- I think that’s the Side Project apricot sour, La Fosse.
The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer set another record in its 12th year, fielding more than 275 entries—a jump of more than 60 from 2013’s lineup. (Those of you who need a FOBAB primer can consult either of my two previous Beer and Metal columns on the festival.) This year it moved to the UIC Forum and added a Friday-night session on top of the usual pair of Saturday sessions, but in its other particulars FOBAB remained the cavalcade of amazing beer-related ridiculousness that Chicago’s nerds have come to know and love.
- The UIC Forum is a little short on ambience.
August Schell Brewing from New Ulm, Minnesota, aged two of its three beers in cypress foudres, including one of the best things I drank during the lucid portion of my afternoon: a strong Berliner weisse called Dawn of Aurora, which practically glowed with a sprightly, pungent blend of cypress (like a sour, earthy cedar) and tart cherry. (It was an especially pleasant surprise considering I’d never tried an August Schell beer before.) Temperance Beer cellared its Might Meets Right imperial stout in a barrel that High West had used to age its Boulevardier cocktail, and won itself a bronze in the “Experimental” category.
I did the same for Lake Effect’s silver medalist, Cerise de Michigan (a Belgian blonde aged in cabernet barrels with sour cherries), as well as for Off Color‘s Papillon (aka I Can Do This Too, Cory King), a wild ale aged in gin barrels. Papillon took the gold in “Wild/Brett,” and it carries on the brewery’s tradition of teasing industry friends at FOBAB—Cory King is the wild-ale wizard who runs Side Project.
