On tap at The Office-Ridgewood, English strong ale spreads astringent Blackstrap molasses atop dry-honeyed rye malting, bark-dried pine hop bittering and sharp grapefruit-peeled orange rind resilience. Resounding alcohol-burnt vodka and gin whir seeps into the mix. In the bottle, dry plank wood tones drape syrupy Blackstrap molasses while honeyed malt sweetness contrasts tangy yellow grapefruit bittering.
Modest summer seasonal witbier (2014) brings stylistic citric-fruited coriander sweetness to Shandy-like orange-candied tartness and Berliner Weiss-like salted lime pucker. Mild grassy-hopped lemon pit souring and vague lemongrass herbage fill the holes.
Quirky adjunct pale ale lets honey-soured citrus resonance soften mild wasabi herbage and ancillary horseradish heat. For counterbalance, creamy caramel malts and red rice milking sweeten subtle resinous hop spicing as well as distant dank dewy mildewing. Another interestingly offbeat concoction from one of the most ambitiously experimental brewers on earth.
Sparkling summertime moderation places subtle bukhara plum influence and soft apricot notion beside lemon-juiced tartness. Light crystal malt creaming sweetens limed coriander spicing. Vinous green grape esters provide gentle bittering to tertiary mandarin orange, curacao orange, grilled mango and kiwi undertones.
One of three casual flagship offerings from Southern Westchester brewer (including standard Lager and IPA). On tap at Blue Ribbon Tavern, frail light-bodied summer session ale brings subtle honey adjunct to mild lemony grapefruit-orange acidity and bland biscuit malting. Strictly Blue Collar fodder.
Enticing “ancho brownie ale” (loosely defined as a porter or strong ale) brings lightly roasted chili pepper burn to massive mocha malting and sedate nuttiness. Bittersweet black chocolate, dried cocoa and cacao nibs perfectly juxtapose heavenly jalapeno heat. Cola, hazelnut and salted nut illusions shuffle below the surface next to lesser molasses cookie, bourbon and cinnamon snips.
Inimitable coriander-salted gose drifts seamlessly into acidic brettanomyces-bound sour ale territory. Tart lemon juicing picks up vinous green grape tannins, oaken cherry pucker and green apple respite over briny salting. Dank barnyard dryness and acrid earthen minerality further enhance its ultra-dry finish.
Thin straw-clouded light body brings lemon-limed tartness and zesty orange subsidy to lightly spiced coriander-clove sweetness. Seltzer-watered carbolic fizz dilutes initial citric spritz before soured lemon rot mires the cracker-like white wheat base, peppery herbal nip and vegetal snip.
Docile fruited pale ale (made with lemon peel) needs deeper resonance. Its brisk lemon peel bittering loses out to a sourer lemon pit mildewing. Lemony grapefruit rind prowess perked up by mild lemongrass prickle and perfumed wildflower-jasmine-daisy whims. Lightly lagered white wheat malts wilt at soapy dishwater finish. In canned version: straw-cleared summertime softie brightens up pilsner-malted Cascade hop passivity with fresh-squeezed citrus zest.
Simple straw-cleared light body (contentiously listed as a wheat ale) slips into German gose styling with its salted coriander tartness, lactobacillus-soured wild yeast and Seltzer-like carbolic fizz. Ancillary lemon-dropped cider souring reinforces mild coriander salting above fragile flaked oat-wheat bottom.
Beautiful floral fruited display brings enormous Citra-hopped IPA-like zest to mild resinous pine bittering, contrasting wheat-honeyed caramel malting. Spruce-tipped ruby red grapefruit, orange rind and pineapple tartness heightens musky hop-oiled bitterness while juicy tangerine, clementine, peach, melon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, passionfruit and guava illusions sweeten the rounded finish. An elegant world class moderate-to-medium body.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Situated in the increasingly popular Logan Square area (known as Hipster Highway) on Milwaukee Avenue just a few blocks away from Piece Brewery, ultimately rewarding gold-bricked beer haven, REVOLUTION BREWING COMPANY, practically created the whole 21st century Chi-town craft beer renaissance. An amazing modern Mecca for brews and food, Revolution opened in 2010 to rave reviews, expanding into production brewing at a nearby Kedzie Avenue location thereafter.
A nifty German beer hall-styled central island bar serves 40-plus patrons plus the left-side dining tables and right side balcony. Beautiful pine furnishings, hanging globe lights and silver ceiling tiles provide exquisite elegance. A rear open kitchen, full service second story bar, exposed ducts and windowed brew tanks fill out this ultimate north-side restaurant and brewpub.
Filled to the brim on a sunny Sunday afternoon in mid-July ’14, I grab the only seat left at the bustling bar to sample 13 well-rounded selections. Besides the excellent hand-crafted fare emanating from the colorful fist-clenched tap handles are 100-plus bottled choices – many of which were rare finds or one-offs.
The lightest fare was quaffed first. Soft-toned Bottom Up Wit unleashed orange-dried lemon zest upon floral-perfumed hops and white-peppered coriander spicing, leaving banana-breaded vanilla sweetness to contrast puckering limestone acridity and delicate mandarin orange tartness by the crystalline watered finish.
Traditional German pilsner, Mother Of Exiles, retained a light-bodied citric-soured spicing as grassy hops, musky grains and flaked corn reached its doughy bottom.
Tame lagered moderation, Use The Schwarz, brought mild dark-roasted mocha malting to the fore, as dry cocoa bean, Baker’s chocolate and burnt toast reminders usurped its earthen hop bittering.
One of Revolution’s most interesting elixirs, Rosa, a tart summer ale, brought red grape, red cherry, lemon and lime souring to raw-honeyed coriander salting, rose-watered lavender florality and a latent white wine spritz that contrasted sweet vanilla-spiced banana licks.
A worthy collaboration with Wicker Park cocktail joint, Big Star, Fist City Extra Pale Ale, fortified its light hop-roasted grain malting with frisky orange-peeled pineapple bittering.
Ultra-dry Iron Fist Pale Ale placed wood-dried Chinook hop bittering beside lemony orange-rotted souring and dewy earthiness (picking up a diacetyl hint if warmed).
A better alternative was approachable Double Fist Imperial Pale Ale, where tangy orange, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine and papaya tropicalia overloaded crystal caramel malting.
Sessionable flagship beer, Anti-Hero IPA (also available in can), layered orange-candied grapefruit and pineapple tartness and lemon-peeled herbal notions atop oily pine hop resin.
Its friendly stylistic competitor, citra-hopped medium body, Citra Hero IPA, gathered orange-peeled apple-peach-pear fruiting for its spicy crystal malt sugaring, leaving cantaloupe-melon-nectarine traces in its wake.
Peppery Belgian yeast inundated lemon-spiced Coup D’Etat, a dry mineral-grained saison with leafy-hopped sour grape esters and mild herbal nuances contrasting pleasant sugared spices.
French-styled Biere De Garde, Bastille, retained a stingy dry hop persistence alleviated by earthen green grape esters, sour-pressed Granny Smith apple tartness, sharp oak-chipped cherry acidity and latent apricot-fig snips.
Musty robust porter, Eugene, contrasted its cocoa-powdered coffee, molasses and chocolate stead with dried cherry, grape and date fruiting.
Best bet: Spectral Imperial Wheat Ale, Filibuster, a luxuriously smooth 11.5% ABV remedy aged in Old Forester and Woodford Reserve barrels, splashed bourbon hints upon rum-sugared vanilla creaming, almondine-candied butterscotch sweetness and bruised orange-cherry-nectarine chewiness.
www.revbrew.com