Beer Releases: January 31 - February 6, 2021

Sunday, January 31

The Bear is Back at Ike

Need a warm up?  Boubon barrel aged Mauled by Kamchatka is back!  Chocolate, caramel, bourbon in this big 11% ABV brew.  Make sure to get it at Ike & Oak today!

Monday, February 1

#DrinkForGood

Pollyanna's raising money for Cal's Angels, a non-profit that helps families with children fighting pediatric cancer.  Here's the info:

Our Cal's Award Winning Bundle, feat. GABF award winning “Lite Thinking”, one of our “Orenda” FOBAB winners, “Double Lex-zwickel Gap” and “Blackberry Allure”, 16oz Willi Beecher glass, Pollyanna and Cal's Angels swag...all for $20. A portion of each sale goes to Cal's Angels. While supplies last and available at each location.

Order online at https://pollyannabrewing.com/pages/beer-to-go

Dank You Dank You

Dank You 2x IPA is back in cans, literally canned this (Monday) morning.  The year's version uses Bergamot hops, brewed to be sweet, thick, and dank.  Little hop bitterness, blast of citrus and some creamy orange vibes from the dry hopping.  Get some get some.  

Tuesday, February 2

A Thank You to Fred

Ike & Oak's newest, Woolly Freddy, is a tribute to Fred Graefenhain.  Fred started with Ike & Oak as their marketing guy, and was the first person I met over at I&O.  He's moving out of state, but the team over at brewery named this beer for him.

The beer is a smoothie IPA that is going to give you the feeling that you are somewhere much warmer than Illinois.  

Sometimes, You Can't Explain It Better

I love a good backstory.  And, when it comes to Dismantle The Pastry-Archy from Whiskey Hill ... I just have to let them tell it.

Let’s face it - we all love drinking our dessert in the form of a decadent thick boi stout. ??

Although sometimes, you want all the beautiful flavors of chocolate, coffee, and caramel that come with stout drinking, but want to be able to enjoy a good amount of them in one sitting! ????

On the other hand, maybe you’re just on the extreme side. Maybe the very thought of pastry stouts makes you want to do something unnecessarily aggressive, like grip a cupcake with immense force. ??

??Either way, this one is for you! Now available for draft pours and in crowlers. ??

???????????????????? ?????? ????????????-??????????: A 5.5% ABV Session Stout

Wednesday, February 3

Jasmine Rice Brew

Time to try the latest version of Gary's Jasmine Rice Brew at Hickory Creek.  (It's not officially called Gary's Jasmine Rice Brew ... but Gary has been putting a lot of work into this beer - he should put his name on it).  This version as 50% of the total grain bill as their special version of jasmine rice.  (They still have some 30% rice brew from a previous batch).  

Try them both!  As Hickory Creek says, "for science."

Eleanor

Pollyanna's Eleanor has been freshly brewed and canned for your enjoyment.  Why is it named Eleanor?  One, the beer is a porter.  Two, the brewery is Pollyanna.  And three, there's a famous book named Pollyanna written by author Eleanor Porter.

via GIPHY

Have a Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Brew

Skeleton Key Brewery's Tiki Sour Wednesdays were so popular, you can now make every day Tiki Sour Day!  SKB partnered up with Jo Snow Syrups to produce two ELIXIR Artisinal Fruit Syrups.

Elixir #1 (based on their Zombie recipe) features sultry rum spices, sweet cherry, sun-dried black lime, and pineapple.

Elixir #2 (based on their Cobra Fang recipe) features ripe strawberry and mango, with gorgeous hints of passionfruit and pineapple.

Just add 1/2 oz of Elixir to transform a pint of kettle sour beer into a tropical tiki drink.  You can also use the elixirs as a cocktail mixer or to flavor a soda!

Oatmeal Cookies in a Glass

That's exactly what this favorite from Will County tastes like.  Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Amber Ale is back at Will County Brewing Company, available on tap and to-go in crowlers, growlers, and howlers.

Thursday, February 4

A Valetine's Tradition

Pollyanna Brewing Company's "Lechery" is a beer that traditionally comes out this time of year.  Cherries and chocolate, perfect for Valentine's Day.  The base is an Oatmeal Blonde Ale, making the combination a swirl of tasty flavors.

Shamhop To It

We're getting closer and closer to St. Patty's, which means its time for the Shamhop!  This is Tangled Roots' Irish Red Ale.  It's the self-described "Luck of the Irish in a Glass," a brew that balances sweet caramel malt flavors with piney-earthy hop notes.  It'll make you say "Sham-WOW" ... although try to forget about the infomercials for those cleaning cloths.  

Friday, February 5

Time to Push Your Luck!

Sounds like a game show, right?  (No whammies, no whammies...).  This beer is definitely a prize to be had.  (You have to pay for it to ... no stealing beer.)  One of Rt66 Old School Brewing's mug club members challenged head brewery Pauly with a unique beer.  He wanted a Black IPA that's smooth, dark, and hoppy. The result is the 6.15% ABV new brew, Push Your Luck.

Ol 'Mec Visits Lockport

Nik & Ivy's newest beer is Ol' Mec Stout.  It's a 6.3% Dark, Roasty Stout.  Smooth and creamy, with decadent milk chocolate and freshroasted coffee notes.  And, I'm guessing by the spelling, Ol' Mec is not the Olmec in the picture below.

If This Beer Was on Grey's Anatomy, It Would Be Called McDreamy

My favorice Dreamsicle beer, yes, I said it, is back on tap at Will County Brewing Company.  I'm a huge fan of the flavor, as well as many WCBC fans who frequently request the beer.  If you haven't had a chance, get to Shorewood and get your hands on Juicesicle.

Awoken from a Three Month Slumber

Miskatonic's Baltic Porter has now seen the light, for a brief glimpse before it was sealed into cans.  This unfilted lager is perfect for these unperfect temperatures we are seeing.  Quoting directly from Miskatonic - 

A style brewed for long, cold, wet days. A dark mahogany color topped by a thick, creamy tan head. A robust plethora of flavors dance on your tongue. Caramel, chocolate, coffee, molasses, licorice, dried fruit notes, and subtle roast. This warming brew is meant to wash the day’s woes away with a single sip, leaving you to enjoy a mug of the fine stuff. On draft and in 4-packs togo.

Up Cupid's Creek

Hickory Creek has a great brew for the Valentine's season ...  Up Cupid's Creek is a Chocolate Covered Strewberry Stout.  The perfect flavors for this time of year.  

Saturday, February 6

FÜKITØL

Starting out Saturday's Suds is the superb Scottish Ale, Sneesl.  OK, out of words that start with S ... Sneesl.  You're going to taste sweet maltiness and hints of caramel.  Plus, you're going to want to say Sneesl several times throughout the weekend.  It's a fun word.  Say it, Sneesl.  

So, time for another "The More You Know...", thanks to the name of this beer ...  Sneesl, according to the Dictionary of the Scots Language, means "To rain, hail, or snow very slightly" or "to begin rain or snow".  You can pick up this brew on Saturday, 3:30pm - 7:00pm.

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Coming Soon

Dark Lager Day - 2/10 at Godlfinger Brewing

Mark you calendars for February 10.  At 4pm, Zlotonator Doppleback and Black Lager will be making their debuts at Goldfinger Brewing Company.

Black Lager 5.0% abv | Step mash
German-style Schwarzbier
This beer is smooth, malty, and roasty. In spite of its dark color, it drinks light and strikes a perfect balance between herbal, earthy hops, and malty and subtle roast character, finishing dry on the palate.

Z?otonator 7.2% abv | Single decoction
Doppelbock
This strong lager is, as the monks called this style, "liquid bread." The depth of malt character as a result of a single decoction mash presents flavors of prunes, plums, dark cherries, and molasses. Despite its high abv and slight residual sweetness, the German hops and lager yeast leave the palate asking for more.

Sometimes, It's Nice to Have a Dreamcrusher

Flapjack Brewery is working on a new beer, Dreamcrusher in a Hoodie Rye IPA.  We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

Riding Double Shotgun

The story about this Will County Brewing and Urban Brew Labs collab, as told by Urban Brew Labs' Facebook page...

It all started on a very hot summer day en route to Brew at the Zoo, there they were, @willcountybrew stranded on the side of the road with their transit van looking defeated. As we pulled up in our van offering assistance for transportation to the event, it became apparent that three of us needed to squeeze into a two-seater cargo van. As uncomfortable as it was with no-AC, the three of us made the best of it and a forever friendship was bound and Riding Double Shotgun was created!

West Coast Warlock

Miskatonic is expecting to release West Coast Warlock ... a bumped up version of West Coast Wizard.  They increased the dry-hop of the previous version and ramped up the ABV to 8% for this West Coast-inspired DIPA.

Your Dungeon or Mine?

Skeleton Key Brewery and Miskatonic Brewing got together for a Barleywine collab entitled Your Dungeon or Mine.