Pitchfork 2014 started with a pre party at Goose Island’s production facility and Barrel Showcase Room. Madame Rose, SVE, Haila and Gillian were the featured beers.
Pitchfork is probably the summer music fest we look forward to the most every year. The 3 day, internationally recognized event run by Pitchfork Media invites over 40 bands and 50,000 attendees to Union Park on the Near West Side every July.
Goose Island for the second year in a row has complimented the affair with an impressive list of choice selections from their Fulton & Wood catalog. GI also releases a pair of beers made specifically for Pitchfork. One is brewed with the staff, and the other with a festival artist. The end result is a beer and music experience on a level we don’t see often around these parts.
Before heading to the 10th Annual celebration we spend 5 good minutes with singer-songwriter Sharon Von Etten. The Clinton, NJ native is known to take a shot a whiskey with her band before a gig, and enjoys red wine on most other occasions. The SVE Kölsch journey began when a huge fan of her work – Goose Sr. Barrel Program Mgr, Eric Ponce discovered she would be performing this year. After a series of emails and phone calls Eric took a flight to watch Sharon perform at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. The pair had a meeting after the show and decided a proper festival beer was in order. As they mention in the attached video, the goal was to create something delicate and refreshing. An outdoor, summer beer that wont get you wasted before the show even starts. (Video courtesy of Ken Hunnemeder at Goose Island).
The Original Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub was 1 of the 14 food vendors in attendance for the weekend.
The rotating taplist is just as much a highlight as the music lineup. Goose has been the beer sponsor the last 2 years. Here’s the list of beers they’ve tapped during that time.
2013 Pitchfork Taplist
3p) Honkers Ale
English Style Bitter 4.3%
4p) 25th Anniversary Ale
Collaboration between Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter, Senior Brewer Keith Gabbett, Pub Brewmaster Nick Barron and Alumni Brewmaster Greg Hall 6.4%
5p) Golden Goddess
German-style Kölsch infused with the Intelligentsia’s black oolong tea Iron Goddess of Mercy. 4.6%
Pitchfork 2013*
6P) Dark Traveler
Munich Dunkel Lager 5.4%
7p) Nut Brown Ale
A classic in every sense of the word. 2 time World Beer Cup Gold Medal Winner for American Style Brown Ale (’06 & ’10) uses 4 different malts and English Fuggle Hops. The Victory malt is actually named after Victor Ecimovic – Goose Island Clybourn’s Original Brewmaster. Uncle Dave (our guy Dave Tohtz) will tell you, get at snifter fill it with 3 parts Nut Brown, 1 part Bourbon County Stout and find yourself in a winning situation.
8p) The Illinois
Imperial IPA inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s grandiose vision for a mile-high skyscraper dubbed “The Illinois Dry Hopped with Cascade, Meridian, and Citra. 9%
9p) Matilda
Belgian Style Ale brewed as an homage to Orval. Names after the Countess who lost her wedding ring near the Orval monastery. 7%
All Day Beers
Forcone
Amarillo Pale Ale in honor of Pitchfork Music Festival of 2013, Goose Island brewed a beer with some members of the Pitchfork staff. 5%
Run The Jewels
Collab between Goose and Pitchfork performers Killer Mike and El-P,Run the Jewels is also the name of Killer Mike and El-P’s album .4 different hops make an appearance in this beer Centennial, Trisket, Cascade, 72-72 and Citra. This was easily our favorite local release of 2013. 5.4%
Cta Green Line- Ashland stop
2014 Pitchfork Taplist
1p) The Illinois
2p) Green Line
Green Line Pale Ale is available on draft only in Chicago to help cut down on packaging waste and reduce the impact from refrigerating and transporting beer over long distances. Liberty, Amarillo, Simcoe and Columbus Hops 5%
3p) Rasselbock
Roggenbier- a German style Dark, Rye, Wheat beer 6.8%
4p) Devon Ave.
Spiced Pale Ale brewed with amchoor, cardamom, ajowan, along with chai tea from David’s Tea in Canada. 5.2%
5p) The Ogden
Dry Hopped Belgian Tripel
William Ogden opened Chicago’s first brewery. He was also the city’s first mayor. 9%
6p) Honkers Ale
7p) Matilda
SVE Kolsch
Sr Barrel Program Mgr, Eric Ponce and Sharon Van Etten at the Goose Barrel Showcase room before her kick ass set during day 1 of Pitchfork .
the Missed Connections board was pretty neat. You could use a typewriter to post messages for your friends to connect with *
8p) Sofie
Belgian Farmhouse Ale
Wine barrel aged Saison with hand-zested orange peel 6.5%
9p) Endless IPA
Session IPA. Amarillo Hops. 5%
All Day Beers
Recommended
Pilsner collaboration with Pitchfork staff members 4.8%
SVE
Kölsch collaboration with Pitchfork performer Sharon Van Etten 5%
–Nkosi
*denotes photo courtesy of Joseph Harvey from illfotos.net
Recommended Pilsner brewed to commemorate Pitchfork Music Festival July 18—20 / ’14 • Chicago
