Dovetail appreciation thread

A little birdy told me we can look forward to some very good news in the next couple months

 

Oh. Well, cats out the bag.

Good!

 

Can't wait for repeated visits to Dovetail Aug 14-17. Miss that lager, the pils, and especially that Rauchbier of theirs. Heaven. And I'll be 500 feet away in a rental apt. WINNING. Prost!

 

Just had it last night @THANAT0PSIS - that shit is unreal. For 3.8%, it has such character, presence, and interest... my wife and I kept fighting over the pint we had. Not that the Rauchbier or the Maibock were slouches, but damn that Grodizkie was beguiling. Glad we had it. Might have it again... tonight.

 

It's such a great beer. Make sure you get the standard Lager (and Helles), too. I think the former is in the conversation for best beer in Chicago of any style.

Glad you dig!

 

See, this was what I was alluding to in the HA thread. I liked the lager, I didn't love it. I never got to try their vienna lager, though, and that's a big regret of mine.

Their beer is uniformly excellent, though. I keep waiting for them to start distributing to a store that's closer to me than their taproom.

 

Hey man, it's cool, your opinion. I think Dovetail's beers just have more depth, balance, and complexity than something like Fader, especially the standard Lager (though I loved Den when I was there this past week, and I wish I had a Dovetail Kölsch to compare it to).

My palate prefers authenticity and similarity to Continental lagers, which Dovetail nails, whereas Half Acre of course Americanizes everything, even if it's just slightly.

I think Dovetail Lager is the single best and most perfect beer in the city, though, so it will take a really great beer to dethrone it as best lager, let alone best beer, in my mind. Fader just wasn't the beer to do that for me.

 

No, I totally get it. "Authentic" is exactly how I'd describe Dovetail stuff, except that I don't really think I have the breadth of experience to do so. And yeah, Americanizing beer is pretty much my thing (which I hate to admit, but it's true). But this is also why I want these guys to start (ideally canning) distributing more of their beer; I like to drink local stuff, but would also like to get more familiar with how some of these styles are "supposed to be done."

And like @eppCOS said, I really enjoyed their rauchbier, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

"Can't we all just get along?" - Ha. Had the lager and Helles many times at Dovetail. Have always loved the lager, even as a not-so-frequent lager drinker. It's just perfect.
Now, on to HA for some new releases... !

 

Go to Laschet's and try all the German beers they have on tap. Do the same for Huettenbar. Then go back a month or so later and try the new beers they have. That's the best experience you can have with Continental styles within Chicago. Then apply your new knowledge to locally and nationally made examples and see what you think.

It's really important to me to note that I am not saying Americanizing things is objectively bad. I love very American beers too, including the more ridiculous excesses like pastry stouts and milkshake IPAs. I just think most lager styles don't need much tweaking because they have already been nearly perfected by brewers that have been brewing them for hundreds of years. Still I don't scoff at innovation, even in lagers, and just because I personally prefer the classic Continental styles does not mean that your preference for Americanized lagers is any less valid objectively. Drink what you like (but don't hesitate to explore the more traditional German, Czech, Polish, Nordic, and English brewing cultures, because there's as much merit in all of them as there is in Belgian and American beer).

 

Sorry, Dad. (Joking of course.)

But seriously, @SeanBond and I are just discussing the merits of different interpretations of different styles of lager. It's all friendly, and we both know there's no animosity. We go way back on many different topics. No worries!

 

Just had my last bottle of x02 last night. One of my favorite beers from dovetail so far. Had subtle complexities you’d find in a lambic without much of the funk which sometime takes away from the drinkabilty of the style.

I could easily down 3 or 4 liters of this.

 

He's gone native

 

No one “goes native” you either are, or you aren’t.

But, when I typed litre, Siri autocorrected my work to little. I blame Siri for ruining my confidence. How dare you Siri!

 

I endorse this message. Dovetail really brings it...I actually had a dream about that Grodziskie last night. True story.

 

Clean, soft, and beautifully balanced with complex workings of grains, Centralized-Carmel malt, herbs, soft fruit, doughy yeast, and grassy-floral hops. Feel is rightly bitter and slightly crisp, but predominately creamy, rich and fluffy with a touch of sweetness…Dovetail’s Lager is thought-provoking given the exquisite nuances and the stimulating, delicate feel = A True Gem




Prosit –

 

I LOVE the house lager, but I also think the Vienna Lager is just as good.

Just wanted to put it on the record.

 

Was there Thursday night.

The new Pilsner is dry hopped with Denali. It’s currently a bit intense and actually seems like an outlier.

Talking with the bartender he says he expects it to soften up over the next few weeks. Its a neat beer. But not a pils I want to go back for multiple rounds.

 

That’s a bit of a bummer given multiple rounds is the best aspect of drinking a Pils