As The Crow Flies
DryHop Brewers

 

On-tap at DryHop. Served in a 10oz taster glass.

A - Tan foam settles to a thin cap and thick collar. Medium brown body with some ruby transparency to it at the edges.

S - Roasty aroma, with some light vanilla and not much in the way of bourbon. I think this was made with Maker's Mark-soaked oak chips? Somewhat understated with all the adjuncts, but what's there is pleasant.

T - The taste is more intense and benefits from it. Nice notes of vanilla bean, milk chocolate, sugar cookie, and caramel. Lightly toasty grains, with hints of smoke, oak, and roast bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium-light body, toasty texture, and no perceptible alcohol. Light residual stickiness, with pleasant moderate carbonation.

D - A solid porter with a nice vanilla twist to it. I wish the bourbon showed up more substantially, but I suspect DryHop didn't have a ton of time to age this. Quite drinkable at 5.5%, with more than sufficient flavor depth. Aroma could use more intensity; let this warm up a bit before consuming it.

 

1-liter (33.6-oz) howler to English pint. Purchased 7-13-2013. Consumed 7-20-2013. According to Dryhop, there is a 6-week shelf life to their growlers.

A: The color's coffee black, with a very small amount of light escaping at the edge. Minimal tan head fades quickly, with a little bit of lacing at the fringe of the glass. This one pours like flat cola, to be honest.

S: Vanilla, bourbon, true to the brewery's description. Picking up cola too, as the beer warms.

T: Roasted malts w/ mild hop bitterness. The burn of the bourbon dominates the back of the palate, but there is vanilla as well with deep inhalation. The flavor improves with warmth.

M: Oily, well-carbonated. The beer lingers longer than expected on the palate.

This is a good, not great, sipper from a new brewery in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. True to style, but the bourbon adds a unique twist to the 5.5% ABV. Not sure if this will be a regular in the rotation.