It's that time of year once again when all of Chicago comes to together to celebrate our exploding beer scene and test the limits of the liver's ability to regrow itself. That's right, Chicago Craft Beer Week is back at us! We've got a jam packed schedule for the next 11 days bringing you some awesome events. We know there is so much going on, but we do hope to see you at one or two of these great events.

Without further adieu...

Thursday, May 19th
Beer Under Glass - This is the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild fundraiser and festival that takes place at Garfield Park. It looks to be a beautiful night so come on out and enjoy it.

Saturday, May 21st
Roast & Prost - It's bonfire season again and to kick things off this year we teamed up with Man-B-Que and She's Crafty. The Man-B-Que guys are cooking a whole pig, there's some brisket being smoked & you're encouraged to bring more food and beer to share. IBW will be pouring beer all night. And, when the sun goes down, we'll have a fire while Hungryman & the Columbines fill our earholes with the music. The event is totally free and sold out already. We are releasing a VERY limited number of tickets Friday at noon.

Sunday, May 22nd
Haywood Craft Beer Week Brunch with Illuminated Brew Works - come work off the hangover from the night before with 3 beers from IBW. We'll be pouring our Belgian Extra Pale Ale, Hasselhopf as well as two very rare barrel aged beers: Unchristian Thoughts, a farmhouse ale aged on Templeton Rye Barrels & refermented on mangoes & Redrum, a blend of a light and dark farmhouse aged on a Heaven Hill barrel and refermented on crandberries and cherries. Chef Rodney Staton will be creating a couple dishes to pair with the beer including Smoked Brisket Frito-quiles & Boudin Blanc Sausage with Scrambled Egg, Mustard Sauce. Awesome.

Sunday Service @ Saint Lou's Assembly - After you finish brunch it's time to maintain that swervy buzz with some bocce ball and FREE Orange Sunshine over at Saint Lou's! You have to RSVP at the link above to get the free beer so don't snooze on that. Get some bocce ball practice in, settle down, unpack and let's waste away the summer.

Monday, May 23rd
IBW Rare Beers Night @ The General Logan Square - Celebrate CCBW2016 at one of the finest Honky Tonk bars this side of the Manson/Nixon line, The General! IBW will be pouring Orange Sunshine aged on a Templeton Rye Barrel, Unchristian Thoughts, a farmhouse ale aged on Templeton Rye Barrels & refermented on mangoes & Redrum, a blend of a light and dark farmhouse aged on a Heaven Hill barrel and refermented on crandberries and cherries. The General will also be pouring their house beer, a black saison collab we did with them made with black cardamom and black strap mollases, 40 Rounds and also our veritable favorite farmhouse Ed's Legs. And, as if that isn't enough Cochinos y los Pistoleros is playing a free set. Holy shit, what a way to ruin your week before it even gets started!

Tuesday, May 24th
Beermiscous Belgian Beer Night - Come by Beermiscuous where they'll be pouring beers from Belgian-inspired breweries from around Chicago including IBW, Une Anee & Penrose Brewing.

Thursday, May 26th
Self-Distribution Night @ Kaiser Tiger's - Kaiser Tiger is celebrating independent brewer's who are un-straddled by a distributor. We'll be running 4 of Kaiser's taps with: Fnord (7.4% Wit), 2 Headed Dog (6.3% Extra Special Bitter), Unchristian Thoughts (farmhouse aged on Templeton barrel and refermented on mangoes) & a very rare Ed's Legs on Nitro.

Saturday, May 28th
Welles Park Beer Festival - The city's largest craft beer "party in the park" will be hosted within beautiful Welles Park. Located in the growing and prospering 47th Ward, Welles Park a 15-acre park is located in the heart of Lincoln Square at Lincoln and Montrose Avenues. Festivities will commence with a VIP event beginning at 12:00pm, and General Admission running between 1:00pm to 5:00pm. The Welles Park Craft Beer Fest (WPCBF) will offer a VIP hour to kick off the day, which includes $10 in food tickets provided by participating 47th Ward vendors, and two VIP tents featuring specialty pours by sponsors, soon to be announced.
General Admission tickets will be pre-sold for $60. If still available, General Admission tickets will be available at the door for $70.

There you have it. Some pretty great events all week long. An intense schedule sure, but we can do it. Let's all just stay focused on the fun here, folks.

Ready the back bacon and the spicy sausage. Get the egss in order. Lock & load the ibuprofren and the rescue bourbon. Now, there may be times this week where you think it hurts too much to continue, but trust us, like most problems in the world, nothing will extinguish that foolish itch like another delicious & cold beer. We believe in you. We know you know how to properly celebrate this great city and all it's great beer.