Review: Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Brewery:  Half Acre Beer Company

Locale:  North Center, Chicago, IL

Craft Circa:  2006

Style:  Pale Ale

ABV:  5.2%

Notables:  Chicago Reader “Best Local Brew” 2012

  

Label:  Wonderful name and label.  With a name like Daisy Cutter, you expect some twisted variation that will prove to be a stable and memorable beer.

Overall:   The beer smells a tad ragged, and the taste disappoints even more.  It’s rare I struggle to finish a brew, but for some reason, this one gives me a challenge.  I’ve had this beer a few times under different circumstances.  I’ve consumed this ale in a can, had it on tap, tried it with a fresh palate, as well as after multiple beers…  I just cannot find an instance that this beer is any good.  It’s a shame and there are a few close pals that will disagree with me, and order it voluntarily while out, but I do not wish this beer to reserve shelf space in my fridge.  The “No Vacancy” sign goes up. 

The big surprise is the fact that it’s advertised as “pale ale”.  Pale ales should no way be as bitter, sour, and rough as this one.  Any pale ale that would enter the party with this type of pins and needles pour should back it up with flavor, which this fails to do as well.  Help me out Chicago… I just don’t get it.  This beer was rated best local brew among a lot of great beers here in Chicago?  Is it this disturbing hipster trend of canning beer a la “PBR”?  It’s just not good, no matter the medium of delivery. 

Honestly craft lovers…. Help a reviewer out.

B&B is mystified by the recognition Daisy Cutter receives.  Help us understand, supply comments below.  As far as we are concerned this ale deserves a big ‘ol “Mr. Yuk” sticker on the label.

Acquisition:  4-pack canned ~ $9

Windfall:  Mr. Yuk is a graphic image created by the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh conceived to help children learn to avoid ingesting harmful liquids.  The concept was for parents, guardians, and caregivers to place these stickers on household items to warn children of its danger.  The original design of Mr. Yuk entailed skull and crossbones but it was soon realized that the design was not terribly helpful.  This due to the fact that there was too much of a resemblance to the local baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and their Jolly Roger flag that was flown often to symbolize fan support.

~gY

Review: Revolution Brewing Coup d'Etat

Brewery:  Revolution Brewing

Locale:  Logan Square, IL (Chicago)

Craft Circa:  2010

Style:  French Style Saison

ABV:  7.6%

IBUs: 50

 Label:  Get used to seeing these fists breaking through a grocer aisle near you.

Overall:   In case you missed it, there was breaking news on a revolution a brewing here in Chicago reported here at B&B.  Not sure if you caught it, but there’s been a Coup d'Etat; a strike against the state of the general beer drinker nation.  Coup d’Etat, the overthrow, or sudden illegal declaration of a government is such a fitting and an appropriate name of one of the first Revolution brews to be bottled and hit the streets. 

Per wiki, a Coup d'Etat is considered successful when the usurpers establish their dominance. When the coup neither fails completely nor succeeds, a civil war is a likely consequence.  Well this Saison (French for season) is in fact a disturbance.  It’s the Woody Woodpecker of French Style Saisons.  It’s a crisp brew, with a pale malty stamina, quite flavorful for the style.  It ruptures with all the Saison elements you would want to find in a brew, and possibly a tad overboard for my tastes… but for Saison lovers, this ale is right up your backstreet.  It’s lightly hopped, has an array of spices, and it seems as though there was a real Fruit Ninja standing atop this vat before it was sealed for fermentation.  Reasonably tasty.

My pour had no head whatsoever, yet there was still a moderate amount of carbonation.  I’ve been reading the opposite pertaining to the carbonation aspect of this brew’s pour, but either way there is no lack of the quality of this ale.  This would be one of my favorite offerings from Rev Brew if this style was a preference of mine.   It has quality and class for such a rebellious brew. 

Grab a bottle, this Frenchman will knock you off your feet.

Acquisition:  22 ouncer - $7

  

~gY

Review: Firestone Walker Double Jack DIPA

Brewery:  Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Locale:  Paso Robles, CA

Craft Circa:  1996

Style:  American Imperial IPA / Double IPA

ABV:  9.5%

IBUs:  75

Notables: 

2012 - - World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster, Mid-size Brewing Company

2011 - - Silver Medal in the Great American Beer Festival; 1^st Place in the Double IPA Fest and the Denver International Beer Competition.

2010 - - World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster, Mid-size Brewing Company

Label:  Great looking label and bottle.  As you are opening this gem, it has the feel of something vintage, and quite special. 

Overall:   First off, happy IPA Day.  I like to usually crack open a bottle or 6 of something I haven’t necessarily tried before for B&B purposes. However, because it’s a holiday and an important one at that, I wanted to write a little piece on one of my favorites, if not my favorite brew out there, and that is Firestone’s Double Jack.  There is usually one or two in the fridge on a consistent basis.  What better way to celebrate IPA day, than to drink a double dose of it.   

Start to finish it is an exceptional brew.  Initially, the aroma is that of a pine tree forest and intrigues you to jump in.  The color of amber lures you in even further.  Once you do it’s like jumping into Scrooge McDuck’s pile of money it tastes that good.    It’s amazing how smooth the brew is for the hops and bite that comes with it.  Double Jack is full of flavor and full of enjoyment.  It’s an aggressive, supernatural beer, but in no way shape or form does it abuse its powers.  It’s out there for the common good, and you should be thankful this beer exists. 

It being an Imperial, or Double IPA, keep in mind these are superior, bolder, and if you are lucky higher in flavor from the traditional IPAs.  Firestone delivers on all accounts, and then some. It’s a great combination of bittering, kettle and dry hops, a melting pot of sweetness.   

For beers, this is the Breaking Bad of TV dramas, the Exile on Main Street of music albums, the Steel Curtain of NFL defenses.  Very few compete with this style of beer from Firestone Walker.  Imperial IPAs are a genre of beer I love to find good ones of let alone phenomenal ones of.   

So happy holidays, get yourself a bottle, celebrate and take another drink from your soon to be Loving Cup. 

Acquisition:  22 oz. - $8

A reminder from Firestone Walker:  Remember to watch for bottled on dates located on the necks or bottom left corner of the label for each of our beers.  Our beer is not pasteurized, so it is best when stored at 44F or below, out of light and within 120 days of the bottled on date...this ensures freshness and ultimately a great Firestone Walker beer!

~gY

There's a Revolution a Brewing Here in Chicago...

Brewery:  Revolution Brewing's Kedzie Brewery Taproom

Locale:  Avondale, IL (Chicago)

Craft Circa:  2012 (Expansion of Revolution Brewing's Brewpub founded 2010 in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago)

ABV:  All over the board

*** There’s a revolution a brewing here in Chicago.  These fists of fury are out to take down the common beer drinker.  It’s an insurrection of artisan beers out to overthrow macros and micros alike.  Revolution Brewery hit the scene in 2010 and was a bustling neighborhood brew pub gem that bloomed into a regional success, prompting an expansion of a brewery and taproom. 

The reason B&B found itself in the taproom on this particular day was that Rev Brew announced that a couple of their brews were being bottled and hitting the market for the first time ever this first week of August, and were available for purchase at the taproom a week prior.  These bottled brews included a seasonal specialty Coup d’Etat; as well as a World Beer Cup gold medalist winner Cross of Gold (Category 66).  Well discovering this I dropped my day job items, and headed on over.

As you walk in, sit yourself down within this Hop Mecca of Chicago, you realize this is a serious drinker’s watering hole.  A building constructed not only for the production of Rev Brew crops, but also for the hardcore happy hour enthusiasts.  Upon walking in the stage was set.  There was a huge chalkboard on the wall, great indicator of any place.  There were about 12 taps for your enjoyment, with anything from tart summer ales to bourbon barrel infused concoctions.  And The Last Waltz was sounding on the speakers… only the greatest rock and roll concert documentary ever made.  Life is grand.

As I’m enjoying my Double Fist DPA, a guy walks in with a Dampf Loc Bierwerker shirt on.  Impressive, it’s a diehard crowd indeed.  There’s no food served here, even though you are allowed to order in some grub, you still recognize that the patrons are here for the brews and brews alone.  Hardcore indeed.   It’s a great atmosphere, filled with people looking to test their palates with flavorful beers.  There were people who were there out of mere curiosity, running through flights of each beer on tap.  Then there’s me, coming to simply get my hands on a couple 22 ouncers because I was too impatient to wait the following week. 

What makes this place great, among the crowd, among the atmosphere, among the barrels and barrels of beer fermenting around you is quite humbly the quality of beer. That’s what makes it when it’s all said and done.  They are consistent in each batch I’ve tasted thus far, and I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg for what brews are on the horizon with Rev Brew. 

A Snifter of a Review:

1.   Double Fist DPA – smooth and probably in my top 5 doubles to mind.

2.   Faustenstein – This is aged for 36 weeks in Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve barrels.  Phenominal beer.  Quite thick for a summer day, but so happy I tried it.  In addition, the wife and I love Woodford and it’s our favorite standard bourbon.  Always a plus.  We even had a portion of our wedding events at the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  Yah, it’s that good.

3.   Bottom Up Wit – Quite refreshing after the Faustenstein.  Solid Belgian-style wheat beer.

So venture out to this hub to experience what Revolution has to offer.  Round up a caravan if you have to… 

Items to note:  The Anti-Hero IPA, Eugene Porter, and the Bottom Up Wit (their canned selections) are expected to be out on the streets about 2 to 3 weeks.  The Double Fist Double Pale Ale is scheduled to be bottled in the next week or so.  The Oktoberfest is in the making, scheduled to be released this September along with their Oktoberfest bash scheduled this fall.  There’s definitely a revolution a brewing here in Chicago.

~gY