Chicagoland Brewpub Shootout 2010

The 12th Annual Chicagoland Brewpub & Microbrewery Shootout was held on Saturday January 23, 2010 at the newly renovated Erin room at the Irish-American Heritage Center in Chicago, Illinois. Nobody ever seems to post the results, so I took the liberty. Personally I feel that while Rock Bottom North & South took away 1st place plaques for both food and pairing, they always win something, so really it's too expected. They have the resources to make the best beer and food possible, so it would be shocking if they didn't win something. On the other hand I think Flossmoor Station really came out well, earning two separate plaques for beer and pairing, meaning their beer (which is what the competition is really all about) was better than the Rock Bottom's, who didn't win any straight beer awards. Additionally, Gordon Biersch seemed to have gotten the shaft, going away with zero awards for what I thought was a very tasty pairing, especially their Marzen, which I love. New comers this year were Half Acre (yes, I know, they don't really have a brewpub, but we enjoyed having them regardless) as well as Revolution Brewing (again, no official brewpub location, yet) and Lucky Monk.

Results

Best Food
1st: Rock Bottom North & South - Boneless short rib
2nd: Lucky Monk - Pork Shoulder Sandwich
3rd: Rock Bottom East & West - Thai Banh Boa Belly

Best Beer
1st: America's Brewery (Walter Payton's Roundhouse) - Bourbon Fass Bavarian Gerste Wein
2nd: Flossmoor Station - Dry-hopped Panama Limited Red Ale
3rd: Goose Island - Frankenporter

Best Pairing
1st: Rock Bottom North & South - Boneless short rib and Fallen Angel Belgian Dubbel
2nd: Flossmoor Station - bacon wrapped shrimp with slaw and Dry-hopped Panama Limited Red Ale
3rd: Brickstone Brewing - Mini Filet Mignon Sliders and Hop Injection IPA

Copy of the program with my notes.