“When it merits, GuysDrinkingBeer will bring you the relevant, generally-Chicago-centric information about what you’ll be imbibing around town. Here’s what’s running through our Mash Tun of Information:”
A BA version of Flossmoor Station’s wildly popular “rye wine” called Bourbon Barrel Aged Hi-Fi Rye will be released in the coming months.
Here are the initial notes on this beer from Flossmoor: “Hi-Fi is an 11% ABV beer similar to a barleywine, only most of this beer’s grain bill was rye. 58% rye in fact. We added a very minute touch of caraway seed for a little more of the “rye bread” flavor. Hopped to balance the huge malt character with pacific northwest hops…” According to the label, the barrel aged version has been aged for ten months “in a freshly emptied Bourbon oak barrel.” This beer took home a silver medal in the barleywine/wheatwine category at the 2010 Festival of Barrel Aged Beer.
Also on the barrel aged front, Two Brothers will be releasing a new sour beer named Askew.
From the label; “Project Opus is our collection of aged sour beers. Three years in the making, Askew will evolve and transform in the bottle as it ages or can be enjoyed without delay.” According to RateBeer.com Askew was, “brewed with Saccharomyces cerevisae and Brettanomyces. Transferred to oak foudre after initial fermentation. Foundre has previously gone through a spontaneous fermentation.”
We’re hoping this turns out better than Two Brothers most recent attempt at a sour beer. In 2009 they collaborated on a Flemish Red Ale with the brewers of the Urthel brand called Moaten. While we’re fans of the style, we didn’t feel this one met our expectations.
UPDATE: Two Brothers just announced their Hop Juice festival will be on June 18th. Mark your calendars. We’d rather be there than at Dark Lord Day, but that’s just us.
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After months of churning out big beers to aid us Chicagoans in hunkering down during these frigid winter days, Half Acre will be releasing a session, pale ale this Friday, January 28th.
The beer is called Callow Knife and, according to Half Acre’s website, “This beer is a malt twin to Daisy Cutter, but we dry hopped the snot out of it with Falconer and Citra hops.” As with many of their new releases it will only be available on draft at the brewery. We appreciate any brewer that will “dry hop the snot” out of pretty much anything. And while we love the big beers that Half Acre has been churning out, their session beers – and more specifically – their pale ales have a special place in our hearts.
BTW, we just checked with the folks at Half Acre and as of the time of this posting, they still have their chocolate milk stout on tap, Chocolate Camaro. We’ve yet to get our hands on it but Frequent Commenter Ben relayed this in an email; “I just finished my growler of Chocolate Camaro from Half Acre…man is it good!” If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is.