Chicagoland Lagers (2022)

Not as malty as I like in a German Pils, but highly quaffable and not trying to be "innovative" in its interpretation.

Didn't stunt my palate with American or multiple noble hops, and wasn't an AAL in disguise by any means.

 

Kayak Pils is a real sleeper / gem. I enjoyed River Life even more & didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

 

Riverlands lager program has come a long way in the last year or so .

 

FFF's Hammerin' Hell is a nice change of pace from typical beers. I'm not a huge lager fan as I find them somewhat lacking in flavor, but Hammerin Hell was solid. Cherry was not medicinal, sour, or over the top and the "dark" part of the lager provided some subtle roasted complexity. This beer was balanced and drank smooth.

 

Indeed it has! Brams has really been intentional and made a high end lager market for Riverlands.

 

Riverlands Kayak taught me that contrary to my previous belief, it turns out I actually have a limit to how much hoppy dryness I like in a pilsner. A clean dry hoppy finish was a dragon I previously chased in my pilsners but now my world is upside down and I'm not so sure.

I found P3 Polish Pilsner enjoyable. I'm not sure what a Polish Pilsner is or is supposed to be but I got some kind of slightly amaretto sugar cookie type note from the finish of that one.

 

I haven't looked into the Kayak, so I don't know the recipe, but I've found that a beer using a multi-blend of noble hops will stunt my palate after a beer and a half. Sam Adams' Noble Pils was an example -- the beer was good, but the hops would overpower.

OTOH -- a single noble-hopped Pilsner will pour down my gullet like water (Trumer).

 

Both P3 and Goldfinger use Polish hops in the Pilsners they label as Polish Pils. I've had a couple other that do the same. You have German and Czech Pils, and now you can have Polish Pils, too. Na Zdrowie!

 

It's almost entirely Hallertau Mittlefruh. We use a touch of German Magnum to bitter it, but all flavor and aroma additions are solely Mittlefruh

 

Also, I'm glad you guys are mostly digging it, it's my favorite!

 

I got that impression based on their Untappd description for Kayak Pils:

"German Pilsner with Hallertau hops. Our House Pilsner going forward, we retired the color designation from our previous Pils, Yellow Kayak, and now we bring you the new Kayak Pils. Applying lessons learned from all previous lagers we've brewed, we bring you a crisp, easy drinking yet flavorful beer, lovingly and painstakingly thought out and crafted. Spicy and slightly citrusy noble German Hallertau hops blend with the cracker and honey notes from premium German Pilsner malt to create the lager we've been searching for. Prost!"

I thought this description was really cool (& transparent). I really appreciate breweries that put a little effort into their descriptions (let alone providing one at all!).

I should clarify that this was my first time trying a Riverlands lager. My low expectations were due to an overall skepticism I generally had towards so-called hype breweries that established themselves on haze, pastry stouts, etc. Up until recently, if I wanted a local high quality lager, I pretty much stuck with Dovetail (I mean, I basically still do). The lack of quality options has definitely improved in the last year or so (clearly lagers are the next trendy style, so it makes sense), and it's awesome to see. Obviously, trends pay the bills, but would love to see some quality red ales*, brown ales, or even that increasingly obscure straight up RIS... (thank goodness for Old Raspy!)

*Phase Three The Knot is a really nice red ale; however, it's seasonal & only avail once a year (but I'll take it!)

 

I tried that Goldfanger Lager it was pretty good

 

Tighthead Scarlett Fire is the only year round Irish red made in Illinois. And it’s fantastic. And it’s 8.99

 

And it's...not a lager?

 

Correct

 

I guess I find your post odd in the Chicagoland Lagers thread, but I'm also kinda dense sometimes.

 

I was responding to @ChicagoTarheel not sure why my comment came out as a response to flaviusG.
You should really have a snickers

 

Niteglow Beer is a new brewery, brewing out of the Whiner space (per the can info).

I copped a single can of their "French Style Pilsner", labeled C01. The have 5 series based on general style, and "C" is for Crisp. The next "Crisp" beer will be labeled C02, etc., I assume.

The other 4 series are "T" (tart), "H" (hoppy), "M" (malty) and "R" (rare...which seems to mean coffee beers?). Info from the 'gram.

As for the beer itself, I enjoyed it. Bread-y, lemon-y and with a nice malt backbone.

They are somehow connected to a coffee company (Dayglow) and I first heard of them from a collaboration with Goldfinger (the Czech Dark Lager made with the fancy malt).

Worth buying, IMHO!

 

Not a lot of info to be found on Niteglow -- apartment address?
https://web.illinoisbeer.org/members/Brewer-Members/Niteglow-10794

Looks like most of the beers at their site are sold out.

 

Tried Half Acre’s Broken Horn yesterday. Great beer for chillin and grillin. Really light and crisp. Also loving Off Color’s Beer for Hell, though it’s a bit heavy for being in the heat.