Tag: Chicago

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Half Acre Taste Test

Now that sixteen oz. cans are rolling into L.A. from Chicago’s Half Acre Beer, it is time to compare a few of their offerings. Daisy Cutter being too popular at the moment to get my hands on a can.
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Pony Pilsner – pours a light clear yellow. Bit of a potpourri aroma. A little slick. A bit of bubblegum. Would like a little more carbonation.

Akari – loads of wheat and toast notes here. Little tropical hop notes at first. But this is a wheat beer first and foremost.

Vallejo – Quite the impressionistic can design. Don’t remind me of Chicago much though. Beer pours a muddy yellow. Good balanced hop presence. Some fruit. Some pine resin. Crushable. Light.

I have had both Pony and Akari before so maybe the newness of Vallejo gave it a head start. I did like the balance of the IPA the best though. Pony was a bit too viscous and Akari weighted to wheat whereas Vallejo had a solid balance to it. Hopefully, more Half Acre is to be had in the future.

P.S. I also sampled a trio of Half Acre beers at the wonderful 38 Degrees in Alhambra. The ever-popular Daisy Cutter which is great as well as the Rainbow Never Ends which was a little too dank-centric for me as well as the Hot Tropic IPA which married coconut to hops in a better fashion than most I have encountered.

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Chicago to Long Beach

If you have heard of the famed Daisy Cutter Hoppy Pale Ale, well then you will want to be in Long Beach at Beachwood tomorrow night.
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Yeah, DC will be on tap alongside Akira American Wheat Ale, get Right Kolsch and Navaja DIPA for the very first time here in Los Angeles.

Thanks to a second brewery location, the Chicago brewery location has been expanding their beer’s reach.

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A Central Addition to LA

The name and logo seem just like any other….
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…but underneath the hood, it is not one brewery but a contract brewery for start-ups. Instead of sneaking in a batch inbetween others. This Chicago facility brews exclusively for others. And the key component is that it will also feature a tap room for those beers to be sold at.

It would be great if each major beer city had an establishment like this. Not only would it prospectively weed out the brewers who are not up to snuff but it would also alleviate the out-of-town drive to the Bay Area or parts way east of the city for LA brewers who want to brew beer before they have a facility.

Just re-name it Grand Central.

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Year of Podcasts – Good Beer Hunting

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57 interviews with beer people are up (as of this writing) on the Good Beer Hunting podcast page. And it is an impressive roster. Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewing, Patrick Rue of the Bruery and Randy Mosher as well.

I picked the latest episode to listen to.  Primarily because the interview subject was Jeff Gill from Tallgrass Brewing in Manhattan, Kansas.  I have had their canned beers at Canfest in Reno and really enjoyed their beers.  Secondly, the focus on the business side (primarily marketing) is of great interest.

The questions from blogger/host Michael Kiser were incisive but also folksy.  Maybe it is something in the water that makes Chicago people good interviewers. He has a good knowledge base that shows through without being snobby.  Though it breaks my rule about keeping it short, each episode that I listened to didn’t seem long.  I also like podcasts where there is laughter that doesn’t seem to come from inside humor.

I would suggest looking for breweries that you don’t know about and pick that interview to learn more about a place you haven’t been to.

In Thirst Returnum indeed!

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Year of Podcasts – Strange Brews

Screen Shot 2015-08-18 at 9.00.30 PMThe call letters WBEZ might get you thinking about Ira Glass and This American Life but Strange Brews is the craft beer version.  Giving you a Windy City perspective on beer.   The podcast hosted by Andrew Gill and Alison Cuddy has won “Best Beer Podcast” from the North American Guild of Beer Writers.  Which shows the cred it has within the industry.

As you have seen through the year, I much prefer podcasts that move along, have interesting guests but don’t get bogged down by the hosts jibber-jabber.

If I could point to an individual podcast or three to listen to off the bat would be the mini-expose of Not Your Father’s Root Beer.  Then I would dive back into a normal sized and segmented one with Founders Brewing as the lead story.

For us West Coasters, Strange Brews will give you a load of knowledge about what is going on to the east of us.

 

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Holiday Ale # 16 – Nuclear Winter from Finch’s Beer Company

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Nuclear Winter might be a skosh depressing especially with the gas masks on the can but at least the plumage on the Finch’s beer is colorful for this “Belgian Dark Strong Ale with Extra Special Malt and Caravienne malts and Dark Candi sugar for increased color and alcohol content. Small amounts of East Kent Goldings are added but are not the prominent feature of this beer. The Belgian yeast dominates the beer’s flavor and aroma profile. It will surely warm you up in the cold winter months.”

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Drinking and Writing

One of the more unique intersections of craft beer and the world is this Chicago based group….

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Drinking and Writing is a theater that explores the world of writing and drinking and how that interacts.  Oh, and they also do shows like “Brechtoberfest” explores what festivals like Oktoberfest are really all about as seen through the aesthetic of the German poet, playwright, director and Marxist Bertold Brecht.”

They also air a radio program and do beer festivals too.  Next time you are in Chicago and Second City is sold out, look for these guys.

 

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NBA Contenders – Brewery # 1 Empirical Brewing of Chicago

Da’ Bulls chances rest on the health of Derrick Rose. If he stays on the court, then Chicago with the added offensive power of Paul Gasol will be in the hunt for the Eastern Conference championship.

You could say that is an empirical fact. And a brewery too, Empirical Brewing.

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I love the use of the word Empirical throughout their website and because I like that they are upfront that some recipes are being “refined”, those are the beers that I would put in my taster tray first.

πR/2 Beers

Atomic Amber Ale:

“Moderate hop aroma with a nice malty nose. Reddish Amber color with an off-white head. Malty sweet flavor balanced with American and German hops and a caramel malt presence.”

Infinity IPA: 

“Prominent hop aroma. Dry hopped to give it intensity. Reddish-copper color with a persistent white head. High bitter hop flavor with a support of malt sweetness. Smooth but definitely hoppy and bitter.”

Event Horizone Oatmeal Stout:

“Roasted coffee-like with a slight hop aroma. Black with a persistent tan colored head. Sweet medium dry flavor with a complex oat and dark roasted presence. Nutty and earthy full-bodied flavor. Rich silky mouth feel.”