Smoke from South of the Border: 15 Feet by Off Color Brewing

I am returning to my hometown of Chicago and Off Color Brewing here after having had a fine pilsner of theirs. Chicago has a large Polish/Polish-American population which once included my babcia. I have fond memories of eating her Polish cooking as well as other gustatory memories such as making a stop at a pierogi restaurant before seeing Son Volt at The Vic and nearly falling asleep behind the wheel after eating at a Polish all you can eat joint. It is only fitting then that Chicago's Off Color brews a Grodziskie. Native to Poland, the Grodziskie (a.k.a. - Grätzer) is a piwo that's light, smoky, and hoppy made from 100% smoked wheat. Or so the theory goes, anyway. Quite a ways away from the pilsners and Baltic porters that the country is known for.
15 Feet is one of Off Color's seasonal piwos and I bought a six pack back in the spring after stopping at a pierogi wholesaler in Portage Park. It has one foot in tradition with the other in today. While brewed with 100% applewood smoked wheat, the brewers either couldn't get their hands on any Polish hops or were keen on tweaking things to reflect the current microbrew ethos. Regardless, 15 Feet features Sorachi Ace hops, a Japanese variety that boasts lemon and lime scents and flavors. An odd-sounding pairing on paper, to be sure. But smoked beer is a passion of mine and I couldn't resist no matter how incongruent the ingredients.


Grodziskies as conceived today are not big beers – the Poles leave that to Baltic porters – and 15 Feet comes in at a mild 3.5% A.B.V. which, I have read, was standard, for at time at least. And so 15 Feet is a very light yellow color. It's got that wheat haze which made it only slightly difficult to see a fair number of bubbles inside. My glass was adorned only with a small white head and it didn't stick around very long.

The aroma was succulently smoky with a touch of fruity sweetness. It was applewood smoked, after all. I will admit to not being intimately familiar with Sorachi Ace hops but I found that they gave a pleasant citrus scent here.

I was in heaven as the first wave of smoke wafted over my tongue. It had that same fruity sweetness to it as I had smelled. Not mega-potent but rather a glorious golden mean. Those hops gave a definite lemon-lime flavor which, I have to say, reminded me of 7-Up but not in a sickly sweet cloying kind of way. A little wheat came through and the carbonation gave a little bite that made the piwo a tad dry.

On the finish the smoke lingered as did some citrus. But then a dash of Nugget hops brought forth a moderate dose of resiny bitterness which elevated the dryness.

My glass was left with lots of foamy spots.

This is really effin' good. As a lover of smoke I was entranced by the luscious smoke wrapped in its semi-sweet fruitiness. Kilometers away from the hackneyed "bacon" descriptor. The citrus taste went splendidly with the smoke which, if you think about it, isn't all that odd considering we put citrus juice on grilled meats. On top of all this was a gentle earthiness. Light, refreshing, and with just the right amount of smoke. Perfect refreshment for a summer day.

Junk food pairing: Root vegetables are a staple of the Polish diet and so I heartily recommend busting open a bag of potato chips to go along with your 15 Feet. Smoked gouda are highly recommended but Kettle Chips' Backyard BBQ variety go well too.

A Brew for Sue: Tooth & Claw by Off Color Brewing

When I think of Chicago's Field Museum, I usually think of the final scene of Damien: Omen II. That's where Damien is on the museum's stairs looking down at his chauffeur as a ride beckons and his aunt Ann's corpse burns inside. Now, when that scene doesn't come to mind then I envision what everyone else does: Sue the T-Rex. Back when I was a kid visiting the museum it didn't have a fancy bistro nor a house beer. Things have changed since then.

The story goes that when Off Color's John Leffler was at Goose Island, he sought advice on honey and befriended melittologist Megan Beckert in the process. Flash forward a few years and you find Leffler getting Off Color, well, off the ground while Beckert was at the Field Museum looking to revamp its food offerings. She approached Off Color about brewing a special beer for the museum and the result was Tooth & Claw which debuted in 2013.

Tooth & Claw is billed as a dry hopped lager/pils and as per the museum's requirements for a broad audience, there's nothing extreme or out of left field here which is sort of odd considering Off Color's reputation. My experience with their brews is devoid of lagers, as I recall, so I was keen to find out how well they could brew one. From what I've read, the beer began to be bottled and distributed outside of the museum not long after its debut. If so, I find it odd that I never ran into it until recently. I found it at a store in the city so perhaps it's not found so readily out in the suburbs.

Since I was to enjoy some Chicago beer I figured I'd also put on some Chicago music for the occasion - The Polkaholics! This was keeping with family tradition of drinking beer and dancing the polka.

Tooth & Claw pours a lovely light gold. Like a good pils it is clear and had a brilliant white head. However, I didn't get that much foam and what there was didn't last long. As expected it was plenty fizzy.

The aroma was what I expected – some biscuity malt and hoppy vapors that were grassy in the main but with a touch of spiciness. I can't find anything to indicate exactly what variety of hops was or were used in the dry hopping process (all German varieties were used) but I take it that the Hersbrucker were behind the grassy scent while the Tettnang added that peppery spiciness.

Truth be told, the taste was more or less what I figured it would be as well. The malt had a nice mellow cracker taste to it but also a slight honeyed sweetness which I presume came from the Carapils. This combo gave it a medium-light body. I could taste all that effervescence I saw in the glass and it gave the brew a bracing crispness. Overall the hops were at what I'd describe as a medium level (35 I.B.U.s) although I am sure eyepah drinkers would brush it off as being on the mild side. My notes say the hops tasted "herbal-grassy" and this is a combo I really enjoyed here. I guess the Hersbrucker and Tettnang provided these flavors while the Herkules ramped up the bitterness more generally.

The finish was rather dry with all those bubbles and the hop taste became spicier taking on more of a black pepper thing. That fizz also lent a mild acidity. Schaumhaftvermoegen was light on the ground with only a handful of spots lining my glass.

I hope that my saying that the beer turned out large to be what I expected isn't taken as a slight because this is a damn good beer. The malt was perfectly restrained yet didn't lead to a watery brew. Just enough there to aid and abet the hops. I also thoroughly enjoyed the resurgent hop spiciness at the end; it added a nice tang. But I must also say that I am really loving grassy/herbal hop flavors these days and Tooth & Claw has them in spades. There's just something about the more vegetal/green flavor that I enjoy. They can give a beer a vibrant, fresh immediacy that is simply wonderful. You almost expect to taste dirt next.

Tooth & Claw is 5% A.B.V. so you shouldn't find your museum going experience impaired at lunch.

Junk food pairing: Grab a bag of The Daily Crave's Smoked Gouda Lentil chips. They're light and crispy so they don't get in the way yet the cheese adds a nice smoothness on the tongue. And smoked foods are simply great and go well in all situations.

Fizzier Than the Average Beer: Bare Bear Sahti by Off Color Brewing

A recent trek to Chicagoland meant a visit to a local bottle shop. Off Color is a Chicago brewery that intrigues me because, until quite recently, they had managed to avoid brewing a hoppy pale ale. Co-founder and brewer John Laffler once quipped, “Everybody else makes IPA, so why would we?” Instead they populated their line-up with the likes of a Kotbusser, a Gose, a Berliner Weisse, amongst other styles. And they don't necessarily brew their beers strictly according to style. For instance, their gose is actually a blend of two beers, one sour and one not. Generally speaking, Off Color, in the words of Neil Peart, deviates from the norm.

And so I was happy to have finally found a four-pack of their Bare Bear, a "Finnish style sahti", after my last few visits yielded none. The sahti has a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons. First is that it is brewed with rye and I love rye – in beer, bread, breakfast cereal – wherever I can find it. Second is the tasty juniper with its piney aroma and flavor. Yeah, it is best-known as a flavoring in gin, but it also is used in pickling spice, hassenpfeffer, and many more culinary recipes. I simply enjoy its sharp, earthy taste and think it complements rye very well.

I've read the sahti referred to as being part of a "folk tradition" of brewing and a "farmhouse beer" and such descriptions conjure images of drunken Finns emerging from saunas with blue alcoholic gleams. And so the style grew out of the practice of Finns in various parts of their homeland brewing beer with what they had at hand. Today it tends to refer to, at least here in the United States, an ale brewed with rye in addition to barley and seasoned with juniper berries. Plus the modern sahti has a banana flavor from esters produced by the yeast. It may or may not contain any hops. Presumably the grain bill has varied over the centuries and I've read that the branches of the juniper bush were involved instead of simply the berries. Also other herbs and spices have apparently been used at different times and places.

As far as I can recall, I have only had three sahtis: Joulupukki by Vintage Brewing here in Madison, Sam Adams' Norse Legend, and Lammin Kataja Olut from Finland. Finding one is a rare treat.

Bare Bear has a lovely amber hue and very cloudy. After reviewing four pilsners in a row it was really nice to have a beer before me which was not yellow and clear. When I tried Off Color's Scurry last year I found that my bottle was over carbonated. Well, memories of that brew came flooding back as I poured Bare Bear. I got a solid, tan head that was ginormous. The din of the fizzying and the bursting of the bubbles could be heard a foot away from the mug. Inside the glass was a veritable horde of bubbles charging upwards. Crap.

Shaking off my disappointment, I made to give the beer a whiff and caught the smell of banana wafting to my nose before it was even near the glass. Once at the glass, I smelled a pleasant earthiness which I thought was the rye and the juniper, although I can't rule out a bit of the Nugget hops in there as well.

It should come as no surprise that the carbonation was quite prominent. Tasting beyond that I found that wonderful rye earthy spice, a little caramel, a hint of plum, and bread. The juniper was pretty mild with it being a piney taste in the background. And of course there was banana. It was a big estery wave accented by a little clove. I loved it! Well, except for the carbonation which, if I may paraphrase Ralph Wiggum, tasted like burning.

On the finish all those tasty yeast and malt flavors faded quickly leaving some resiny juniper flavor and some hoppy bitterness too. Plus the ubiquitous carbonic bite which made the finale quite a bit drier than I think was intended. All the foam slid down into the glass so there was no lacing to be had.

How sad. Underneath all the fizz and behind the carbonic bite is a wonderful brew that juggles several flavors at once quite deftly. The banana and clove from the yeast jockey for your tongue's attention alongside the earthy/spicy rye and juniper (and hops on the finish too). Underneath this tantalizing mixture is solid malty foundation that has a little sweetness and a little savory. Just fantastic. It's such a shame you have to wade through so much carbonation to get to this gustatory wonderland.

Junk food pairing: Pair Bare Bear with a bag of smoked gouda potato chips. The smokiness adds another earthy layer of flavor. Cape Cod and Lay's both make this flavor chip.

Are you gassy? Is it gas?: Scurry by Off Color Brewing

When Dave Bleitner and John Laffler, the proprietors of Off Color Brewing, decided they weren't going to brook any IPAs in their line-up, they instead went out and sought obscure styles. Scurry is one of Off Color's annual brews and resurrects the old north German Kotbusser. The Kotbusser, named after the town of Cottbus, was a pale top-fermented beer that was brewed with oats and honey. It was also apparently a sour beer not unlike the Berliner Weisse. Unfortunately the beer went the way of the dodo around the turn of the 19th century thanks to the popularity of lagers and, presumably, the Rheinheitsgebot.

The only other commercially brewed Kotbussser that I've encountered is Berghoff's Germaniac. Off Color has used molasses here which may or may not be traditional. They also threw in dark malts so their spin on the style isn't pale, as you can see.

Scurry pours a deep reddish brown and I found myself again delighted by a beer that wasn't yellow or gold like all the goses and Berliner Weisses I've been quaffing lately. The beer is also clear and highly effervescent. After pouring my glass held a large tan head. Upon putting the bottle down foam immediately began to form inside of it and make its way up the neck. For an instant I was worried that I'd have one of those grade school volcano science fair demos on my hands. There were lots of bubbles going up my glass to the plus-sized head that formed on both the bottom and the sides of my glass.

The first scent on my first sniff was a metallic smell. I have read that molasses can give a metallic taste so I wonder if they were responsible for this aroma. Upon further inhaling, I didn't catch instead smelled mostly sweet scents like caramel and honey. There were also hints of roasted grains. The first taste on my first sip was carbonation which didn't surprise me considering all the foam my gentle pouring and bottle handling had produced. (I swear I handled everything with care!) Underneath the very prominent dryness and slight tartness of the carbonation I could discern hints of chocolate and even a bit of smokiness. These latter surely came from the Dark Munich and Chocolate malts and probably the molasses as well. I did not detect much sweetness which may be because of the beer's "cool, controlled fermentation".

Scurry had a light body which I think was mostly due to the over-abundance of carbonation. Had there been less of it, I highly suspect it would have had heavier body given its 5.3% A.B.V. I did notice that the beer was very smooth, likely because of the oats. The finish was dry with a hint of hop bitterness that tasted peppery. I ended up with some decent Schaumhaftvermoegen.

This beer had too much carbonation, pure and simple. My assumption is that Off Color was not intending for Scurry to challenge their own Fierce for the title of "Champagne of the Upper Midwest" and that the over-carbonation here is a mistake. The fizz is just too powerful and batters the tongue as it struggles to get a grip on the roasted grain flavors underneath and whatever other tasty treats may be lurking in the brew. Quite a shame. I intended to buy some more of this beer next time I'm in Chicago because Scurry sounds absolutely fantastic on paper and there are hints of a very tasty beer to be had but they are obscured by all of the carbonation.

Junk food pairing: Pair this extremely ebullient version of Scurry with Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy. Give all that carbonation a goodly amount of fat to cut through.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Off Color

While I may not have been sure if Snarling Badger is still a blended beer, there's no doubt that Off Color's Troublesome is. But instead of a Berliner Weisse, Troublesome aims for Gose territory.

As I noted when I sampled their Berliner Weisse, Off Color treads a path less worn. Rather than being yet another moth taken by the IPA flame, the men behind the beer, John Laffler and Dave Bleitner, sought inspiration from obscure German styles when brewing the cornerstones of Off Color.

The Gose is a light sour wheat ale notable for being seasoned with salt and coriander. The people of Leipzig were apparently good joiner-inners because the Gose originated in the town of Goslar, about 115 miles from Leipzig in the early 18th century and, as the 19th century came to a close, Gose was the official brew of Leipzig. The style is most closely associated with its adopted home today. In my mind, anyway.

As I said above Troublesome is a blended beer and not brewed strictly in accordance with tradition. An unadorned wheat beer comingles with a sour brew fermented by lactobacillus alone. This is the second time this week I've encountered a sour brew that was untouched by brewer's yeast. Salt and coriander are added later.

Troublesome pours hazy and is light yellow in color. I didn't get much of a head but there were bubbles galore going up as well as clinging to the side of the glass. I've always heard that, if there's carbonation on the side of the glass, then the glass is dirty. Now I feel badly. Are there any circumstances under which those bubbles would adhere to the side of glass even when it is clean? We're talking 50+ year-old glassware here so perhaps imperfections in the glass would qualify? I hope so because otherwise I've just admitted to the world that I am a poor dishwasher.

The aroma was at once enticing and disappointing. To begin with the latter, I only caught a rather faint whiff of the lemony tartness that the lactobacillus produces. That tangy bouquet is such an exhilarating way to begin a beer and I lamented its paucity here. On the other hand, the coriander was quite distinct which has not been my experience with most of the Goses that I've encountered. There were also notes of grain and a sweet scent that reminded me of simple syrup.

If the aroma had induced fears of a sour beer lacking tartness then they were allayed when I took my first sip of Troublesome. It was moderately sour. I didn't get a blast of lemon/citrus sour but the beer still had a goodly tartness to it. Wheat/bread was also present as was the coriander. Most of the Gose beers I've had are American and the coriander usually eludes my tongue. I wonder why this should be considering that these same brewers have little or no compunction about putting their customers' tongue through alpha acid hell. The coriander in Troublesome is not overpowering or prominent but it is distinct. Just enough to stand out a bit yet subtle enough to blend in with the other flavors.

As someone at Next Door Brewing can attest, my ability to discern salt in beer is woefully inadequate. I could taste no salinity in Troublesome, which is not a problem, but I did have a problem discerning what the salt was doing to the flavor. The grainy/bready flavors didn't come across to my tongue as having been enhanced by salt; they tasted as they have appeared in other beers ohne Salz. I think that the flavor of the coriander was heightened by it, though, as it tasted less delicate than it does if you just taste it right from the jar.

There was also a goodly amount of carbonation which was readily tasted and added dryness and balance to the grainy flavors. Troublesome finished dry with a lingering tartness and just a hint of the hops which were herbal and peppery. Sadly my glass was not left with much Schaumhaftvermoegen.

Troublesome has a nice, light body and is rather smooth on the tongue which I presume is because of the presence of oats. The tartness and high carbonation make for a very refreshing beer. At 4.3% A.B.V. one can get good and refreshed without necessarily getting good and sloshed. Off Color did a great job of producing a sour beer that has more than sourness going for it. It is going a step too far to say that the flavors here are balanced because the tartness is most prominent. But it's kept in check to a degree by the carbonation. Plus the grainy flavors don't get lost and neither does the coriander. Everything just works well together.

Junk food pairing: Gose pairs well with lighter fare so try seafood flavored junk food such as Shrimp Funyuns or Lay's Rock Baked Scallop with Butter and Garlic potato chips.

The Champagne of the North from the South: Fierce by Off Color Brewing

Off Color Brewing is one of our brewing neighbors to the south. It began a couple years ago in Chicago and was founded by John Laffler, who had worked for Goose Island in the Bourbon County department, and Dave Bleitner, who left Two Brother Brewing to partner with Laffler. I have to admit that Off Color interested me from the get-go with their first two bottled beers being a gose and a kotbusser. Plus Laffler told an interviewer, "Everybody else makes IPA, so why would we?" and described IPAs as "a beer I don't care for". A man after my own heart.

I'd imagine that many BCS fans were expecting a prominent barrel aging program from Off Color considering Laffler's pedigree. Even though OC has done some barrel aging, they haven't staked their reputation on it. Instead Laffler and Bleitner have spent their time brewing a range of beers from lagers to ales, big beers to session brews, sours, obscure styles, and many points between. Fierce continues the brewery's tradition of making lesser-known German styles (and ales at that)and is a Berliner Weisse. Yeah, it's not obscure like the kotbusser but it's no pils either.

By looks alone Fierce seems true to style with its light straw color and hazy complexion from a hefty dose of wheat. Looking at the bottle one sees that the brew is 3.8% A.B.V. which is also traditional as the Berliner Weisse is not generally a very potent brew. One often hears that Napoleon and/or his troops dubbed the Berliner Weisse “The champagne of the North.” This sounds wholly apocryphal to me but it is certainly true that the style should be bubbly and indeed my pour of Fierce resulted in a nice big white head. The beer was quite effervescent with lots of bubbles forming at the bottom of my glass and heading upwards.

I could smell the beer while the glass was still several inches from my nose as I fumbled with my camera and it smelled mighty fine. It had the characteristic lemon/citrus tartness that I've come to expect from the style. Also present was a bit of graininess plus a some sweetness with citrus/orange tones. Luckily it was a fairly warm out when I drank this brew because it was perfect for the day for it. That lemon tartness shone through but was tempered a bit by all the bubbles which added welcome dryness. The label notes that the tartness was achieved via kettle souring. This, I believe, means that
Lactobacillus is added prior to boiling and the addition of hops as opposed to letting the beer sit around and gather bacteria from the air or from a barrel. Fierce is rather sour but I found that its lemon aspect to be fairly subdued.

The beer's light body also made it quite refreshing on a summer day. It finished on the dry side owing to the generous carbonation and lingering tartness. Unfortunately, there was not much Schaumhaftvermoegen to be had as it all slid down the wall of the glass.

Fierce is a very tasty brew. It's light body, wonderful lemony tartness, and all those bubbles just make for an exceptionally refreshing drink during these warmer months. The beer boasts 3 I.B.U.s so hopheads need not apply as you'll never find the hops. They probably add to the overall dryness but I couldn't taste them. I also appreciate that it is a true session beer coming in at 3.8% A.B.V. as I can have a few of these after work and still be able to watch Blake's 7 that same night and recall the plot in the morning.

Junk food pairing: Pair Fierce with lighter foods. You don't want something that's going to completely overshadow the beer. Try some thin pretzel sticks or those fancy new Lays West Coast Truffle Fries potato chips.

Goodbye Coney Island, Hello Off Color, and WBC Hits Shelves

Sad news, for me anyway. I discovered this morning that a subsidiary of the Boston Beer Company, Alchemy & Science, has purchased the Coney Island brand from Schmaltz Brewing. That in itself isn't bad but news that the new owners will "probably pull back distribution of the Coney Island beers to just focus on the New York metro and New Jersey markets" is.

I like to grab a bomber or two of their brews when I'm in Chicagoland and I guess that's not going to be possible anymore. Too bad. I reviewed Albino Python here and Sword Swallower here.

Speaking of Chicago, not only will I have a couple new flavors from Metropolitan within my grasp when I'm down there later this month, but also some brews from Off Color. As per Binny's blog, Off Color's first two bottled brews will be available – Troublesome, a "blended" wheat beer and Scurry, a dark honey ale. Troublesome is a blended gose concoction which involves a "somewhat uninteresting" wheat beer commingled with "an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus". Scurry continues the rare German bier style trend by being a Kotbusser, an ale made with honey and molasses – not unlike Berghoff's Germaniac.

Why the odd styles? Co-founder John Laffler said, "If you go into Binny’s, there are 50 well-made (India pale ales). Why the hell would you throw your hat in that ring? Plus this is what we’re more interested in."

I look forward to trying their brews.

Has anyone tried Wisconsin Brewing Company yet? Their beers hit store shelves yesterday when I was unable to consume. A friend said he thought the porter was awful but that the amber lager was good. He also remarked that the lager tasted slightly differently than Capital's but that the difference was not worth paying $.50 more per six-pack. (Capital is $6.99 at Woodman's while WBC is $7.49.Unless prices have been raised recently.)

It's quite a stark contrast between Off Color and WBC. OC is reluctant to jump on the bandwagon and play the IPA game. On the other hand, WBC has a brewmaster with a professed fondness for German lagers and who had never commercially brewed an IPA before yet half his portfolio now is IPAs.