Not to be confused with American Craft Beer Week—which started Monday and is actually confined to a single week—Chicago Craft Beer Week begins Thursday and continues for a week and a half. There’s just too much to cram into seven days, it seems. Really, there are enough events to fill a month or two. Just take a look at the schedule—it’s completely overwhelming. Each day features dozens of events, ranging from discounts to special tappings to all-out festivals. Several promising-sounding events are below, though this list isn’t at all comprehensive. Unless otherwise noted, events are a la carte (as in, you buy whatever beer you’re interested in) and don’t have a cover charge. Not listed are two of the best-sounding events—Beer Under Glass at the Garfield Park Conservatory and Half Acre’s 5th Anniversary Party—because they’re sold out. Most bars haven’t yet specified what they’ll have on tap.
Thu 5/16
Tap This! Drink Local III (6 PM, Fischman Liquors & Tavern, 4780 N. Milwaukee): It doesn’t have quite the lineup of Beer Under Glass, but with 16 local breweries, it’s not bad—and there’ll also be live music and food trucks.
Founders tapping at Northdown Taproom (5 PM, 3244 N. Lincoln) The list of Founders beers here is relatively brief—Doom, Bolt Cutter, KBS, Old Curmudgeon, Breakfast Stout, Pale Ale—but I’d go out of my way for even one of the first three on that list (though they range from 10 to 15 percent ABV, so good luck trying all three of them).