ABV Chicago Monthly Sampler: April 2023
At the end of each month, we like to highlight twelve drinks we found personally interesting, delicious, or exciting from (mostly) local sources with the hopes of passing on our recommendations to those that are interested in reading arbitrary reviews. Some of these were reviewed on the podcast, some were for Patreon-only Low ABVs, and some are just things we bought because we love beer. Here are our highlights from the month of April 2023.
Ryan’s Mixed Six
ESB | Extra Special Bitter | Art History Brewing | Geneva, IL | 5.3% ABV – listen (Patreon only)
With a new production brewery that is currently helping pump up the volume on their traditional styles and lagers, Art History is doing yeoman’s work in bringing more clean and drinkable beers to the greater Chicagoland area. Rumor has it that the Geneva Lager Works location will also serve as a contract or alt-prop hub, similar to Great Central, for breweries that want to offer more lagers but couldn’t squeeze a single horizontal tank into their taprooms. There were four beers from Art History in the running for me this month, but this ESB stands tall as it even outshone some stellar ones we had last month. Aromatically, this one gives off a complex variety including wheat bread crust, sweet dough, earthy hops, pear, apple skins, and fig. That bread crust carries through in the flavor, supported by some caramel-malt sweetness and a decently bitter and grassy finish. The mouthfeel is on the softer side, and it would lend itself beautifully to a cask pour.
Return to the Nexus | Imperial Stout w/ vanilla beans and Ugandan and Ghanian cocoa nibs aged in bourbon barrels | Black Horizon Brewing Company/Whiskey Hill Brewing | Willowbrook, IL/Westmont, IL | 12.2% ABV
Not every barrel-aged adjunct stout has to taste like a triple-thicc brownie shake, and the best ones usually know how to do three things: show off a rich and complex base stout, accent and amplify that stout with adjuncts that fit the flavor profile, and let the barrel show off some strength and heat before lending to a smooth finish. That’s this beer. It’s dangerously easy to put back while your kids defeat the free-play arcade TMNT: Turtles In Time game for a second time – trust me. I only had five ounces when I was there, but I’ve been nagged with the thought of going back for a bottle before they’re all gone.
Sticke | Altbier | Dovetail Brewery | Chicago, IL | 6.1% ABV – listen (Patreon only)
Not sure if it’s Dovetail or Binny’s that gets the credit for this idea, but making this “collaboration” beer in the style of the somewhat obscure Sticke Altbier is a cool move for those of us who get all excited by the words “double decoction.” This beer hits with a surprising amount of earthy hops in the end, and the sweet dark bready malts in the middle give it some heft. There’s also notes of dark fruit like plum or raisin along with a rye-like spice. It marries bigger complex flavors to Dovetail’s signature drinkability, and I’m certainly not mad about that.
Watcher in the Woods | Dunkel Lager | Miskatonic Brewing Co. | Darien, IL | 5.3% ABV
The brief preview of summer weather this past month brought out a pupal-stage Patio Dad with a box of carry-out sandwiches, magnetic travel games, and two kids that were more than happy to dance on the lawn off of the Miskatonic patio. Influenced by the lucky weather, Miskatonic put a keg of this note-perfect Dunkel on to serve in their big dimpled steins. It carries some caramel malt sweetness and oily nut richness in the early part of the sip before a slight earthy bitterness comes in to help dry it all out and show off its easy lager finish. Patio Dad will be making many summer returns to Miskatonic with their impressive takes on traditional German styles and immaculate West Coast IPAs, and you should too.
Delirio | Hazy IPA | Open Outcry Brewing Company | Chicago, IL | 6.8% ABV – listen
In our quest to find our personal favorite flagship hazy IPA from a Chicagoland brewery, there were a few big reasons why we needed this one in the competition. First off, it’s Open Outcry’s first canned offering, a taproom staple and fan favorite. Secondly, it’s an Eric Padilla-brewed hazy – and if you don’t know about Eric’s hazy history, you’re overlooking one of the most talented brewers in Chicagoland. He was at DryHop and then Corridor just as the hazy boom started to take off, developing several outstanding recipes with those brewpubs. Then, he took over at More Brewing during their period of rapid growth and honed an extensive lineup of stellar New England-style IPAs. And even though this beer took second overall in our Round 2 Blind Battle Royale, it’s a beautiful take on the hazy IPA and is still on the bubble for the championship round. It’s big on tropical fruits, honeydew, and sweet lemonade with a hit of dank Sour Diesel. The bitterness is present from mid-sip to far beyond the finish which really helps cut out any haze-induced sweetness. Here’s hoping there will be a fresh batch ready before the play-in games.
Medianoche (2022) | Imperial Stout aged in Blanton’s 15-year bourbon, Thomas H. Handy 6-year rye, E.H. Taylor 6-year bourbon, and Eagle Rare 10-year bourbon barrels | WeldWerks Brewing Co. | Greeley, CO | 13.7 % ABV – listen
Are you looking to Flex Seal your guts with a stout the consistency of chocolate syrup that has no adjuncts but also has been aged in top-tier bourbon barrels? Well hot damn, I’ve found the beer for you. This beer is as sticky as roof tar on a summer day, and it’s like taking an Augustus Gloop-like plunge into a questionable chocolate river. It’s The Cheesecake of Beers.™ No doubt it could be too decadent for some, but I don’t keep up with the pastry wars, so maybe it doesn’t live up to Florida’s finest brownie sludge stouts in terminal viscosity. I want to sip on a bottle of this over the course of an hour or two before drifting off into a warm sleep riddled with nightmarish sugar dreams. Just put your whole damn head into the Golden Corral chocolate fountain: legally, they can’t stop you.
Craig’s Mixed Six
Unfed Mind | American Pale Ale | Cellar West Artisan Ales | Lafayette, CO | 5.9% ABV – listen
An American Pale Ale that has the nose and flavors of an IPA? More please. Big berry, tropical, and stone fruit notes pair with a nice amount of classic pine notes to confuse you into thinking you’re drinking an IPA – but you’re not. The low ABV makes this light and not filling that, combined with the unique flavors, leads to a wholly unique beer. The berry notes and flavors do feature and differentiate this pale ale from the rest. Take multiple sips because the first hit a little watery but subsequent chugs brought all of the great things about this pale ale. While more bitterness would’ve been nice, it’s a pale ale! An easy drinker that I really don’t have a comparison for in the Chicago market. More HBC 630-hopped beers please!
Rauch Doppelbock | Rauchbier | Dovetail Brewing | Chicago, IL | 9% ABV – listen
Combining two styles that usually don’t get combined could lead to disaster or victory. In Dovetail’s case, victory was achieved. An aroma that features campfire berries (or a smoked jam if you prefer) leads things off interestingly enough. Chocolate-covered raspberries (with a smoky finish!), a silky mouthfeel, and some spices reminiscent of a winter warmer combine to yield a different take on both a rauchbier and a doppelbock. The two styles work well together in Dovetail’s hands and the result, while a bit high on ABV, leaves you wanting more. Grab one for a chilly and/or rainy day and sip away the day thinking of roasting berries by the campfire in the fall months.
Hip Hops and R&Brew | American Pale Ale | Funkytown Brewery | Chicago, IL | 5.5% ABV – read
I grabbed Hip Hops and R&Brew having seen it around before but never trying this. It might be my go-to at future Guaranteed Rate Field games, especially with the way the White Sox are currently playing. It balances the malty hoppy beers that dominated the landscape 10 or so years ago while using the juicy hops that dominate the landscape today, all while keeping things drinkable and refreshing. Having juicy notes with a malty sweetness to back it up are things that I look for in IPAs nowadays (things like Old Irving’s Scentinel). The added bonus that it’s a pale ale makes it even better. Grab one at the game and then a 4-pack from Pilot Project while you’re at it.
Pick of Destiny #10 – Raw Power | Barrel-aged Imperial Stout | Mikerphone Brewing (collab w/Beer on the Wall) | Elk Grove Village, IL | 14.42% – listen
We had an interesting lineup of barrel-aged stouts on this show and it just highlighted how much I enjoyed this Pick. It came out just right. The others on the show were either too sweet, thick or thin while this Pick of Destiny never went too far in any direction – except good. A just right mouthfeel, roast, chocolate and vanilla flavors, and enough barrel oomph to let you know that it’s a barrel-aged beer without being too boozy made this the one I kept going back to. The barrel integrates so well with the base beer that you can’t really separate the two – even though you can taste the barrel-aging. Some of these Picks are worth a try!
Into the Iris | Biere de Maple (Brown Ale with maple syrup) | Odious Cellars | Chicago, IL | 4.2% ABV – listen (Patreon exclusive)
Maple syrup in a beer typically doesn’t go too well. It usually comes out too sweet and overpowers all other aspects of the beer. Conversely, you sometimes don’t taste it at all. Odious Cellars managed to thread the needle on their Biere de Maple and it’s a joy to drink. It finishes dry and has spices that add a nice little punch to the proceedings. But the absolute star is the maple syrup. You get what I would say is the essence of maple syrup. A touch of sweetness but it does absolutely nothing to overpower the base beer or spices. That makes Into the Iris interesting, flavorful and drinkable. Do not pass this up because it’s a 4.2% ABV maple syrup beer. You’ll enjoy the heck out of it.
V.S.O. Gravedigger | Barrel-aged Scotch ale | Revolution Brewing | Chicago, IL | 14.9% ABV – read
Did Revolution release a V.S.O. beer this month? Then it’ll probably end up on this list in some form. V.S.O. Gravedigger is no exception. I was not a huge fan of Gravedigger Billy; I wanted more body, flavors, and barrel. V.S.O. Gravedigger solves all those problems and then some. Sure it’s a bit sweet, but the dry finish and big oak notes help tamper that down a bit. All the flavors – vanilla, caramel, maple syrup and nuts – form to give off a candy bar-like presence in your mouth. Some raisins and cherry notes back things up and the 14.9% ABV is nowhere to be found. It’s another stellar V.S.O. beer from Revolution, further cementing its status as the best barrel-aged program in the city and state.
