Local Option Mourning Wood

Brewed By: Local Option Bierwerker in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale/Hybrid Ale/Barrel-Aged Ale/Coffee Beer, 7.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

Local Option Mourning Wood

You can't stop the Chicago beer train. It's coming at you 100mph like Amtrak. About Local Option:

Local Option is a restaurant/bar (known for their intense Creole food) that happens to also brew their own beer.

The Mourning Wood is an oak-aged coffee amber ale. This beer sits in fresh American oak, and Dark Matter's El Salvador San Jose pulp-natural coffee adds some coffee kick. This one looks like it has been through barrel-aged hell. The beer is a murky, orange color, with tight lacing and surprisingly good head retention despite the barrel/coffee treatment.

The aroma here is dark grains, sweet hazelnut, nutty coffee, toast, oak, and some nice dark fruits. I'm getting some dried berries and figs on the aroma, and I'm reminded of Autumn-style beers (namely the Two Brothers Atom Smasher). As this warms up, the coffee on the aroma starts to pop.

This beer gets appreciably better as it warms, so keep that in mind when you crack this. As I sip on this, I am getting lots of dried berries, serious kicks of Dark Matter coffee ala hazelnut and light roast, toast, and light grassy hops. The oak comes through as a mild character that plays with the Amber Ale base. Caramel, light brown sugar, tapioca, iced coffee, wood, coffee creamer...pretty complex.

This hides the 7.3% with ease, and drops appropriate carb levels. Palate depth is good with nice duration, and this has a fairly complex layering of flavors for an Amber Ale. The oak addition is a subtle touch, and the coffee comes through as a light roast or Java flavor. I find this to be an intriguing Amber Ale, and you can't beat the price. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is not revolutionary or mind-blowing by any means, but it is a solid Amber Ale. Also, the Dark Matter coffee comes through strong, as advertised.  

Random Thought: Awww yeah beer. 

Pipeworks Brief Relief Blood Orange Red Ale

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #426/427) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 06.12.2014)

Style/ABV: American Amber / Red Ale, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ requires a little more explaining than usual, I think. Pipeworks has quite the lineup of weirdly named beers, but nothing tops tonight's beer and its bottle art. This "collaboration" with Harebrained Design was brewed for the Period Panties Launch Party. What are Period Panties? "Fun underwear that high-fives you for having ovaries and serves as a friendly reminder to others!" You can read more about the launch on Reddit's ChicagoBeer thread regarding the subject. 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. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The back of the bottle of Brief Relief reads:

"What's better than not wearing pants? Not wearing pants while enjoying a beer! So as a nod to drinking pants-less and to celebrate the insane success of period Panties by Chicago's Harebrained Design, we present to you BRIEF RELIEF.

Brief Relief is a Blood Orange Red Ale, filled with citrusy hops, designed to give some much-needed brief relief from whatever is currently cramping your style. Much like Period Panties, this beer gives ovary owners a well-deserved high five!

Check out Period Panties: www.harebraineddesign.com"

Pipeworks Brief Relief 

I had something for this...I'm drawing a blank. Anyway, this beer pours into a dark, blood-orange caramel color, kicking up two to three fingers of caramel-tinted head. This looks like an Imperial Red or an Imperial IPA, with sheets of lacing coating the glass and sticky head retention. When held to a bright light, this beer takes on a murky blood-orange color, with tiny dots of carbonation working their way up the glass. It doesn't remind me of periods or liberating underwear, but beer is the solution to all problems.

The aroma here is moderately assertive. Right up front I'm getting big hop notes, maybe Citra or Simcoe? I dunno, it's hard to say. There's big citrus on the nose, grapefruit, and dank tobacco/hemp that veers into dank citrus notes. Along with the hops is assertive citrus sweetness, including orange and grapefruit. There is also some bready and rye spice on the aroma, with big suggestive malts lurking in the back.

Aye, this is another banger from Pipeworks, and one of their better Imperial Red Ale-style brews. This is just a fun beer...and I say that in a nice way. I'm getting a lot of citrus sweetness in here, with splashes of citrus juice, sweet blood orange, sweet grapefruit juice, mimosas, grapefruit soda, and big citrus hops underpinning the whole thing. The hops are slightly dank, with big orange and grapefruit. There's some piney bitterness to play contrast to the sweeter citrus juice. Behind it all are some bready malts, with some rye spice and bread providing a nice backbone. This finishes with bread and caramel. Nice.

This is medium-bodied, well-carbonated, and juicy. I'm not getting any of the 9.0% ABV, and this is very drinkable. This reminds me a bit of something from the Lagunitas wheelhouse, only with that blood orange Pipeworks' twist. I really like this...and while it isn't the most complex or bold Imperial Red, it's really well made. Palate depth is on spot. Up front: sweet citrus juice, blood orange, grapefruit soda; the mids roll into the hops, with dank citrus, hemp, tobacco, and some bitter pine/guava towards the back; the back end trails off with hops and citrus and then drops some massive bread, caramel, and rye spice on your mouth. The finish is malty with lingering citrus...slight warming. Noice. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is one of the better attempts at an Imperial Red from Pipeworks. Actually...this might be their best attempt at the style. This is just an insanely drinkable and fun beer, with tons of sweet citrus popping, and nice balance from the hops and malts. This beer actually feels intentionally cohesive and thoughtful. It's just good. If you see this one on shelves or in the fridge, grab it now while it is still fresh. Food pairings here? It's hard to say, with this style. The sweet malt notes and rye notes seem like they would pair well with a pastrami sandwich on rye, deli food (anything from a Polish or Jewish deli), and maybe even German or Swedish cuisine. I'm thinking sausage and sauerkraut, or maybe some Swedish Meatballs. This beer maybe isn't hoppy enough to pair with overly spicy American food...but it might also work with sweet barbecue sauce, and maybe some sweet pork tacos. So yeah, you have a wide potential in terms of food pairings here. Slaw and BBQ? Yes.

Random Thought: I have to admit, the Period Panties are pretty awesome. And it seems like they have lots of support. Beer + Period Panties = good times. Although I don't menstruate, I can raise a glass and say "cheers" to that. 

[Cellar Review] Pipeworks Santa vs. Unicorn (American Barleywine Style Ale) (Vintage 2013)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #79) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 01.22.2013)

Style/ABV: Imperial Red Ale/American Barleywine, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It is hard to believe that it has been over one year since I began reviewing Pipeworks' beers. Back in the January of 2013, I reviewed the Pipeworks Santa vs. Unicorn. I found the beer to be superbly underwhelming. For fun, I thought, "why the hell not, I'll age a bottle."

So I bought another bottle. If you are a keen reader/observer, you'll note that the beer I am reviewing tonight is from the Batch #79 release. The beer I reviewed back in January 2013 was from Batch #64. The two batches were brewed close enough together that I doubt it matters much, plush this shitty blog is far and away from a perfect science. You've been warned.

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. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

I have some serious reservations about aging Pipeworks' beers, especially their early batches. BUT, to the credit of Pipeworks, the beers I have held on to for extended periods of time did hold up well. Specifically the Raspberry Truffle Abduction, which was a delight half a year later. 

Tonight's beer was brewed for the Winter, but has made several appearances with possible recipe tweaks and slightly different names. A much improved version of this beer was released in July of 2013; the Sam Vs Unicorn found Pipeworks channeling their inner Lagunitas. The Sam Vs Unicorn was a fantastically hoppy, spicy, malty, Imperial Red...the type of shit that I salivate over. I do love my Imperial Reds. Imperial Reds flirt with American Barleywines, but are so much better. I'm really curious to see how this one has held up to age. 

Without further ado. And if you care what is on the back of this bottle, go read my review for Batch #64. The print is identical. 

Pipeworks Santa vs. Unicorn (Vintage 2013)

As I kind of anticipated, this one gushed on the pour. That's what happens when you age a conditioned beer for a year and then open it up on the warmer side of cellar temps. This one pours into an absolutely swampy orange-red-brown haze. This one is practically opaque, with big juicy brown/orange tones in bright light. It's like a Ween album, weirdly appealing and off-putting at the same time. This one also kicked up a finger of caramel-tinted head that is sustaining quite nicely with a centimeter coating. There's some lacing as well.

How about that aroma though! Wow, this thing has improved with age. At least per my previous tasting notes. I'm getting huge cakey malts, pine sap, maple syrup, waffle house, pine, and pine tar. There is some big hop resin lurking beneath, with resinous grapefruit and lemon making an appearance on the nose. There's good sweetness on the aroma, with caramel, brown sugar, and balanced treacle goodness ala a well-crafted, aged, American Barleywine. 

The taste fails to live up to the awesome aroma, but it's a big improvement over the beer that I reviewed back in 2013 and said "meh" to. This one has a nice body, especially for the style. American Barleywines can be quite heavy-handed, but this has lots of carbonation, with a full-bodied thinness, and just a touch of oxidation. The balance here has shifted from hop-forward into deep caramel sugars, but there are still plenty of hops present. I'm getting big pine, pine sap, maple syrup, treacle sweetness, nuttiness, pine nuts, brown sugars, burnt caramel, more burnt caramel, even more burnt caramel...serious up-thumbs for the dark sugars in here, it's almost Belgian-esque and that is fucking awesome. I don't even know how or why, but I like it. There's some resinous and sappy lemon and citrus hanging around in the taste, but this one mostly dials in that pine-maple-caramel trifecta.

To reiterate, this is full-bodied but on the thinner and more drinkable side, especially for the style. I think this beer toes the line of a true American Barleywine, where the Sam Vs Unicorn is more of an Imperial Red. Palate depth here is good, and this one has good duration. Complexity is low to average, or maybe not. I'm not a huge fan of American Barleywines, but I'm digging this. You don't pick up any of the 10%. There's a lotta pine sap, maple syrup, and caramel sugars up front; that rolls into nuttiness, pine nuts, more pine sap, resinous lemon, bitterness, burnt caramel; the back end continues to layer the dark sugars and burnt caramel, and the finish is surprisingly bitter and piney. Picture the Canadian woods: cabins, brown bears, stalking sorority chicks. That's this beer.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average...I'll toss this a bone for just being a fun experiment. This isn't quite as refined or complex as a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot or whatever classic Barleywine comes to your mind, but at the same time it's not really far behind. I found this beer to be really disappointing fresh, but what I have here now is drinking really good. I'd pay $10.99 to age one of these again. Food pairings here: anything with pine nuts, including stuffed mushrooms, risotto, nutty desserts, and maybe even chicken and waffles. 

Random Thought: I don't understand American Barleywines. I have such a love/hate relationship with the style. 

New Glarus Snowshoe Ale

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2014 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale, 5.7% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Mmmm mmm love those trips across the border. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Snowshoe Ale is a winter seasonal, brewed with a blend of American and German malts, and hops from Slovenia and the Great Pacific Northwest.

New Glarus Snowshoe Ale

Appearance: Matches the bottle. Seriously, we have a chicken and egg thing going on here. What came first, the beer's SRM or the bottle? I can only guess. Anyway, this one is dark brown/red, like an Amber, with a nice finger of caramel/amber head. The beer is transparent, and features a nice amount of mid-sized carbonation. It's a good looking beer.

The aroma is very malty, with Marzen and Vienna-esque malts popping on the nose. I'm getting Munich malts, toast, bread, rye, sweet sugary malts, caramel, and some grassy and floral hops. The hop note almost hints at something brighter and sweeter, like tropical fruits. I'm curious what "pacific northwest" hops were used in this. 

This is incredibly New Glarus, with a strong leaning towards the sweeter, German, caramel malts, toast, Munich sweetness, and Marzen-like goodness. I think this is an Ale, but fool me once. There's a lot of bready toast and dried berry sweetness in here, and any hints of "pacific northwest hops" are washed away in favor of more straight up grassy and floral hop notes. There's a kiss of hemp sweetness, but this is no West Coast bong rip. 

This beer is amazingly consistent like that one girl you dated who was super average and you had no real reason to break up with, but you did anyway because sometimes you want to try something more edgy. It's a good Winter Amber...consistent and smooth, but malty and warming, and yet drinkable. But the 5.7% is on the higher end for the New Glarus wheelhouse, at least for this style of beer. It's medium-bodied, well carbonated, has good duration, and is complex enough. It's an Amber. The front end is malty and toasty; the mids dial up more toast and caramel sweetness, with dried berries, caramel, and burgeoning hops; the back end hits some hop notes and features lingering malts.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's somewhere between "middle of the road" and "above average." I couldn't not recommend it based on how quaffable it is, but there's no mystery or intrigue here. Food pairings here are whatever. Anything light goes well with an Amber. Pizza, chicken, whatever. Not bad @ 7.99 a sixer or whatever I paid.

Random Thought: I do appreciate these simple beers, but I'd appreciate them more if I lived in Wisconsin.

Gnarly Oak Hazelnut Dark

Brewed By: Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin  

Purchased: 22oz bomber from an $8 dollar gift set bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Amber Ale, 5.5%

Reported IBUs: 24

Hazelnuts? Yarrr. After last night's mediocre Minhas offering, I'm happy to crack open tonight's beer and put this one to bed. About Minhas: 

Minhas is the oldest continually operating brewery in the Midwest, and the second oldest brewery in the United States. As you can see from the brewery's history page, the brewery has been owned by many different people, and rebranded numerous times. The brewery began in 1845 as the Monroe Brewery when it was opened by Mr. Bissinger. In 1906, the brewery changed its name to the Blumer Brewing Company. And in 1947, the brewery was purchased by Joseph Huber and the brewery became known as the Joseph Huber Brewing Company. In 2005, the Minhas Family purchased the brewery, and in 2006 the brewery changed its name to the Minhas Craft Brewery. For more info, check out the brewery's website. 

The Hazelnut Dark is billed as an "Ale brewed with natural hazelnut flavor." The bottle says: "Hazelnut Dark is a reddish amber ale that has an impeccable balance between its carapils and caramel roasted malts and centennial hops. We add just a touch of hazelnut to give a rich nutty flavor and aroma." I can only hope the hazelnut flavoring added to this beer isn't artificial and crappy.

Gnarly Oak Hazelnut Dark

The Hazelnut Dark pours into an orange/amber body. The body seems mostly transparent, and some streams of small to mid-sized carbonation are visible. The beer kicked up three fingers of amber-tinted head, and that has dropped into a consistent pinky of head. There is lacing if you swirl the beer, and the beer is bright orange when held to a bright light.

The aroma here is actually a bit of a departure from the Winter Bock and Chocolate Stout. I'm getting big Carapils malts and cereal grains on the nose, malt sweetness and fruity molasses, coffee, and hazelnut. There's a slightly buttery quality to the hazelnut aroma...and I'm getting some Cream Ale vibes from this.

This tastes a lot like a moderately hoppy Brown/Amber Ale spiked with hazelnut. The hazelnut doesn't taste too artificial...but there's a slight burnt and butter thing going on in here. Otherwise, I'm getting lots of toast, bread, unprocessed Carapils (which are fucking delicious so whatever), pretty clean hop notes that are floral and spicy, and lots of hazelnut. The hazelnut has some nutty and coffee character. This is actually okay.

As is the trend...this one is medium-bodied and probably a bit too heavy for 5.5%. BUT, you can forgive it because of the bitterness and carbonation that balances things out. This isn't even that hoppy, but the toasted character and Carapils provide additional bitterness. It's drinkable. The palate depth is good, and the complexity is aight. Up front: sweet molasses, hazelnut, and then some toast; the mids hit floral/spicy hops, toast, Carapils, and the beer cleans up; the back features lingering hops, and this one finishes dry and clean. It's almost like they used analytics and shit to brew a beer that has some thought and balance. They probably used BeerSmith for this. 

Rating: Strong Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I like this...I would buy this again if it came in a 6-pack or if I could find single bombers for three dollars. I can't overlook the slightly burnt/buttery aroma, but in terms of the taste, this is definitely the most balanced of the Gnarly Oak beers. This beer has some nuance and progression. There are things like sugars, malts, and then hops. And when you combine them the right way, you get things like a nice palate progression and balance. I dunno. Whatever. Don't care. Food pairings: American bar food, chicken satay, ribs, pulled pork, pork, anything with pine nuts, YARRR

Random Thought: And that concludes my little $8 Walgreens adventure. All-in-all, not a bad deal....I've spent more than $8 on a single 12oz bottle of beer.

Anchor BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red

Brewed By: Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: American Amber/Red, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

How can anyone say "no" to Autumn/Fall beers? Fall beers have to be the best seasonal releases, coinciding with the changing leaves, crisp cooler weather, and football. Mother fucking football. That's all you need to know. And if you don't like football...well, you suck, or it sucks to be you. But we also have baseball in October, which is the best baseball, and hockey and basketball just around the corner. So yeah, Fall. About Anchor:

Anchor Brewing Company is "America's first craft brewery." The brewery can be traced back to the 1849 California gold rush, where German brewer Gottlieb Brekle arrived in San Francisco with his family. In 1871 Gottlieb purchased a beer-and-billiards saloon, and turned it into a brewery. In 1896, Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel Jr. bought the brewery and named it Anchor. In 1906, Baruth passed away, and a fire and earthquake destroyed the brewery. In 1907, Otto Schinkel Jr. was run over by a car. The brewery was maintained by Joseph Kraus, August Meyer, and Henry Tietjen. During the 1950s and 1960s, the brewery went through hard economic times, and Anchor was shut down twice. In 1965, Fritz Maytag purchased Anchor saving it from bankruptcy. In 1971, Fritz began bottling Anchor Steam beer; and by 1975, Anchor had four beers, their Porter, Liberty Ale, Old Foghorn, and Barleywine Ale, and their annual Christmas Ale. In 1979, Anchor moved to its current location, on Mariposa Street, where the brewery currently resides today. Since then, Anchor continues to brew beer (and distill spirits), and remains one of America's most traditional breweries. Definitely check out the company's history page, HERE.

The BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red is obviously a Fall/Autumn seasonal. This beer is brewed with maple syrup, and is inspired by the California maple tree. In addition to the maple, caramel malts, and pale malts, this beer is also brewed with three additions of Nelson Sauvin hops in the brew kettle, and a blend of Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Cascade for dry hopping. Punching in at a pleasant 6.0%, this beer is available between August and October.

Anchor BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red

I'm obviously doing this wrong, but the beer pours into a nice amber body, and kicks up three-plus fingers of super fluffy, soapy, off-white head. The head is sticky and is sustaining nicely, and takes on some amber/tan tones. In bright light, this beer looks exactly how an Amber Ale should look. The beer is transparent and filtered(?), and there's lazy carbonation. Head retention is sexy, and sticky lacing is coating my glass. 

The Nelson Sauvin hopping is apparent on the aroma, along with the big Cascade. I'm getting a lot of pine, grapefruit rind, and wet leaves on the aroma. But what's surprising is the huge blast of bready, maple syrup on the aroma. I'm getting bready/biscuit honey, maple syrup, and cake on the nose. The pine and bready maple syrup thing on the nose is fantastic.

Wow...this is really fantastic for a seemingly simple style of beer. The beer is refreshing and crisp, with lots of pine, earthy floral, earthy bitter, rye, rye spice, and big crushed wet leaves, iced tea, and hints of citrus. The whole hop package is wrapped in a layer of bready maple syrup. Like, legit maple syrup. The whole beer takes on a rustic, earthy edge...and it reminds you of being outside on an Autumn day.

The Nelson Sauvin hops play nice here, never imparting any serious passionfruit or grape. At 6.0% this beer is dense enough, but drinkable and crisp at the same time. The mouthfeel is medium, and palate depth and complexity are both alright for the style. You get lots of pine, rye spice, hints of citrus, wet leaves, and tea up front; that rolls into more pine, rye spice, wet leaves, and hints of maple; the back end is a coating of maple syrup, bready goodness, and a nice finish that is dry and pleasantly earthy/floral. Autumn in a glass.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is a really good, simple, Amber Ale. There's not much to this style of beer, but the addition of the Nelson Sauvin and Cascade impart some rye-like spice that adds a nice layer of complexity to this beer, and the addition of the maple syrup actually comes through in the taste. This beer is everything you want in an Autumn/Fall seasonal, and would be a great beer to sip on during a football game, or on a chilly October night while you watch some baseball. Ambers pair well with whatever, but I'd stick with food that doesn't have a ton of heat...anything starch + meat or bread + meat would work, and yeah. Good stuff.

Random Thought:  I'm so happy that Anchor continues to put their beer in 6-packs.

Pipeworks Sam vs Unicorn

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #161 [or 151???]) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Imperial Red Ale, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Nothing says America like random shelf-grabs. I wasn't planning on buying this beer, as I was never overly smitten with the Santa vs. Unicorn, but you know how these things go. So on this Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™, we celebrate July 4th, part II. 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.

Tonight's beer is a big ol' Imperial Amber/Red Ale. The bottle talks abut American hops, and the ABV is dialed up to 9.0%. I'm expecting malts and hops in the Laguintas ballpark. I can dream, right? The back of the bottle states:

"When the weather warms and minds turn to summer's delights, true Americans celebrate our great nation's birth the best way we know how...drinkin' beers and blowin' stuff up. In honor of this most hallowed of traditions we present Sam vs Unicorn, an Imperial Red Ale brewed exclusively with American grown hops. We're sure you'll find to be the perfect pairing for Life, Liberty and the pursuit of semi-controlled explosions."

The beer pours into a hazy, reddish-brown body, and kicks up a finger of caramel-tinted head. The head is sticky, leaving lacing and alcohol legs, and a nice cauldron effect is forming on top of the beer. In bright light the beer is a murky red-orange, with the head picking up some nice amber/orange tones. The bottle art is pretty cool, and definitely has an, "America, fuck yeah!" vibe. 

Pipeworks Sam vs Unicorn

The aroma features bright, spicy hops. I'm getting huge resin, resinous hop punch, some wood, pine, orange, tangerine...and there's some underlying spice like tingly brown sugar or rye or something. There's also some hints of non-specific malt sweetness, hinting at caramel or bread. 

Woah-hey. The taste is surprisingly big and bold. As I recall, this is an immediate improvement from the Santa vs. Unicorn. This really does remind me of something Lagunitas would brew...there's tons of bready/caramel malt sweetness in this, with big blasts of brown sugar and rye-like spice. Between the malt and spice is fat resinous citrus (grapefruit, tangerine, orange, marmalade), some dank hops, resin/sap, and hints of wood and rind. There's big sweetness on the finish, and you feel the weight of the 9.0% ABV with light booze on the end (with some berry?).

My expectations were low, but I'm pleasantly surprised. This beer is doing everything right, and delivers what I want in an Imperial Red Ale. You have a big malty base, lots of brown sugar/rye-esque spice, and tons of resinous hops. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is aight. This is medium-full to full-bodied, with perfect carbonation. This is kind of boozy, as you'd expect for 9.0%. But the booze is masked, with just a hint popping up on the back (and the inevitable warming). You get citrus and bready/caramel malts up front; that rolls into brown sugar, rye-esque spice, and more hops; the back is lingering spice/hops, with a flash of malt sweetness. The finish is slightly woody and slightly dry. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average. Imperial Reds are one of my favorite styles of beer, IF they have that huge malt body and accompanying brown sugar spice. This beer nails the style, with a huge body to support all the hop/malt/spice trimmings. I would definitely recommend grabbing a bottle of this if you see it in the Chicago-land area. I also hope Pipeworks continues to brew this beer or similar versions. The Santa vs. Unicorn was average at best, but this beer is bangin'. I like to pair these malty/spicy Red Ales with spicy Mexican food. You could also pair this beer with pizza, a burger, wings, etc. But spicy Mexican food will really hit the spot. Get some pork or fish tacos...mmm.

Random Thought: So I guess today was the release for Lost Abbey's Duck Duck Gooze, and apparently it was a complete clusterfuck. You'd think they would know by know what with Dark Lord day and all. 

Half Acre Ginger Twin India Red Ale

Brewed By: Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Half Acre in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: IPA/Red Ale, 6.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Gingers are evil. About Half Acre:

The Half Acre Beer Company was founded in October 2006, which is young for craft beer in general, but great for the local Chicago scene. The founders of Half Acre started out by working with the Sand Creek Brewery in Black River Falls in Wisconsin. They eventually developed their Half Acre Lager, and began distributing and selling it in Chicago during the August of 2007. The beer was successful enough that Half Acre was able to buy out a space in the Bucktown area of Chicago. With continuing sales, Half Acre was eventually able to purchase equipment from Ska Brewing Co. and moved to their current location on Lincoln Avenue on the north side of Chicago. Half Acre has been brewing at their Chicago location since 2009, and seems to be really expanding in both amount of distribution and popularity. Check out the full story HERE, and check out their website for a low-down on all their beers and info. 

If you roll over to the Ginger Twin page, you can learn very little...though they hint that this beer should feature a nice "caramel twist." This one clocks in at 6.5%...ad should be tasty. Right?

Half Acre Ginger Twin India Red Ale

This one pours a reddish-orange amber color, with a finger of creamy, off-white head. The head is sticky and dense, and leaving some nice lacing. The body is hazy and has a nice color, head retention is nice.

The aroma on this is really nice, with bready malts, peppery and rye-like spice, resinous citrus and citrus zest, grapefruit, and some nice toffee. There's a nice balance between citrus spice and zest, and big sugary/bready malts. It reminds me of Laguintas.

The taste is a nice follow-through of the nose. You get big bready malts and toffee, lots of resinous citrus and grapefruit, and hints of peppery/rye/bready spice. There's also a clean thing going on with the hop profile...clean grapefruit and clean citrus. It's nice.

This is super drinkable at 6.5%, has a nice balance, and tastes really nice. The mouthfeel is medium-light, with supportive carbonation. The palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is okay. This is a nice Amber/Red IPA. You get lots of toffee, caramel, and bready malts up front; this rolls into big citrus, resin, and rye/pepper/bready spice; the back end is lingering dryness and cleans up with some nice refreshing hops. The finish is dry and spicy. 

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This is a Light Above-Average, going beyond the baseline for the style with great balance and nice clarity of flavors. You really can taste the bready/caramel malts, you get lots of nice spice, and the resin and citrus hops make a big appearance. This beer would pair well with a burger, peppery chicken, foods that go well with Saisons, seasoned potatoes or french fries, seasoned poultry, white fish, peppered steak, and peppery vegetables. All things considered, this is actually a really nice beer.

Random Thought: These Amber/Red IPAs are among my favorite types of beer, as they add a lovely peppery/spicy element along with big bread and toffee. Good stuff.

He'Brew Genesis Ale

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.6%...6.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...here is part two of tonight's festivities! About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

Looking at the Genesis/Messiah page, you can see that the Messiah is a "dry hopped session ale." This one uses Specialty 2-Row, Munich, CaraMunich 40, Wheat, and Dark Crystal malts; this uses Warrior, Centennial, and Cascade hops...and is dry hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe. 

He'Brew Genesis Ale 

In low light, this one pours an amber/orange color, with two fingers of hazy, off-white head. In bright light, this beer's body is bright orange, unfiltered and slightly murky, and you can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles ascending upwards. The head grabs some of those orange tones, and is leaving some nice sticky lacing. 

The aroma on this is solid, with bright candied citrus, caramel, fruit cake, orange cake, cake batter, pine sap, grass, very very faint catty hop, and some elusive fruits. 

This pretty much takes the aroma, and runs with it. I'm getting a lot of bready orange, tons of caramel, lots of sweet pine sap, grass, iced-tea, hints of lemon, hints of light catty hops, and some faint grain/biscuit/coconut. 

Pretty simple stuff here, but this is incredibly balanced and features a vibrant nose, and lots of subtle flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel, with moderate to high carbonation supporting things. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is good for the style. It's a fucking Amber Ale, people. Also, phrasing. Orange and hops up front; sweetness; trailing hops...light, refreshing, great in a 6-pack+ format.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. There's not much to say here, but what I will say is this is remarkably drinkable, balanced, and full of flavor. For a lighter, Amber Ale, you could do much worse than this. In fact, I've had some pretty dull, boring, and crappy Amber Ales...and this is not that. This one doesn't really cheat the style either by stretching the ABV or IBUs or whatever. Not bad. Food pairings: anything except for maybe pasta and heavy meats. This would be a great beer to drink out of the bottle at a party.

Random Thought: It's weird when you only drink extreme beers for a couple of weeks, and go back to two beers that are a little bit more down to earth. I love a sessionable Brown Ale, and Amber Ales are great too. I feel like the He'Brew Genesis would go especially great with a barbecue...specifically, barbecued ribs. I think the sweetness in this beer would play off ribs wonderfully. But that's just me.

New Belgium Fat Tire

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from New Belgium's Spring Sampler from Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.2%

Alright, tonight I'm wrapping up the New Belgium Spring Sampler. I've already reviewed Fat Tire for myself, so to keep this interesting I am going to re-review the beer right now, and compare my old notes and score with this current review. Before I talk about Fat Tire:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. For reference, New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their website.

Fat Tire is one of those classic beers that is available everywhere, and just about everyone has tried. The beer is up there with Guinness, Sam Adams, and Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale in terms of infamous craft beers. Fat Tire is a beer named after co-founder Kim Jordan's bike trip through Europe. The beer is described as balanced with toasty and biscuit-like malt flavors balanced with hoppy freshness. The beer uses Willamette (spicy, fruity, floral, earthy), Goldings (mild aromatics and bittering), and Target (English hop aroma) hops; and Pale, C-80, Munich, and Victory malts. Clocking in at 5.2% ABV, the beer has 18.5 IBUs and packs 155 calories per bottle. Let's dig in.

New Belgium Fat Tire

The pour reveals a brown-gold, copper/amber beer with 3-fingers of slightly off-white head. The head is made up of large bubbles that have a thin, dish soap quality. The head is slightly foamy. There is moderate carbonation, and this beer is super filtered and transparent. There is some lacing on my nonic pint.

The aroma on the Fat Tire is pleasant earthy and herbal hop notes; English hops. There are roasted malts, and hints of biscuit on the nose as well. I'm picking up a touch of stale biscuit, and maybe a hint of citrus.

The taste is about the same as the nose. Lots of mild hops, and a biscuit-like and grainy finish. There are hints of fruit from the hops up front, earthy, and herbal hop notes. Grain, biscuit, earth. There is a really hard flavor on the front of the palate: I can't tell if it is toffee or fruit, it reminds me of hard water.

This is light, non-assertive, well-carbonated, smooth, and super drinkable. This is a session beer, and a beer that you could use to convert someone to craft beer. The finish is refreshing and biscuit-like, and the beer reminds me very much of Spring. Palate depth is full, and complexity is moderate to low. You get smooth carbonation up front, with that hard note, biscuity malt, and pleasant English hops; this rolls into a grainy and biscuit-like middle, with English hop balance; the back end is trailing hops that opens up to that biscuity and refreshing finish. This feels good in the mouth, and is well-carbonated. There is also nice lacing on the glass.

Rating: Average

Score: 73%

 

So, I dug through my old review notes. Last time I drank this beer (some time in 2011) I gave it a 76%. I think that it is pretty fucking impressive that I only deviated by 3%. Even more impressive is that I rated it "Average" both times. I guess I am reliable.  

Fat Tire was one of the beers that popped my craft beer cherry. It was also one of the first craft beers I really enjoyed. I remember a turbulent journey to craft beer. My journey included Dogfish Head's 60 or 90 Minute IPA (I can't remember), Guinness, Old Rasputin, and Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. I'll be honest, I thought most of those beers tasted like shit when I first had them. It takes time to adjust your palate to big hop flavors and big roasted and burnt malts. At any rate, Fat Tire was one of the first craft beers that I remember really enjoying. I drank the beer at a very memorable time too: it was on a beautiful warming Spring evening in Chicago during my Freshman year of college. I have very fond memories of Fat Tire, and I was a fan way before I became a craft beer geek. 

You cannot do wrong with Fat Tire. This is an incredibly balanced and refined beer. This beer is a simple pleasure: nice mild hops balanced by some lovely biscuity malts. The best part is that this beer is available everywhere (and in bomber form!) and it doesn't cost very much. If you are familiar with craft beer, you've probably had Fat Tire. If you are new to craft beer and happen to stumble upon this review, do yourself a favor: go check out Fat Tire. It is the perfect gateway beer.