MINISTRY

Tonight, in chicago, at the House of Blues... MINISTRY (with opening acts Hemlock and MESHUGGAH!!!) The last time I was at House of Blues, was KMFDM with Combichrist. That was a good show. The biggest problem with HOB is they have a horrible beer selection. If I remember correctly, it's all bud and miller products. They have cans of Guinness, but what's the point?

The last time I saw Ministry there, my brother and I were right on the rail, in the center of the stage. Standing with our buddies Tom and Fred. We drank Guinness with shots of flavored vodka and schnapps. Which isn't horrible, it's just really expensive there.

For seeing a concert and having a decent beer selection in the Midwest, I'd recommend going to St. Louis to the Pageant. They have several ciders, and quite a nice row of taps and a decent bottle selection too.

Other places in Chicago that I've seen concerts at were the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley park. Saw Ozzfest there last year, that place was horrible. The most interesting beer there was Pilsner Urquel. As I was standing in line for whatever beer they had, there was this guy in line who saw the sign for the beer, who OBVIOUSLY was a beer guy, and said something like "Oh, they have Pilsner Urquel, they have some good beer here". On a hot day, all sweaty and nasty and listening to death metal bands, drinking a skunky ass PU isn't on my list of things to drink. It's ok sometimes, but I wouldn't consider it a good beer.

Reggies in Chicago. We saw Chemlab/U.S.S.A/Project .44 there, it's a nice little venue for a show. They have a pretty good beer selection for the size of the place. I hadda Smithwicks draft there. I think they also had Newcastle and some other decent brews for the size. Tomorrow night Belladonna will be there.

In Champaign, the only place you'd want to see any sort of show would be the Highdive. Don't go to a show at the Assembly Hall expecting beer, cuz there's no beer. Go to the Highdive, it may be crappy beer, but at least there's some beer. And it's walking distance from all the other bars.

I checked the gravity in Welcome Back Pat Wheat and it's right where I expected it to be. It's a lovely color for a wheat too, the picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a beautiful yellow-gold. After I get back on Sunday morning, I'm going to transfer it to the carboy and rest it on some orange peel, lemon peel, crushed coriander and maybe some crushed blueberries.

Did I mention tonight was Ministry.

Tomorrow Wisconsin breweries. We definitely will be going to New Glarus and Grumpy Troll.

If you have any suggestions for some others, let me know.

But do it quick, cuz I'm outta here at noon.

Man, I keep forgetting to add stuff (this is my third edit). Last night at crane alley, had a draft pint of Rogue Imperial Stout. Followed that up with a draft tulip of Dark Horse 2x Crooked Tree IPA. I ate the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich along with onion rings and neither of those beers went well with the food. The 2x was way too fruity. Grapefruit and bubblegum (juicy fruit?) mixed together with hot sauce isn't that good of an idea. Also the thick chocolate coffee mix of the Imperial Stout didn't sit well with it either. I'm still looking for a great beer to have with buffalo wings. So if you have any suggestions...

V