Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale @ Clark Street Ale House

Appearance: Light orange, translucent, medium foamy head

Smell: bitter, some fruit (orange? peach?)

Taste: very fruity, with an old-cheese aftertaste

Mouthfeel: some lingering lacing, even coating

Drinkability: Well, it depends on how fond of moldy cheese one is. It's plenty smooth, but that aftertaste is a jarring bolt upright. I couldn't handle more than one of these in a row, and I doubt I'll seek another out anytime soon.

Serving type: tap

Grade: D


From the brewer:


"At the Southern Tier Brewing Company, vigorously hopped beer is our standard and inspiration. We continue a commitment to innovation with our most aggressive offering yet. Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely. 9.8% abv • 15.6ºL • Imperial India Pale Ale • 22 oz / 1/2 keg / 1/6 keg"


From BeerAdvocate:

BA OVERALL  A- excellent w/ 788 Reviews

THE BROS  N/A no reviews; yet! send 'em beer »

rAvg: 4.16 High: A+ / 5 Low: D / 2.1 pDev: 8.65%

Saison Du Lawnmower - Homebrew, First Keg!

Appearance: Light orange, cloudy, short but full-bodied head

Smell: Slight orange tones, semi-sweet aroma

Taste: Smooth, almost tasteless, but with a subtle bitter and hop aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Extremely slight & smooth, uniform and rapid coating with a top of the mouth "twinge" from the hops 

Drinkability: Extremely smooth: the nice easy-drinking summer beer that I was aiming for. This is the first beer I've made with ingredients other than the typical water, barley, yeast and hops. This beer included coriander, bitter orange peel, and rock candy sugar. The orange peel is definitely present both in aroma and taste. The coriander seems lost, but likely spiced the beer ever so slightly. The sweetness of the rock candy sugar is present initially, but gives way to the bitterness of the hops. The orange is the forward flavor, but does not blend so well with the bitterness aftertaste. I don't recall trying a saison before that included all these characteristics, so I'm not so sure that I didn't screw something up. Nevertheless, it's an interesting beer, and very drinkable. It isn't my favorite homebrew, but it is interesting. And as this was largely an experiment in kegging for the first time, I'd say it's a success. 

Serving type: home keg!

Grade: B-

Cuvee De Jacobins Rouge Dark Flemish Sour Ale @ Quenchers

Appearance: Dark red. No head.

Smell: Sour apple smell, hints of cherry.

Taste: De Jacobins Rouge is a dark Flemish style red ale that is extremely sour. This is the sourest beer I've ever had.

Mouthfeel: Served very cold, the extreme sourness goes right to the back of the tongue and makes one purse his lips.

Drinkability: This beer is so sour that it either must be chugged or sipped very slowly. It is recommended to share this with several people while also consuming other drinks. It is not an easy beer to drink.

Serving type: Tap

Grade: A- (for its uniqueness) 

Cocktail Corner: Old Fashioned, Side Car, Other Stuff @ The Exchange

I stopped into the brand new Wicker Park bar The Exchange in the old Lava location this past weekend. Billed as something of a combination of now-defunct Sonotheque and Violet Hour, The Exchange offers a long menu of specialty cocktails, beers, and even a few punch bowls for sharing. The prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is on the swankier side of things, but nowhere near as stuffy as Violet Hour. The problem is, the drinks are downright lousy. I had a couple of things off the specialty menu on my server's suggestion, and was very disappointed. I then asked if I could order off menu, and she said I was limited to "old timey" cocktails (her words, not mine, which I loved anyway). I ordered a Side Car (lousy) an Old Fashioned (lousy) and a Dark and Stormy (lousy). By this point, though, I was thoroughly shitfaced. Oh, and I had also been drinking beer for 8 hours at this point, so maybe my judgment wasn't exactly perfect. So, I'll try the place again, but my initial impression was one of disappointment. The place is lovely, and the employees are attentive and cheerful, so I'm hoping that I was just in a bad frame of mind. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, and rate the drinks that I tried as a C.

Everything @ Revolution Brewing

Yes, I waited the 2 hours for a table during opening weekend in a crush of people. Yes, in that time I sampled all 5 of the house brews.

It was all worthwhile.

First off, it's a great space, and surprisingly well-run for being only a few days old and completely overrun with patrons. If it was surprising that the food cedes nothing to the beer at this brewpub, perhaps it is more understandable that the varied and extensive menu comes from the mind behind Handlebar. All four of the Bruschetta (Roasted cauliflower & white bean, Duck confit, cremni mushrooms & fontina cheese, Roasted beet, endive & goat cheese, and tomato, red onion, & mozzerella) were terrific. The Workingman burger, though dry (as grass-fed, sustainable beef often is), was well seasoned, cooked, and very tasty. The Beluga Lentils, Quinoa & Winter Vegetables entree was similarly well-balanced, and far more accomplished than a barely week-old brewpub has a right to be. 


But, surely, the beer is the focus here, though only 5 home brew styles were offered (there is an extensive bottle list, as well as a selection of other tap beers). I'll do an abbreviated review of each, below:


Cross of Gold
"Crisp golden ale with a delicate hop finish" (5.0% ABV) is how they describe it. This is probably the standout and most original of the selection, with an unusual balance of pilsner-esque crispness and mild-IPA style hoppiness. Good mouthfeel, with nice, even coverage. A tiny twinge in the back of the tongue adds a nice finish. A

Workingman Mild"English luncheon beer with toffee and caramel notes. Low in alcohol, high in flavor" (3.5% ABV) - the "luncheon" beer was my choice for accompanying the Workingman Burger, and was a nice pairing. The Mild is mild in taste and appearance, though neither lacking in mouthfeel nor drinkability. I relatively low ABV content does not detract from the flavor, though the beer itself is nothing extraordinary. Solid, if unremarkable. B-

Iron Fist Pale Ale
"Dry-hopped American ale featuring Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo hop varieties" (5.5% ABV) - one of two pale ales on tap this night, this was the milder of the two, with a very balanced, albeit subtle, hop profile. Nice color, aroma, and drinkability, though lacking in the signature bitterness that typical American-style IPAs have become known for. B-

Eugene
"Striking, robust porter full of warmth and chocolate malt." (7.0% ABV) - An excellent porter, with a dry finish and bold, yet balanced, maltiness. This would make an exemplary cask ale, were it to be offered (c'mon, offer it!). Surprisingly drinkable given the ABV, with all the even tongue coating that a porter should have. As fine an example as you will find locally. A

Anti-Hero IPA
This beer was a late addition to the offering, so no brewer-penned description available. Far hoppier than the Iron Fist Pale Ale, the Anti-Hero cost an extra $1 and was a smaller pour, but was easily more assertive and enjoyable. A fine IPA, if perhaps not amongst the very elite. A-


Per the website brewer's website, Bottom Up Belgian Wit and Wee Heavy are next to come. Having really enjoyed the Belhaven Wee Heavy at the Beer Tour of Europe in November, that is greatly anticipated. 


Revolution Brewing is open 11am - 2am 7 days a week, and offers lunch and dinner. It is located at 2323 N Milwaukee Ave; Chicago, IL; 60647  and its website is http://revbrew.com/

Old Fashioned @ Longman & Eagle

Beyond Beer: The Old Fashioned

Like the Dos Equis guy, I don't always drink beer (unlike him, though, I don't prefer XX). Longman & Eagle is a new whisky-centric bar/inn in Logan Square co-owned by the guy who brought us Empty Bottle. If you think that sounds like a fantastic place, you're right. I didn't try any of their food, and was mildly disappointed in their minimal (and pedestrian) tap beer selection, but oh man do they mix up one fine Old Fashioned. They don't use the finest bourbon, or infused ice, or exotic bitters (like other "mixology" bars cropping up around the city), but it's crafted with patience and utmost care. Although the bar was packed, and people were lined 3 deep waiting to place orders, the bartender carefully mixed, tested, and balanced the Old Fashioned until it was just-so, going so far as scoring the orange zest and squeezing the fruit at a distance from the glass to imbue only a fine mist of the citrus juice. And it worked, brilliantly. A+

Hopkowski Cask Conditioned @ Iron Hill Brewery Wilmington, Delaware

Appearance: Medium-brown. Nice foamy head.

Smell: Medium to slight IPA aroma.

Taste: Extremely mild, almost unpleasantly watery.

Mouthfeel: Uniform, albeit slight, hop-induced twinge at the rear of the tongue. Otherwise, a nice even coat.

Drinkability: This beer is hoppy, but not bitterly so. They say they use a month's worth of hops from all their other beers to make one batch of this. If this is true, it is not evident. If this is true, they're using some awfully mild hops.

Serving type: Cask-conditioned tap

Grade:  B-