It’s a payday Friday and what better way to celebrate than do a deep dive on the beers that made the week all the more enjoyable. This week, we have a double dry hopped, double IPA, a double dry hopped triple IPA, a triple dry hopped triple IPA, and to celebrate the coming season, an Octoberfest Style Lager. And because it’s payday Friday, we’ll also throw in a bonus bourbon review.
Hop Butcher for the World- Giardiniera (7.5% ABV DDH DIPA w/ Citra, El Dorado, & Mosaic Hops).
Another week, another new Hop Butcher for the World Double IPA. As soon as you crack it, you get huge wafts of orange and pineapple. Once it settles into the glass, it has a hazy glow that looks backlit by an incandescent light bulb. Giardiniera is arguably Chicago’s favorite condiment- going great on everything from hot dogs, to Italian beef, to fruit loops. Given it’s name, this beer had a lot to live up to and it does not disappoint. As you get into it, you’ll be greeted by a tropical bouquet on the nose and mid-palate sweetness that dries out for a nice resinous finish. An all around great beer, appropriate for a great condiment.
Mikerphone- Kick, Push, Prost- Octoberfest Style Lager (6% ABV)
Like Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the arrival of Octoberfest beers in early August mark the beginning of the end of summer. This week, Triplex Sales Engineers were at Mikerphone’s Brewery and Tap Room to service a pump (learn more about what makes a great craft beer pump here). After changing out their seal, we picked up a four back of their Octoberfest Lager Kick, Push, Prost on the way out the door. Pouring a deep amber haze, Kick, Push, Prost has a doughy floral nose. It’s a refreshing, crisp lager with some doughiness that finishes like liquid bread. I enjoyed this beer with a double helping of my wife’s homemade lasagna- an awesome combo.
Brothership collab w/ Wax Wings- Switch to Hyperdrive (9% DDH Triple IPA w/ Citra, Citra Cryo, and Citra Incognito Hops)
Brothership brewing out of Mokena, IL puts out some of the best DDH IPAs in Illinois and their collab with Wax Wings is no exception. Brewed with no lactose, this beer radiates haze. The nose is a combination of Sunny D and Dank that drinks like jammy orange marmalade. Super easy drinking for a 9% beer with none of the residual sweetness that kills so many beers of this style.
Phase Three- In Threes (10% Triple Dry Hopped Triple IPA w/ Galaxy, Citra, and Nelson Sauvin Hops)
Our fourth beer this week is a triple dry hopped, triple IPA from Phase 3 in Lake Zurich, IL. This beer greets you with it’s hazy yellow glow and huge white wine grape aromas. For 10%, it’s a surprisingly sweet beer that carries through the front and mid-palate but dries out nicely and finishes with a grassy dank. At 10% ABV, this is a beer that requires spousal supervision while drinking.
Payday Friday Bonus Bourbon Review- W.L. Weller Special Reserve (90 Proof)
On payday Friday, we like to throw in a bonus bourbon review. This weekend we’ll be enjoying Buffalo Trace’s W.L. Weller Special Reserve. Weller is a fully wheated bourbon. What does this mean? Well bourbon, by law, is required to be 51% corn. The balance of the mash bill is the distiller’s choice. While most use rye, Weller, and a few other iconic brands (like Pappy Van Winkle) use wheat and barley. This bourbon pours a delicious burnt orange and the wheat gives it a softer flavor that makes it great for sipping or making cocktails. Known as “young Pappy Van Winkle”, I get notes of toffee, caramel and leather. Special Reserve finishes with lovely cherry vanilla and oaky heat. An excellent, approachable bourbon that we highly recommend.
That’s this week’s Friday Four Pack. We hope you enjoy this post, your payday Friday, and weekend as much as we enjoyed thinking and writing about these beers. As always, if you have any questions or feedback about what beers you’re drinking this weekend or your sanitary process equipment, contact a Triplex Sales Engineer today! Cheers!
