REAL ALE FESTIVAL WEEK starts Sunday! All events are at Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N. Clark St., 1/2 block south of Wrigley Field, unless otherwise noted. Expect to pay (a lot!) for parking, so why not be safe and use PUBLIC TRANSIT: Red Line to Addison; 2 blocks west, 1/2 blk south, or take the #22 Clark bus, which runs 24/7. TAKE NOTE OF THE TWO SOLD OUT EVENTS TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT: WEDNESDAY REAL ALE FEAST, AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON FEST SESSION SOLD OUT! Sun Feb 24: REAL ALE DAY at the Map Room, all day, but come in the early evening to mix with RAF volunteers as they have a pint after set-up work. PUBLIC TRANSIT: Blue Line to Western/Milwaukee; walk 5 blocks east along Armitage. Wed Feb 27: ***** SOLD OUT ******* REAL ALE FEAST, 6PM, Guest host Mark Dorber of the White Horse Pub in London, England. Cooking & Hospitality Institute, 361 W Chestnut. PUBLIC TRANSIT: Brown/Purple Line to Chicago Ave; 1 block west, 2 blocks north Wed Feb 27: REAL ALE AT ROCK BOTTOM CHICAGO, 8PM. 1 W Grand @ State. Here's another chance to savor Real Ale, either after the Real Ale Feast if you were lucky enough to get a ticket, or during it if you were not. $5 for non Real Ale Fest participants; FREE if you have a ticket to any other Real Ale Fest event. Cask Conditioned Ales from Rock Bottom Chicago, Rock Bottom Minneapolis, Flossmoor Station, Founders Hill and more. Co-Sponsored by Cargill Malts, White Labs, and Windy City Suds. PUBLIC TRANSIT: Red Line to Grand Ave; walk upstairs. It is an inexpensive taxi ride from the Feast site to Rock Bottom. Thu Feb 28: FESTIVAL OPENING RECEPTION and HOMEBREWED REAL ALE COMPETITION 6-10PM, Goose Island Wrigleyville. $20/CBS members, $25/nonmembers, FREE to fest beer judges, brewers, and qualified volunteers. You get to judge the homebrewed real ales, similar to CBS tasting dinners. This session will also feature gourmet cheeses and hors d'oeuvres. At this session the champion Bottle Conditioned Real Ales, and the champion Homebrewed Real Ales will be announced. Fri Mar 1: REAL ALE FESTIVAL 5:00-11:00PM $12.50/advance $15/door. Tickets still available. This year, we have 171 Cask Conditioned Real Ales, and 65 Bottle Conditioned Real Ales to sample. *** SOLD OUT *** Sat Mar 2: REAL ALE FESTIVAL 11:30AM-4:30PM. At this session the champion Cask Conditioned Ales will be announced. This session is sold out, but tickets are still available to the other sessions. Sat Mar 2: REAL ALE FESTIVAL 6:30PM-11:00PM $12.50/advance $15/door. Tickets still available. For more information, see http://www.realalefestival.com See everyone there; I'll be upstairs in the Bottle Bar. Roger Deschner Listmeister, Chicago Beer Society rogerd(a)uic.edu I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy. --Tom Waits