Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #145 - ORANGE Wax) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?
Now this is the story all about how
An emerging Chicago brewery got turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute to type some shit
I'll tell you how they became the #MidwestWhalez of a town called Chicago
In west Chicago born and raised
At Bieeennnny's where they spent most of their days
Chilling out, planking, relaxing all cool
And all shooting some gatz on the west side of the school
When a couple of AB InBev guys, they were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighbourhood
They bought out Goose Island and everyone got scared
So Ratebeer said, "Pipeworks is the new hot shit, you better prepare"
I hit up Beermenus when releases were near
Binny's said, "SOLD OUT," better luck check Twitter
If anything I could say this manager was rare
But I thought nah, forget it, yo homes to West Lakeview Liquors
I pulled up to that mom or pop shop about seven or eight
And I yelled to the cashier, "Yo, hook me up it's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!"
Looked at my #MidwestWhalez I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the prince of...ah fuck it, I don't want to deal with the inevitable trademark ass-fucking that comes with this shit. About Pipeworks:
Reported IBUs: ?
Now this is the story all about how
An emerging Chicago brewery got turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute to type some shit
I'll tell you how they became the #MidwestWhalez of a town called Chicago
In west Chicago born and raised
At Bieeennnny's where they spent most of their days
Chilling out, planking, relaxing all cool
And all shooting some gatz on the west side of the school
When a couple of AB InBev guys, they were up to no good
 |
| Fresh #MidwestWhalez |
Started making trouble in my neighbourhood
They bought out Goose Island and everyone got scared
So Ratebeer said, "Pipeworks is the new hot shit, you better prepare"
I hit up Beermenus when releases were near
Binny's said, "SOLD OUT," better luck check Twitter
If anything I could say this manager was rare
But I thought nah, forget it, yo homes to West Lakeview Liquors
I pulled up to that mom or pop shop about seven or eight
And I yelled to the cashier, "Yo, hook me up it's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!"
Looked at my #MidwestWhalez I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the prince of...ah fuck it, I don't want to deal with the inevitable trademark ass-fucking that comes with this shit. About Pipeworks:
Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.
How on earth can you top the fantastic Raspberry Truffle Abduction and the possibly better Coffee Break Abduction? You probably can't...but seriously, these beers have been generating a ton of hype, and maybe for good reason. The bottle states:
"Earth, both rich and refreshing, the bright juices of your primordial civilizations quench even the coldest desire's of deep space. Eventually you will succumb and offer us the sweet orange flesh of your humanity and the chocolate longing of your young will. Or did you think there would be someone to deliver you?"
I tried to be a badass and open the beer with the wax intact, but a big ring of wax settled around the cap, and removing the cap with the wax was likely going to compromise the beer. I have a love-hate relationship with wax, but it's much better than the glued on foil that some breweries use.
Anyway...the beer pours into an aggressively black body, and kicks up a pinky's worth of tan/khaki head. The head rapidly dissolves into a cauldron effect, coating the surface of the beer. Holding the beer to a bright light doesn't change much, but there are some red/brown tones on the very edges of the beer. I guess this beer isn't as black as say...Justin Bieber's soul. As you rock the boat/gently swirl the beer, sticky brown head coats the side of the glass, followed by some alcohol legs.
The base beer is a fantastic Stout, and this has all the aromas of the Abduction, plus some mild fruit tartness and orange kick. There's big roast, chocolate truffle, coffee, coffee creamer, some ash/dirt, berries, and elusive fruit on the nose. The "elusive fruit" is obviously the orange. There's definitely that berry thing going on with the nose, but also a hint of tangerine/asparagus. All-in-all, the fruit doesn't overwhelm the strong roast/chocolate/cacao/coffee thing that the base beer has going on...but how does it taste?
As Larry David would quip...pretty...pretty...prettttyyy good. Yeah, the Abduction is a hell of a base beer. The 10.5% works to this beer's advantage, as it has a totally expansive and dense mouthfeel that coats every inch of your mouth. This beer is money...or the money shot...or whatever. You get big chocolate milkshake up front, with some vanilla/creamer, cocoa, ash, dirt, and coffee. There's big roast and cacao in the middle, and the back end trails off with coffee beans/espresso, some dark fruits (ala plums), and some boozy complexity. The orange in this is VERY subdued, and I doubt I would be able to pull it out as a flavor in a blind tasting. Having said that, you get a hint of fruit sweetness up front, and some berry/orange truffle towards mid and back palate.
For 10.5%, this is dangerously drinkable. This almost beckons some barrel-aging, if not to add complexity then to add a layer of flavor as a warning that, hey, this thing will get you drunk and then some. Again, the base beer is awesome stuff. You can't run away from the fact that Pipeworks' Abduction is a hell of a Stout. This is a dense, full-bodied, sticky beer. The booze is hidden well, but there's some boozy complexity on the back end, and warming in your throat/belly. The palate depth is approaching stuff like B.O.R.I.S., so it's damn good, and the complexity is good too. You get expansive/milkshake-like roast, chocolate, vanilla, coffee/creamer, and elusive berry/fruit up front; that rolls into ash, dirt, coffee, and hints of orange/plum and truffle; the back end dials up the orange/plum, throws in some boozy complexity, and finishes sticky/aggressive/eventually dry.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
The Abduction is a light Divine Brew, and this doesn't do anything to hurt or take away from the Abduction. In some ways it adds another layer of complexity even. Still, if I had to rank them, I'd probably go: Coffee Break > Raspberry > Orange > Base Beer. I never got a chance to try the oak-aged version with cherries, but these things sadly happen. What isn't sad is this beer. It's also priced great at around 12, maybe 13, for a bomber. I personally wouldn't pair this beer with anything...it works as a sipper, and even better as a dessert beer. But if you had to do food pairings, go all out. Pair this with rich cheese pizza, orange truffles, ice cream, or something of that sort. Calories/healthy eating be damned. Bro, do you even squat?
Random Thought: Pipeworks is in the process of getting their barrel-aging program going, which is very exciting. On the other hand, landing some of their beer is already a bit of a task, so I can only imagine how hard it will be to get their barrel-aged Abductions. I guess you don't hate the playa, hate the game.
"Earth, both rich and refreshing, the bright juices of your primordial civilizations quench even the coldest desire's of deep space. Eventually you will succumb and offer us the sweet orange flesh of your humanity and the chocolate longing of your young will. Or did you think there would be someone to deliver you?"
I tried to be a badass and open the beer with the wax intact, but a big ring of wax settled around the cap, and removing the cap with the wax was likely going to compromise the beer. I have a love-hate relationship with wax, but it's much better than the glued on foil that some breweries use.
 |
| Pipeworks Orange Truffle Abduction |
The base beer is a fantastic Stout, and this has all the aromas of the Abduction, plus some mild fruit tartness and orange kick. There's big roast, chocolate truffle, coffee, coffee creamer, some ash/dirt, berries, and elusive fruit on the nose. The "elusive fruit" is obviously the orange. There's definitely that berry thing going on with the nose, but also a hint of tangerine/asparagus. All-in-all, the fruit doesn't overwhelm the strong roast/chocolate/cacao/coffee thing that the base beer has going on...but how does it taste?
As Larry David would quip...pretty...pretty...prettttyyy good. Yeah, the Abduction is a hell of a base beer. The 10.5% works to this beer's advantage, as it has a totally expansive and dense mouthfeel that coats every inch of your mouth. This beer is money...or the money shot...or whatever. You get big chocolate milkshake up front, with some vanilla/creamer, cocoa, ash, dirt, and coffee. There's big roast and cacao in the middle, and the back end trails off with coffee beans/espresso, some dark fruits (ala plums), and some boozy complexity. The orange in this is VERY subdued, and I doubt I would be able to pull it out as a flavor in a blind tasting. Having said that, you get a hint of fruit sweetness up front, and some berry/orange truffle towards mid and back palate.
For 10.5%, this is dangerously drinkable. This almost beckons some barrel-aging, if not to add complexity then to add a layer of flavor as a warning that, hey, this thing will get you drunk and then some. Again, the base beer is awesome stuff. You can't run away from the fact that Pipeworks' Abduction is a hell of a Stout. This is a dense, full-bodied, sticky beer. The booze is hidden well, but there's some boozy complexity on the back end, and warming in your throat/belly. The palate depth is approaching stuff like B.O.R.I.S., so it's damn good, and the complexity is good too. You get expansive/milkshake-like roast, chocolate, vanilla, coffee/creamer, and elusive berry/fruit up front; that rolls into ash, dirt, coffee, and hints of orange/plum and truffle; the back end dials up the orange/plum, throws in some boozy complexity, and finishes sticky/aggressive/eventually dry.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
The Abduction is a light Divine Brew, and this doesn't do anything to hurt or take away from the Abduction. In some ways it adds another layer of complexity even. Still, if I had to rank them, I'd probably go: Coffee Break > Raspberry > Orange > Base Beer. I never got a chance to try the oak-aged version with cherries, but these things sadly happen. What isn't sad is this beer. It's also priced great at around 12, maybe 13, for a bomber. I personally wouldn't pair this beer with anything...it works as a sipper, and even better as a dessert beer. But if you had to do food pairings, go all out. Pair this with rich cheese pizza, orange truffles, ice cream, or something of that sort. Calories/healthy eating be damned. Bro, do you even squat?
Random Thought: Pipeworks is in the process of getting their barrel-aging program going, which is very exciting. On the other hand, landing some of their beer is already a bit of a task, so I can only imagine how hard it will be to get their barrel-aged Abductions. I guess you don't hate the playa, hate the game.
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