The great and terrible thing about Chicago Craft Beer Week (Thursday May 19, through Friday, May 27) is that there are so many good options. This is awesome because there’s something for everyone. You will not lack opportunities for drinking great beer in good company at any point during the week. On the other hand, this is deeply problematic because, unless you’ve harnessed cloning technology for your personal use in time for Thursday, you’re guaranteed to miss out on some great events. It takes a lot of planning to get the most out of your time, and that’s time you could spend drinking great beer. So I’ve taken all the guess work out of putting together a hell of a weeklong celebration for you.  You can’t go wrong with these events. Try to make it to as many of these as possible while keeping your day job. Good luck!

You’ll even find some events listed here that are not part of the sanctioned Chicago Craft Beer Week program. There are even more awesome events that didn’t make the cut that I’m making available here for download (in PDF), courtesy Wesley Phillips at Windy City Distribution. You can also find a list of unofficial events here, which @beerinator is compiling and trying to make as complete as possible. Half Acre, Metropolitan, and the Beer Bistro have all published individual lists, while I’m sure there are more out there and even more events on Facebook. That said, keep your eyes open.

And here we go. Here’s the Chitown On Tap guide to can’t-miss events during Chicago Craft Beer Week. You’re welcome. [Read more...]