All For One In Chicago’s Brew Scene
True or false: Chicago is a more sophisticated city than Spokane.
If you’re talking shopping, pro sports or pizza, the Windy City wins, hands down. But when it comes to beer, that’s a different story, as I discovered during a recent visit.
While stores stock some decent microbrews (Redhook, even), most of the stuff is sitting out on the shelf, warm - a one-way ticket to stale city. And unlike most Spokane supermarkets, Chicago grocers don’t sell single bottles, meaning you have to buy a six-pack just to try something.
Things aren’t much better on the brewpub front. While there are a few in the far-flung ‘burbs, there are only two brewpubs in Chicago proper - one fewer than Spokane already can claim, with yet more to come here.
And only one of the Chicago pubs is worth taking the time to stop at, although it’s well worth the time indeed. The Goose Island Brewing Co. serves up everything from a refreshingly light, bitter Hopscotch to a nicely balanced Honkers pale ale to a roasty, malty Dunkel Munich.
But the real show-stopper is a beer that’s giving Goose Island a national reputation - Bourbon County Stout, an incredibly rich, complex (sevenmalt), alcoholic (9.5 percent by volume), chocolatey stout that’s aged for months in old Jim Beam casks, adding subtle but distinct whiskey notes.
Originally produced as a special tribute to Goose Island’s 1,000th batch of beer, Bourbon County Stout continues to be brewed in small quantities. Take my word for it - it’s almost worth the airfare alone.
Pub hopping
Closer to home, downtown Spokane’s Birkebeiner Brewing Co. is offering a nicely hoppy, piney India pale ale and the only house-brewed chili beer you’re likely to see this side of the Cascades as summer seasonals, soon to be joined by a banana- and clove-accented, Bavarian-style weizen …
Among the summer offerings at Solicitor’s Corner in North Spokane are a clean, light lager and a fruity (but not overly sweet) peach lager, with a pilsner and a raspberry ale in the works …
And in Coeur d’Alene, Capone’s and the newly opened Moon Time are the only Inland Northwest watering spots to carry Pyramid’s limited-edition, draft-only Sphinx series. Look for an aromatic, refreshing Belgian ale later this month.
Great Scots
Area beer aficionados will soon have another homegrown tap handle to choose from - Hollister Mountain Brewing, scheduled to begin production shortly in Coeur d’Alene.
A joint venture of veteran home brewers Paul McGowan and Greg Piller, along with their wives (both named Debbie), the Scottish-influenced brewery will have four initial offerings: The Keeper’s Pale Ale, Fieldstone Rye, One-Eyed Raven Porter and Claymore Scottish Ale.
Write the partners: “Our theme hinges on the character of the old world Scots, the integrity, honesty and tradition that make the highlanders fierce competitors, and the aesthetic beauty and wonder of the misty moors and singing bagpipes.” Bonny well put!
Weizen guys
With summer upon us (finally), a pair of major brewers are putting out relatively tasty wheat beers in bottles.
Rainier’s Yakima Honey Wheat Lager, while excessively carbonated and somewhat sharp-tasting, delivers a decent honey flavor in a beer that’s particularly drinkable for a Rainier product. And Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob HefeWeizen is fairly clean and smooth, although lacking the creaminess and crispness of many microbrewed hefeweizens.
Cautiously encouraged about the big boys, I moved on to a beer I’d had in the fridge for a while and was prepared to hate - the new Miller, subject of all those annoying ads about “big flavor” and the “heart of the hops.”
While flavorful and hoppy weren’t the first descriptions that came to mind, it really wasn’t bad, with more character than the typical mass-market beer - more comparable to an imported lager, perhaps.
Fearing for my taste buds’ sanity, I quickly popped open an India pale ale from Full Sail. Fortunately, it was great - and my beer-snob status remained secure.
Sea of suds
One of the tastier summertime treats around is the annual Oregon Brewers Festival, which runs July 26-28 at Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
More than 80 craft breweries from Alaska to Australia (including Goose Island) will be on hand for this year’s event. Admission is free, but there’s a $2 charge for a souvenir mug and additional fees for beer samples ($2 per mug, $1 for smaller tasters).
For more information, call (503) 778-5917 or visit the World Wide Web site at http://www.jhw.com/jhw/ brewfest
On Tap is a monthly feature of IN Food. Rick Bonino welcomes reader questions and comments about beer. Write to: On Tap, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446, fax 459-5098 or e-mail to rickb@spokesman.com.
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