving a solid malty presence.
https://singingboysbrewing.com/blog/chicago-chorale-pub-ale
