Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison

Brewed By: Moody Tongue Brewing Company in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: American Saison/Fruit Beer, 6.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

It's been a while...ask me about my grad school problems. About the Moody Tongue Brewing Company: 

Moody Tongue Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Pilsen, Chicago. The brewery was founded in 2013 by Jared Rouben, who is a graduate of Washington University, the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and the Siebel Diploma course in Chicago, where he is now a faculty member. After completing culinary school, Jared worked as a cook at the Michelin Star Martini House in Napa and as Expeditor at the three Michelin Star Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City. Rouben also brewed at the Rock Bottom and Goose Island Clybourn. After working in the culinary and brewing world, Rouben intends to bring a culinary point of view to beer. For more info, check out the brewery's FACEBOOK page or their website.  

The Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison is a Saison...brewed with lemon. The beer pours into a dark, honey-orange/bronze body, kicking up several fingers of fluffy head. There's good carb, and nice lacing.

Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison 

I'm sure a lot of reviews are going hard on this for the overwhelming lemon aroma. This beer is outside the usual wheelhouse. But the aromas are legit. I'm getting a lot of lemongrass, lemon zest, Meyer lemons, some natural lemons sugars, and a light biscuit malt base.

This tastes amazing, if you are looking for lemons. I'm getting everything I was picking up in the aroma: lemon zest, Meyer lemons, lemon sugars and lemon meringue pie, lemongrass, and tons of that light biscuit malt base. The beer is refreshing, drinkable, and lemony. BUT, absent from the experience is that Saison base. I'm just not getting any of the citrus, funk, clove, pepper, or character that I would expect from a Saison. 

So, while I think this falls short of the Saison label in some regards, it definitely rises above your average fruit beer. This is easily one of the better lemon-infused beers I have had, and it drinks light and clean at 6.3%. The beer is carbed well, has good depth and duration, and actually drops a complex lemon portfolio that goes beyond your basic lemon juice addition. This is better than any janky Radler or Shandy or half-assed fruit beer you are liable to find on shelves these days. This doesn't have a ton of residual or artificial sugars, so it already elevates the game to Golden State levels unlike other "OG" breweries that turn out some pretty saccharine-heavy sugar bombs. This beer won't give you a cavity is what I'm trying to say. Also, aside from missing the Saison base, this beer tastes like it was masterfully brewed. Anyway...my final thought is I'm getting some ginger and lemongrass notes with this, so this would be my go-to sushi beer moving forward.  

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is a forgettable Saison but a memorable lemon beer. There are no lemon parties here. Just perfectly nuanced lemon goodness with a hint of ginger and meringue pie sweetness. This is one of the better attempts at a lemon beer, and I would buy a 4-pack of this sooner than I would buy some Stiegel Radler or LeinenMillerKegels Summer Shandy. 

So keep brewing this, Moody Tongue.

Random Thought: Moody Tongue sounds like a brand of acid. 

Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #223)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Mmmmm coconuts. About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle reads: "Pigeons gone wild! After a late night at the pub we flipped on the boob tube only to see those god damn pigeons flaunting their assets. We knew we had to get our hands on those coconuts for our porter. Beads were the answer, so we stuffed our bags with with 'em and headed south. The play worked like a charm. Brewed with toasted coconut, this pigeon porter will have you thinking you live on the god damn equator." 

Spiteful God Damn Coconut Pigeon Porter

This pours into your typical dark, cola-black body, with a finger of tan head. What is there to say about porters and stouts these days that hasn't been said.

The aroma on this is a nice fusion of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, toasted sweetness, and layers of complex roast. It's not a super complex beer, and I'm not getting much coconut in the aroma. BUT, it smells really good for what it is, and the aroma is bold with aggressive coffee, chocolate sweetness, and roast.

You do get some nice coconut in the taste, which is what I was looking for. This drops a rich mouthfeel with tons of chocolate and coffee, and then the back palate bombs you with sweet toast, complex roast, and layers of coconut. The coconut stays in the realm of sliced coconut with some toasted coconut, and never veers into pastry la-la-land like some more complex or barrel-aged beers do. And that's okay.

This is a full-bodied beer that coats your mouth and has satisfying duration. At 8.2%, this feels bigger than it is, and consequently hides a lot of the alcohol. Palate depth is good, and this has good complexity. Up front is a lot of coffee and chocolate; the mids roll into coconut, dark fruit sweetness, and layers of roast; the back end trails with roast, coffee, shredded coconut, toasted coconut, and tons of yummy toasted notes. This is a good blend of an American-style Porter with coconut, and works well.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Strong Above-Average. Spiteful continues to do well with their God Damn Pigeon line of beers, and I'm happy that I picked this up. This isn't the most coconut beer I have had, but there is definitely coconut in the taste and it plays well with the strong base Porter. I could see myself buying another bottle to just sip on or pair with some coconut chocolate cake.

Random Thought: I hate not having laundry machines in-unit, ahhhh!!!

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Batch #166)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

As my significant other would say, "It's peanut butter jelly time." About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle provides a detailed description: "Normally we HATE gossip, but listen to this. Colin told us the Raspberry Pigeon and Pirate Pigeon were getting hot and heavy at the Chocolate Banana Pigeon's party. In fact, we heard they GOT IT ON! What you hold in your hands is their love child, bearing notes of peanut butter and tart raspberry. Unfortunately, this means more F-ing pigeons!"

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter 

This pours out like a Stout/Porter, but the head crackles away into something reminiscent of cola. The body has those rooooby rad tones, and this is surprisingly thick all things considered. To me, this beer is oily and Stout-like, not like your typical light porter affair. 

On the aroma: peanut butter and jelly. Wow. Spiteful nailed this one on the nose. The peanut butter is really coming through the nose with assertive force. I'm getting some Porter-y notes, but they hint at bread crust, whole wheat bread, and cafeteria peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The jam is descriptive and raspberry. If you've had a lot of beer and know the ingredients, you can deconstruct this into notes of roast, fruit, and coffee...but honestly, this smells like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The secondary thing I'm getting on the aroma is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  

Oh wow. This is fantastic. This is an amazing fusion of peanut butter and jelly on a relatively non-intrusive Porter backdrop. Again, if you drink a lot of beer you'll be able to deconstruct some of the base with its roast, coffee, and cocoa notes...but then the beer goes all Ken Griffey and slams you with legit peanut butter, Reese's peanut butter candies, and jelly. This tastes like peanut butter and jelly. The raspberry notes in here are constrained and nicely done. This isn't too sweet or too thick...it's just right. 

I give a lot of love to Pipeworks, but Spiteful have been flying under the radar for whatever reason. This is a perfect example of a fantastic, local, Chicago beer. At 8.2% this is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and surprisingly refreshing and drinkable. I think a lot of that falls on the raspberry addition. This has fantastic palate depth for a Porter. Porters sometimes fall of in one area of the palate or another...this one provides a full ride without cheating (it's not Stout-like). This also has good complexity. If you can't tell, I'm quite smitten with this beer. It's a nice progression with raspberry, roast, and coffee up front; the essence of the Porter then shifts into huge peanut butter, with peanut butter, Reese's candies, and more jelly; the back end just dials up the peanut butter and jelly, with hints of bread fusing the two flavors together. The finish lingers the P&J with some hints of coffee and roast. It finishes clean too.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Strong Above-Average on this. Not only does it deliver the promised peanut butter and jelly that is advertised on the bottle, BUT it is also a really good Porter. I'm not a huge Porter guy...I prefer the denser, bigger, roastier, Imperial Stouts. But this is really working for me. This is clean and drinkable...but flavorful and expansive. I would pair this beer with a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Or maybe a Monte Cristo. Dammit, now I want a Monte Cristo. 

Random Thought: I realize the irony of me giving high marks to an adjunct Porter after I submitted the DDB article about bitch palates to Reddit. Oh well. Ain't no shame in being a hypocrite. 

Pipeworks Nisperos de Batata

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #98) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (2012 batch/bottle???)

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Dear Thursday, how about another Pipeworks beer? That sounds good, Jon, that sounds good. Maybe we should officially make Thursday, "Pipeworks Thursday?" No Jon, that's like dividing by zero; what would happen if you drank a non-pipeworks beer on Pipeworks Thursday? You're right, Thursday, you win. 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 takes inspiration from the Puerto Rican dessert, Nisperos de Batata. Nisperos (also known as loquat) are a yellow, tangy fruit, native to central China. The fruit was introduced to Spain around 2000 years ago. Batata means "potato," and comes from a Carib language of Haiti. When you combine the two, the dessert literally translates to "Nispero [fruit] of Potato." According to THIS WEBSITE/RECIPE, the explanation for the name is:

"The reason the treat is named "nispero" is that this dessert paste is shaped into balls that resemble the fruit of the nispero tree also known as Loquat or Medlar in English." 

There's another recipe here. It looks like you cook the sweet potatoes, and then put them through a ricer. You then add your coconut, sugar, egg yolk, and spices. You cook that mixture out, and then shape it into small balls. You then coat the balls with cinnamon. It actually sounds pretty legit, and I'm kind of sad that I didn't try making some to pair with this beer. Oh well. The show must go on. The back of the bottle reads:

"Inspired by the Puerto Rican dessert of the same name, this ale is brewed with the dishes' core ingredients: sweet potatoes, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and toasted coconut, and is an equatorial delight. Pipeworks is proud of our roots in Humboldt Park, grateful to neighbors like Junior of Puerto Rican Food Mart for their support. And also, we love dessert."

Pipeworks Nisperos de Batata

The bottle art is kind of ominous for a sweet dessert beer. Either way...this one pours a hazy copper-orange color, with a finger's worth of copper-tinted head that (literally) fizzled out in a matter of seconds. Cinnamon: the head killer. In bright light, this beer is a swampy orange color, with no head to speak of except for a thin ring of bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. There's bubbles in this...but I'm worried.

Sweet potatos and cinnamon are an awful lot like pumpkin spice and Christmas spice. And while I do get a lot of clove and cinnamon on the nose, I'm not ready to pull out my Jack-O-Lanters just yet. There's big vanilla sweetness on the nose, a hint of starch, a hint of booze, and some subtle waves of sweet potato/pumpkin pie. If this was a pumpkin beer, it has good aroma vibes.

Ah, yes. The carbonation here is very flat, giving this a wine-like feel. I'm getting big sweet potato/pumpkin pie in this, with plenty of tannins from the potatoes. Surprisingly, the cinnamon and clove are very restrained and mild, and there's a nice kick of vanilla with suggestions of coconut. There's some booze on the mid and back palate, but it's not hot.

I feel like this is what you might get if you took some sugar, put it into a pumpkin, and let it sit for a couple of weeks. Pumpkin wine! Or whatever.

I'm semi-joking, of course...while the carbonation is thin and lazy at best, the spices help to give the impression of carbonation. As such, the mouthfeel is medium-full to full, and fairly dense. It never hits syrupy levels, but the mouthfeel is a bit flaccid. If spiced beers aren't your bag, you'll probably hate this. Otherwise, palate depth is fine, and complexity is meh. This is pretty boozy for 7.5%, but it's not hot. I'm kind of digging that fact. Up front is sweetness, pumpkin pie, sweet potato, hints of elusive sweets (fruit? malt?); that turns into some nice cinnamon and clove spice, with maybe a touch of hop bitterness; the finish is big vanilla, coconut, and booze, with lingering pie/potato.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Light Light Average on this. I don't know how to rate this. This beer would be good to serve to any foodies you know. And this beer also shows that you can brew some tasty shit with sweet potatoes and coconut. I'm curious how much coconut was needed to make this, because you get a really nice vanilla profile in this beer. Honestly, this beer makes me wonder if adding sweet potatoes to pumpkin beers is the way to go. I digress...

I love the big vanilla flavors in this, the pleasant booziness, and the balanced spices with the big pie/sweet potato notes. I think a little more carbonation couldn't hurt, and maybe they should release this beer in October so I can wax nostalgic while I drink it. I would pair this beer with Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving dessert, pie, or a home-style meal. Next up: I make some Nisperos de Batata, and see if they taste like this beer.

Random Thought: Speaking of October/Halloween, I'm hoping to go see the remake of the Evil Dead. Now that will get me in the pumpkin beer mood.