The Chicago Craft Beer Week kicked off in town with free beer tasting and a film screening at Prairie Moon on Thursday night.
A gathering place for homebrewers, Prairie Moon, 1502 Sherman Road, is the local host for the Chicago Craft Beer Week, an event organized by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild to celebrate the city’s craft beer community.
Phil Zelewsky, the restaurant’s beverage manager, said he was excited to host the event.
“For us, it’s a natural fit,” Zelewsky said. “We love craft beer, we love the beer culture.”
Thursday’s event began with a beer forum, which was co-hosted by the restaurant and the Evanston Homebrew Club, a group of Evanston homebrewers who gather regularly at the restaurant to sample beers.
“We use this event to get together, try each other’s beer, provide some feed back on the flavor and talk about the techniques,” said Ted Perez, president of the club. “It’s like a social gathering.”
The night also featured a screening of “Locally Buzzed,” a film about the Michigan craft beer community. Director Ryan Cappelletti travelled from Michigan to attend the screening.
“It’s just a really fun project to come out and talk to people about Michigan,” Cappelletti said. “It kind of brings out the high points about Michigan instead of the low points.”
Evanston resident Sara Furlan said she loved the event and its celebration of craft beer.
“It’s terrific to try things and great flavors,” Furlan said. “It’s pretty much something for everybody.”
The Chicago Craft Beer Week continues this week with the Great Lakes and the New Holland brewing companies’ coming to town Monday and Wednesday evening, respectively.
