Chicago Craft Beer Week is a bit of a misnomer. Its hundreds of events don’t fit into just seven days. There are beer dinners and specials, tap takeovers, and collaborative releases at bars and restaurants around Chicago (and extending into the suburbs, which boast plenty of breweries these days). Things kick off tomorrow with Beer Under Glass and conclude a week from Saturday with the Welles Park Craft Beer Fest.
Below are ten good bets; a full list is available on the CCBW website. There’s also an app this year that allows users to search for events by neighborhood, date, or distance from their current location. (And just in time, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has released a nicely done video called “A State of Growth,” which explores the expansion of five local craft breweries: Begyle, Brickstone, Half Acre, Haymarket, and Spiteful.)
Thursday 5/19
Beer Under Glass, always one of the best beer events of the year, is easily the standout event of CCBW, boasting more than 90 breweries pouring their creations in and around Garfield Park Conservatory. 6:30-9:30 PM, 300 N. Central Park, $60 for general admission (VIP sold out)
Friday 5/20
The awkwardly named yet intriguing QuadrUnicornucopia is a collaboration between Star Lounge, Co-op Sauce, and Pipeworks Brewing; a five-course meal will be paired with Pipeworks beers including Coffee Cherry Truffle Abduction Russian Imperial Stout, a coffee double IPA, and a passionfruit pale ale (which will debut at the event). 7-10 PM, Star Lounge, 773-384-7827, 2521 W. Chicago, $60
DryHop releases its third annual Women of DryHop beer, She Sells Sea Salt—an American farmhouse ale brewed with hibiscus flowers and sea salt. It’s the first in a series of new releases from DryHop and Corridor over the next week, including collaborations with Big Star, 5 Rabbit, Penrose, and Broken Nose Cider. 6 PM, DryHop Brewers, 3155 N. Broadway, 773-857-3155, no cover
Saturday 5/21
Burnt City Brewing (formerly Atlas Brewing) hosts its fourth annual Beer Prom and Steampunk Ball, which will include a steampunk costume contest with prizes and the release of Pearadise City, a sour pear saison brewed in collaboration with Penrose Brewing. 9 PM, 2747 N. Lincoln, 773-295-1270, no cover
Sunday 5/22
Goose Island’s annual Battle of the Breweries Dodgeball Tournament at its barrel warehouse also features specialty beers including two Bourbon County Stout variations (raspberry and Regal Rye), Ferme La Mure blackberry saison, and an apple cider kombucha. All proceeds go to the Special Olympics, and tickets include five beer tokens. 2-6 PM, Goose Island Barrel Warehouse, 603 N. Sacramento, $25
Monday 5/23
Huge Ass Beer Night at Sheffield’s could probably use a hyphen—it’s about huge-ass beers, not huge asses. And it’s quite a line-up: Founders Kentucky Bourbon Stout, Surly Darkness, Goose Island Proprietor’s Bourbon County Stout, Ballast Point Barrel-Aged Victory at Sea, Lagunitas High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout, and Firestone Walker XVI Anniversary Release. There’s a limit of one of each beer per person. 7 PM, 3258 N. Sheffield, 773-281-4989, no cover
Tuesday 5/24
The fifth annual South of 80 celebrates beer brewed below Interstate 80, with 31 beers from seven southern Illinois breweries (plus Saint Louis brewery 4 Hands): Old Bakery, Scratch, Main Street, Rolling Meadows, Iron Spike, Bent River, and Triptych. 7 PM, the Green Lady, 3328 N. Lincoln, 773-525-5571, no cover
Thursday 5/26
Work by the artists who created many local craft beer labels will be on display in the Village Tap beer garden for the Art of Craft Beer. Beer from the featured breweries (including Off Color, Pipeworks, Three Floyds, and Aquanut) will also be available. 5-10 PM, 2055 W. Roscoe, 773-883-0817, no cover
Local breweries set up shop at participating bars for the Northwest Side Craft Beer Ride, in which several buses shuttle participants from one stop to the next. Bars include the Garage, Fischman Liquors & Tavern, Hops & Barley, and Windsor Tavern; participants can start at any location. Beer is not included in the ticket price. 6 PM, various locations, $20
Saturday 5/28
The closing event for CCBW, the Welles Park Craft Beer Fest, features dozens of beer tents serving samples in the Lincoln Square green space. VIP tickets include early admission, access to a tent with specialty pours, and a $10 voucher for the trucks that will be selling food. 1-5 PM (noon for VIP ticket holders), 2333 W. Sunnyside, $60, $80 VIP