Days of the Beer, August 12

The beer for today is Goose Island 312.

On August 12, 1833, at a portage between the Illinois River and Lake Michigan, Chicago was founded.

The name Chicago comes from the Miami-Illinois (Native American) word shikaakwa, meaning "wild leek" or "striped skunk"; leeks are a form of onion. The name was initially for the river, but later became the name of the city. The Town of Chicago was organized initially with a population of 350. In 7 years it had grown to over 4,000. It was incorporated on March 4, 1837.

Chicago began to grow when the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad opened in 1848, which was also the year the Illinois and Michigan Canal opened. By 1890, Chicago had a population of over 1 million.

In 1871, one third of the city was destroyed in a fire, including the central business district. As part of the reconstruction, the worlds first skyscraper was made in 1885.On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi conducted the world's first nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago. The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held with famous riots in the city.

Chicago is home to the Cubs (MLB); White Sox (MLB); Bears (NFL); Bulls (NBA); Blackhawks (NHL); and Fire (MLS), in addition to several minor league teams. Chicago is one of the cities bidding to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Chicago has been known as: The Windy City (for the cities politicians, not for wind gusts); Second City (for when Chicago was the second largest city in the U.S., since been taken by LA); Hog Butcher for the World (from a Carl Sandburg poem); and the City I Hate Because I Always Get Lost In It (by me).

Chicago has several area codes (phone) from 1947 until 1988, it was served by only one area code. That code... 312.

About the beer:

Like the digits suggest, it's a beer that's densely populated with flavor and loaded with character. We don't filter it, so none of its life and soul is stripped away.

The first thing you notice is the hazy, cloudy appearance. That's how you know it's unfiltered. What hits you next is the spicy aroma of Cascade hops, followed by the crispy, fruity ale flavor delivered in a smooth, creamy body, the result of blending barley malt with torrified wheat. It's not like any other Goose Island Beer, but no less than you'd expect.

Goose Island is a brewery in Chicago, opened in 1988. It is named after the only island on the Chicago River in Illinois. The island is about a mile and a half lone and a half mile wide (at it's widest point).

So for the second city go get the beer with it's area code, 312... it's for you.