Chicagohenge
Hop Butcher For The World

Pours a deep, cloudy orange color. Light, frothy, white head that fades to a glass gripping lacing. Nose is juicy, as a matter of fact a lot like orange juice. Taste is a mix of mango and oranges. Decent bitterness.

 

 

First off, I love the name of this beer. Murky like the Chicago River, but dark orange. Zesty and juicy notes on the scent, a citrus melon melange. Taste follows, more citrusy, mouth filling, bold, slightly mouth watering finish. Very tasty, solid effort, and most importantly, worthy of the city name.

9/20/25 - (Home) (Chicago, Illinois) Can Notes: Purchased a single 16 oz can at Beer on the Wall at store temperature on 9/12/25 for $5.12 including tax. Canned 9/8/25 @ 11:33:37; Can Stamp: Beauty Beating Down. 7.5% ABV, Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo, Motueka & Nelson Subzero Hop Kief-Hopped Double India Pale Ale. Tasting Notes: Dank Greens, Juicy Stonefruit & Crisp White Grapes. Artwork by Dan Grzeca. Brewed and canned by Hop Butcher For The World in Chicago, Illinois and Bedford Park, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 pf the can into a teku glass, yielding a hazy orange juice appearing base, a substantial murky orange juice and dreamsicle base, and a creamy bright white head that leaves a slightly creamy bubbly full cover of the base with minimal lacing. 3.5

Aroma: Medium plus strength dank wee-duh, cat piss, backed by citrus and pineapple. Blends nicely. 4.0

Taste: Flavors consistent, but flipped in prominence, with the citrus, pineapple and white grapes bring delicious fruit flavors and borderline cloying sweetness, with cat piss weed playing a supporting role. I’m averse to sweet beers, but this tests the boundaries and is working well for me, so very good execution. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Sweet and easy, the former perhaps influenced by the strong 7.5% ABV that hits you somewhat early in, though clean with no diesel alcohol vibes. Body light and slightly creamy, not boosted by a dainty gentle carbonation. Citrus pineapple white wine sugar sweet finish. 3.75

Overall: This edges in and out of too sweet borders for me, but likely great tasting and near balanced for the typical craft beer drinker. I like this dispute my preference for dry and bitter, but this would be more of an occasional purchase vs. a house beer. Still glad I purchased. 3.75

 

 

 

 

Line'em up and knock'em down, Hop Butcher For The World lets the hop dominos fall with a stronger than usual, partly hazy, partly bitter IPA that stands tall with Nelson Sauvin, Mega Motueka and Superdelic hops for a taste that's as unique as ancient artifacts.

Chicao Henge plops into the glass with a very foggy golden orange glow. Soon after its creamy white froth billows to the rim, so do the candied citrus scent and a backdrop of tropical fruit, melon, berry and dank herbs. Sweeter once on the palate, notions of shortcake, honey and powdered sugar coat the tongue.

The hops just blossom once the ale splashes the middle palate. Their strong fruity impressions of white grapefruit, tangerine and mango seem honey-dipped and candied ahead of a greener taste of white grape, juicy honeydew and gooseberry join the fray. Trending herbal in its bitterness, a late balance of spruce, balsa, bay leaf, green tea, verbean and hemp dry the palate for a late hop balance.

Medium-full in body, the just shy of imperial status ale does exhibit fuller flavor but with a semi-dry, bitter-sweet balance and a surprising sense of refreshment. As a hint of curacao hits the back of the throat, the alcohol meets hops for an extended citrusy, spicy interplay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Canned 3/15/22, 2m13d ago)
Appearance: Pours a nearly completely hazy (25% clarity), medium, deep pale, but also somewhat bright orange color with a strong white head. SRM of 7. (4.25)

Aroma: Strong aromas of orange, green citrus, pineapple, some sweet green grape. Somewhat sticky. (4.00)

Flavor: The flavors are slightly different with strong orange, sweet pineapple, sweet green grape and slightly tropical. Sweet and juicy. Somewhat sticky like cotton candy. (4.25)

Feel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. A sweet finish. (4.00) Somewhat sticky and sweet at the ABV. (4.00)

Compared to Hop Butcher Tavern King 5/27/22: Pours a slightly darker color, milder head. Milder aromas. More juicy orange and pineapple. Less green citrus, citrus peel. Similar ABV, but juicier and feels sweeter. Less citrus for balance. Winner: Tavern King

Compared to Hop Butcher Reply and Rewind 12/2023: Pours lighter, milder aromas. More green grape, honeydew melon, pink lemonade. Less juicy berries and tropical melon. Cleaner. Winner: Chicagohenge.

Compared to Phase Three DDH Doggone Delish 1/2024: Pours lighter, stronger aromas. More grapefruit, grape, tropical berries. Less orange, resinous melon and peach. More bitter. Winner: Chicagohenge.

Overall: A juicy and sweeter IPA. Nice orange, sweet pineapple, green grape. Sweeter and heavier for the ABV. Almost somewhat sticky like cotton candy so I can see that. Here at 2.5 months from the canning date so I'm sure it's aged a bit and is even better fresh. A great NEIPA, and I'm sure in it's earlier days even better. (Previous rating: 4.09)
Edit after second review: Fantastic New Zealand hops, but I hadn't been as impressed with it in the past. I get a lot of green grape, honeydew melon, and some pink grapefruit. It's clean and a lot better than I remember. If they name a beer after Chicago it's going to be more than good. ( Current Rating: 4.22)