Off Color Brewing Eeek! 2018

Brewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Off Color Brewing Taproom (The Mousetrap) in Chicago, IL; 2018

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: 10

Taking Miller High Life and turning it into a Wild Ale is basically the most genius thing ever. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

Miller High Life is my go-to adjunct lager. And evidently, it holds up pretty well in a blind tasting. The guys at Off Color are a fan too:

Off Color Brewing Eeek! 2018

"For years whenever people asked what our favorite beer was we'd say High Life. (And not only because they'd send over cases of High Life when we said it.) A couple years ago we approached Lisa Zimmer at Miller about brewing a collaboration together. Big meets small. Technical acumen and resource meets magic and wishful thinking. Because at the end of the day, we're all brewers. Beer is beer and it's high time the trope of us vs them is replaced with an understanding of how big and varied the world is. There are more things in the heavens and earth, Horatio, than dreamt of in your philosophy.

Turning such a big ship takes time but Lisa was relentless and John was stubborn and cases of High Life kept showing up at the brewery. Then in June of 2016 we went up to Miller in Milwaukee to learn the secrets of the Lady in the Moon, brewed a ludicrously small ten barrel batch of High Life on their pilot system and drank a bunch of High Life. Needless to say, we were giddy. Shortly thereafter, Miller's R&D brewers came down and we brewed Eeek here in Chicago...and drank a bunch of High Life before drinking even more High Life at Sportsman's Club. Our first batch was released in October 2016. Imagine our glee in presenting your Batch #2 this March.

As High Life is a pinnacle of technical brewing expertise, we went rustic AF for Eeek, blending all of our wild acidic and funky mixed cultures together with house lactobacillus and set them loose on base High Life wort. After a month of unregulated primary fermentation, we turned on the jackets and lagered Eeek for an additional three weeks before bottling conditioning with Champagne yeast. Because, obviously."

This one punches in at 5.5% ABV, 10 IBUs; packs Pils and Pale malts; and features "light-stable hop extract." The yeast is a blend of "wild indigenous yeast and acidifying bacteria." 

dat logo tho

The pour is exactly what you'd expect...a pale yellow, hazy, beer with a short-lived white head. There is some gushing courtesy of the champagne yeast, and this is spritzy and lively in the bottle.

The aroma is an awesome explosion of sour flavors against classic High Life. That is to say, you get that super sweet adjunct lager note, pils malts for days, and then tons of blueberry, yuzu, wet rain, lemon, lactic acid, melon, hay. Off Color suggests pineapple and tangerine, which are present as well. Hay is definitely kicking around. It is super funky and smells "rustic as fuck."  

The taste mirrors the nose in the best way, and adds in tons of spritzy carb and JUST the right amount of acid. The flavor is exploding with yuzu and wet rain and barnyard/hay. There's melon and guava and some light citrus salad. Apple slaw notes are evident and you still taste the base beer's pils malts. 

Everything that ruins High Life is resolved with the acidity and sour yeast. Namely, this isn't cloyingly sweet and doesn't become punishingly sickly once you get past 12oz. It's light-bodied with good depth, duration, and complexity. Up front is carbonation, wet rain, yuzu; the mids get a bit more creamy and fruity; the back end retains spritz and finishes with lingering High Life.


Rating: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

The price tag leads me to believe this is an expensive and difficult beer to brew (or inoculate). On the other hand, this breaks Off Color's other beers and High Life. I just want more of this. If this came in a 4-pack of cans I would have my fantasy summer beer. I could drink this 24/7. While mowing my lawn, while driving my kids to soccer practice....etc.

Random Thought: Chicago might be Pale Lager mecca. Between Old Style, PBR, Schlitz, etc...but High Life is still my king.

Une Année Xellensis

Brewed By: Une Année Brewery in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 750ml (1 Pint 9.4 FL OZ) bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #X151)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Belgian Inspired Blond Ale, 8.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

More Midwest shelf turds. About Une Année:

Une Année Xellensis - unsexy photo FTW

Une Année is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois located near the intersection of Grand and Ashland in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor (three blocks from the Goose Island Fulton St. production brewery). The brewery was founded in early 2012 by Jerry Nelson, who is "an Architect, Marine, Siebel Institute Graduate, and Chicago native who started homebrewing in 1995 while stationed in California." Currently, Jerry is the head brewer along with Dustin Zimmerman, who also attended the Siebel Institute, and previously brewed at Hamburger Mary’s Andersonville and worked at Nøgne Ø. The name "Une Année" means "one year" in French, and was chosen to reinforce the two main ideas behind the brewery: a focus on Belgian and French style beer, and an emphasis on seasonal beers. For more info, check out the brewery's website.

The Xellensis is a Belgian Inspired Blond Ale brewed with Brett. The bottle reads, "A not sweet blond, brewed exclusively with brettanomyces bruxellensis. This ale will go the distance-provoking your senses and only growing tougher over time. Are you up for the challenge?"

This pours into a blonde-orange body, kicking up a lot of thick, foamy, white head. There is a storm of carbonation in my glass, like Duvel. Head retention is good.

The aroma here is funky, chalky, uniquely Belgian, and Brett. I'm getting a lot of apples and wheat, big yeast esters, pineapple, leather, some earthy funk, must/chalk, and some fruity and spicy phenol notes. Peaches.

Oh wow...this is really nice. I wasn't expecting this. This is a lot thicker than I was expecting. I'm also not getting as much Brett as I thought I would. The Brett comes out as mild and fruity, with apples and pineapple. This has tons of tropical fruit notes, with pineapple, peaches, pear, and apples. There's a bitter kiss of Brett at the back end, with some wheat. This is rich with tons of clove. It kind of reminds me of Pipework's Pineapple Bling. This takes the Belgian thing to an extreme, and reminds me of Duvel and various other Belgian beers. 

 Better photo...

I'm digging this. This is one of the better Une Année beers I have had to date. I don't know if it as good as their Tripel or Quad, but it is pretty close. It also hides the 8.8% very well. This is creamy, full-bodied, and moderately complex. While the complexity could ratchet up, the rest of the beer holds up for the style. I'm wondering if throwing this in your cellar for a year or two would result in some additional Brett complexity. That's my one caveat with many of Une Année's offerings...they all seem like they could benefit from aging a bit longer.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is a solid beer, I'd love to revisit it with some age on it. Really, the base beer is a fantastic Belgian Strong Ale. It's approaching that top-shelf echelon. If the Brett was dialed up a bit, this would be an easy 4.5/5.0. 

Random Thought: I'm really looking forward to Une Année's sour program.

Une Année Esquisse

Brewed By: Une Année Brewery in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 750ml (1 Pint 0.9 FL OZ) bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #ES1)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

More Midwest shelf turds. About Une Année:

Une Année is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois located near the intersection of Grand and Ashland in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor (three blocks from the Goose Island Fulton St. production brewery). The brewery was founded in early 2012 by Jerry Nelson, who is "an Architect, Marine, Siebel Institute Graduate, and Chicago native who started homebrewing in 1995 while stationed in California." Currently, Jerry is the head brewer along with Dustin Zimmerman, who also attended the Siebel Institute, and previously brewed at Hamburger Mary’s Andersonville and worked at Nøgne Ø. The name "Une Année" means "one year" in French, and was chosen to reinforce the two main ideas behind the brewery: a focus on Belgian and French style beer, and an emphasis on seasonal beers. For more info, check out the brewery's website.

The Esquisse is an American Wild Ale. And that's really all the bottle says. This pours into a hazy, pineapple-orange/yellow body, kicking up a couple of fingers of orange-tinged head. There is lacing and good carbonation. I was warned this might be a bottle bomb, but I opened it with no issues. 

Une Année Esquisse

On the aroma: impressive Brett funk, with peaches and fruit, and maybe a dash of lactic or acetic character. The Brett notes in here drift from butcher shop to leather, with some burnt hair and plastic/rubber in the mix. The less appealing Brett notes come and go quickly, and don't obstruct all the juicy fruits, stone fruits, and pineapple-peach sweetness. 

This tastes very much like the aroma...the main character here is the Brett, with loads of peaches, stones fruits, juicy notes, and pretty substantial malt backings. The funky Brett notes in the aroma are not as present in the taste...in fact I'm getting a lot more hops. This doesn't really dial up any lactic or acetic acid character, so my guess is this needs some time in the bottle. I'd like to grab a second bottle of this to age for a few years.

I'm going to keep this short because this is a very simple beer...it's yummy though, as are most beers that pile on the Brett and embrace the fruity/tropical side. This is medium-bodied with good carbonation, and has good palate depth and duration. Everything is in place, except this could/should be a bit more complex. Such is life. Up front: pineapple and juicy notes; the mids roll into more Brett funk, some malt backings, and more fruity notes; the back end trails with lingering fruit and funk. It's a fruity beer, and has a nice finish. It's drinkable, I just want more.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I'm pretty sure I am going to go pick up another bottle of this to age for a bit to see how it develops and changes. Otherwise, this is yummy stuff. Not a bad start for Une Année.

Random Thought: Apparently I love lamb. Greek food is awesome, but it needs to be done right.

Anderson Valley The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

Brewed By: Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, California 
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Gose, 4.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

This beer was a random purchase, and not something I would normally seek out. But, at the time of buying this beer, I was sick with a cold, and I needed something in a can to bring to a party. You really can't go wrong with a low-ABV Gose, right? About Anderson Valley Brewing Company: 

The Anderson Valley Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Boonville, Cali that was founded in 1987 
by Kenneth Allen. Originally, the brewery brewed out of a 10-barrel brewhouse, until an expansion was needed to meet demands. The expanded brewhouse was built in 1996, at the corner of Highways 128 and 253, a mile from the center of Boonville. In 1998, the brewery expanded again, with construction of a three-story Bavarian-style brewhouse being completed in 2000. In 2010, the brewery was sold to Trey White, and that same year Fal Allen took over as brewmaster. For more info, check out the brewery's website or Facebook page. 

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose is part of Anderson Valley's Highway 128 Session Series. Their traditional-style Gose is brewed with pale two-row and malted white wheat malts, finished with Bravo hops, and features a kettle soured wort.

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

This is a golden, lightly hazy, but filtered looking affair. The beer kicks up two fingers of wispy, wheat-fueled, white head, and there's good lacing and lazy carb.

Having just got this beer into a glass for the first time, I'm surprised at how good it smells. There's a lot of wheat notes, floral aromas, peach, coriander, lemon sherbet, and some minerality.

This is clean and refreshing, with nice griping lemon and peach tartness, without much lactic funk. There is a refreshing, underlying tartness that drives this beer...which is fantastic. You pick up the wheat and coriander in the taste, and there's a kiss of salt and minerality.

At 4.2%, this is incredibly drinkable. This is a really well-done wheat beer that is tart and refreshing without any crazy lactic funk. If you like lactic funk, you might be a bit disappointed, but the beer makes up for it with spot-on palate duration, a light and gently carbonated mouthfeel, and pretty good complexity. This delves into sour lemons and peaches up front; rolls into some stone fruits and tropical fruits in the mids, with coriander showing up; the back end drops wheat notes, salt, light minerality, and a super clean finish. Nice.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. If you want a griping, sour wheat beer...look no further. This is clean, refreshing, and good. I might pair this with sushi tonight.

Random Thought: Somehow, my fridge is full of beer. I'm a happy camper.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Flanders Red

Brewed By: Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works in Normal/Bloomington, Illinois 
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Flanders Red, 6.1%
Reported IBUs: 15

More Destihl Sours woo. About Destihl: 

Destihl is a brewery (Bloomington) and brewpub (Normal, IL & Champaign, IL) based out of the Midwest. Specifically, the middle of Illinois in the middle of the United States. Daaaa midwest. The brewery was founded by CEO & Brewmaster, Matt Potts, in 2007. Like many brewery founders, Potts started out as a homebrewer, and would eventually trade his law school education and law practice for those sweet barley suds. Destihl currently brews a myriad of regular and barrel-aged beers, including an increasing portfolio of tasty sour brews. For more info, check out their website. 

The Flanders Red is is an "acidic, sour ale with an initial impression of tart cherries and sour candy." 

This pours into a hazy, murky, dark ruby red/auburn body, kicking up two fingers of brown-tinged head. It looks like cherry juice, or your typical Flanders Red. There is good lacing on this one, and solid head retention.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Flanders Red

On the aroma: a surprising amount of malty goodness. I'm getting cherry, brown bread, bready notes, and some coffee? What? There is definitely a Brown Ale aroma thing going on with the nose, with some hints of dusty cocoa as well. There is some faint berries and vinegar sourness in the back of this, but the aroma is mildly sour. 

This is straightforward, and does taste much like an American Brown Ale base that has been given the 12-step Flanders Red treatment. I'm getting big cherries, light vinegar tartness, lots of acid, and some nuttiness, toast, bread, and hints of dusty cocoa and coffee ala an American Brown. It's intriguing, albeit without any crazy Brett funk or oak character. Actually, I don't even know if this is aged on wood. It tastes slightly oaky, but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me + the acid and sourness messing with my head. The sourness in this beer comes in spurts, and isn't bad at all. 

This is medium-light bodied with above-average complexity. Palate depth is good, and I'm finding this to be pretty enjoyable. There is a nice balance between the ABV, body, carbonation, and sourness. I'm kind of digging how the base beer here is an American Brown Ale...it's like a new twist on this classic style. Up front: sour cherries, red cider vinegar, some burgeoning malts; the mids roll into the malts, with that Brown Ale base; the back end features lingering malts, dusty cacao, bread, faint coffee, sour cherries; and the finish is surprisingly dry. Good acidity, okay sourness.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. Solid shit, I would buy this again in the can. It would be nice to see this just sitting around on shelves. Food pairings here include grilled meats and poutine. 

Random Thought: These Destihl 4-packs are like $10? Pretty solid deal, IMO.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Here Gose Nothin'

Brewed By: Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works in Normal/Bloomington, Illinois
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Gose, 5.0%
Reported IBUs: 12

Between Penrose and Destihl, Chicago's sour scene is suddenly become more tangible. And that's good for me. About Destihl: 

Destihl is a brewery (Bloomington) and brewpub (Normal, IL & Champaign, IL) based out of the Midwest. Specifically, the middle of Illinois in the middle of the United States. Daaaa midwest. The brewery was founded by CEO & Brewmaster, Matt Potts, in 2007. Like many brewery founders, Potts started out as a homebrewer, and would eventually trade his law school education and law practice for those sweet barley suds. Destihl currently brews a myriad of regular and barrel-aged beers, including an increasing portfolio of tasty sour brews. For more info, check out their website. 

Bad pun aside, the Here Gose Nothin' is a "Leipzig-Style Gose" that undergoes spontaneous fermentation, and features lactic notes of lemon, lime, and citrus. This one also has some coriander and sea salt added. 

This is a filthy wheat beer, pouring into a cloudy, hazy, unfiltered, swampy, pick-your-synonym straw/wheat color. The beer produces a finger of wheat-tinged head that is wheat beer strong. This looks to be well carbonated, and blah blah.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Here Gose Nothin'

The aroma here is really nice, with coriander, ocean sea salt breezes, wet rain, mist, some light lactic acidity, light lemon citrus, some watermelon rind, and a little bit of wheat for good measure. This is an inviting aroma, if you're into little sour bangers.

This isn't overly sour, but it is incredibly funky. This dips into citric acid, tomatoes, tomato juice, unfiltered wheat, V8 acidity, and tons of lactic acid funk. As you dig into the wheat-acid-lactic funk fest, you can pull out some of the coriander and some of the hints of salt. It's more in line with that mist aroma, ocean breezes. As this warms up, it takes a turn towards the more creamy, with that creamy lactic funk coating. I love it.

This is light, refreshing, and incredibly drinkable. The wheat malts provide some sustenance to the body, especially as this warms up, so I would call it light-full. Palate depth is really good, and the mouthfeel here falls on the flatter side of carbonation, which just makes the lactic acid all the more funky. This is reasonably complex. Up front is lactic funk, V8 acidity, coriander and sea salt; the mids roll into more coriander and sea salt, big wheat, lactic funk; the back end gets a little creamy as this warms, and this drops citrus hints everywhere. It's well done. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. I'm really enjoying this, and I would pick this up again. This is one of the best things Destihl has cranked out in a can, and the fact that it is reaching distro up in Chicago is great news for everyone. I'm not really sure if this beer is 100% true to the style, but I don't really care. More lactic wheat beers please. Thanks. 

Random Thought: I always have a hard time with food pairings for something like this. The inherent funk to this style makes me think that pairing this beer with strong cheeses or sushi might have a negative result. Maybe pair this with some Greek Food? 

Jolly Pumpkin / Anchorage Calabaza Boreal

Brewed By: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan  

Purchased: 750ml bomber bought at Fischman's Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Sour/Wild Ale, 7.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

An American Sour/Wild Ale brewed with grapefruit peel, juice, and peppercorns, aged in oak barrels, and bottle conditioned? And brewed in collaboration with Anchorage Brewing? Oh my, yes, yes please. About Jolly Pumpkin:

Jolly Pumpkin has three enterprises: a restaurant, brewery, and distillery located in Traverse City; a cafe and brewery in Ann Arbor; and a factor for their Artisan Ales in Dexter. The brewery itself was founded by brewmaster Ron Jefferies. Ron began brewing professionally in 1995, and quickly became known as a respected brewer among the Michigan craft beer scene. In 2004, Ron opened Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Jolly Pumpkin is known for brewing beer that is aged in wine barrels containing brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is a naturally occurring yeast that is typically unwanted in beer because it imparts a "sour, leathery, barnyard, horse funk" profile. When used properly, beers made with brettanomyces can have desirable flavors. These flavors are often found in Lambics and Geuzes, and more recently in American Wild Ales.

If you are not familiar with Anchorage Brewing, they are a brewery based out of Anchorage, Alaska. The brewery was founded by brewer Gabe Fletcher sometime around 2012, and has since been kicking ass and taking names. Check them out on Facebook, or whatever. The back of the bottle of Calabaza Boreal reads: 

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you. -Nietzsche

When introspection fails, it's time to look outward for inspiration, perhaps Northward! One of the people who inspired me this past year is my friend Gabe Fletcher, of Anchorage Brewing Co. We brewed this beer together. I hope it inspires you. Northward!

Jolly Pumpkin / Anchorage Calabaza Boreal 

Warm regards, 
RON"

This is the most stereotypical blank slate beer you'll find in appearance. It looks like any number of Saisons or Belgian Ales, with a slightly hazy, well-carbonated, yellow/orange body. There are two fingers of fluffy, cloudy, white head. As the head drops off you get some nice lacing...blah blah. Is there anything shocking here? No. 

The aroma is anything but a stereotypical blank slate, however it does have that characteristic Jolly Pumpkin aroma with huge oak, vinous barrel character, pineapple Brett, massive orange/pineapple, and tons of tropical funk. The grapefruit takes the Jolly Pumpkin Brett-barrel character to some absurd level, like Minion in Twisted Metal. This layers on some faint medicinal notes, with layers of Saison-like white and black pepper. If I had to guess, this was dry-hopped pretty well; this has a quality similar to Orval, with lots of Brett funk juxtaposed with grapefruit juice and giant citrus hops. There is maybe a mild sulfur note on the nose as well. 

This is pretty solid stuff...it reminds me of Orval. It's a hoppy, juicy beer. This strikes a nice balance between that Brett funk, grapefruit/pineapple Brett, and juicy hops. The grapefruit juice pushes this over the top, and the addition of peppercorns adds some much needed complexity which shows up as peppery spice. This is reminiscent of a Saison in some ways, dialing up orange and grapefruit sprinkled with pepper. 

I'm a big fan of this beer, but this isn't doing anything that I have not experienced from Jolly Pumpkin before. But if you love the combination of that super dry, Brett funk, combined with giant waves of grapefruit and orange...well, you will be right at home here. And I'm drinking this beer kind of young, my guess is this will be fun to age. I bet this will be pretty funky in 1~2 years. Having said all that, this is incredibly drinkable at 7%. Palate depth is fantastic, and this has low to moderate complexity. This opens up with huge waves of Brett-infused pineapple, orange, and grapefruit; the mids roll into grapefruit juice, pineapple, white and black pepper, spice, and light woody tannin presence; the back end dials up huge dryness, with lingering hops, Brett, light Brett-aspirin notes, and lingering funk. This is winey and vinous. Fantastic stuff, really.  

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is whimsical and delicious but it's not exactly pushing the envelope. Then again, does this need to push the envelope? As far as fruit beers go, this is done really well. The addition of the grapefruit juice is non-intrusive. Food pairings here include peppery dishes, pickled things, strong cheeses and meats, and pizza. 

Random Thought: I love Jolly Pumpkin. They are maybe one of my personal favorite breweries...certainly in my top Midwest breweries. It's a damn shame that they are so underrated on a national level. And if you really want to get the full Jolly Pumpkin experience, you need to drive up to Michigan and check them out. 

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

Brewed By: Boulevard Brewing Company (Moortgat) in Kansas City, Missouri

Purchased: 750ml bottle (1 Pin, 9.4oz) bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (batch #L14077-2, best buy 03-2016)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/American Sour, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: 8

I'm really pumped for tonight's beer. I've heard this one is super sour and funky fresh. I have very high hopes. About Boulevard:

Boulevard Brewing Company hails out of Kansas City, Missouri. They have a very nice website that is cleanly formatted, informative, and is not loaded with Java and Flash scripts. The company was founded officially in 1989, but began in 1988 when founder John McDonald began construction of the brewery. In 2006 the brewery had a major expansion, which allowed for additional brewing capacity. You can find more info on the brewery's history HERE. According to Wikipedia, Boulevard is the largest craft brewer in Missouri, and the 10th largest craft brewery in the United States.

The Love Child No. 4 is a barrel-aged wild ale brewed with Lactobaccillus, Brettanomyces, and whatever wild critters decided to show up. Most of this blend was aged in oak barrels, with a blend of beer ranging from 16 months to 6 years old. Part of the blend was aged for 11 months in stainless tanks, souring on Lactobacillus. This one punches in at 9% ABV and 8 IBUs.

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

This pours into a dark red/brown body that is hazy and oak-aged. It's battered and the faint orange tones are straining to be noticed. The beer does kick up an impressive three fingers of caramel head that rapidly fades into the abyss like the orange hints. A ring of carbonation settles around the edge of the glass, and the beer sizzles away with crackling carbonation. This is incredibly carbonated with numerous streams of tiny bubbles going up, and swirling the beer yields glossy alcohol legs with minimal lacing. It's very Flanders Red-esque.

On the aroma: the first thing jumping out to me is huge waves of oak. There is a lot of oak and wood tannin in here, with acidic funk standing out as the next main note that I am getting. This has incredible layers of cherries in the aroma, with sour cherries, sour cherry candy, black cherry Warheads, and apple cider vinegar. There is also a good amount of Brett funk lurking in the mix, with basement and attic funk, and buttery-oaky notes playing off the oak and wood. It's just a fantastic meld of sourness, funk, and oak, with serious fruity notes that border on being jammy.

Holy cow, this is sour! This assaults your palate with overt sourness: apple cider vinegar, oak, wood, lemon, tart cherry Warheads, citric acid and nectarines, and piercing lactic funk. There's some other stuff going on here too. This has some nice vanilla notes lurking beneath the sour, with oak and wood. There are also nice waves of tart and jammy cherries, apple slaw salad, peaches, and even some apricot funk. The back end hits the back of your mouth with some hints of malt. This is fantastic.

This is pretty high on the sour scale, with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel that is made easier to drink by the sourness and carbonation. The alcohol is completely hidden, and this is pretty easy going. I'd call this a sipper, but an easy-going sipper. Palate depth is fantastic, and the complexity isn't far behind. Up front: sour notes, apple cider vinegar, lactic punch, lemons, sour nectarines, black cherry Warheads; the mids roll into serious oak and butter, vanilla, wood, nectarines, jammy fruits and cherries, Brett funk, more oak, wood; the back end drops oak, vanilla, malt sweetness, and the finish is dry. This is subtle, complex, funky, and not very sweet...I like it.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew  on this. This is incredibly complex and funky, with notes ranging from oak and wood tannin, to lemon and nectarines, to jammy cherries and sweet malts....it's a well-crafted beer, and you can tell that the blend was put together with some thought and finesse. This also has the potential to age in the bottle, making it obtainable and probably one of the best mainstream American sours. I'd recommend not pairing this with anything...sip on this one, enjoy it. It's really good.

Random Thought: Boulevard going mainstream = the best thing ever. I love Duvel. 

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf)

Brewed By: Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, Missouri  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at the Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Bottled 5/2014)

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 4.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Perennial is one of the big dicks in the room thanks to their Barrel-Aged Abraxas, but these guys also make other good beers that aren't Abraxas. I think. I'm popping my Perennial cherry with a collaboration brewed with Chicago's Hopleaf...seems appropriate. About Perennial:: 

Perennial Artisan Ales is a brewery based out of St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by Brewmaster Phil Wymore (formerly of Goose Island and Half Acre), with the help of Cory King (who is balling with Side Project). Perennial focuses on brewing Belgian and American craft inspired beers, with the addition of premium ingredients like fruits, spices, and wild yeast strains. They also have a barrel aging program, including the internal start-up, Side Project. Definitely check out their website for more info. 

The Tart Hopfentea is a collaboration brew with Hopleaf. This beer is a Berliner Weisse brewed with a tropical tea blend. The bottle reads: "A wave of tropical fruit and spice brighten this lively, tart wheat ale, taking the German Berliner Weisse tradition on an island run. Hopfentea pairs well with light appetizers, fish, and high humidity."

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf) 

This beer pours into a radiant, melon-pink color at first, but once the body fills into the glass the beer takes on more of a hazy orange body. The beer produces two fingers of the most dense and beautiful head I have seen. I'm not one to gush about a beer's appearance very often, but this beer is simply stunning to look at. The head is white and dense, and retains well with nice lacing. Bright light confirms that this is very much a hazy orange beer, with a white head. 

The aroma here is really nice, with assertive tea, tropical fruits, and hops standing out on the nose. I'm getting lemony tea, iced tea, peach and melon tea, floral/peach/earthy hops, and big flower notes. I get some big rose petals here, and mild hop spice. I don't know what hops are used here...maybe Saaz or something? As this warms up a bit, a huge papaya note emerges, with big papaya tropical fruit.

This is more tart than I was expecting, especially based on some of the reviews calling it mediocre and lacking lactic character. I'm finding this to be quite tart up front, with moderate lactic pull. I'm definitely getting some sourness pulling on my gumline. Along with the nice lactic character is some really nice tea notes. The tea notes are floral and lemony, with rose petals, flowers, iced tea, lemon, and some peach. The papaya note from the aroma shows up as well, which is super refreshing and nice. The back end has that wheat density, and despite this being sour/tart, it cleans up nicely. 

I'm really enjoying this. This is super drinkable at 4.2%, with a refreshing, light-bodied mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is tart and lactic-driven up front, but finishes with some nice creamy wheat towards the back. This has good palate depth, and is fairly complex. I don't understand the reviews ball-busting this. I think this accomplishes what it set out to do: this brings nice tea notes and tropical fruit notes to the style. Up front: lactic funk, sourness, tropical fruits, papaya; the mids roll into big tea, with flowers, rose petals, iced tea, more papaya; the back end is lingering tea and fruits, and then some of the creamy wheat kicks in to round things out.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a simple but elegant beer. This beer would pair great with papaya, mango salsa, fish, lightly seasoned fish tacos, fruit salad, and sushi. I'm a huge Berliner Weisse fan, and I'm a huge tea fan. I think this is a good fusion of the two, so ignore the haters and check this one out.

Random Thought: I need to go and pick up more beers from Perennial. 

Off Color Brewing Troublesome

Breewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Foremost Liquor Stores in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Gose, 4.5%

Reported IBUs: 10

Oh hey...something new, woo. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

Tonight's beer is being dumped into the Gose category on both Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate. The Troublesome is a blended wheat beer brewed with lactobacillus. Actually, this beer is a blend of two different beers: an "uninteresting wheat beer," and a "overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus." The two beers are blended with coriander and salt (ah, so it must be a Gose...eh). The beer features Northern Brewer hops, pils, wheat malt, flaked wheat, and flaked oats malt...and punches in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV. Let's glass this one up, shall we?

Off Color Brewing Troublesome

The beer pours into a transparent/clear yellow body, and kicks up a finger of white head. There's a nice stream of carbonation in the glass. You might mistake this for a Pilsner or Pale Lager, but the head retention is good, with some sea foam head hanging around, there is nice lacing, and the carbonation is much more constrained.

The aroma here is very nice, like a German Wheat beer meets a Belgian Strong Ale meets a Gose. I'm getting lots of Pils malt and Belgian funk, with cream, vanilla, white sugar, clove, Pils malt, hints of dough/biscuit, and some BIG, SPICY, coriander. Huge coriander, it's very spicy. I'm getting some grainy lemon and a hint of salt as well.

The taste mirrors the nose, and I'm getting a reasonable amount of salt in the taste....I get salty clove and lemon-Belgian funk up front; that rolls into citrus, wheat, vanilla, clove, coriander, and more salty wheat takes over. There's a lot of salt, clove, coriander spice, lemon citrus, grass/wheat, and some good Belgian funk. It's a nice wheat...creamy, drinkable, and appropriately dense. I'm also picking up some grains of paradise.

This is delicious. It's medium-light bodied, with great carbonation to help move things along. The beer is creamy, and wheat-fueled, with hints of salt. It's so refreshing, and equally appropriate to pound back at 4.5% ABV. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is awesome too. You get salty clove and lemon and Belgian funk up front; that rolls into citrus, wheat, clove, coriander; more salty wheat dials things back up, and the beer finishes with lingering wheat, salt, citrus...dry...funky...oh man.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I guess it could be a little more tart or sour...but I don't know. The lemon, clove, grains of paradise, and creamy wheat flavors all remind me of the best summer beers...this is some good shit. I would pair this beer with foods on a hot summer day: grilled foods, hamburgers, fruit salads, hot dogs, pasta salads, etc. You could also pair this with some upscale dining and go the burger/vegetable route. It's not quite peppery or funky enough to compete with a Saison, but it has that rustic and raw element that suggests leafy/green pairings.

Random Thought: And a 6-pack is only like 10 dollars. Very comparable to something like the Prairie Standard. 

Evil Twin Justin Blåbær

Brewed By: Evil Twin Brewing (Westbrook Brewing) in Copenhagen/Brooklyn

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 4.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is an abomination, which is why I had to pick it up. About Evil Twin: 

Evil Twin is a Gypsy Brewery founded by founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø) in 2010. Like his twin brother Mikkel, Jeppe is a teacher, and a homebrewer who was tired of the mainstream offerings. In 2004, Mikkel went off to pursue brewing, while Jeppe opened up a bottle shop. In 2010, while teaching a homebrewing, Jeppe decided to sell and distribute the beer he was brewing via his bottle shop. Jeppe moved to New York in 2012. For more info, check out this interview/history here. 

There is no info for tonight's beer, because Evil Twin's website shit the bed. But the back of the bottle states:

"OMG! It's JUSTIN BLABAER!!! If you have "Blabaer fever," then this is the only cure. We stuffed so many blueberries into this beer--it's going to make you shout, "Oh, Baby!" This is dedicated to AVSB, A&F YFFL - EW, MW, RWM, BE, SS, RC"

Evil Twin Justin Blåbær. Hideous. 

The Blåbær pours into a hazy, vibrant, orange body...I guess it kind of has some streaky purple tones, but not really. The beer kicks up several fingers of white, wheat-fueled head. There's a storm of carbonation rising upwards on my glasses' nucleation point, and I'm seeing some yeast chunks floating around. Sexy. Head retention is good.

The aroma...the aroma on this beer is awesome, with jammy berry notes. I'm getting jammy blueberry/raspberry/blackberry...and then as you settle into the aroma a weird chalky aroma comes to the forefront. I'm also picking up tons of lactic funk, and lots of lactic tartness. The chalky note on the aroma is 100% Sweet Tarts and I have no idea what the fuck I'm smelling, but it is there. There's some grassy/straw and grassy funk on the aroma as well.

Oh man...I'm enjoying this. Did I mention Berliners are like one of my favorite styles of beer? This shit is cash, like Johnny Cash, except less dead and more blueberry. There's a ton of sour, aggressively tart, refreshing, wheat-forward lactic funk up front. You pick up big lemons, jammy berries, jammy apricots and peaches, enamel-crushing lactic sourness, and then the beer settles into a malty, wheaty finish. The actual finish is lingering tartness, super dry, lactic fun. 

I like this a lot. Someone I spoke to said they were picking up some butter/popcorn in their bottle, so maybe there is some batch variation or infections out there. This bottle is perfect. This is refreshing, drinkable, and features good palate depth and complexity for the style. It's light-bodied, super tart, and has tons of carbonation. It's well attenuated and finishes dry. There's a lot going on here too...You get aggressive lemon-lactic-tart and sourness up front; that rolls into jammy fruits, jammy berries, and big lactic funk; that rolls into wheat, some creamy lactic goodness, and a dry, lactic/sour/tart finish. This one will pull on your enamel and ride those molars like a Texas sorority girl on a bull at the bar.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I think they have a version of this beer aged in wine barrels? Or maybe this one right here is that beer. I don't know, because the Evil Twin website is down. Ahem. For a beer like this, I would pair it with strong, dry cheeses, fruit salads, light vegetable salads, and fruit pies and fruit desserts. Good stuff and affordable at around 10 dollars a bomber.

Random Thought: I should buy novelty beers more regularly. 

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Berliner Weiss

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

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 3.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

DAE New Glarus beer? 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 Berliner Weiss is part of the New Glarus' 2013 Thumbprint Series, and rolled out in May and June. If I'm reading New Glarus' description correctly, this beer is barrel fermented and features Riesling grapes and Wisconsin White Wheat malts. This beer is bottle fermented with five proprietary yeast strains. 

New Glarus Berliner Weiss

The beer pours into a super hazy yellow/straw body, and kicks up two or three fingers of fluffy, super white head. The head is sustaining with some authority, but doesn't look quite par the course for a wheat beer. You can tell that something is up, hopefully a good infection. Bright light confirms the hazy, lemonade-colored body, and bright white head. There's a mix of peppery carbonation and big carbonation bubbles popping upwards. It looks like a Berliner.

The aroma is pretty subtle and subdued. I'm getting some nice lactic funk: there's some fresh rain, musty attic, wet leather, and some lemon funk. I'm also getting some nice hints of wheat on the aroma. 

This is super nice, with bright sweetness...there's some nice lactic funk and lemon tartness, and some watermelon, tart apple, and hints of grape. As I swish this beer in my mouth, I pick up some of the creamy wheat, and then BIG watermelon starts popping on this...almost like watermelon bubblegum. The tartness is driven by lactic-lemon goodness.

Good lord, this stuff is fantastic. This is super refreshing and super drinkable. You want to buy this up by the case to savor in large quantities during the hot summer months. Palate depth is great, and there's some nice complexity. This also has a nice balance of funk, tartness, and flavor. I get kicked with lactic-lemon up front; that rolls into big watermelon, some apple and grape; the back end dials up the watermelon and ends tart and dry. If you swirl the beer in your mouth you pick up some creamy carbonation and watermelon. The mouthfeel is light-bodied and refreshing. Tart.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. What a great beer. I admit I'm a bit biased as I love these light, tart, wheat beers...but yeah. I'd love to have a case of this in my fridge come July or early August. I would pair this beer with a fruit or vegetable salad, grilled chicken, white fish, and summer/patio food. The best part? 4-packs of this retail for like $10. 

Random Thought: Just wait...there's still a lot more New Glarus left...