Chicagoland lagers (2020)

Metro adapting big time. Metro fans need to support metro right now. Article I read today said their sales are like 90% down this month. I would assume metro has a very strong draft beer presence downtown and is hurting more than most right now

 

Metropolitan has been in distro via bottles for some years now, however I agree Beardown, they just finished construction of their BEAUTIFUL tap room not long ago, and the patio area was just completed last summer.

I’m sure they were anticipating a very busy summer to help pay down the construction loans... everytime I went there it was busier than the prior time.... sigh.. really missing their taproom :-(

Hopefully locals can keep supporting them, ill have to make a run to the city to stock up on some breweries including Metro one of these weekends!

 

Sorry for double post, but I stocked up on some Church Street Brewing the other day. I HIGHLY recommend Church Street to any lager lovers. I picked up their Red Ale which I enjoy a lot, as well as the below lagers, which i’ve rated for fun.

Magisterium Maibock - 9.2/10.0. Lighter color, very smooth despite I believe an ABV north of 7%. Very tasty I really enjoy this beer. Perfect for a summer time where you want a bit more punch than a lighter lager.

Pontificator Dopplebock - 8.7/10.0. Another beer a bit more of a heavier hitter. I liked the the Maibock a bit more than Pontificator as it was a bit more smooth, but I’m evisioning this as the perfect beer for an evening fire outside im the firepit! Saving one or 2 for that very situation.

Pils - 9.5/10.0. I love their Pils, so damn delicious, so smooth. A bit on the pricey side for a pils (~13 for a 16 oz 4pack, yes im cheap), but I feel the quality of this Pilsner makes up for the higher price point. Breadiness is solid, good after taste. Very high quality beer.


For whatever reason, I’m not a big of fan on Helles Lagers as I am of some Pilsners or other light lagers, maybe I’ll just have to give their Helles another try.

Last note I also got the Belgian Strong.. ive had it before but havent cracked open this batch yet.

 

Could not agree more, Church St. makes some great German/European style beers.

Pontificator is probably my favorite from them. I do love the Pils as well, thought it was $10/4-pack?

I just finished my keg of their Helles a couple months ago, I think there are better examples of the style but it is by no means bad.

Thanks for the tip on the Belgian Strong, I'll have to swing by and pick that up.

 

Picked up Off Color Town Musicians tonight. It’s good, not my favorite local Maibock, but solid. I’m getting quite a bit of dark fruit in the taste, and it has a pretty deep brown color. It kinda straddles the line between a Maibock and Dunkel.

 

Lagerheads, I picked up two lagers I've been wanting to try today...

Bells - Leaves of Grass VI (unfiltered rustic lager)

This is our take on a German-style Kellerbier. Rustic grains, including pilsen malt and maize, offer classic bready notes and a light haze. Herbal, noble hops and tangy rye malt add a light spiciness.

Sierra Nevada/Bitburger - Triple Hop'd Lager

This collaboration beer is highlighted by a combination of American hops, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook, paired together with ‘Siegelhopfen’ – Bitburger’s proprietary and unique hop blend that’s sourced from a farm just a few minutes from the brewery! Unique to this one-time brew, the same farm provided the Cascade hops that lends Triple Hop’d Lager its desirable floral and citrus/grapefruit profile. Jointly, the American and German hops shape the unique and exciting profile of a very enjoyable 5.8% ABV beer.

Not sure if anyone has had either, but I'll let you know what I think!

 

I’m curious to hear about that Kellerbier/Zwickel. Metro Heliostat was my go to when I could find it on draft. I recently had Hopewell Good Eye which i thought was a pretty solid zwickel too.

 

I keep hearing about that Leaves of Grass beer from Bells... Maybe I’ll make a rare trip to binnys to scope it out.

An update on my lager adventures as I finish off the last 6 pack or so of my Church Street cans:

Going to Wolfden Brewing tomorrow to pick up a couple masks I ordered. I plan on getting a few crowlers as well. A few lagers I see on the website I’ll get:

-Highlander Pilsner
-Blue Gnome Kolsch (actually blue in the picture hmm)
-Uncommon Denominator Doppelbock

I will likely get 2/3 above, as they have some other really good choice (imperial porter, cranberry berliner, golden pastry ale, and irish stout that sound really good too.. will pry choose 4 overall.

Has anyone had one of Wolfden’s lagers? Thoughts? Recommendations?

 

I'm not really a lagerhead, more of a hazeboi, but I liked this a lot!

 

Love Heliostat as well. Urban Chestnut's Zwickel is also an excellent option off the shelf.

 

the bells lager is fantastic! Wasn’t sure about rye in a Keller bier, but it’s beautifully done! Very crispy & lots of flavor. I will get another 6pack or two of this for sure.

 

Agreed, if you can find Urban Chestnut's Zwickel fairly fresh it is pretty fantastic. Off Color's You Can't Take Me Anywhere it great too.

 

Yeah honestly based on the description my expectations aren't super high, but I love Sierra Nevada and like to try just about everything they put out.

 

Since this thread was about Chicagoland lagers, my vote at the moment goes to
LaGrow Brewing Lager

Very nice interpretation of the Helles style, with more fruit compared to the old world style. All ingredients in all their beers are organic. Let this one come up a couple of degrees higher than you normally would drink a bright lager. One issue with this beer is a certain amount of solids which settle at bottom of can - when you pour, do it in one go and leave a small amount of liquid in the can. Otherwise the solids make the beer a bit hazy and taste not as crisp.

 

Well, I will say good luck. Hopefully they have made TREMENDOUS strides since the last time I was there. It may be one of the nicest interiors for a brewery in the entire Chicago area but my goodness has just about every beer been a miss. I have been there at least 5-6 times and the only reason I kept going back was due to the interior. Sorry I don't have better news for ya...

 

Any other Maibock recommendations?

 

Dovetail.

 

I live 10 minutes from Church Street, but I've never been there. I think I'm going to remedy that this weekend. Going to pick up a couple of lagers and some hand sanitizer. I had my eye on the Maibock, thanks for the review.

Hailstorm has a Maibock that I've never tried and can't recommend either way, other than the fact that it's called Rock Out With Maibock Out, which is just fantastic.

EDIT: It apparently won silver medals at GABF twice, so maybe it's pretty good.

 

I still recommend PW Tip Top. I loved that one. Old Irving would normally release theirs on draft around this time, but not sure if that’s in the pipeline right now. But it’s a good’n as well.