Dovetail appreciation thread

Well it really depends on your criteria for "top brewery" right? If a brewery didn't brew anything I like, I don't think I'd consider it particularly good even if they are technically sound.

 

I think good/bad should be objective and like/dislike should be subjective. Meaning-a brewery is good if they execute styles you don’t care for. But it’s fair to not like said brewery. To make an analogy, if you don’t like seafood I don’t see how you could have a quality lobster roll at a Maine restaurant and say the restaurant isn’t good. If that makes sense.

 

I found the Dovetail Maibock I tried on draft at a restaurant last night to be surprisingly excellent. Perhaps the comparison isn't fair, but I'd equate it to drinking a coke. Assuming you like coke, generally at no point in time while you are drinking a coke are you saying "I'd like this to be sweeter/more carbed/more dry/more fruity/etc." Coke is just perfect and there isn't anything you would change when drinking it thus why it has stood the test of time for 100+ years. I found absolutely nothing to nitpick about this maibock which is rare for beers. My GF even preferred it to the hoppy beer she was drinking (see this is why I'm calling them up-and-coming, not because of the quality of beer, but because they have a whole bunch of people to convert).

 

My wife and I had the same exact reaction. We liked everything we tried but the maibock was the unexpected standout. we took a growler home.

 

I can see where you're coming from, but that still feels kind of muddled if I'm saying it's one of the best in the area. Is Metropolitan a top brewery in Chicago?

 

Metropolitan makes good beer (and a few greats), but they miss out on the malt depth of many of the styles they brew where Dovetail succeeds. I would say they are a borderline case, but personally I don't view them as a top brewery because of that missing subtle depth and complexity that is so key to German beer.

 

I guess that's what I'm getting at when it comes to how they "execute" the beer styles. Is that complexity something that is integral to the style or just a preference? Feels like we're trying to have our cake and eat it too with what we're saying is objective and what is subjective about these titles.

 

Great German lagers have subtle malt depth and impeccable balance, so the best breweries that seek to imitate those styles of beer will showcase that malt depth. The biggesr gripe lager purists have about American takes on German styles is how simplistic the malt and the hop/malt interplay is. Dovetail does not fall victim to this, where Metro's are a bit more one-note. I don't know many people that would place Metro ahead of Dovetail in authenticity and success replicating German styles. This is a long way of saying, the depth of malt flavor is less a preference and more an integral part of German brewing.

 

Stopped at Dovetail pre-dinner. The Kriek is the excellent. Great cherry flavor, lambic funk, and the almond gives it a little spice on the finish. Will definitely be grabbing a bottle or 2

 

This whole debate is so interesting to me. Dovetail has, by a great measure, the best lager I’ve EVER had. It was the first beer I’d had by them, I didn’t know much about the brewery, and I was still in the thrall of NE IPAs at the time. The fact that their lager stood out says a lot.

Now I’ve had most of their beers and I was blown away by X02, a wild lager. Not the cheapest of formats in a 500ml, but delicious enough to buy two bottles and counting. And their kriek was well done.

I would say Dovetail is up and coming, only because their potential best ( the lambic styles) are yet to come.

 

Just a personal opinion... but I've been to every single taproom or brewery you can visit within Chicagoland - and have tried a few you can't visit. Dovetail is easily in my top five favorite, and probably in my top three favorite, though I haven't sat down to truly rank them out. Hell, it could be my favorite. They just don't have a huge list of "fun" and "interesting" beers out there to try yet. That doesn't make them not a great brewery. They are SPOT on with what they do and their beers are ALWAYS fantastic and true to style.

 

I would argue that they have a ton of fun beers if you're into lagers and European styles. I'm more excited for the return of their Grodziskie than any other upcoming beer in Chicago.

Otherwise I am in agreement with your assessment. I haven't been to every place in Chicago because that's insane, but I have been to all of the moderately popular and above ones, and Dovetail is easily my favorite.

 

I would argue the same. Hence the quotes on "fun."

And, yes, it was insane... it took a full year at least.

 

Half acre and Dovetail are the class of Chicago. The consistent level of quality is just incredible. We have lots of great options, but I could happily survive with just those two.

 

I am thinking of dropping by Dovetail for lunch tomorrow. I know they don't have much for food but you can BYOF. Any suggestions for a nearby place I could do take-out or delivery to the taproom?

 

Not sure on delivery, but for take out.....Roost for hot chicken, Half Acre for burritos, El Taqueria Asadero for steak tacos

 

Recently did the carne asada tacos from El Taqueria and echo your recommendation. For pizza, will Spacca Napoli let you carry out? If so, that would be excellent with a Pilsner

 

Roost is delicious.

It's not takeout, but if you're feeling a bit Deutsch, go to Laschet's Inn on Irving Park first, get some imported German beers on draft along with arguably the best German food in the city. Then go to Dovetail and compare mentally to the German drafts you just had.

 

Also, don't leave Dovetail without crushing some landjägers

 

The asada tacos from Asadero are great, but what about that al pastor? that's next level.