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The annual Beer and Chili Cookoff returns to CU
Booze and beans
4:00 am Sep 25 - by Anne Koval – buzz Writer
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Urbana's International Beer Tasting & Chili Cook-Off »- Event has already occurred
This weekend, Broadway Avenue in downtown Urbana will be closed to traffic in honor of the Seventh Annual International Beer Tasting and Chili Cook-Off. The highly anticipated event will fill the air with the smell of peppers, ground beef and onions while the finest specialty beer will fill the glasses of thousands of CU residents.
Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment and the Urbana Business Association hold the event every year, which takes place in downtown Urbana in the parking garage at 111 W. Main St. The gates will open at 3 p.m. and the event will run until 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Sampling tickets, which are good for a 4-ounce sample of beer or a sample of chili, are 50 cents. Michael Armintrout, the marketing director for Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment, said the low prices and quality food are what bring the crowds to the festival year after year.
“We pride ourselves on being cheap,” Armintrout said. “So for two dollars, you can get a pint of imported beer.”
Armintrout also said there will be more than 150 different specialty and imported beers from around the world available for CU residents to sample. There are also 15 chili teams registered to compete in the cook-off, all of which will have tables set up along Broadway Avenue.
“We have hot chili, mild chili, red and white chili [and] chicken chili, and the Illinois Center for Soy Foods is supplying vegetarian chili,” Armintrout said.
The chili teams, which mostly consist of residents of the community, will be cooking on-site, guaranteeing a fresh, right-off-the-stove taste for festivalgoers as well as a fair competition for participants.
“The teams are mostly made up of individuals that come back every year, and it is a very spirited competition between people to ultimately gain bragging rights,” Armintrout said.
Armintrout said the judging is based on different criteria, including ingredients used, the color of the chili, its taste and its aftertaste.
“The aftertaste is important,” he said. “People are surprised to what things look like compared to what they taste like.”
The event will also include a red-hot pepper chili eating contest and informative seminars on different types of beer.
Armintrout expects around 2,500 people to come to the event.
“It’s a different type of event, and it brings attention to the community,” he said. “Some come to party, to drink as much as they can, and there are other people who just really enjoy beer. It makes for a cozy community event.”
Jeff Brandt (Jeff Brandt) said on Sep. 27, 2008 at 6:30 pm:
It took forfucking ever to get in, but it was a pretty good time. Although, there could have been more spread out seating.
Favorite chili was at Crane Alley and favorite beverage was the peach cider they had at Table 1.