http://www.halfacrebeer.com

One of Chicago’s newest breweries is Half Acre Beer Company. President, Gabriel Magliaro provided me a personal glimpse into the history of the brewery, starting with incorporation in late 2006 through utilizing a contract brewery in WI to eventually opening up their full production brewery earlier this year.  Gabriel used the brewery itself, all of it custom built with equipment purchased mostly from other breweries, such as Ska Brewing Company in Durango, CO, as a backdrop to describe the brewing process along with his personal take on it – from grain to glass.  Along the way, we taste five of the craft brews Half Acre produces all on-site:

Half Acre Gossamer:
With lighter alcohol and body than most craft beers (under 5%), this style of beer is known as a ‘session’ or ‘table’ beer.  Though lighter than the other beers, it did not skimp on flavor, with a hoppy nose – obtained through ‘dry-hopping’ the beer – and a grainy malt underpinning.

Half Acre Lager:
A ‘Munich-style lager’ with a golden brown yellow color and a clean, light malt/noble hop nose.  Its prickly carbonation leads to a pleasantly bitter finish.

Half Acre Over Ale:
Stylistically somewhere between an American Brown Ale and an English Special Bitter, I would simply call it an Amber Ale.  The reddish copper Amber colored beer exudes malty esters with a nutty, toffee-like profile finishing with solid hop bitterness.  Thought the style can vary (intentionally) batch to batch, the beauty in this beer is the balance between malt flavor and hop bitterness.

Half Acre Daisy Cutter:
Half Acre’s version of American Pale Ale is an eminently pleasing beer with some unique hop characteristics.  The evident haze is testament to the dry-hopping and light, if any, filtration this beer undergoes.  Also indicating some extra hop addition is the persistent head that remains through to the bottom of the glass.  A piney, floral hop nose is reflected in the clean palate with a seamless transition from the nose to the palate and straight through the finish.

Half Acre Big Hugs Imperial Stout:
ChicaGourmets were amongst the first to sample this massive stout.  The lifted nose (thanks to about 10%ABV) and palate were swirling with complex roasty/toasty aromas and flavors of toffee, mocha, chocolate and chestnut with slightly smoky notes.  The (not so) secret ingredient in the brewing process is the late addition of Dark Matter Coffee.  Dark Matter, specialty coffee bean roasters, tasted the fermenting beer and put together a special blend of 7 different beans, using 5 different roasting procedures.  Instead of overwhelming the beer, the coffee helps bring out and integrates with the unique aromas and flavors only found the heavily roasted malts used to produce this style of beer.

Stop by at their newly opened tasting room and retail shop to say ‘hi’ to Gabriel and try, as well as purchase, the rotating array of fresh, hand-crafted Half Acre beers – several of which are only available on-site at 4257 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago IL 773.248.4038.

By Lee Schlesinger
rls@winesellersltd.com

http://www.eaglerockbrewery.com

Father and son team, Steven and Jeremy Raub have been home brewing for 7 years before making the jump into starting a brewery in the Los Angeles area.  A city not known for making it easy on brewing entrepreneurs.  But they persevered (you can read the entire saga on their blog) and now they are open and ready to fulfill their mission statement with “the production of unique artisanal beers using the best ingredients to promote the ongoing development of the beer community in Los Angeles.”

Their microbrewery is attached to a tap-room, which just opened to the public with weekend hours. They want the space to be a venue where “fellow beer lovers can gather to relax, refresh, and enjoy our unique beers.”

They currently brew three craft beers with more in the works (including a bock made for the newly opened beer bar, The Surly Goat and a coffee beer too)

Manifesto – a Belgian-style witbier. A light wheat base spiced with coriander and citrus peel and rose petals.  Locally sourced from the Raub’s garden.

Revolution – an Extra Pale Ale (XPA) a bright and refreshing take on the pale with a substantial hop presence.

Solidarity – a British mild.  Akin to a schwarzbier or a black lager. Roasty yet not heavy.  My personal favorite.

Review submitted by Sean Inman

www.beersearchparty.com

Overall Rating: Excellent
Atmosphere: Excellent
Beer: Excellent

My visit to the Sweetwater Brewery was in a single word, unbeatable!

For an $8 cover, you receive a Sweetwater pint glass and a handful of beer tickets to fill your glass.  The tour itself is free and is simply a short walk through the brewery with an explanation of the history and background of the company.  The tour guide was quirky and had a very dry sense of humor, which made for a great experience.  There were several excellent beers on tap, most of them very cleverly named (see their website above for details).

In addition to the great beer and informational tour, about halfway through our visit a live band began playing on the outside patio.  Live music, beer and great company made for an excellent visit to the Sweetwater Brewery.  I would highly recommend making the trip if you are anywhere near the Atlanta area.

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As a lifelong Braves fan, I had yearned to visit Turner Field for many years.  Watching the Braves play in person was not new to me, as I have seen them in Houston a few times.  However, watching them play on their turf was a completely new experience!  The goosebumps were definitely in full effect as they announced the starting lineup…

Earlier on game day, I went on the Turner Field Tour, which was fantastic.  Definitely worth the money if you have the time.  The tour guide was a passionate Braves fan and it was evident throughout his information sharing.  We were able to walk through the press boxes, down onto the field and even into the Braves dugout!  I along with many others on the tour took a picture standing in Bobby Cox’s favorite spot where the wood has been replaced multiple times from the wear of his cleats.

Also, outside the gates of Turner Field is a 2-D representation of the previous Braves stadium, with the baselines mimicked with bricks and the record breaking homerun of Hank Aaron memorialized.  This was impressive to see and the fact that the Braves’ past is still visible to visitors is an indication of how much the history of the team means to the city.

The first game, I was in the “Bobby Cox” seats.  $6 tickets with a great view of the stadium from the top level can’t be beat.  We were told on the tour that there are still a handful of $1 seats, available only at the ticket office right before game time.  For our second game, we had seats behind the Braves dugout, so I was able to experience the game from two perspectives.  I was also able to witness both a win and a loss, so I left with balanced feelings.

And although the Braves ended the season on a low note, out of the playoffs, I still remain a lifelong Braves fan and will absolutely visit their home again soon.

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]]> http://ballparksandbreweries.com/?feed=rss2&p=39 0 http://ballparksandbreweries.com/?p=33 http://ballparksandbreweries.com/?p=33#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:20:07 +0000 admin http://ballparksandbreweries.wordpress.com/?p=33 The New Alex Box  Stadium – Baton Rouge, LA
LSU vs. UCF – February 28th, 2009

This blog will focus on major league stadiums, but since this is the inaugural season for The New Alex Box Stadium, I had to post a review to support my LSU tigers…

From the moment I saw the stadium as we walked from the car, I knew it would be a special place.  The original Alex Box was built in 1938 and hosted 5 National Championship teams and 13 SEC Championship teams.  It has done its duty and can now honorably retire from service.  The new stadium boasts a Hall of Fame (not completed yet), grand concession stands with a huge menu, a souvenier shop, two fantastic children’s play areas and 9,200 seats for its fans!

Stats comparing the original Box with the new stadium can be found here:  http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=177194

In addition to the above, The New Alex Box stadium provides a spectactular view of the LSU football stadium, which definitely serves as an intimidation factor.  Overall, this stadium makes me very happy – I have tickets to three more games this season and I am truly ecstatic about each experience.  The food is great, the atmosphere is unexplainable and the overall design of the stadium is perfect.  There are no bad seats in the house and everyone that even remotely likes baseball will have a great time watching the Tigers play.

CLICK HERE FOR PICS

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