Latest Community Beer Reviews

Purchased from Tavour - about the only place I can get a good sour these days - hate the prices. Pours cloudy. Dark goldish color. Huge, billowing foam covers. Rocky tops as it recedes, slowly meandering back to level. Lacing is thick, sheeting but mostly falls back to level. Aroma is tart, floral, and funky tartness. Lemon citrus, oak, green grape and earth round out the complex nose profile. Taste . Subtle hints of sweetness. Late funk that gently stings the tongue, while tartness lingers along with lemon and grape. Oaky. Medium body with a huge amount of small bubbled carbonation that hits the roof of the mouth. Very dry. I have had some really good wild ales lately but this could easily be the best. Simple yet complex in all the right ways. There is no doubt I would have this again. Enjoy!!

Purchased from Tavour. Batch #5. Pours opaque and deep burgundy. Reminds me of pomegranate juice. Zero foam build up in spite of my attempts of a vigorous pour. No lacing. Liquid black berry. Aroma is sweet black berry mixed with hay, barnyard, and tartness. Taste brings on a sweeping sour yet sweet punch to the taste buds. Bone dry with a puckering, lingering tartness. Oak, blackberry preserves, and earth add complexity. Medium body with a medium, effervescent carbonation. Very dry finish. Having a touch of oak in the taste really allows this beer to shine. Good balance and one of the few sours I have had lately that actually brings on the sourness instead a mild tartness.

Tasted at the brewery on tap. Pours with minimal white foam that is gone in a moment. No lacing. Aroma of sweet mango and wheat. Nothing else. Taste is mango with a base of wheat style beer. That first blast is really sweet. Almost cloying. Sweet mango linger. Light end of medium body. Medium carbonation. This beer is as advertised: sweet mango. Wry one dimensional and, as mentioned, cloying. I wouldn’t have this beer again. Enjoy!

Had on tap at the brewery. Pours clear with a billowing, snow-white foam. Good retention with an outstanding amount of thick lacing. Aroma of crackers malt. Slightly floral, peppery spice, and clean Taste has a quite a bit of the cracker malt. Floral from the nose comes in very late. Instead the spicy pepper takes a huge role in the taste profile. Light body with a solid carbonation that serves the beer well. Dry finishes that lingers with a peppery bitter bite. Crisp. Easy to drink. Light, crisp and refreshing on a warm August day. The bitterness and thus the pepper bit build distracting from the overall drinkability of the beer. I would have it again. Enjoy!

Had on draft at the brewery. Pours cloudy - not a chill haze, just the beer. Dark gold in color. Not much head but on draft want the beer not the foam. Some wispy lacing. Aroma is pretty straight forward: citrus and light Carmel sweetness. There is also a funkiness I can’t explain. Dirty lines? Yeast? Age? Taste is citrus finish that lingers. Possibly grapefruit throughout. Some bitterness. Dry. Medium body with very light body. I don’t think this a bad beer. It’s nondescript. Give me more. Then there is the strangeness in the aroma. I wanted this to be good. Cool little place. I would not have this beer again. Enjoy!

Had at the brewery while headed back from New Glarus. Pours with a small white foam that doesn’t stay long. Some sporadic wispy lacing. Aroma is cracker and spice. Some lager yeast. Taste is cracker malt with a spicy finish. Spice bitterness. Light body. Medium carbonation. Crisp. Pretty clean. Good way to start off the day with a solid offering on a brother, sunny day in Northern Illinois. I would have it again. Enjoy!

Had on tap at the brewery. Pours gold with a small white head that leaves tons of spiderweb lacing. Aroma is citrus, floral, almost perfume with some light caramel sweetness. Taste doesn’t carry the hops through the way I would like. Not as dry as I would expect from a self proclaimed west coast IPA. Medium body with medium carbonation. Not a bad beer just nothing outstanding. If you are a west coast ipa, drop the caramel malts and up the dryness with an adjunct. Give me what you are advertising. I wouldn’t have this beer again. Enjoy!

Had on tap at the brewery/brewpub. Pours with a deep tan foam this is creamy. Retention is amazing - never really goes away. Thick waves of lacing. Dark brown. Opaque in the dimly lit bar crossing over as the sun sets. Aroma is sensual roast with dark chocolate. Raisin sweetness - not sugary but dark fruit sweet. Taste doesn’t wander much. Huge roast and a side of dark chocolate. Raisin and hints of coffee. The roast lingers deep into the finish. Medium body but at times at the low end because there is minimal to almost no carbonation. The carbonation could use a push - could make it too heavy of a body? Bittering dryness from the roasted malts. No apologies. This beer could easily be confused for a porter. The roastiness and dark profile of the beer goes to 11. This is an old favorite that I haven’t had in many years. I would have it again. Enjoy!

Purchased from Tavour. Bottle states that this is from 2025. Pours clear with a huge white foam. Quickly recedes but doesn't run. Not much lacing. Aroma is delicate rose, fruitiness, and bready grain. Hints of lemon. Taste is almost lagerish in nature. The middle transitions to honey, bread, slightly floral and lemon. Light body with light carbonation that is effervescent. Very dry finish. There isn't really any barrel notes nor is there any tartness or brett character from the barrel, in case it had been purposely infected with bacteria. to give some funkiness. Instead it is a strange profile that I am not accustomed to in a saison and I know that saisons can be garbage pale beers. The beer is well constructed but it definitely isn't something I appreciate. It went too far off the road for me. I would not have this beer again. Enjoy!

Purchased at Riverlands on 07/24/2026 their anniversary bash. Date on can of 07/23/2026. Yeah, fresh. Purchased because I had on tap and it was delicious. Pours cloudy with almost half a glass of white foam via a vigorous pour. Great lacing as the meanders back, becoming somewhat frothy. Aroma is delightful. Mango, papaya, orange, and sweet peach. Each scent takes turns enticing the sense. Taste is more very ripe fruits - sugars come out with mango and papaya leading. Peach picks up in the middle through to the finish. Some orange too. Light hop burn bitterness. Medium mouthfeel with a delicate touch on the carbonation, harmoniously. Juicy through and through. Hard to believe it has almost 6 years to the day since I last reviewed this beer. This is a no doubt have it again. Enjoy!

Purchased from Tavour. No date on can. Expectation: using sea kelp makes me think some type of saltiness may come through. Gose?!? Pours cloudy with a huge, snowy white foam that covers. Average retention - assume salt cut through it. Lacing doesn’t exist. Did I not hand wash this glass? Aroma is bright lemon and hay. Earth, slightly acidic and ideas of salt. Light and fresh. Taste is interestingly and surprisingly complex. The flavors come quickly and robustly, creating a roller coaster of goodness. Lemon, earth, hay, light acidity, herbal spice, and hints of salt. Acidity sticks to the sides of the tongue and back, lingering gently. Light body and x medium carbonation that is spritzy due to the small bubbles. Bone dry finish aided by acidic lemon. This is a nice little gem of a beer. Hit and exceeded expectations. The complexity is sly, not leading and delicious. I would have this beer again. Enjoy!

Purchased in 16-oz can, canning date 6/26-2026. Pure white head of small bubbles. Color is deep orange, not clear and no floaties...so it's a hazy with any debris. Aroma was very subdued, tropical and tree fruit. Taste is a melt of peach and citrus with some of the malt showing up. Not bitter and not overly sweet. Carbonation and mouthfeel normal. My only knock might be with the use of primarily cyro hops, some of the hop flavors are not multi-dimensional. Overall, a solid brewed hazy. It's described as an Imperial, but at 7.7% it's in a sweet spot of increased abv without going over the top. Love the beers from this brewery, they are definitely into hazy IPS's. Rumor has it that the brewers were the guys at SO who did the Hidden Hand brews. Lots of different hazies to try from this brewery, I've yet to decide my favorite...the search continues.

Purchased in a can dated 6/22/26. Deep yellow-orange color with soft beige foam, solid hazy, looks like a juice drink. Low malt aroma, refreshing is my impression, not a ton of specific aroma. Taste is orangey-citrus, a touch of mango, very well balanced, not overly sweet (for sure no lactose), good mouthfeel...full without being too sweet, average carbonation, very small amount of bitterness, has that tangy citrus bite at the end. Overal, this beer is in the top tier of hazies. Right amount of fruitiness without being too sweet, and no adjunct flavors. This beer has been showing up at some Chicago stores (craft beer specialists) on a semi regular basis, and is a great choice if reasonably fresh.

Purchased from Iron & Glass Minooka on 07/23/2026. Date on bottom of can of 07/15/2026. Pours clear. Pale gold in color. Couple fingers of white foam covers. Retention is well above average leaving some lacing. Little bubble carbonation quickly rises from the bottom to top Aroma is big, bright citrus: orange, lemon, and lime. Lightly sweet malts with hints of mango. Pine. Taste is a bit herbal, doughy to non-salted cracker, and orange. Subtleties of lemon and pine. Finishes dry with minimal bitterness. Pine and citrus linger. Light body and light carbonation - leaves me wanting a bit more as it comes across thin. Light carbonation makes it seem like there is some, almost non-existent. Well balanced and easy to drink. I wanted more from the body. I am really starting to lean away from Waimea hops as the lemon/lime character isn't my favorite in a pale ale or india pale ale. This is good but not my cup of tea, I wouldn't have it again. Enjoy!

Purchased at Iron & Glass Minooka on 07/23/2026. Date on can of 07/14/2026. Poured into my 20oz Pliny the Elder glass. Pours cloudy, typical for good fresh versions of the style. Almost two fingers of white, frothy foam cover the top. Great retention. Thick lacing. Aroma jumps out immediately: sweetened orange with a twist of lemon and lime for good measure. Hints of herbal emerge. Taste is bit of more difficult bite to chew than the nose. There is sweet orange at first that is destroyed by lemon and lime fighting each other and the orange for supremacy, creating a strange lemon/lime flavor that comes across bitter with both lingering well into the finish. Medium body with medium carbonation. Some juiciness that the bitterness morphs into a dry finish. When I opened the can on this beer I thought I was in for a perfect ride: 14days old Hop Butcher double hazy with loads of hops that had this fantastic aroma. Upon tasting, the record needle tore across the record and my happy world collapsed. Nothing wrong here just the combination of flavors don't blend well together for my palate. I would not have this beer again. Enjoy!

Purchased from Tavour. Bottled in November 2025. Pours clear but opaque due to the beautiful deep purple-red hue of the beer. Aggressive pour brings half a glass of purple with red highlighted foam. Doesn’t stick around or to the glass. Aroma is barnyard funk with a twist of sweetness. Hay, grass, earth and acidity explode from the glass. No blueberries but I don’t expect it based on the mild aroma of a blueberry. Taste is a ride on the tart and sour rollercoaster. Tart up front with the middle swelling with sweetness before succumbing to sour acidity mixed with hay and earth in the finish. It lingers for a few seconds. Medium body with a medium or more carbonation that is large bubbled on the front of the mouth while small, Champaign like on the edges. Dry with lingering effervescence on the side of the tongue and acidity throughout. It has been a very long time since I have appreciated the nuances of a fresh(er) Allagash beer. Darn tasty. This is in your face acidity, unapologetically. Thank you. Avoiding the sun on a 90 degree day is more pleasant with great beer. I would have this again. Enjoy!

Had on tap at the brewery. Pours opaque. Black. Not really any foam by the time I got it. Maybe mocha in color. Aroma is fantastically vanilla and coconut. Chocolate and sweet. Taste is more of coconut and vanilla. Chocolate’ sweet, and brown sugar. Dry but oily on the lips and coats the sides of the mouth. Big body with more carbonation than expected. This is fantastic. You don’t often get huge hit of vanilla and coconut in one beer. Alcohol is not present. I would have this again. Enjoy!

Purchased at the brewery. Pours a beautiful pale gold color. A half inch of creamy, tightly packed foam covers. Rings of thick lacing abound. Good retention with a thin layer always covering. Aroma is dank, resinous, and over ripe fruits. Resin makes me think pine. Pineapple and mango that feel from their pants and picked off the ground. Taste is ripe tropical fruits: nondescript. Resinous with a dank finish. Some green hop burn with a slight bitterness. Medium body with medium carbonation. Justify that’s fades to dry after five or so seconds. My first beer at the brewery was delicious. Aroma is king while the greenness of the taste with the strange lingering finish put me off some. I would have this again. Enjoy!

Purchased at the brewery. Pours clear with no chill haze. Small white foam. Aroma is muted. Not much going on. Searching I find some citrus and tropical. Taste is about the same. Citrus with tropical in the finish. Light maltiness. Medium body and about the same carbonation. Dry. This beer misses on a lot of angles for me. I want an ipa with some straight forward hopiness. I would not have this again. Enjoy!

Had on draft at the brewery. Pours cloudy. Deep gold color which is darker than expected for the style. Small white foam covers before becoming a ring at liquid level. Some thick. Sporadic lacing. Aroma is sweet. Crack to almost bread malt. Hoppy but not juicey. Nondescript. Taste follows. Some pine bitterness. Medium body with light bitterness. This is an okay beer. It is off for the style and doesn’t hit the expectations for me. The hop profile is too meh. I would t have it again. Enjoy!