• We intended to write a post this week on making our own tomato sauce as something to do with all the tomatoes in our garden, but we never got around to it. As you can see, it's pretty easy to do, and if you click here you'll see the recipe we used. We ran the sauce through a food mill to give it a coarse texture and remove excess water with the intent of using it for pizza. 'Course, when we bake (or grill) one, we'll let you know.


• Thanks to Ann Flaharty (who gave us one of the June Reader's Choice "BotW" selections) for hipping us to this event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation next Thursday. The CFF will be making their "Festive-Ale: A Celebration of Beer" an annual event. Although the list of beers is fairly cookie cutter, the proceeds are going toward a worthy cause.


• Odyssey and Mystic Blue Cruise Lines are offering a full slate of brunch, lunch, dinner, and moonlight cruises on Lake Michigan this weekend. The cruises leave from Navy Pier; check out the times and prices here. For more information, call Odyssey at 888-957-2322 and Mystic Blue at 877-299-7854.


• Violet Hour jefe Toby Maloney is getting reams of press these days, but he's neither the first nor last person in town to infuse spirits, rectify his own cordials and bitters, and create well-thought out, impeccably crafted cocktails. Adam Seger of Nacional 27 and Osteria via Stato fame sent us this recipe for baconcello, just in time for the harvest season. Bacon and vodka: enough said.

Last week we were part of a “whiskey dinner” at David Burke’s Primehouse with Martin Duffy, a "master of whisk(e)y" for the liquor holding company Diageo. Mr. Duffy's specialty is focusing on the classic malts of Scotland: Talisker, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Cragganmore, Oban, Clynelish, Caol Ila and Lagavulin. At the time, whiskey and steak seemed like a common-sense pairing to us, if not cliché. The dinner, which started off lovely with a delightful amuse bouche and easy conversation, became downright interesting when Mr. Duffy pulled out a bottle of ten-year-old Talisker to pair with the oysters that came as part of Primehouse’s chilled shellfish castle. The question was asked if whiskey could pair well with seafood. We were about to find out.

A month ago a friend of ours landed a job tending bar at Skylark. He's opening the place a couple days a week, and while it isn't the most ideal shift, it is a job. Since Skylark isn't far from our stomping grounds, we decided to pay him a visit, the possibility of maybe one free beer in the offing in the back of our mind.

He saw us enter, took stock of the draft selections, and sized us up again. "What up there haven't you had?" were the first words from his mouth. We pondered the taps for a moment, spotted the beer that drew our interest the last time we were in Skylark, and ordered a Boont Amber Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Mendocino County, California. Skylark regulars will remember that once upon a time the place — like many around the city — was a Bell's bar. Specifically, Skylark did some pretty good business with Bell's Amber. Boont Amber is sticky sweet, with lots of malt and citrus, and some good bitterness from the hops. It poured a dark orange in color, with a rocky head that brought out a warm caramel to the nose. The finish was slightly sour and lingered. As with most beers at Skylark, it was a perfect pair with their tater tots. In the end, this was a beer worth paying for, which was exactly what we did (and the following beer after that).

Should you not want to trek all the way down to Skylark to try this beer, Sam's Wine and Spirits lists Boont Amber for around $9.50 a six-pack on their website. Pricey? Hell, yeah. We also find it to be worth every penny and a good introduction to the full line of Anderson Valley products. However, we'd rather enjoy this beer while a dear old friend holds court, spinning old country and vintage R&B while he tries to develop a customer base two nights a week. Friends and acquaintances alike will find Boont Amber ale, Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week," to be an ideal social lubricant.

Scott Harney must have been very very good in a previous life. Well, that is, if you believe in that sort of thing. How else do you explain having a job where you have to spend—emphasis on the have to—large amounts of time eating high-end chocolate and cheese, followed by drinking lots of very good wine? Okay, we know that his job as wine director at Eno also involves doing some work-like tasks, too, but we’re sure even he would admit he’s got a sweet deal.

Fortunately, Harney’s willing to share his hard-earned wine, cheese and chocolate knowledge—stints at BIN 36, Signature Room, Dine, among others—to others at weekly classes at EnoVersity. Every Monday night from 6 to 7 pm, a small group of ‘students’ take over the back room at this year-old spot in the InterContinental Hotel for some wine talk and, natch, drinking. The new classes are informal but well thought out, and include not only samples of wine, but cheeses, charcuterie and chocolate to match the night’s theme, not a bad deal for $25 (if the class has whet your whistle for more, you’ll get 15 percent off all purchases, both retail and service, that evening).

Chicagoist attended Eno’s class on Tuscan wines and learned a bit about the area’s history, as well as details on the grape varieties, geography, climate and soil (we’re sure we learned more than that but our notes are a bit fuzzy). We liked the stories Harney told about the winemakers almost as much as the vin santo (sweet dessert wine) we tried that had aged 18 years in oak and was from the last case shipped from Italy to Chicago.

Eno is located at 505 N. Michigan Ave., 312-321-8738.

As part of our goal to learn more about wine, Chicagoist is always on the hunt for interesting wine shops, classes and events. If you know of any great grape nuts we should check out, let us know.

We fell in love with the concept of live band karaoke way back when we saw the original crew, that Chicago's collective would be modeled after, perform at Arlene's Grocery years ago. When we discovered an enterprising young man was taking the idea and planting it in Chicago we had great hopes for it, but we honestly didn't foresee just how popular it would eventually become. Yow!

The thing about regular karaoke is that, well, most people just aren't really good singers. And when you're standing in front of a monitor, with a canned backing track underneath off-key warbling, it's painful to experience. But when you pair even the worst singer with a solid live band in front of a boozy and responsive crowd you can still pull off an exuberant and joy filled performance. Quite simply, the secret behind the overwhelming success of Live Band Karaoke is that in front of them, everyone truly is a star, even if only for 3 to 5 minutes.

We expect the cream of the karaoke crop to be on display tonight, when the Live Band Karaoke Championship takes place at Piece. Celebrity judges like Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson and Shellac's Bob Weston will sit on a panel and decide who is the king or queen of covers. The grand champeen will then have a chance to perform "Surrender" with Nielson himself providing the guitar riffs, along with a year's supply of pizza and beer from Piece.

But the night's not just all about the thrill of victory. The evening also functions as a fund raiser for a worthy cause. $20 donations at the door, entry fees to sing, and a raffle will all go towards the Children's Memorial Foundation. So everyone there can feel good about rocking out with their, um, respective bits out, and cheering on their favorites to win.

Photo of the author by Jocelyn Geboy

Throughout our time writing for Chicagoist, we have been lucky enough to go to many a special event. From food expos to chocolate and wine tastings, we have had the opportunity to see a side of food commerce that many never do. We think it's a pretty good and interesting side. Its main purpose, as we see it, is to get the word about a new product out to the masses. The best way to achieve that purpose is to throw some kind of party and invite people who write about food and beverages or work in the food and drink industries to attend. We're always grateful for the invitations because it inevitably leads to free tastes of the product and, often enough, appetizers! More importantly, we usually learn a thing or two. For example, this past Thursday we went to Nacional 27 to taste Appleton Rum's Reserve blend and learned more about the general rum blending process than we thought possible. We were even given the chance to blend our own rum. In addition to the rum event we also got to go to The Chicago History Museum for an event celebrating Templeton Rye Whiskey and had the opportunity to learn a bit about one small town in Iowa and how its history inspired a whiskey. Or, rather, how history led to the creation of of a whiskey.

Chicagoist has a saying among friends, "no good night ever started with Sparks." While we are totally in favor of beer (obviously), we aren't totally on board with beer that tastes like orange candy and changes the color of your teeth and tongue. Apparently, neither is Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Attorneys General from 28 other states.

Madigan and the other Attorneys General claim that the drinks and the marketing behind them are targeted at children, specifically that very impressionable Extreme category of teenagers. These are the kids who need that extra boost of energy to do extreme things like skateboarding and changing their Myspace picture. Open and shut case, teenagers love energy drinks, energy drinks + beer = new customers.

The primary culprits are Sparks, created by Miler Brewing Co., and Bud Extra, created by Anheuser-Busch. We have actually seen very little marketing for the drinks outside of bars. The Sparks cans are supposed to look like batteries (we aren't sure if you are supposed to associate Sparks with energy or battery acid), and they don’t immediately resemble alcoholic beverages. However, this could be true for a lot of drinks out there. We remember our mother accidentally purchasing Mike’s Hard Lemonade for us as kids. Honest mistake. As for the Budweiser Extra can, the logo is a giant Budweiser “B” to the “E” power, and we aren’t aware of any product that Anheuser-Busch manufactures under the Budweiser name that is safe for kids. The only major marketing campaign we know of is for Bud Extra that features the slogan “You can sleep when you’re 30.”

There probably is some truth to the drinks appealing to teenagers, but until we see a cartoon for Sparks on Saturday morning with Dora the Explorer knocking back a few, we don’t think there is any cause for alarm.

So it's been a little more than a week since Half Acre Beer Company started placing their lager at various bars and package stores around the city. By "around the city" we mean "Wicker Park and Bucktown, save for a couple locations."

There's going to be a lot written in upcoming weeks about Half Acre owner Gabriel Magliaro's decision to have his beer brewed on contract in Wisconsin, and whether the knowledge that the beer is contract brewed makes it any less local (some of that questioning has already begun). But Magliaro has offices in Chicago, creates his beer recipes in Chicago, has been been making face time with bar owners and distributor reps working to promote the beer locally, and ultimately wants to bring the brewery operation home. Sharing a couple bottles of Half Acre last night with Magliaro at the Charleston, he seemed sincere when we asked him that very question. He cited the expenses he and his partners would have incurred in trying to build a brewery from scratch as the reason behind contracting the brewing out, while emphasizing that he's worked thoroughly with the brewer to ensure his vision for the beer. From a business perspective it seems as though Magliaro is committed to growing the company slowly, letting word spread and finding more places to carry Half Acre's lager. He mentioned Goose Island and Brooklyn Brewery as examples of beer companies he'd like to emulate.

The ultimate question to ask is "how is the beer?" Half Acre lager, brewed using a blend of Munich and pale malts, and copious amounts of Saaz hops. It's a dark lager, with a mouthfeel and flavor comparable to an India pale ale, only without the gravity. The combination of Munich malt and Saaz hops give it a warm citrus flavor - one Charleston customer who sampled the beer since its launch said that it "tasted of grapefruit" - and it finishes clean. Half Acre has good carbonation, with a head that fades into little floating pods of yeast, leaving faint traces of lacing on the glass. For a city whose breweries focus on seriously hopped ales for the hirsute, Half Acre lager should find a fast audience among casual beer drinkers, people who want a beer with some character and folks looking to take those initial baby steps past thin, mass produced lagers.

The saying goes that Rome wasn't built in a day. The same could be said for a beer company that's worth its weight in brew. Right now, Magliaro is content to just let the beer do the talking when he can't.

Like the circle of life, this week we revisit Warrenville's Two Brothers Brewing Company nearly a year to the day that we featured their Prairie Path Ale in this column. This time around, they've got something special for us.

A bragot (or "braggot"), by definition, is a mixture of beer and mead. In olden days, the mixing was done by the bartender. Today, craft breweries tend to do the honors by putting the honey directly into the brewing process. Two Brothers is celebrating their tenth anniversary with a series of limited-run beers. Heliocentric, their version of a bragot, is actually part of another limited run of artisan selections where the Ebel brothers try their hands at different brewing styles. But, by God, if it isn't tasty either way.

Heliocentric is a rich, malty ale brewed with sunflower honey. Now, sunflowers are like the powerball lottery for bees. Sunflowers produce more nectar than other flowers. Sunflower honey granulates very quickly, is lighter tasting and slightly bitter, and is used by some home remedy advocates as a treatment for heart disease. That faint herbaceous flavor is something we picked up on the palate upon first sip. It actually made a nice substitute for the hops. Heliocentric poured a bright golden in color. We decanted this aggressively to build up a head and open up the nose on this beer. The foam faded quickly and left no lacing on the glass. Malt and spice were what we picked up on the nose. Heliocentric finished dry, with a sticky mouthfeel. We were trying to keep things simple, so for a food pairing we made a club sandwich featuring homemade dill aioli and tomato slices from our garden.

Two Brothers doesn't receive the recognition of Goose Island or Three Floyds, but their entire beer line is one worth checking out. It's a wonderful thing for local beer geeks to see them reach their tenth anniversary, and to see that they're doing these limited availability brews. To use a weak punny play on words, it isn't "bragot" if they can back it up; obviously Two Brothers can. If the rest of their limited-run selections are like Heliocentric, we'll be budgeting more for beer money. Two Brothers Heliocentric Bragot is Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."

Here are some other newsworthy items to ponder while we slap some Tiger Balm on our knees. Serves us right for riding our bikes to Morgan Park and back.

• Even when being deported, Elvira Arellano can't stop talking.
• She also got to see her 8-year-old son, Saul, before leaving. He's staying with his grandmother godmother.
• The "cell-phone bandit?" Now that's a robber with a gimmick.
• Bond for two men accused of robbing former Bull Eddy Curry was set at $5 million each.
• The burglary trial of former U of I football player Derrick McPhearson was delayed when a newspaper mentioned evidence that his attorneys hadn't seen.
• Scrap metal hounds and dumbasses using empty kegs as furniture are gonna make us pay more for draft beer.
• The proposed expansion of O'Hare Airport is being held up by a few holdout homeowners in Bensenville.
• Nine people were arrested after a three-month investigation of an open-air drug market in the Gold Coast.
• All this rain is bringing out mosquitoes, punny headline editors.
• Mayor Daley orders high-paid city staff to take another unpaid day off.

"Blanket" courtesy of p2wy.

If “d-bag” or other words relating to female cleansing products came to your head when you first heard about English opening in the Clark/LaSalle/Ontario corridor, you’re not too far off. The weekends are a sure bet for sceney types and well, so is a Monday after work apparently. So why even go there? If you like that sort of stare-down beautiful people watching, you’re in luck here. If not, stick to the sidewalk patio or the much quieter third floor bar/pool table/seating area, and you’ll be in the clear. Other good news is the drinks here are stiff and reasonably priced, the servers attentive, and the food’s pretty tasty.

Having dealt with liquor wholesalers and spirits marketing companies for as long as we have, the past few years have been an interesting time frame. We've seen companies throw insane amounts of money (in some cases overpaying) to acquire high-profile spirits brands for their portfolios. No amount of money spent so far may come close to what Deerfield-based Fortune Brands Inc. may have to shell out in order to maintain the distribution rights to Absolut vodka.

Later this year Vin & Sprit, the parent company of Absolut owned by the Swedish government, is set to be sold in a push to privatize many state businesses. Already, Fortune Brands competitors Pernod Ricard, Bacardi Ltd., and Diageo have publicly announced that they plan on making bids for Absolut. The sale could fetch as much as $8 billion if a bidding war breaks out, according to Crain's. It's also possible that even that estimate is low. Beer companies like Anheuser-Busch and private equity firms may also join in the bidding. It's a lot of money for a vodka that isn't our first choice from the back bar.

For Fortune Brands, keeping Absolut in their portfolio is a necessity, as it's their most popular vodka brand. Last year, they acquired the rights to Maker's Mark, Sauza tequila, and Courvosier cognac among 25 wine and spirits brands they purchased from Allied Domecq, and are still paying down the debt accrued from that $5.25 billion deal. The possibility also exists that, should Fortune Brands lose the rights to one of their competitors, they could file an antitrust lawsuit. Pernod Ricard owns Stoli; Diageo owns Smirnoff. Bacardi purchased Grey Goose last year in a then-staggering $2 billion deal, so one can feasibly use that as a baseline for where the bidding on Absolut will start.

Image courtesy of Absolut Ad.

This month's issue of Inc. Magazine has an amazing article detailing the years of infighting between brothers Darryl and Brian Rosen for control of Sam's Wine and Spirits that's a little bit sibling rivalry and a lot of "you don't have my the best interests of the company in mind." According to the article, the root issue over control of the company was one of vision: Darryl, the older brother, was the more conservative of the two, treating Sam's and its employees as family and opting to absorb the recent growth of the company before expanding further, like the Rosens have done for three generations. Brian was the more aggressive brother, emphasizing continued expansion as he became more involved in the family business.

The contrast in business philosophy led to the two brothers - and their families - not talking to each other, Brian's accusations of shady dealings by Darryl in their partnership agreement, and eventually Brian Rosen buying out Darryl, then selling a majority share of Sam's to Arbor, a local private equity firm, in January. Caught in the middle is their father, Fred Rosen. The elder Rosen is technically no longer an employee, but he still comes in at 5:30 every morning to load boxes at the front customer service desk (and still keeps a gun in a paper bag handy) in his seventies. Meanwhile, none of the Rosens has a majority share in the company started three generations ago.

A couple months back as our Chicago winter blended into summer, we were doing some research on summer beers that turned out to be very beneficial. We were preparing for what we thought at the time would be a summer without Bell's Oberon. However that beer, while still legally unavailable in Illinois, turned out to be easier to acquire than we thought. And although we like Goose Island 312, we didn't see ourselves going through the whole summer with that as our go-to beer.

One of the breweries that's been able to capitalize on Bell's pulling out of Illinois has been New Holland Brewing Company. Their Mad Hatter IPA - a previous "BotW" selection - has filled in nicely for Bell's Two-Hearted; we actually prefer New Holland's Sundog over Bell's Amber. This week, while there is still time to enjoy the beer, we're highly recommending you try New Holland's seasonal wheat ale selection.

To our palate we actually prefer "Zoomer" over "312," which to some might me blasphemous. Zoomer is an effervescent beer with loads of light carbonation. It's also a wheat ale where we were also able to taste the wheat, which is sometimes a good thing. The use of ale yeast gives the drinker some different flavors, as well. You'll note some light pepper and clove on the palate, and pepper with bright lemony citrus on the nose. Zoomer would be perfect for those no-swim days at 63rd Street beach.

Mostly, we recommend Zoomer because it tastes good, which is why it's now New Holland's third selection to earn "Beer of the Week" status.

Great. Another bar/restaurant with a funky name, overpriced menu, and hipster vibe in the Bucktown/Wicker Park corridor. That’s probably your first impression when you heard of the recently opened Bluebird Bistro and Winebar on Damen in Bucktown. In actuality, though, this casual, rustic spot from owner Tom MacDonald of the popular Webster’s Wine Bar in Lincoln Park will knock those stereotypes right out of the floor-to ceiling-glass window next to the front door.

That’s because with a diverse menu of cheese, salads, small plates and sophisticated yet unpretentious entrees averaging 8 to 10 bucks, the most being $15, Bluebird’s reasonably priced, delicious, and there’s something for everyone here. Wine lovers rejoice in the 100-plus list featuring bottles from around the globe, and beer lovers, take note despite the absence of the word “beer” in Bluebird’s name—there are around 50 bubblies to choose from here, all bottled at the moment. On our visit, we sampled the Ambrio from the Gouden Carolus brewery in Belgium, an amber ale that’s crisp and refreshing with a little spicy, bitter bite and 8 percent alcohol content, plus a couple other strong, Belgian brews, some by tappets monks—you know, the good stuff. We also tried a Dogfish Head variety and a light and fruity, Belgian white ale from the Canadian Unibroue brewery that the bartender recommended for a warm summer night.

Yesterday the Illinois House approved legislation regarding how customers will be able to buy their wine. It's a story we've been keeping tabs on here at Chicagoist for a while.

Supporters of the bill champion HB 429 as a victory for Illinois consumers. They claim that the uniform 12-case limit shared by in- and out-of-state wineries, and the establishment of a permit system allowing smaller out-of-state wineries to sell their product directly to retailers, will broaden the variety of wine available to consumers. Opponents of the bill say that HB 429 is not necessary; since Illinois was already a state with "full reciprocity," arguing that consumers already had unfettered access to a wide array of wine through out-of-state retailers and wine clubs. Chicagoist received a press release from Specialty Wine Retailers Association Executive Director Tom Wark detailing this argument. You can read it here (Adobe PDF file).

Additionally, HB 429 saw substantial opposition from the state's two largest wineries, Lynfred Winery in Roselle and Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, who argue that they and similar sized wineries in Illinois will see a substantial drop in revenue from direct sales, by having to utilize a wholesaler to sell their wine, under the new measure. Neither of these points were reported in the AP wire story referenced by Crain's yesterday.

Indeed, it looks as though the state's wholesale distributors are the big winners in all this. They've been lobbying hard for this legislation for close to two years, putting substantial amounts of money into the campaign funds of many of the bill's sponsors. If anything, the bill ensures that wholesalers are the first in line and get to have the pick of the litter. Wark has previously promised that SWRA would take HB 429 to court if it passed, and an e-mail we received from Lynfred marketing director Christina Anderson-Heller indicated that neither they nor Galena have given up the fight.

We have to ask: the state legislature can't agree on a budget and state employees are days away from not being paid, yet this bill managed to pass. We're currently wondering where their priorities lie.

Now that it seems as though the weather is finally catching up with the calendar, we at Chicagoist feel an obligation to offer some “BotW” selections that won’t put you down any further than the impending muggy weather. Rooting through our fridge, we found one that we think might do the trick for you who like both sweeter and lighter beers.

We took a good hard look at the Grand Rapids-based Founder’s brewery a few months back when we tore into their barrel-aged “Kentucky Breakfast” stout. As much as we love that beer, drinking it in this weather would just weigh on us and make us sluggish. However, Founder’s makes a delicious ale fermented with full raspberries. At a hearty 6.9 percent alcohol by volume, Rübaeus is one of the stronger fruit beers on the market. Decant this and you’re going to fall in love with the color. It looks like a thick syrup, but looks are deceiving here. We wouldn’t recommend pouring it over pancakes, but go ahead and pair it with a stack or, better yet, an apple pancake like the ones they make at Walker Brothers in Wilmette.

Another thing we found with Rübaeus is that, unlike lambics and other fruit beers, the finish on our palate wasn’t overly sour. That’s attributed to the standard brewing process, instead of waiting for the beer to ferment with the ambient yeast in the air like a lambic. Aside from a good stack of pancakes, we might recommend pairing Rübaeus with something slightly sweet and glazed, like a kabob. As with lambics, Rübaeus would also go well with something that’s just drenched in mustard. It’s good for brats or burgers. Bring a half-case of this to a picnic, and you’ll make new friends. Founder’s Rübaeus is Chicagoist’s “Beer of the Week.”

We've finally recovered (well, mostly) from the whirlwind weekend that was Lollapalooza 2007. There were certain highs, and definite lows, but overall we've still pleased that the festival has chosen Chicago as its home.

In its third year many of the past problems (like sound bleed or wonky scheduling that necessitated obscene amounts of walking in extremely limited spans of time) seemed mostly solved. There were a few cruel overlaps schedule-wise, but when you have 130+ bands playing over three days, that's going to happen.

We also noticed that while it seemed like there were more people in attendance this year, we never felt like we were fighting through a crowd to get from one end of Grant Park to the other. And we were again surprised at how well-behaved everyone was. People were looking out for each other, and aside from one or two barreling drunks, folks seemed to remember how to say "excuse me" when making their way through the crowd.

Ironically our biggest complaint about the weekend is one that was completely out of the organizer's control; the heat and its penetrating and debilitating attacks throughout the weekend. Security did its best to provide water to the packed crowds near the stages, and we noticed folks taking advantage of cooling stations, but when all was said and done, it was pretty hard to remain comfortable — much less lucid — when the sun was bearing down. We actually had to leave for a while during The Rapture's set to regain our own battered sensibilities. But a few liters of water and some time in the shade later fixed us right back up.

And what about the music? Glad you asked.

The city's biggest music festival of the summer kicks off tomorrow, and you can feel the excitement building in the Chicagoist offices. However, we've had to put our cub reporters through some summer festival basic training, since this one blows all the others out of the water in sheer scope and size. The bands are the draw, and the primary source of fun, but there are a few other things you -- and our cub reporters -- need to keep in mind to ensure the experience stays positive. Believe us, there's nothing worse than waking up sunburned, drunk, and abandoned by your friends. Not that we would know. So to prepare you, dear reader, we've decided to share our top five tips on prepping for Lollapalooza this year.

It's going to be HOT!
We've gotten off pretty easy this summer, but Helios isn't letting us totally off the hook. It's going to be Buster Poindexter-level hot this weekend, so make sure you're dressed for the heat and drink plenty of water. In fact, either bring your own water bottle, or save the first one you buy, so you can refill it for free during the day. When you're losing water at the rate most people will in 90+ degree heat, it can get awfully expensive to stay hydrated if you keep paying for that agua.

This is also a pretty good reason to hold off the booze until later in the day, when it cools down a little. Seriously. We love to get plastered just as much as the next music critic, but even we know that you don't imbibe at 11 a.m. when it's already 93-degrees. And if you're as fair-skinned as we, after hours of either sitting in the office or sipping whiskeys by bar-light, slather on the sun block. Spare not an inch of skin that sweet, sweet protection of industrial strength SPF.

If you have a 3-day pass, take advantage of the re-entry policy.
One of the great things about a festival in Grant Park that allows re-entry is that it affords you all sorts of eating options that aren't just 2-pound slabs of funnel cake or 18-inch greasy slices of pizza. Sure the food downtown isn't any less expensive, but it sure tastes better. Also, re-entry means you can go wander around, take a break, and re-energize before re-entering the fray. Also, if you need to beat the heat for a bit, we hear the Art Institute is an awesome cooling station.

Never heard 'em before? Maybe now's the time.
You could go nuts trying to catch every band you want to see. After you've mapped out your schedule take a long honest look at the map. We know you see Regina Spektor and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs work out perfectly schedule-wise, but when you factor in that the stages are almost on opposite ends of Grant Park, it becomes pretty obvious you're not going to catch both.

So instead, while you're waiting for Spoon / Patti Smith / whomever to go on next, wander around and take in some of the surrounding bands you've never heard of. We've found some new favorites that way. (Case in point: Whilst we had heard Of Montreal before last year's Lollapalooza, we had never heard them live ... and that made all the difference in transforming us into fans of the band. Same thing went for the first time we saw Pearl Jam, the first time they played Lollapalooza.)

Get ready to hike about 27 miles a day.
Wear some comfortable shoes. Personally, we've stepped up our cardio training in the last month just to be able to survive.

Don't be a douchebag.
Or "that guy." Or Jeremy Piven. Just enjoy the show.

Photo of guy from Lollapalooza 2006 that could have used the advice above taken by Jeremy Farmer

So we were at Fiesta del Sol the other day, taking photos and soaking in the ado going on around us. For those of you who aren't aware, Fiesta del Sol is an alcohol-free event. That means that you stand a good chance of seeing the stray can of beer or flask of sumthin' stand out among the throngs of stroller-wielding pedestrians (no neighborhood is immune). After a couple hours of negotiating kids hopped on churros and El Campeón virgin piña coladas running circles around our feet, we needed a beer. So we headed to Skylark for a nightcap before heading home.

Now Skylark has a pretty good draft beer selection. Among their taps are two outstanding selections from Great Lakes Brewing, Burning River and Holy Moses. This Belgian-style white ale, spiced with orange peel, coriander, and chamomile, makes for a great replacement for those of you in Oberon withdrawal (we're a couple bottles away from joining you). The added spicing to Holy Moses adds a unique dimension to the beer. In particular, the chamomile makes it taste lighter than it actually is, more like a pilsner than a white ale. For us that meant that the only thing food we would pair with Holy Moses was an order of Skylark's popular tater tots, with the three different dipping sauces.

Now that's some eating.

Holy Moses is one of the more accessible beers in the Great Lakes portfolio, and makes for a great summer beer. If you frequent Skylark, or just like some tater tots, do yourself a favor and have a glass of Great Lakes Holy Moses, Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."

Image courtesy of the Great Lakes Brewing Company website.