Do This: Brew Ha Ha with Chef Won & Company

By Roger Kamholz in Food on Jun 22, 2011 8:30PM

Beer enthusiasts, you won't want to miss this. On Saturday, June 25, from 2 to 7 p.m., the Chicago Urban Art Society in Pilsen plays host to Brew Ha Ha, a gathering of local home beer makers including three featured brewers, Powell Brewing, Brutally Honest Brews and Low Dive. For 10 bucks, you get to sample unique suds from each upstart outfit plus some special grub courtesy of Chef Won & Company.

Each of the featured home brewers will be toting along at least one keg of its own beer, and any attendees who also dabble in the hopped arts are encouraged to bring additional beers from their home collections to share, as well.

Low Dive, a "homebrew collective" consisting of four Chicago friends, will be pouring two of its latest recipes, a rye saison and a so-called "small beer." Low Dive's Andrew Lautner anticipated the saison would have "the regular spicy peppery characteristics from the French saison yeast we used, but with added apple brandy-like spiciness from the large addition of rye malt." Why just speculation? The beer is so fresh that it's still currently undergoing in-keg conditioning, and Lautner has yet to sample the finished product.

"The small beer was created by simply rinsing the spent grains of the saison," Lautner went on. "With it, we expect an earthy complexity from the Trappist yeast strain." It should display many of the saison's traits, "but with a really refreshing finish due to the low gravity," he said. "Additionally, we expect a relatively noticeable hop presence from the Liberty Hops we used solely throughout the boil."

Some many know Chef Won from his post at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods. His Brew Ha Ha menu will include his own cherished family recipes for Korean barbecue skirt steak bánh mì sandwiches and Korean barbecue tofu sandwiches.

The Chicago Urban Art Society is a non-profit art venue and "creative center" that, in addition to hosting events like Brew Ha Ha, promotes emerging and established artists alike through exhibitions and education.

The Chicago Urban Art Society (CUAS) is located at 2229 South Halsted Street.