Looks like they've never had a thread! I'm no fan-boy of theirs, but they have earned one IMO. I come not to praise their hazy's, which I find slightly above average, but to praise their take on the Schwarzbier! I'm not a big fan of German styles in general, but in the last year or so I've been beguiled by this style; dark and lagered, but substantial, dark & flavorful. "All In Favor (of brewing a) Schwarbier" is well executed & enjoyable, and the humorous title illustrates the chutzpah it takes to release a beer in this style in the middle of the haze / pilsner wars. Good on them!
Alarmist is the brewery closest to where I live (Une Annee will be about the same distance once they complete their move). That and the fact they are one of the few Chicago area breweries (or bars) which regularly maintain 1-2 cask taps makes this one of my favorite breweries to visit. Bob their primary bartender plays great tunes and is awesome. I haven't been able to visit since the Schwarbier release. I'll try to hit their brewery before going back out West for this pour and their NEIPA Big Riff released last Friday. Really like Juke Nukem as well.
It's good they branched out to this style, but I found it very mild in terms of flavor and aroma. I preferred Baba Black Lager by Uinta. I really liked their Coffee blended Onerous (Coffonerous). I'll try to have their new NEIPA if it's still around later next month. Also really love the music selection here. You never know what you'll get, other than it's mostly solid. Never expected to hear a cover of Pink Floyd's Lucifer Sam when I left the house today, as good as the original.
Easy Listening is a solid 4.5% pour released today. I don’t recall having Hallertau Blanc hops previous. I loved the lemon lime grassy and fruity aroma and taste, and liked the cask version even better than their standard pour. Their NEIPA collaboration with Bitter Pops, The Last Gary, is on point as well. Alarmist is one of the few places I order NEIPAs without concern. Today was an unexpected shitshow, not for the release, but due to the 50-60 teachers celebrating the fact they’ll be paid to stay home and not work for the next few weeks, as if. Returned for a second cask pour before heading home.
The elevated structure just west of it was the Chicago & North Western Railway's Weber Branch, which used to have commuter trains until the 1950s and freight trains until the 1990s. It might get transformed into a bicycle trail, but the main proponent of this was an Aldercritter who lost his re-election bid in 2019.
