Octobeer Fest Begins 10-4-09!!
Daily this will start with a beer reception from 630-7:15
Dinner starts at 7:30 in David Burkes Primehouse
4 course meal/reception costs $55 per person plus tax and gratuity
Purchase 8 courses (2 separate dinners) for $95
or
Purchase all 16 courses (all 4 seperate dinners) $175
cal 312-660-6000 for reservations
Chef Ricks Homebrew Dinner
October 4, 2009
Reception
Chef Ricks Selection Of Nibbles
Belgian Blond…snow white head, gold color, spice, malt hops & orange essence
Stoned Wheat…seedling farm peach infused wheat beer, zesty aroma
Dinner
Beet Cured Sturgeon
grilled brioche, butter whipped brie & spiced bacon mustard
Working Man Champagne…whipped cream head, golden body, toasted bread aroma, malt, fruits & spicy hops
Shrimp & Chorizo Cake
charred corn & roasted sweet pepper vinaigrette
I-PAC (India Pale Ale With Chamomile)…malt, toffee, caramel apples and floral hops that finish with chamomile
40 Day Dry Aged Slow Roasted Prime Rib
caramelized onion gratin & grilled lobster mushrooms
2 Wood Ale…reddish brown color, sweet aroma, caramel, toasted malt & velvety mouth feel,
started with birch syrup & finished with african mahogany
Sticky Toffee Pudding
chicory creme brulee & chocolate coffee caramel
Mr. Peabody Porter…rich, full bodied, bittersweet, chocolate & coffee
Two Brothers Brewing Beer Dinner
October 5, 2009
Reception
Chef Ricks Selection Of Nibbles
Cane and Ebel…unique red rye beer, full of hop flavor and aroma. 70 pounds of Thai palm sugar is added to each batch which attributes a vanilla-like flavor. A new hop variety call Summit is really showcased in this beer.
Dinner
Seafood Trio
Lump Crab Cake… roasted jalepeno relish
Fried Oysters… homemade pancetta vinaigrette
Chilled Lobster Taco… grilled onions, watercress, lemon crema
Ebel’s Weiss…traditional German Hefeweizen that is naturally unfiltered. It has wonderful malt sweetness and a soft aroma of clove, vanilla, and banana
Blackened Benton Bacon Raviolis
roasted pumpkin, toasted almonds & tuscan kale
Heavy Handed IPA…fall seasonal brewed with freshly harvested hops. Since these “wet hops” have not been dried before use, they add a wonderful character found in no other beer.
Coffee & Spice Crusted Dry 35 Day Dry Aged Sirloin
potato and onion gratin, fait gras, haricot vert
Red Eye Baltic Porter …starts with a 9.3% ABV Imperial Baltic porter recipe that can easily stand on its own. Then we loaded it up with 100% organic, fair trade coffee beans that were roasted about 3 miles from the brewery. The result is a wonderfully rich chocolate and coffee aroma, with nice coffee and black malt flavor, and a soft clean finish
Apple Tarte Tatin
salted caramel ice cream, caramelized puff pastry
Avalon…A spiced ale brewed with pressed apples grown right here in Illinois. The apples and a special blend of mulling spices are introduced into the mashing process. Champagne yeast is then used to create a highly carbonated beer with fruity undertones and a clean, crisp finish
New Holland Beer Dinner
Reception
Chef Ricks Selection Of Nibbles
Golden Cap…saison soft, golden beer with a subtle peppery fermentation profile.
Dinner
Spicy Salmon Gravlox
preserved bok choy, smoked potato pancake, citrus crème fraiche
Mad Hatter…india pale ale that is well balanced beer in terms of aromatics, bitterness and malty-sweetness.
18 Day Dry Aged Tenderloin Medallions
heirloom tomatoes & roasted garlic risotto with black pepper malt syrup
Sundog…classic representation of amber ale’s feature of caramel malt (barley.)
Braised Benton Bacon
celery root puree, grilled onions, mushroom wontons
Charkoota Rye…smoke-forward body is balanced with tones of deep molasses and caramel, with a crisp, clean lager finish.
Gorgonzola cheesecake
balsamic concord grape jam
Dragon’s Milk…Oak-aged Strong Ale/stout: Bourbon barrels lend their help to this deliciously balanced beer. Oak, bourbon, vanilla, roast, chocolate and coffee tones lurk beneath the surface. Extremely versatile, it can lend an earthy complement for mushrooms, beef, or balsamic, and it can also be a hearty counter to big, rich flavors like bleu cheese.
Goose Island Beer Dinner
Reception
Chef Ricks Selection Of Nibbles
Sofie…belgian style ale featuring citrus peal, vanilla, tart and dry
Dinner
Baked Lobster & Chestnuts
shallot confit & 3 sisters coarse cornmeal, roasted corn
Matilda…belgian style ale with a slightly fruity aroma, spicy yeast flavor
Chicken Liver and Crispy Rabbit Ears
cavetelli pasta, poached egg, manchego cheese
Juliet…belgian style ale fermented with wild yeasts and blackberries
Braised Dietzler Farm Beef Shank
parsnip puree, curry, haricot vert & red wine celery slaw
Pere Jacques…fruity malty ale, complex flavor
Cherry Bread Pudding
bourbon walnut caramel, vanilla bean ice cream
Imperial Brown Goose…strong bourbon barrel aged ale, this ale is rich and full flavored with
notes of wood, vanilla, and raisin
Home Brew 101
I love to brew beer, it’s one of my hobbies that is relaxing and has so many tasty rewards!! There are a few ways to brew – extract partial mash or all grain. I brew mostly all grain, there rarely is a reason for me to use an extract unless I’m making a starter for my yeast, or I want to awaken something in second fermentation, plus all grain is wwwwaaaayyyyyyy cheaper! What’s that, really tasty cheap beer; does such a fabulous thing exist? Yep it’s called homebrew.
Beer is made from 4 basic things grains, water, hops and yeast. The grains have been malted in order to extract the proper sugars and starches needed to brew. This is not the barley found on the shelf of the grocery store! Remember like anything in life; the better the quality ingredients the better your final product will come out! I’m lucky to have a top notch home brew supply store so close to my home and the guys that run Perfect Brewing Supply in Libertyville, Illinois always help point me in the right direction. I think that sometimes they wonder where I come up with my crazy beer ideas, hey I’m a chef!! That translates into crazy, rule breaking, tell me I can’t do that and I will prove you wrong 10 times over. Who makes rhubarb Belgian wit, or angry ale with a blend of yeasts strains that probably shouldn’t go together? Yep that’s me and that’s what home brewers do, we help invent the next great batch of beer!
The basic idea of beer is that you steep grains at certain temperatures for extended periods of time like a tea, drain the liquid off and reduce it to a specified amount along with items to clarify and flavor the ”wort” as it is referred to at this stage in beer making. As you see in the picture the grain is just resting in the liquid, which is drained off and boiled with various flavorings etc…
Boiling the wort with hops and any adjuncts.
The wort just before straining and cooling to 70 degrees in less than 20 minutes.
Before I add the yeast it’s important to boost the oxygen in the wort. Shaking the beer for 3 minutes will only achieve 8 parts per million, but who wants to shake 5 gallons of liquid for 3 minutes, not me! If I use my oxygen tank, stone diffuser and some tubing I infuse 15 parts per million in about 45 seconds.
On the left a package of unactivitaed yeast, the packet on the right is ready to go.
Here the wort/yeast mixture has been sealed, fitted with an airlock so co2 escapes and no oxygen can enter. The wort sits for 5-7 days in temperatures generally between 45-75 degrees where it ferments and becomes beer. After this first fermentation I have the option to put it into second fermentation & add more flavorings or depending on the type of beer bottle or keg immediately.
More to come on second fermentation, bottle or keg conditioning, happy brewing!
Rhubeer – Rhubarb Infused Belgian Wit
Rhubeer – in second fermentation, I brewed this for the first Market Mystery Soiree on June 24, 2009
From The Kitchen Of Rick Gresh:
Rhubeer – Rhubarb Infused Belgian Wit
4 ¾ # British 2-row lager malt
4 ½ # Wheat Malt
8 oz Rice Hulls
2 ½ gallons Water mash @ 130°F – 40 minutes
5 gallons Water mash @ 200°F – 50 minutes
5 gallons Water sparge @ 170°F
4 oz Belgian clear candi sugar
25 grams Hallertau Hersbrucker @ 3%
60 minute boil
6 # Rhubarb, washed, unpeeled, chopped
30 minute boil
1 tsp Bitter orange peel
½ tsp Coriander, crushed
1 tsp Irish moss
Boil for 10 min with a 15 minute rest
Wyeast’s 3944 Belgian White Beer Yeast
Add when wort is 70 Degrees
After 7 day first fermentation, place into second fermentation with:
5# rhubarb chopped and cooked in 2 cups water until tender, puree/chinois
Ferment for 10 days.
Strain
Add 5 oz priming sugar for bottling or
Add 1/3 cup priming sugar for keg
Condition @ 70°F for 7 days
Chill and enjoy
Original Gravity 1.09
Final Gravity1.21
DandyID
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