Jak's Tap

New month and more importantly, happy no shave November (or Movember, whichever you please)!  Facial hair holidays are the best, unless you are anyone that has to look at me.  My school has a mustache contest for charity, so this year I can actually use an excuse.  Take that family at Thanksgiving!

I have been meaning to post something about Jak's Tap seeing as it is right next to me, but it has slipped my mind the past couple of weeks.  I wandered into Jak's Tap shortly after I moved to Chicago for a quick bite to eat and found a selection of beer that was a pleasant surprise.  A place next to me that sells delicious beer?  It is only with the greatest self restraint that I am still in school and possess money.

Jak's is the first place that I had Lost Abbey and can supply a nice fix of Gumballhead should the occasion arise.  Hey, when's the last time you had Gumballhead constantly on tap right across the street from you?  Never you say?   Bummer.  A good amount of the American craft beers linger around $5 with some dipping below, a surprise I wasn't expecting.  Apparently Jak's makes up for this by gauging their prices for any beer with the label "import".  $8.25 for a Weihenstephaner hefe is the most expensive I have seen the beer in the city so far.  It makes it even worse that I like this beer, but I might as well get it somewhere else.  Come on Jak, step your game up.

On the food side, there is a selection of the basic bar food that most people are used to.  I haven't ventured to far as a result of not possessing vast amounts of money, but the carnita tacos were loaded and delicious while the burger was nothing special.  The burger did come with the option of jalapeno mac and cheese.  Anything with peppers in it tickles my fancy, but it seems there may have been a slight mix up between "jalapeno" and "pepperjack."  *Sigh*

With everything said, Jak's is a solid place if you are looking for more mainstream bar with more selection, but lacks what makes a great beer bar.  Don't worry, as long as you keep the Gumballhead a pumpin', I'll keep a comin' (I hate myself).

Now.... let the beard growing begin!

Lost Abbey Inferno Ale

This is the first bottle of Lost Abbey I have bought although I have had a couple of their other offerings on tap.  I didn't realize it is perfect timing that I drink a beer with a devil on it and it only hit me when I placed the bottle of Mischief next to it in the fridge.  Unconscious me must be awesome.

Although I am sure the vast crowd reading my blog would like to hear more about how awesome I am without realizing it, I will get to the beer instead.  I know I know, that's not what you wanted to hear.  Don't worry, I'll continue to supply you with more of my eccentricities in the future.

Lost Abbey Inferno Ale


Appearance- Hazy gold color with a billowing white bubbly head. Retains very well with patches of sticky lacing all over the glass.

Smell- Sweet and phenolic clove in the front. Citrus builds with lemon rind flowing throughout. Slightly bready/yeasty with a spicy and peppery finish.

Taste- Malty front before the phenols come in. The middle brings a herbal and medicinal flavor, maybe rosemary? The citrus falls behind the herbal flavor while an underlining bread is retained throughout. 

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very dry finish.

Overall and Notes- Good first review for Lost Abbery. I could have done without some of the herbal character, but nonetheless a solid beer.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it reminds me that I need to get rid of a bunch of beer I have brewed that is currently sitting in my parents basement.  Friends, you want some?  The rest of you?  Hello?  IS ANYBODY EVEN READING THIS THING!?!?

Burger Bar Chicago

On Thursday, our group made the usual venture to a new place in Chicago.  This past week brought us to the Burger Bar.

After an interesting bus ride and a short walk, we came across the Burger Bar.  From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall that is nicely juxtaposed against the incredibly well lit Apple store across the street (Seriously, how much electricity are you guys using to light that?)  The inside has a lot more atmosphere but in general keeps the vibe of a smaller place, which is no problem with me.

The tap list isn't terribly extensive, but does offer some local selections and covers a lot of bases with the bottle menu pretty much sweeping up the rest.  Thursday happened to be the right night to come as specified drafts and bottles were a couple dollars off their normal price, lucky us.  They did have Dogfish 120 min. I.P.A. on tap, but I passed as I was in a mood for more than half a beer (it helped knowing a friend offered to split a bottle with me anyways).  I went with the Left Hand Milk Stout and Bell's Two Hearted.  Hadn't had Bell's since I left Ohio and well, I felt it was time to return to an old favorite.  It didn't hurt that it was one of the marked down beers either.

As can be guessed from the name, the main entree here is *gasp* BURGERS.  Who would have thunk?  The burgers ranged from your typical cheeseburger to more adventurous offerings with funky cheese and guacamole.  I went with a burger topped with brie cheese and caramelized onions myself.  Oh sweet sweet stinky cheese, how I adore you.  I would give the name of the burger, but apparently they don't want to list the actual menu on the website and my memory is slipping in my old age.  It was also nice to find out later that the Burger Bar supports local farmers, always a plus in my book.

The burgers were great, beer is always wonderful, and the place didn't mind idiots like myself.  If I'm alright, I'm sure everyone else will be more than welcome.

Cheers!

Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Well this week brought the "listening party" for Tom Waits's new album, and anything Waits related gets me pretty excited (who knew he was going to be serious?).  As well, I finally picked up some Half Acre Daisy Cutter for the fridge.  With Half Acre being a well respected local brewery, I admit that I am mildly ashamed of myself.  Please don't judge me.

That being said, I was so excited to have this one again (had it on tap last week) that I almost indulged last night.  I had to remind myself that warm beer is no fun.  That being said, on to the review!

Half Acre Daisy Cutter


Appearance- Hazy orange with an off white one finger head. Head disappears almost completely with a patchy center and ring around the glass remaining. Small traces of lacing.

Smell- A lot of hops in this one. Piney and resiney to begin with that is thrown in with a citrus hop aroma as well. Tropical fruits jump up with grapefruit the most noticeable. More a a piney/grassy hop comes in again towards the end.

Taste- Smacked in the face with hops. Grassy, piney hop flavor prominent from the get go with a bread and biscuit base underneath. The hops flavor is splashed with citrus throughout, but the grapefruit isn't as noticeable as in the smell. Bitterness rises in the middle and peaks in the end at the higher range for an American Pale Ale.
Mouthfeel- Medium, smooth body with moderate carbonation. Dry finish that keeps you grabbing for another sip.

Overall and Notes - In your face hops and a decent base make this an easy drinking beer. I had this on tap the other week and I think it was even better then.  Half Acre didn't disappoint.

Also, does anyone know what is up with the black can holders that craft breweries have been using?  I can't imagine they are cheaper.  Trying to stop birds from getting stuck in the ring?  Instead of me using word play to introduce more Tom Waits, I'll just throw in another.

Revolution Brewing

Yesterday I was able to visit Revolution Brewing for the second time during my stay here.  For some reason I thought I posted something about it, but found as per usual, I was mistaken.

Revolution Brewing is only a short walk from the California stop on the blue line making it a fairly conveniently located for most people to get to.  Inside there are two floors for dinners, both equipped with their own bar.  Our group started downstairs, but more people showed up than originally thought and we had to go through the ordeal of moving tables.  Sorry waitress!  Fortunately, the people at Revolution were accommodating to our inability to count and I thank them for that.

Revolution has twelve of their own beers on tap with a couple of guest taps if I remember correctly.  Almost all of the beers seemed to be enjoyed by everyone with the exception of one.  The Barrel Aged Skara Braesweet, a scottish ale aged in whiskey barrels, seemed a little too boozy with the whiskey and oak dominating while allowing little of the malty scottish ale to come through.  I personally went with the Backyard I.P.A. and the Diggity Dunkelweizen.  The Backyard I.P.A. was the first choice and the first beer I have had with Galaxy hops.  It was slightly sour (the description said there was some "backyard" flavor) that was interesting with a different type of citrus provided by the Galaxy hops (or so at least I am assuming).  It was closest to a Belgian I.P.A. but certainly distinct and enjoyable.


The food is mostly sandwiches and pizza with the burgers being large enough for you to momentarily forget about the price.  I went with the hombre burger, a spicy selection with poblano pepper, avacado, as well as a couple of other toppings to knock up the spice.  Although not my favorite burger, it was worth the price and I would certainly get it again.

Once again, Revolution Brewing doesn't let me down and I'm sure that I'll be back again.  I suggest anyone in the Chicago area to pick up a growler of beer and have a good night!  How I wish I had more time with the city.

*Update: For friends and previous readers (assuming there are any of either), the rest of the Soda Pop Stop selection was just as good as the other.  I actually have a couple left so I guess I shouldn't be so quick to judge, but it's almost certain I'll be ordering more from there in the future.  The rest of the beer of the month club on the other hand, meh.

Galco's Soda Pop Stop and Beer Floats

I read my last post and laughed at my ability to take something like beer and  subject it to a rant.  As a result, I decided that I needed to post something a little different.  Then on Friday a package I ordered arrived to fill that void.

A couple of moths ago I found this video on the internet and was immediately intrigued.  This man seems like the happiest person in the world and I won't hear anything else.  If someone has actually been to the store and can say that he actually isn't like this, please don't tell me.

Anyways, one of my friends was lucky enough to move to L.A. from Ohio months ago for new job opportunities so I repeatedly yelled at her to visit the Soda Pop Stop and tell me how it was.  Fast forward months later and I was still yelling at her to do the same thing.  This time I decided to see if they had a website, because apparently my simple mind couldn't come up with that idea in the first place, and was fairly happy with what I saw.  Not only did they have a website, but there was also the opportunity to order beverages from them!

After being overwhelmed at the number of choices, I mostly turned to the video to make choices.  My selection: rose, cucumber, espresso coffee, root beer brewed with sassafras, double cola, blackberry, and another made with vanilla beans.  The shipment of these cost more than I am willing to admit, but I justified it by saying I needed to taste roses in a drink since I plan to brew with them later.  I have only tried the rose flavor so far, but it was great and I look forward to the others.  I encourage everyone to look into buying from Galco's as they seem like a great business and they wrote numerous words of thanks on my box.  It also doesn't hurt that their website indicates they have quite the beer selection as well.

Since I feel obliged to talk about beer for a little bit, I also found an interesting article online.  This isn't the first time I have heard of combining beer and ice cream for a beer float, but it did remind me that I need to do this.  Maybe Southern Tier Creme Brulee and vanilla ice cream?  Oh, if only I wasn't so poor and could afford to put beer in ice cream.  So thanks article for reminding me that I can't do interesting things and that I miss D.C.

Yuengling and Musings

This week (I believe Monday?), Yuengling began distributing to Ohio.  Being from Ohio, I had the pleasure of hearing everyone's excitement over the new distribution and heard news of lines at stores as well as limiting the number of cases people were allowed to buy.  Really?  Limiting the number of cases of Yuengling?  Sigh.

I get the appeal of Yuengling, it is a relatively inexpensive alternative to Bud and Miller and provides a little more flavor.  When I was interning in D.C., having it priced the same as Bud or Miller was appreciated after realizing when I got off work that I was still not being paid.  That being said, how is this the beer that people celebrate?  Unfortunately I don't think many of my Ohio friends realize they do have some great brew pubs as well as good distribution that will get them better beer for the same price or slightly more.

I hate being the person to tell people what to drink, and I should emphasize that I am more upset with the unbridled excitement over finally having access to a beer when they have had access to great beer for some time.  Drink what you please, just be adventurous.  If you still prefer Yuengling at the end of the day, no problem with me.

I just ranted on the interwebs.... I think I am officially a blogger.  Oh no!  My parents are going to be so disappointed...

In other news, I keep thinking about getting my hair cut but then it would ruin a potentially awesome Robert Smith halloween costume.  Think of how awesome it could be.  In 30 years I could get a bunch of weight and do it again!  I think my hair must have overheard my intentions as I have been on an unprecedented Cure run the past couple of days.  Maybe.... I'm becoming Robert Smith....