Now Pouring a Good Time: Winter Brew 2013 Gets Rave Reviews

More than 1,200 people took down almost 45 kegs in a celebration of local beer and food on Saturday. Winter Brew, organized by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and the Square Kegs Home Brew Club, served a sold-out crowd for the second year in a row. 

Six breweries poured more than 20 beers with cocktails from Koval Distillery and food from Fountainhead and The Grafton Pub. 

Winter Brew took over two floors at the DANK Haus, including a special tap room that rarely saw a line less than 20 people.

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“Beeries? Is that a word? I guess we’re the beer equivalent of foodies,” said Lindsay Bartlett from Northcenter, who was waiting in line for a specialty beer. 

Bartlett and her friend Scott Burton from Ravenswood came to Winter Brew this year for the first time. Burton said he was especially excited to try Begyle Brewing Company, a new brewery in Ravenswood. 

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive response,” said Matt Ritchey, Begyle’s head brewer. “We’ve seen people with a lot of beer knowledge, not ones that are just here to drink, but have a lot of questions.” 

The area’s newest brewery, which got licensed in the summer, brought 10 kegs to the festival. 

But the event wasn’t just for established breweries. In the afternoon, the winners of the home brew competition were announced. More than 200 beers were entered and judged on Jan. 26 in various categories. 

“It’s keeping the focus on local, local, local. We want to promote these people who have started businesses in or near the community that went from brewing a batch here and there,” Chamber Director Rudy Flores said. 

Winter Brew is one of the chamber’s biggest fundraisers of the year, with three months of pre-planning involved.

Flores said the money made from Winter Brew will go toward free community events like Apple Fest and the summer concert series.