Tickets On Sale For Winter Brew on North Side

Tickets go on sale Monday for a North Side event that sold out in just two weeks last year. Winter Brew combines a home brewing competition, local breweries and food. 

More than 500 people attended the inagural evening at the Dank Haus in 2011. Due to a bigger showing than expected, organizer Rich Forsythe is breaking the event into two parts this year.

“It was a really busy day but we’ve expanded and learned from it, it was a big success, but people were overwhelmed from it,” he said.

Winter Brew will again be at the Dank Haus with an afternoon and evening session on Feb. 9.

Winners of the home brewing competition will be announced at the afternoon session from 2 to 5 p.m. The evening session runs from 7 to 10 p.m.

Six local breweries and Koval Distillery will join food from The Grafton Pub and Fountainhead.

Tickets are $10 and can be bought starting at 10 a.m. on Monday.

For this year's home brewing competition, entries are also capped at 200, rather than more than 300 entries in 2011. Brewers can enter their pride in 86 categories ranging from Blonde Ale to Belgian Dark. Each entry costs $10 and requires two 12-ounce capped bottles.

Winter Brew is the creation of the Square Kegs Home Brew Club and Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce. Forsythe said the group started from a chamber meeting where someone suggested a beer event in addition to the bi-annual wine strolls. 

Forsythe said he knew several home brewers in the neighborhood, but no organized events or clubs.

“Craft beer is hot, our neighborhood is kind of a hotbed for it and it’s just the right time, right place, right idea,” he said.

Click here to buy tickets for Winter Brew.