Revolution Brewing (2020)

Rev has in general sort of re-calibrated my expectations on barleywines. I loved OG BCBBW and my interest in it fell off the last few years, and then I tried Straight Jacket, VSOJ, Strawberry and Honey, and now Ten Year. I was skeptical about all 3 of those latter ones, and each one was a hit in my book (Ten Year narrowly edging Strawberry Jacket, imo).

It's actually getting really annoying not to be able to count any of Rev's BA releases out.

 

Oh man, really hoping they can a mild!

 

Now that the Deep Woods releases are over, I'm curious as to what everybody thought of the lineup. Just a quick recap for me:

Deth's Tar - I got a lot of barrel this year, but not in a "hot" stout sort of way. I tend to prefer that in BA stouts, and I loved DT this time around.

Cafe Deth - Much better than last year for me. A well-rounded, BA coffee stout that's exactly what I'm looking for in the style.

Deth By Plums - This was just ok for me, as the plums didn't come through like I'd hoped. I just got a bit of an added sweetness to DT, and didn't really get a lot of plum flavor. DBP was probably my least favorite of the bunch.

Straight Jacket - Man. The November batch of SJ was, as the kids like to say, a "banger". The oak-y, caramel-y sweetness is very present, while keeping this barleywine very well-balanced. This is the best SJ I've had in quite awhile.

V.S.O.R. - I can't say enough about how I felt about this beer. All of the deep barrel, and almost maple-y, characteristics of V.S.O.J. are there, while the great spiciness of Ryeway comes through on the end to remind you that there is an "R" instead of a "J" on the end of the name.

Ryeway To Heaven - As much as I praised SJ, Ryeway deserves just as much. The rye really shines on the finish of this beer, while the slight sweetness really rounds everything out.

V.S.O.D. - Exactly what I want in a two year BA stout. The flavors that come out of the barrels without making this beer extremely "hot" are what sets this apart. Oak and dark chocolate notes dominate the nose, while the robust flavors of DT finish off another well-executed V.S.O. stout.

Boss Jacket - This one was good, but not great to me. It has most of the qualities of this year's SJ, but the beer didn't finish the way I'd hoped. The nose is amazing, and the taste reminds me of SJ, with a bit of a twist, but it left me wanting more on the finish of each sip.

Cuvee De Grace - What Rev did with this beer blows me away. The blending that went into this beer produced one of the best barleywine/stout combos I've ever had. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's strong, it's smokey, and it all works beautifully. This is up there with V.S.O.R. in quality.

10 Year Beer - Their description says it best, a "sophisticated-but-approachable celebratory ale". People who love barleywines, and people who are maybe just getting into them will both love this beer. The sweetness from the cherries really blends well with the oak and caramel notes that usually dominate Rev barleywines for me.

Well that was longer than I thought it would be. TLDR: Deth By Plums was my least favorite, and I have a tie between V.S.O.R. and Cuvee De Grace as my favorite.

 

I'm pretty much in lockstep with you, except I was a bit less enthusiastic on "regular" Ryeway. Maybe I need to revisit...

 

Ten Year


VSOR
Cafe
Strawberry Jacket (Nov release)
Straight Jacket
Regular Deth

Cuvee de Grace

Boss Jacket
VSOD

Ryeway

Deth by Plums

 

My standouts, since I can't actually remember the totality of what I had (and am too lazy to look it all up):

DT was a blast, it was basically everything I've been hoping from the potential they've had the last couple years. VSOD was even tastier, IMO, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it quite as much because as others have pointed out, it was slightly less viscous than DT. Still great.

VSOR was fantastic, but I'm not a huge fan of the rye, so it wasn't my favorite of the year. I'd imagine if you do like rye, it's up there with VSOJ.

Cuvee was good, but I got a lot of the "old leather" notes I get from VSOD (and even a little in DT), so it didn't stand out as much as I thought it might. Will probably try to re-visit it on tap at some point.

SJ was SJ; the beer that got me back into BA barleywines.

Ten Year and Strawberry Jacket were huge surprises for me; 2 of my favorites of the year, and out of nowhere. Honey Jacket was very good as well, but the former 2 blew me away. My only regret is that I passed on buying 4-packs of either because I've been slowly burning through my "backlog."

Final thought: VSOJ should just be released every year; I can't imagine liking any of the canned releases more. And now that I've said that, I'm excited for Rev to make me eat my words at some point.

 

I've noticed my palate sometimes gets a bit finicky with barleywines/ryewines. If I'm feeling something a bit more sweet, something like Ryeway will seem to fall short. The same can be said with SJ if I'm looking for something with a bit of spice. If you're like me, I'd suggest a revisit just to see if you still agree (which you might).

They're both great beers, and I'd give the slight edge to SJ, but it's really about what I want in the moment when it comes to this style. Picking a pour of whiskey off my bar can sometimes get frustrating...

 

I almost always want something sweet when it comes to BA stouts and barleywines. Which is probably why I've gone the complete opposite direction with IPAs and lagers. But yeah, I'll definitely try the ryeways again.

 

Rather than give my thoughts on every one of the releases, I'll just go with my three favorites:

1. Deth's Tar - By far the best iteration of DT in my opinion, absolutely stunning, and the Deep Woods beer I've wanted to drink most often since it was released

2. Cafe Deth - Also exceptional, really speaks to how good the base DT was this year and how well the coffee was handled

3. Straight Jacket - Normally not a huge SJ fan myself but this year's was fantastic. VSOR and Ryeway were both great as well, but I prefer bourbon to rye and hence SJ to Ryeway/VSOR.

Really strong lineup and nice variants, but I think the "core" Deep Woods lineup is the best it has ever been.

 

One of our achilles heels is that we cannot can anything made at the Brewpub. That was brewed somewhat ceremoniously since it was our 10 year anniversary so we wanted it to be done at the Pub. There's no canning line. On a positive note, the Beer Temple will be getting some casks of it to serve on their engine.

Last year we invested in the can labeler and ways to make smaller batches at Kedzie, opening up the door for the Hop Butcher & Saint Errant collabs, then the others that have followed (DDH Heroes, Legal, etc.). Canned Working Man Mild is not out of the question if we can get confident that enough people would actually buy it. The Baphomet has gone great and people have really dug that, so one step in the right direction. We'll see, no promises.

 

Typical corporation- can the Working Man and the CEO probably got a raise.

 

Thank God a little of 10 Year Beer hit distro because that was fantastic. Check your local Binny's if your looking for a 4 pack.

 

Glad to hear Baphomet and other small batches have done well, and look forward to future collaborations and other one off this ability affords, including one offs like Gargola for Lollapalooza. Hoping to pop open a few pours in the Revolution Taproom at Comiskey Park this Spring!

 

You had me at "Comiskey"

 

Bill Veeck, after saving the White Sox in 1975 from moving to Denver. Bill Veeck restored the name Comiskey Park before the next season began.

 

GOOD CALL! For single cans check the smaller shops - I've seen some getting 2nd drops.
Or get a 4pk and share with friends (or make new ones!).

 

If you think the Chicago beer scene has lost it's shit, read this. This is just so special. I...I just don't know where to begin.

 

“He looked average, honestly. He just looked like a regular white guy with a beard,” the witness said, guessing his age was around 30, and that he was from somewhere in the Midwest.