Beer For Burgers
Off Color Brewing

fobab 2022.

On tap at Off Color

And for the last stop in Chicago, we find ourselves at Off Color. This one seems really interesting, a blend of Maibock and undefined bourbon barrel aged Lager. It sounded so weird that I just had to give it a try. Let’s see what it’s all about

Pours a slightly cloudy gold with 2 fingers of creamy off white head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves nice lacing

This is very sweet in the nose, but it’s a nice, unique sweetness. I’m picking up on aromas of corn, sweet bourbon, earthy wheat, smooth oak, candied orange, coconut cream, vanilla, burnt caramel, and light apple

Equally sweet in taste, it really leans into the bourbon. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet bourbon, raw grain, toffee, floral hops, sweet honey, orange zest, and vanilla. The swallow brings notes of sweet bourbon, toasted oak, coconut, floral hops, sweet honey, burnt caramel, red apple, light orange zest, and raw grain

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes slightly sticky and sweet

This one is quite odd, but I’m digging it. It certainly would be good with a burger, too bad they don’t offer food here

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high dense off white head that hardly died down and left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of bourbon from the barrel aging are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of bourbon with associated hints of oak and vanilla.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I can't recall ever having a bourbon-barrel aged bock before so I found this beer to be very unique. I was quite easy to drink considering its strength and wasn't as heavy as most other bourbon-barrel aged ales (e.g., stouts).

Serving type: can

 

16 ounce can, no dating that I noticed on the label or can. Thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a Teku, the beer pours a slightly hazy dark gold color with about an inch or so off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like grainy/bready malt, apple, vanilla and oak. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some caramel and bourbon. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and a bit coating with a good amount of carbonation. It's a nice brew, would definitely try this one in the future. I liked it!

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a medium golden amber with orange tones and a one finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel and bready malt, bourbon, oaky vanilla and apple juice. Flavor is caramel malt, apple and pear juice, vanilla and oak. Lingering oaky vanilla finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. In my experience, it's uncommon for moderate ABV beer surviving the barreling process successfully. This one is an exception. The color and flavor are light for a bock and the profile is more caramel than deep malt, like a bock, but the base is more than sufficient to support the barrel flavors, which are not subdued; great bourbon and oak. Oddly this really reminded me of some of the barreled strong pales that Hof Ten Dormaal did a few years ago; perhaps less intense. I really liked this one and look forward to other new ideas from Off Color.

 

such a fun series this has become! this one has some real strong whiskey barrel character to it, almost seems like a shot in a beer, but instead of a yellow lager, this is maltier, more german, more interesting, fuller bodied, i quite like the blend here. light copper colored with some haze to it and a super creamy half inch of lasting tan head, sudsy and rich. the nose is sweet vanilla and honey from the bourbon, in front of any beer elements, a good amount of oak here, some toasted character to the malt and some sweetness there too, and maybe a light dried apple and cider fruitiness. its bready in the flavor with toffee and caramel notes in addition to the oak and whiskey, smooth body, lots of bubbles, fluffy texture. its neat that the lager yeast can be tasted here, and that there is some heft to the malt overall, its needed for balance, this still tastes a little more like bourbon than beer to me though, must have been some whiskey left in these barrels when there were filled. i like it not being so light, its nice for the fall, and yeah, i could definitely see this working with a quality hamburger. i enjoyed it next to a crackling fire on a chilly evening and it was just right. i hope these keep coming around, some really clever beers so far! maybe this one is a little too sweet for heavy sessioning, but its delicious.

 

 

Tasted in a shaker pint glass from a one pint can at Oaken Bar + Bistro on July 14, 2021.

delightful bock beer - not strong lightly creamy

From the can in a snifter. This solid little ale pours a nice golden color with
a very nice head of white foam that settles to a thick ring, thick clumping layer, and
displays some rather nice lacing. Nose of subtle bourbon, nice caramel, faint oak,
subtle raisin, and light vanilla. Flavors pack it in with light oak, light bourbon, light
breaded malts, vanilla, and lightly spicy hops that are not bitter but herbal and
well placed amongst the caramel malts. Nice mouth feel; medium light body,
medium light carbonation with a nice lift, and a lightly warming and moderately sweet
finish.

This is a solid one! Give it a try!

Cheers

 

No evident canning date. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a hazy, amber-orange color with two fingers of foamy, milk-white head and thick, sudsy lacing. The nose features caramel, vanilla, oak, earthy malt, and a whiff of nutmeg and tobacco smoke. The taste opens with oaky sweetness. The use of Munich malt gives it a Märzen quality but the use of Vienna and Pils malts lighten the feel. The Magnum and Hersbruecker hops add a mellow spiciness. What makes the brew unique is the mixing of bourbon barrel-aged lager. The barrel notes are subtle but unmistakable and they do not distract from the more delicate flavors. The best attribute of this Bock is its creamy, luxurious mouth feel and moderate 7% ABV. It's easy to drink . Overall, my first experience with Off Color Brewing is memorable. And the name is descriptive: this Bock would pair very well with a burger, cheese steak or grilled sausage.

 

 

 

Served from the can in a Phase Three snifter.

Finishing the night off with some burger beer or some such. Let's find out together, kids! Thus stuff pours a clear brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises vanilla, oak, mild caramel, and a touch of sweet flowers. The taste brings in more of the same, with an odd bit of herbaceousness I can't quite put my finger on slithering in from the background. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, I'm not sure what to think of this beer. The balance is mostly good, but I'm not entirely sure the flavor combinations really work. It's an interesting beer, for sure, and one worth a go, but not necessarily one I'm gonna be eager to seek out in the future.

Hard to know exactly what they're going for. Has the floral hop note and rich maltiness of a bock, along with a strong Bourbon booziness from the bba lager blended in. As a person who isn't a huge bock fan I didn't love it but I think if you like bocks and enjoy the Bourbon and barrel character that this could be right up your alley

Rich amber beer capped with an off white soapy, foamy head that dissipates quickly.
Smells of apples and rich bread
Taste has a surprising blast of bourbon up front mellowing into Bourbon mash and some tannic barrel character. A couple sips on the flavors meld.better and gain the compliment of a lightly floral character.
Mouthfeel is very full and slightly syrupy

This is my second bourbon barrel-aged lager from Off Color in as many weeks. (First was Beer for Derbies, also "Inspired by Boilermakers", clever.) Both were good-to-great experiments that I think might be improved upon ... minimally.

An interesting Looking color, this dark malt is blended with a pale. Smells mostly of sweet malt, minor hopping in the back of the nose. Taste follows closely, sweet but balanced. Only in the after-taste (and after-affect) do I sense the high 7% ABV for a lager. Finishes clean and sufficient bubbles to cleanse the palate for another bite of my veggie burger. Paired well with both a BBQ and a sweet mustard sauce... a very good sign of a thoughtful lager.

I am a big fan of Off Color. Their ability to barrel-age a lager (rare in my long history) and make it do everything it should correctly is a skill that makes them, among other skills, one of my favorite brewers. And did I mention: they make me laugh !

12/8/20. Had my last copy. Good -- but not great -- with my veggie burger (mostly the burger's fault.) I wish I had bought more of this. But, I will just have to wait for Off Color to re-release when burgers are in season again ! In the meantime, I've edited my review and am satisfied with keeping count over at UnTappd.

 

Beer for Burgers is a unique experimental from Off Color. They blended a bock with a BA lager. The result is a sweet, malty, but easy to drink beer. It takes a classic lager and flips it on its head. Great with burgers too, that is confirmed.

IG: @firesidewithphil