It’s been an up and down week with the return of baseball (but also Aaron Rodgers) and the trade of Khalil Mack, and now we have reached another Friday with a great slate of college basketball games and St. Patrick’s Day to look forward to and Daylight Savings Time to dread. Accordingly, here are the four beers have chilled to watch the Badger boys roll to Big Ten Tournament Title!
Burial Beer Co.- Above the Threshold of Hell (7.4% ABV American IPA)
A friend of mine, who for reasons which will be made clear in a future post is forever indebted to me, recently made a trip to North Carolina and brought back a few cans from Burial. Naturally, I decided to pair one with my Friday night pie. Outside of the fantastic can art and eclectic name, Burial makes some great beer. With Threshold, I get a dry orange and grapefruit nose. The palate is heavy, full of fluffy oats. The finish is a grassy berry dank with a some bittering going on. The pizza if from Little Italian West in Naperville, a staple in my pizza rotation and always a treat.
Hop Butcher for the World- Blizzard of ’67 (10% ABV Triple New England IPA)
Daylight savings is this week and you’d think we’d start to feel some Spring in the air. Not so much. While the Chicago Blizzard of 1967 fell much earlier in the calendar, Thursday night’s dusting of snow was enough to get us to crack this one to warm up. I had this beer a few years back and I’m not sure this go around was quite as outstanding as the prior vintage. I got a bright tropical nose with a nary trace of resin. The palate was oaty, soft, and sweet with a bittering dank finish. Just a little sweeter than I like in a triple.
Phase 3 Brewing- Crossed Wires (8.3% ABV Double New England IPA)
I really enjoyed the can art on this beer and continue to enjoy watching the progression of Phase Three’s Double IPAs. I was also excited to see they are opening their second location in Elmhurst! As for the beer itself, a fair amount of peppery grape must on the nose, a more muted palate that bends its way to a pineapple dank finish. Not overly sweet and very enjoyable.
Phase 3 Brewing- The Knot (5% ABV Irish Red Ale)
Last but not least, we have the an Irish Red Ale- The Knot. At least in Plainfield/Naperville area, it is St. Patrick’s Day weekend. While it’s a shame the parade is Saturday and not Sunday given the forecast, we seized the chance to throw a few Irish Red’s in the cooler. The Knot is a beautiful brownish red beer with about a quarter inch of khaki colored head. It smells like a beer. Malty, bready nose with the softest touch of smoke that I’m probably just imagining. Sweet doughy palate that isn’t cloy. The finish is complex, starting a bit peppery but shifts gears to a softer fresh flower finish. At 5%, this beer was built for drinking.
And just like that, another week in the books. With plenty of college basketball, St. Patrick’s Day, and Daylight Savings, it’s going to be an action-packed weekend and we hope you’re looking forward to it as much as we are.
