The Berghoff restaurant and brewery’s Flights & Bites event for Chicago Craft Beer Week last Thursday featured five Berghoff beers paired with small bites. Tim Lucas, Berghoff Sales Manager, took us through the history of Berghoff and the beers and Floor Manager Jeff educated us on the food pairings. At the end of the tasting we were treated to a sample of the Stock Ale (not available to the public yet) and it packed a punch coming in at 10.5% ABV.

The next Flights & Bites is today at 7pm – more information on tickets.

The Berghoff is full of history everywhere you look. They still have their first liquor license:

The beer flight was presented from light to dark starting off with the Berghoff Dortwunder Lager served with beet bruschetta and arugula slaw with beer cider vinaigrette. The clean and crisp lager was used in reduced form in the apple cider vinegar which brighten up the beet flavor.

Next the Berghoff Straight-Up Hefe-Weizen with mussels with Hefe-Weizen over späetzle and sautéed spinach. Hefe-Weizen is a wheat beer made with yeast giving it a cloudy complexion. Originally this type of beer was served to royalty in Germany as the cost of wheat was so high. The banana and bubble gum hints of flavor is coming from the yeast (I tasted more of a lemon flavor).  The beer is used in the sauce for the mussels and it pairs well with the garlic in the sauce.

My favorite of the bunch was the Berghoff Summer Solstice with Bavarian pretzel served with beer grain mustard. The Slightly sour calamansi and sweet kumquat flavors bring bright citrus notes to the beer and was added to the mustard served with the pretzel. I could drink this all summer long.

The Berghoff Reppin’ Red Ale with beer braised onion brat served on Berghoff rye that is made in-house with a 35-year old leavening agent was surprisingly light. It is amber brewed with rye spice giving it a light spiciness and cleans up the palate. The brat was my favorite bite of the night and the onions were especially good as the ale was used to cook them.

The dessert beer was the Berghoff Sir Dunkle Dark with Beeramisu. The beer has notes of biscuit, toast and bread crust. It was added to the biscuit of the lady finger and I could eat about 20 of them. So good.

Get out to enjoy all of the different events for Chicago Craft Beer Week! The events run through May 25th.