Chicagoland Lagers (2022)

Metropolitan has an upcoming release next month. A 3.8% Table Lager in 16 oz cans. I'm intrigued.

 

Not sure about the mango & melon (not sure how that's coming from malt) -- I want bready malt in my lager with a touch of herbs and maybe *maybe* a touch of lemon from noble hops.

Let's leave the fruit esters to the everyday top-fermented beers, please.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty much on board with you here. Willing to give it a try anyway.

 

Roaring Table RTB Vienna. First can this afternoon. Seeing a near perfect to-style rating for this one.

I mean, wow.

Also interesting is their custom use of their ink-jet imprint of dates on the can bottoms... just a little rip-off of Dovetail's little (musical) in-joke tag for those willing to check the underside.

 

Grabbed growlers of Hopleaf's two "house" beers, both brewed by Art History.

The pale ale is good.

The Czech dark lager...oh my.

I got notes of rye bread, autumn leaves, some hoppy bite & mild milk chocolate flavors with a creamy, but not too thick, mouthfeel.

I'm sure @JackHorzempa can enlighten me if this is brewed "to style" (I'm guessing chocolate should not be mentioned in a Czech dark lager), and I fully admit my palate is pretty limited. However, I think this beer is FANTASTIC.

Chicagoans, next time you find yourself in this institution of great beer, at least have a taste of this beer. Blame me if you don't love it.

EDIT: looks like @REVZEB is a fan too...

 

Reads ‘good’ to me.

FWIW, below is my description of my homebrewed Tmavý Ležák (Czech Dark Lager):

Appearance: A dark chestnut brown color with a red hue. A tan head with excellent head retention as the beer is consumed.

Aroma: A subtle but noticeable aroma of toasted dark bread and a hint of cocoa.

Taste: The flavor follows the nose with a pleasing combination of subtle chocolate and toasted dark bread. There is also a subtle but noticeable flavor of Coca-Cola in the background. A low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel: There is a soft/creamy mouthfeel with an off-dry finish.



Na Zdravi

 

Oh yes that one went down so smooth yet has great flavor, plus that CDL with their frites was a killer combo too. Will be back to try the pale ale. Also: #FreeCzechDarkLager

 

So here's a Pilsner you don't hear people talking about that is actually a really great Pilsner... Just had a draft pour of Une Annee Pilsner it's a classic German Pils that extremely well done & traditional. Check it out if you haven't!

 

I’ll be drinking a can of Brickstone Lager later tonight. Quality brewery who usually has small batch lagers on at the brewpub, but this will be the first time lager has been canned and distributed.

also looks like Hop Butcher and Rev are collaborating again. 2 different lagers getting rolled out this weekend at Rev taproom

 

I hope to try this!

 

It’s pure “Crispy Boi” american light lager. Reminds me of Ole Pile by Werk force, early hotel life batches by hailstorm. It’s boat beer. It’s not the kind of beer that deserved a post in this thread. But it’s not bad. You could spend 9.99 in worse ways I suppose

this isn’t a knock on Brickstone. My guess is this is exactly what they wanted. They aren’t attempting to capture the lager geek with this label. They make more premium lagers at the taproom so check them out if you’re passing through Bourbonnais. Brickstone is a sneaky brewery.

 

...I might not try this.

 

If someone tosses you a can, you’ll finish it easily. But it’s not the type of lager this thread was made for

 

I found More's Huntley Helles yesterday -- first can was pretty smooth. Maybe not as impressive as their Maibock to-style, but it's definitely not a light beer clone.

 

Enjoyed a Levitace (ok more than one) yesterday on draft. Very flavorful and was shocked to see it clock in at 3.8% ABV. I feel like the sub 4 is pretty rare, no?

 

Hell, sub 5 is pretty rare!

 

I have enjoyed a few Chicagoland lagers recently. From best to worst (but they were all good!), in my humble, unreliable opinion.

1) Hopleaf House Dark (Art History) -- listed on Beer Advocate as Hopleaf Dark Lager, I'm going off the Hopleaf menu for the name. Hints of autumn, sweetness and a touch of dry spice, I could drink a keg of this around a campfire in October. I could also drink a glass anytime of year. A revelation, in my opinion.

2) Fire-Brewed Helles Lager (Scratch) -- OK, Ava isn't really Chicagoland, but this one was fantastic. Don't let "fire" scare you off, I actually got NO smoke in this beer at all, just caramel, cracker and a hint of artisanal soap. Great!

3) M01: Amber Lager (Niteglow) -- A nice malty lager ("M" stands for Niteglow's malt series) that's balanced and easy to drink, with mild citrus notes. I think Niteglow is a brewery to watch.

4) RTB Vienna (Roaring Table) -- Another autumnal, malty lager that is substantial but easy to drink. I grab any lager these guys make lately.

5) Riot (Revolution) -- Almost a farmhouse vibe here, with fresh corn on the cob, orange peel & wheat to my palate. Not sure why it took me so long to try this!

6) Hallo, Mein Name Is Doppelbock (Miskatonic) -- I once flippantly claimed that Miskatonic would be out of business shortly after Hop Butcher stopped using their facility, but if they can crank out dark lagers this rich and tasty I'll gladly eat (drink?) my words.

7) Chicago's Very Own (Metropolitan / Seipp) -- a tasty golden lager. Mindblowing? No, but solid and easy to drink.

 

Anyone else try Moor's Helles Lager? I was pleasantly surprised, since these guys are relatively new (and I've had nothing from them). There's a little bit of malt sweetness that rounds out the beer, but it's still got that refreshing crackery finish that I always want from lagers. Not cheap at $16 a 16 oz 4-pack, but I'm happy to see more black-owned breweries jumping into the mix around here.

 

Had one last night, and enjoyed it! Pretty sweet but pleasantly so.

 

I’m holding out for a Moor and More collaboration.