Steve Hamburg at the Map Room
Chicago’s metamorphosis from beer wasteland to beer mecca is official ( “Chicago's Best Craft Beer” ), and no one has had a better seat at the bar to watch that transformation than Steve Hamburg. A software consultant and occasional cantor, Hamburg, 57, serves on the board of directors at the Chicago Beer Society, travels the world to judge contests and teach beer evaluation, and is considered one of the foremost cask cellarmen in the United States. Here, 16 ounces of wisdom from a man who has probably brewed more beer than you’ve drunk.