chicago brewery

New Beer Blog Local Option Brewery Morning Wood

image

While in Chicago, we are going to sample another brew, which is Morning Wood, from Local Option Brewery.  If you read my beer blog posts a few days ago, you know the history of this small but upcoming craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read Sweet Leaf review to get to know the history of this Chicago craft brewery.  Let us get into Morning Wood.

It has a jet black color with a semi white color head.  The aroma has a heavy coffee notes.  The taste has a sweet malty to coffee notes.  There is a slight caramel to caramel liquor notes but really fate to weak.  The aftertaste is a sour coffee notes.  It is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.localoptionbier.com):

Local Option Morning Wood: Local Option Morning Wood is an oak-aged coffee ale developed and brewed by Local Option Bierwerker. Fresh American oak used during the aging process and Dark Matter’s El Salvador San Jose pulp-natural coffee aromatically drive the beer; while remaining subtle components of the beers’ complete flavor profile. The amber-colored, medium-bodied, and extraordinarily well-balanced ale was first unveiled at the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers in November 2011. Morning Wood’s taste is delicate and should be appreciated by beer drinkers of all palates.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.localoptionbier.com

Twitter:  @localoption

Closing, I like this beer and I mean I really like this beer.  I love how they took an amber style beer.  Rather then, what most craft breweries do and they take porter or stout.  I love when craft breweries think outside the box.  This craft brewery did that idea with this brew.  I love the coffee notes and it is not overpowering the rest of the beer.  It is a nice balance and I will be looking for this beer in bottle in my market.  I will be back to the brewpub.  I love their brewpub from their food, beer, service, and music.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Lagunitas Brewery Tour

image

While in Chicago,  I had a chance to get by the new brewery in Chicago from Lagunitas Brewery.  I want to thank my boy, Tony for the hook up.  Everyone was great at the brewery from tour guide, bar, to Jack.    I had several different beers but I did not have time to take tasting notes.  I really do not want to guess, however, I saved all the photos of the beers and during the brewery tour.  You will see them below. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this West Coast and Midwest Craft Brewery.  Let us get into this brewery.

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale
image

Imperial Red Ale

image

Brewery tour!!

image

image

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.lagunitas.com

Twitter:  @lagunitasbeer

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

Closing out, I had a great time at the brewery and I will be back there when I am back in Chicago.  I might have to eat and get beer to go.  As many of you know, I am a huge fan of this craft brewery.  I always throw their IPA into my line up of regular IPA’s.  I was able to get turn on to other beers that they make.  I will be checking them out and adding them to my line up of beers.  For example, I am adding Daytime IPA.  I will be switching back and forth with their IPA and Daytime.  As far as the brewery tour, it is like every other craft brewery tour.  This craft brewery is set up for expanding and they are growing it everyday.  It is also set up awesome for brewery tours unlike other craft breweries.  The whole tour is on a catwalk above the craft brewery.  You can see everything. I highly recommend jumping on this craft brewery tour.  If you know  their beers, I would still make a point to checking this brewery out.  This brewery is very important for us on the eastern part of the country.  We will be able to get fresher and enough of their beers for the demand in this area.  It also gives us a chance to get their beers cheaper.  I highly recommend checking this brewery out in Chicago.  They have great food, service, and of course, great beers.  Thanks again, Tony! Go get some!  Drink it! Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Church Street Brewing Continental Lager

image

In this beer blog, Church Street Brewing is making its first appearance on this blog with their Continental Lager.  Joe Gregor traveled around checking out local beers around the world and found a nice location in the Northwest Burbs of Chicago.  Joe loves German Lagers and the craft beer drinkers will see a few Lagers in their beer line ups.  This brewery opened the doors for the first time in 2012.  They brew several different beer styles asides Lagers.  Let us get into this Lager.

It has golden color with a big white constants head.  The carbonation is heavy on this lager.  There is really no smell.  The taste has a light carbonation with a slight malty to hoppy notes.  The aftertaste is clean crisp finish.  It is a pretty drinkable lager.

Here is a description from their website (www.churchstreetbrew.com):

Smooth and drinkable, yet malty and complex with a noble hop kick. Church Street’s Continental Lager marries four German malts with three German hop varieties to create our quintessential pilsner.  Notes of biscuit and grassy/floral hops make this a great beer to kick back with anytime. Enjoy!

  • ABV 5.3%
  • IBU 39
  • SRM 7

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.churchstreetbrew.com 

Twitter:  @ChurchStBrew

In the end, I have been on a search for a good craft lager.  I believe this one from Church Street Brewing has come pretty close to it.  This lager to me is too close to the European Lager Style.  It is still good brew.  I wished I could get another bottle of this brew but they are not available in the Southeast part of Michigan.   I really did enjoy this Lager and it is towards the top of my lager list. I recommend this brew and I hope to hear your thoughts on this brew.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Off Color Brewing Troublesome Wheat Beer

image

Another beer before the road, Troublesome Wheat Beer from Off Color Brewing is the second brew to be reviewed on this beer blog.  If you read my beer blog from yesterday of their Scurry, you know the history of this upcoming craft brewery out of Chicago.  If you have not, please, read yesterday’s beer blog post to get to know Off Color Brewing.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a cloudy yellow color with a semi white head on this wheat ale.  The smell is lemon like but that comes from coriander notes.  The taste is a heavy citrus to coriander notes with a citrus aftertaste.  It is pretty drinkable.

Here is a description from their website (www.offcolorbrwing.com):

TROUBLESOME

Blended Wheat Beer

Most brewers spend a lot of time and effort keeping lactobacillus out of their breweries; it was the first thing we brought in (it still has to stay in the corner though). We blend together two different beers to make Troublesome. The first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. We blend the two beers together with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel. And yes, it’s hard to make.

ABV:4.5%
HOPS:Northern Brewer
IBU:10
MALTS:Pils, Wheat Malt, Flaked Wheat, Flaked Oats

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.offcolorbrwing.com

Twitter:  @OffcolorBrewing

Closing out the beer tab, I am not a fan of wheat beers.  I love German Hefeweizen but not too many wheats.  I love Upland Brewing Wheat and this beer from Off Color.  I just realized both of these craft beers are not even in my market.  Now that is pretty funny.  I will have to do some road trips.  What I like about this Wheat Beer, you do not taste the wheat or yeast like most American wheat beers.  I love the coriander that is used in this brew.  It has a nice lemon notes that kick off through out the beer drinking experience.  There is not over the top aftertaste from the beer and lemon notes.  It is just right.  They do some brewery tours and I would check into that to get to know this brewery a little bit more.  I highly recommend this brew.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog Off Color Brewing Scurry

image

Starting new beer tab, Off Color Brewing is the featured craft brewery on this beer blog.  This is their frist appearance on this blog.  The beer that will be sampling is Scurry and tomorrow will be their Troublesome Wheat Beer.  Off Color Brewing was founded in the later part of 2012 to early part of 2013 in the western part Logan Square in Chicago.  The founder are John Laffler, who was part of Goose Island brewery team, and Dave Bleitner, who was part of Two Brothers Brewery team.  Their goal is to brew beer that they will enjoy and something different then the norm on the market today.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark brown to a slight amber or dark brown reddish color with a semi constant white head.  The smell is honey with hints of caramel.  The taste is a smooth and slight creamy honey with a nice creamy chocolate aftertaste.  It is a extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from their website (www.offcolorbrewing.com):

SCURRY

Dark Honey Ale

This surprisingly dry beer retains all the aroma and nuance of honey (from bees) and molasses (not from bees) creating a perception of sweetness through cool, controlled fermentation. Because we’re sweet enough damn it.

ABV:5.3%
HOPS:Strisselspalt, Nothern Brewer, Hallertau Hersbrucker
IBU:18