Old Chicago - 28Mar13

Okay, so Old Chicago is not a brewery of itself but they do have an interesting selection of local micro brews.  Plus, they have lots of TVs to watch the NCAA basketball games.  Old Chicago has taster trays with 4 beers of your choice.  Here is how we sampled them....

Round 1

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis - Inspired by traditional Bavarian techniques. Kellerweis is brewed in open fermentation tanks to let the ingredients truly shine. The result is a hazy wheat ale. With a full, fruity aroma and notes of spicy clove and banana bread.
Fort George Vortex IPA- Amarillo, Simcoe and Centennial hops.  Heaps of organic pale malt,
New Belgium Rampant IPA- Imperial IPA, copper in color. The Mosaic and Calypso hops bring stonefruit to the front seat, and the addition of Centennials nod towards citrus.  Heavy peach tones and a profoundly bitter bite. Some malt sweetness and the finish is bone-dry.
Boneyard IPA - Pale in color with pineapple and citrus notes.

Round 2

Widmer O'Ryley - Notable hoppiness and just a touch of caramel malty sweetness. Brewed with rye and Nelson Sauvin hops imported from New Zealands South Island, subtle rye spiciness and fruity, berry-like aroma and flavor.
Cascade 20" Brown on Nitro - extremely complex malty character. Using 6 varieties of Northwest grown malt
Fish Tale Amber - Organic pale, Munich, and crystal malts create a gentle sweet character.  From organic Hallertauer hops come a zesty flavor and aroma that beautifully balance Organic Amber's malt profile.
Widmer Green and Gold -  Kolsch is a golden straw-colored beer with aromas of strawberry and cracked black pepper, a soft sweet bready malt flavor, a creamy body, and a crisp dry finish. 

Round 3

Smithwicks - Irish and ruby colored.  Not many details given on their webpage.
Vertigo Apricot cream - Summer ale brewed with Pale and Crystal malts, balanced with late additions of Saaz and Mt. Hood hops, and finished with a hint of apricot.
Breakside Fennel Farmhouse - this wheaten farmhouse ale uses heirloom spelt as well as three types of fennel (seed, bulb, and pollen). The result is a mildly tart, estery and dry beer with a complex layering of anise and a touch of citrus.
Laurelwood Gearhead IPA - citrus and piney, moderately malty.

So what were our favorites...top 3 in order....
Rob -  Kellerweis, Rampant, ORyley
Ben - Kellerweis, 20"Brown, Rampant
Steve - Boneyard IPA, 20" Brown, Farmhouse
Todd - Kellerweis, Boneyard IPA, O'Ryley

We also tasted the Chicago Meat Me and Classic pizzas.  The group preferred the Meat Me flavors.  We also sampled the Cookie and Ice Cream as well as the Chocolate Lava.  It is hard to beat the Cookie and Ice Cream but the Chocolate Lava was a close second.

We have a few months left before Rob moves to beer sampling in Ireland.
Cheers,
Todd