In previous years Goose Island would invite the media to the Goose Island Barrel Warehouse on the west side of Chicago, where they would taste through all of the variants of Bourbon County. Obviously this year, things looked different. Instead of meeting in person, they sent out tasting kits and did a virtual tasting over Zoom with Goose Island President Todd Ahsmann, Brewmaster Keith Gabbett, R&D Manager Mike Siegel and Senior Brand Manager Mike Smith. While the setting was different, the beers were still the star of the show, and this year they absolutely did not disappoint.
Also if you are looking to stay updated on how to get your hands on this year’s Bourbon County CLICK HERE
Happy Pi Day!!! To celebrate we made a KBS French Silk Pie, and now that KBS is available year-round, so can you! Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped bitter chocolate)
24 large marshmallows
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup KBS
1/3 cup heavy cream or evaporated or condensed skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ready-made butter-cookie-crumb or graham-cracker pie crust
Place chocolate chips, marshmallows, and salt in a medium bowl.
In two separate saucepans, heat Stout and heavy cream until very hot but not boiling. (Don’t heat them together in one container, or the cream will curdle.)
Pour the Stout and cream over the chocolate and marshmallows and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently whisk together to thoroughly blend. Add the vanilla and bourbon (if using), continuing to whisk until very smooth.
Pour the mixture into the crust and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or until firm.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons premium bourbon
In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft mounds form. Gradually add sugar, whipping until cream forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in bourbon. Chill until ready to serve.
And Finally the most important step. DIG IN!!!
The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder and the holiday season is here. This is a season filled with office holiday parties, family get togethers, Christmas themed bars or cold nights in binging Netflix. But, this is also the season of some of our favorite styles of beer and we wanted to highlight a few of our favorites.
Moody Tongue, opened in 2014 by Jared Rouben, has always had a culinary focus to their beer, but now they can finally bring the food to match! Moody Tongue has just opened their new brewery which is located in the South Loop. Boasting a dining room with a full 12 course tasting menu from Michelin star head chef Jared Wentworth, a separate area for the 26 tap bar and a-la-cart menu and a much expanded brewing space hosting over 300 different barrels for aging and much expanded brewing equipment from the previous location. When asked about when Rouben knew it was time to find a new location he said “We knew we were growing out of the old space when we hit capacity. It got to a point in our business where we ran out of space to put tanks and barrels and we wanted to make more beer and different styles of beer and so we needed a new home. We were fortunate to find a new home that allows us to put in a kitchen and to put chef Jared Wentworths’ skills to great work.”
Bourbon County season is finally here and this years lineup is shaping up to be one for the books. With Prop Day and Black Friday fast approaching we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to this year’s Bourbon County lineup. Every year’s Bourbon County release seems to be more ambitious than the previous, with this year being no exception. Whether you are a barrel aged purist or someone looking for unique flavor variants, this year’s release truly has something for everybody.
Kombucha has been around for a very long time, originating hundreds of years ago in northeast Asia. Over time, the drink grew in popularity in Europe, and made its way over the ocean to here in America. Its fizzy contents and good-for-you ingredients like probiotics and green tea cultures made it an instant hit in health circles across the world. However, did you know that kombucha on its own contains a bit of alcohol? Less than a half of a percent in most cases, but there’s a new brewery that aims to take that to the next level.
Juneshine, out of sunny San Diego, seeks to travel down that effervescent road. Originally started out of a garage in California, JuneShine took the kombucha scene by storm and now they landed here in Chicago!
We sat down with JuneShine and asked a few questions about their history, what makes them tick, how they compare to other craft breweries and why they chose the Chicago scene!