Beer Meetup: So Much Fun, We'll Do It Again
Craft beer, local food fans, community — best day out ever?
Saturday’s Beer Meetup at Cultivate by Forbidden Root was the first event of its kind that Local Food Forum has thrown. This brought out my FONSU — Fear of Nobody Showing Up
I am happy to report that this concern was unwarranted… big time. In fact, 20 of us crowded into the Malt Row brewup in the Ravenswood neighborhood. Great botanical beers were consumed, lively conversation went on for hours, and I’m quite certain I saw new friendships being made.
Special thanks to:
* Amy Bartucci, who recruited several colleagues from Village Farmstand and Illinois Stewardship Alliance to join the party,
* Marty Thomas of Kakadoodle Farm in south suburban Frankfort, who had surplus eggs — yes, folks, some small local farms have more than enough eggs — and brought them for everyone to grab and go at the end of the event,
* And personal friends and partners who are not (currently) working in local food who got a better perspective about why we go on about how awesome the local food community is.
Among the topics discussed were Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards, run by Mike Nowak; Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s 2023 state legislative agenda (Amy Bartucci displayed a flyer); Jody and Beth Osmund’s Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa, Illinois, which is a Meat CSA and does most of its drops at brewpubs, which I think is just brilliant; Girl Beer, a documentary about women in brewing, then and now, touted by Christie Schuessler; and the mystery novels written by guest Shawn Wilson.
If you’d like to contact any of them, give a shout to bob@localfoodforum.com and I’ll connect you.
For the record, the beers I enjoyed were Monkey Socks, a fruited wild ale (6.0% alcohol by volume); Long Time Listener, a sour ale (5.5% ABV); and Ghost Tropic, a double IPA (8.2% ABV).
When’s the Next One?
Saturday’s “beta test” for Local Food Forum meetups went swell, so we’re sure as heck going to do it again and hopefully again and again.
First I have to figure out the timing. Getting space in brewpubs (at least the ones with televisions) on a weekend in March will be pretty much impossible because it’s college basketball tournament time. Then Passover and Easter are in early April., as is CPS spring break.
So I’m thinking maybe Saturday, April 15? If that sounds good, I think I’ll call it the Untaxing Beer Meetup.
Where’s the Next One?
Haven’t thought this through yet. So I’m open to suggestion.
If you have a favorite brewpub that can accommodate a large group, let me know. Better, if you own or work with a brewpub that’s willing to put some tables together, let me know.
I am guessing that if 20 folks came out on a cold February day, we may need a bigger boat, I mean brewpub, for the next one.
Meanwhile, thanks again to everyone who participated. It really made my weekend.
Great times!