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2011 Chicago Street Festival and Event Calendar

I know it’s still a little early to be thinking about the Chicago Street Fest & Event scene, but if we’ve got the dates of some of them we might as well post them. This post will be updated frequently with new Street Festivals, Fairs and Events around the Chicago area as they are announced. If you’ve never ventured into Chicago to check out some of these Street Fests I highly recommend you do. There’s always plenty of good food, music and drinks!

If you know of any dates that we don’t have listed please leave a comment so we can be sure to add them!

May 2011

  • Chicago Mayfest : May 20-22

June 2011

  • Metronome Festival : Early June
  • Chicago Summerfest : Early June
  • Andersonville Midsommarfest : June 11-12
  • Taste of Randolph Street : June 17-19
  • Taste of Chicago : June 24 – July 4

July 2011

  • The Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party : Second Weekend in July
  • Rock Around the Block : July 9-10

August 2011

  • Lollapalooza : August 5-7
  • Northalsted Market Days : August 12-14
  • Retro on Roscoe : August 6-7
  • Wrigleyville Summerfest : August 13-14
  • Chicago Air & Water Show : August 20-21

September 2011

  • Oktoberfest Chicago : September 23-25

(Dates are subject to Change)

“Instantly” Freeze A Beer

I used quotes in the title around “instantly” because there is some setup time involved in this trick that involves a freezer, but the trick is still impressive as it is.

If you haven’t watched the video above yet, what you will see is a liquid beer that instantly turns to ice once it is slammed onto a counter top. In order to perform this trick you need to take the beer (in a glass bottle) and leave it completely undisturbed in a freezer for 3 hours. Do not place the beer in the door of the freezer if you intend to open the freezer door. Any slight disturbance to the beer may cause the trick to fail.

Once the beer has been in the freezer for 3 hours, remove it and tap it against a hard surface. Almost instantly you’ll see the beer change from liquid to solid right before your eyes.

Based on recent experience, short neck bottles don’t work as well. A buddy talked up the trick all night and then when he attempted it with a Heineken bottle it completely failed leaving him looking like an idiot so find a bottle with a longer neck, like a Corona. If you have any other tips on how to make it work every time, without fail, please let us know in the comments and don’t forget to follow us on Twittter @drink101

Steve Gets Caught Drinking While Scissor-Lifting

Hope everyone had a good and safe New Years.

Creative Ways To Open Champagne Bottles: With A Big Ass Kitchen Knife

Picture this, it’s New Years Eve and almost midnight, the champagne is ready to be de-corked and everyone is excited to ring in the New Year… but wait, what’s this? Nobody wants to de-cork the bottle due to their own fears of cork related accidents… Luckily you’re not a pussy and are totally willing to open the bottles for everyone, but in order to show them all up, you do it with a giant turkey carving knife instead of your tiny lady hands…

If that sounds like the situation you expect to find this New Years Eve then make sure to check out the video above which shows you (in multiple tries) how to pop that cork like it’s 1999… or whatever year it happens to be.

Gizmodo has a step-by-step guide which you can find >here< but essentially it’s what you see in the video, just make sure the bottle is extremely cold and you’re using the blunt edge of the knife to do the de-corking… it could be seriously dangerous if you decided to use the sharp end, although this looks dangerous in all respects so attempt at your own risk.

source: Gizmodo

The Ultimate Beer Delivering Robot

If you thought your beer robot was impressive then you obviously haven’t seen this video. This mini-fridge turned beer robot is completely iPhone controlled and will shoot the beer of your choice half way across your living room so you don’t have to leave the couch. Just select the brand you want, use the built in webcam to line up your shot, and fire! The 50psi cannon inside the fridge will launch the beer to your seat on the couch without you having to move.