Revolution 3rd Year Beer

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company (Revolution Beer LLC) in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Barleywine/Wheatwine, 11.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tomorrow night I'll be busy and won't have the opportunity to punish my liver or enjoy tasty, rare beer. So I figured I'd put a dent in my cellar and crack this one open. I've been camping on this for a while, but I want to drink this sooner than later. I love rum and I'd hate to see the rum fade out of this. About Revolution:

Revolution Brewing is a brewery and brewpub based in Chicago. Revolution's roots are tied to founder Josh Deth, a homebrewer who began working at Golden Prairie Brewing. A few years later, while working at Goose Island, Josh dreamt up the idea for Revolution Brewing. In 2003, Josh and his wife opened Handlebar, while Josh worked as an Executive Director of Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. While working for the Chamber of Commerce, Josh found an old building on Milwaukee Avenue, and the wheels began to spin to open up a brewery. After three years of raising funds, Revolution Brewing opened its doors on February 2010. In July of 2011, Revolution added a 2nd floor Brewers' Lounge. And in 2012, the company opened a new production brewery and tap room. The brewpub is located in Logan Squre on 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave; the brewery is located on Kedzie Avenue at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. For more information on Revolution, check out their history page here!  

The 3rd Year Beer comes in a fancy box ala Firestone, and gives a bold impression. The back of the box states: "In celebration of our Third Anniversary we brewed this hearty wheat barley wine with piloncillo. This unrefined Mexican cane sugar can be found at your local bodega, often in the shape of small truncated cones. The rich ale matures for 4 months in Jamaican rum barrels, resulting in a sweet, delicious, malt-forward winter warmer." 

I don't think there's much to add...you can read more about Panela/Piloncillo if you're inclined. And let's be honest, rum is one of the best things ever. It's nice to see more beers moving in different directions than Whiskey, so let's crack this open and see what we have.

Revolution 3rd Year Beer

In low light, the beer pours into a rich, burnt orange/brown/auburn color, and kicks up a finger or two of wheat-fueled, caramel/khaki-tinted head. When held to a bright light, the beer takes on a hazy amber-orange color, and the head picks up some bright amber/orange tones. There's moderate carbonation streaming upwards in this. The head is impressively persistent, but big, glossy alcohol legs betray this beer.

Straight legit, you get huge rum on the nose of this beer, with dark rum spiciness and that caramel/fruit rum character. There's noticeable wood and barrel character on the nose as well, along with raisins, figs, cinnamon, cane sugar, caramel/toffee, and some light nuttiness. There are elusive fruits too, hinting at a Quad or Wheat Beer, but not really there.

Yum...this tastes really fantastic. I immediately prefer this over the Very Mad Cow. There's a ton of rum in this, along with raisins, cinnamon, wood/barrel, seductive booziness, and that caramel/spice/earthy fruit kick you associate with rum. There's even a bit of that "rum burn," with some tannin assertiveness. The wheat pops up, along with low to mid-level bitterness, but none of the wheat/hop character is overly assertive. There's definitely big oak character in this, which leads me to believe this was aged in a rum-soaked oak barrel. What an invention. /dr. nick

"What a country!"

Like the Very Mad Cow, this beer is punishingly sweet. You can feel the sugar grinding your teeth, and each sip is like one year off your life. This beer was made for diabetic alcoholics and pirates, I'll let you sort out the overlap. What should be full-bodied with Sam Adams Imperial White levels of non-drinkability is actually kind of quaffable, thanks to lively carbonation and a nice drying finish. There's also some nice booze/burn on the back end, which is certainly welcomed with this type of thing. It's aged in rum barrels for 4 months, you pussy. What were you expecting? Don't even think about prolonged aging. While palate depth is outstanding for a winter warmer, complexity seems a bit "rum-dimensional." Don't worry, we'll be firing the intern. You get caramel, sugar, and fruits on the molasses wave-length up front; then the rum, cinnamon, and huge barrel/oak show up; the back end is lingering barrel/oak, rum spice, and some nice tannin assertiveness and alcohol burn. It's dry and sticky, but that's nothing compared to the scurvy.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I would say this is a notch above the Very Mad Cow, with the two big faults being the over-the-top sweetness and the middling complexity. Then again, when you consider the 11.2%...this beer is a sipping beer. For sure. This is a beer that you could mull over for an hour or two on a cold winter night, and in that regard, it almost seems perfect. Unfortunately, today is one of the hottest and most humid days in Chicago. I would pair this beer with ribs, sweet barbecue, pulled pork, spiced poultry, grilled meats, tropical salsa, and maybe even some fish. This is good stuff but I'd drink it fresh to get the most out of the rum character. Also, this was a bit pricey if I recall. 

Random Thought: July is apparently eternal Florida. It's hot and the humidity is at very uncomfortable levels. It's ridiculous weather, bring on some low-80s and a nice breeze.