Similar to brewers’ popular Zombie Dust, dry-hopped moderation offers honey-spiced pale malting to floral citrus nature. Orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple, peach and mango illusions brighten brisk finish. Mild butterscotch sweetness stays below.
PENROSE PROTO GRATUS SINGLE ALE
Less effective, more sessionable Belgian pale ale than brewers’ better P-2 sets the tone with black-peppered floral citrus resilience overriding peat-y pale malts. Lemony orange, peach and grapefruit illusions stay mild.
PENROSE P-2 BELGIAN-INSPIRED PALE ALE
Crisply fruited Belgo-American hybrid receives affluent orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tropicalia to brighten pine-needled herbal nip above buttery biscuit malts. Sharp dry-hopped bittering reinforces fruity aspects well.
HALF ACRE DAISY CUTTER PALE ALE
On tap at Jimmy’s Grill, Half Acre’s well-rounded flagship offering brings forth a sharper citric acidity than most simpler pale ales. On first sip, champagne yeast and bark-dried oak drape lemon-peeled grapefruit rind, pineapple, mandarin orange, tangerine and mango illusions. Afterwards, floral fruiting picks up creamy caramel malting.
5 RABBIT GOLDEN ALE
Docile Bavarian-like moderation spreads grain-toasted caramel malting across warbled citric murk and light sugared spicing. Lemony grapefruit bittering, tangy orange diffidence, musky hemp-oiled acridity and soft hop astringency depleted by minor aspirin astringency.
ALE ASYLUM HOPALICIOUS
Sharper, woodier and bolder than most Imperial pale ales, concise copper-hazed medium body allows resinous pine hop bittering to impact floral-bound orange rind, grapefruit, tangerine and peach tones. Ashen phenolic astringency increases bitter end.
GOOSE ISLAND GREEN LINE PALE ALE
On tap at Nevin’s, pleasurably predictable light-medium body brings mild piney hop bittering to floral citrus spree. Lemony yellow grapefruit, zesty blood orange and dainty white peach illusions seem a bit reluctant riding atop fresh-breaded biscuit malts . Still, effective mainstream fodder.
4 HANDS DIVIDED SKY RYE IPA
Engagingly floral fruited bouquet freshens up bitter piney hop pungency as well as spunky black-peppered spicing. Toasted rye spine deepens fruity nature, allowing lemony red and yellow grapefruit overtones to lead the way alongside ancillary sweet orange-peeled clementine, tangerine, pineapple, peach, nectarine, mango and red apple notions. A fabulous Midwestern-bound West Coast-styled India Pale Ale suitable for lighter pale ale thirsts and heartier hop heads.
LOCAL OPTION DAMPF LOC
Ambitious Medieval Bavarian forest recipe of all-barley steam beer offers honeyed cereal graining to caramel-spiced creaming and sinewy molasses sap. At the midst, nutty toffee sweetness reigns on sugared citrus and bruised banana fruiting. Tertiary brown-sugared buckwheat, spelt and oatmeal notions fill the ample backend.
PIPEWORKS THE CONTINENTAL WEE HEAVY STYLE ALE WITH WALNUTS
Splendidly ‘seductive’ adjunct Scotch Ale (with 9% ABV) layers subtle walnut buttering across mildly sugared vanilla-toffee conflux. Fenugreek-grained chestnut, praline and acorn illusions soften the subtle coffee-milked maple molasses backdrop.
OFF COLOR SCURRY DARK HONEY ALE
Ancient German-styled ‘Kottbusser’ (a porter-like brown ale with honey molasses and oats) brings dark-roasted mocha malting to musty dried fruiting and nutty chocolate reminder. Dry-honeyed rye molasses breading reinforces caramel-burnt chocolate truffle creaming, sugar cookie sweetness, toasted almond-pecan nuttiness and zippy cola-hazelnut whims above oats-flaked spelt graining. On tap, glutinous honeyed molasses rye breading, brown-sugared dark chocolate sweetness and descant coffee roast lead the way as scant raisin, date, port and cola whims flutter below.
BINNY’S BEVERAGE DEPOT
A veritable goldmine for local Chi-town craft beer and beyond, the thirty-plus BINNY’S BEVERAGE DEPOT will please any true beer geek. At this freestanding Plainfield location, I found a tremendous selection of previously untried brews during July ’14 stopover. Discount cards are also available. Bought Ale Asylum, Ale Syndicate, Baderbrau, Boulevard, Church Street, Crazy Mountain, Fireman’s, 5 Rabbits, Flesk, 4 Hands, Metropolitan, Middle Brow, Local Option, Off Color, O’so, Pipeworks, Potoso, 3 Sheeps and Urban Legend brews here.