Beer Of The Day: Escape From Stateville - but not until after you've finished this beer.

BOTD: Escape From Stateville
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

Milk Stout; 8% ABV

"...Chocolate Stout with Walnut and Marshmallow"

(Photo of Tommy Touhy, beer bootlegger, Capone rival, and actual escapee from Stateville. Which has nothing to do with this post)

Served in a snifter (as part of a flight). Pours black, with a light tan head.

The marshmallow sweetness comes first, part of a rich, creamy, sweet draught. This is a good build on their Stateville Stout base, with the added elements blending neatly to create a more distinctive and richer beer than a garden variety Milk Stout. This is a standout on their tap list. Go get some - available draft onsite and in carry-out Crowlers. Take one home with you, invite a friend, and have it for dessert, you won't regret it. With a scoop of good vanilla, perhaps? ;-)

Now, when will they release the barrel-aged variant? We're waiting......

My Rating: 4.25 / 5
Untappd: 3.98 / 5


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Beer Of The Day: Stateville Stout. It is precisely what it is...

BOTD: Stateville Stout
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

Milk Stout; 7.4% ABV

"A sweeter addition to our lineup, Stateville Stout is brewed with Dutch chocolate malts and just a touch of hops, then finished off with Lactose to give it that extra kick of sweetness."

Served in a snifter (as part of a flight). Pours black, with a light tan head.

Modest nose of roasted malts; A rich, sweet stout with a silky mouthfeel. A good example of what a milk stout should be, displaying the lactose (and therefore unfermentable) sweetness you expect. A very competent entry in the Milk Stout Stakes. Try it. Available draft onsite and in cans locally. Check your Binny's.

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

Untappd: 3.83 / 5

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Beer Of The Day: Freudian Spell Check - Sometimes a beer is just a beer

BOTD: Freudian Spell Check
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

Black IPA; 6.9% ABV

"Freudian Spell Check is hopped with a combination of Hüll Melon and Palisade hops to give it a unique, fruity aroma and flavor backed up by a malt bill filled with a generous helping of chocolate and roasted malts."

Served in a snifter (as part of a flight). Pours black, with a light tan head.

The predominant aroma is of roasted malts, appropriate to being Black; but not much in the way of Hops, as one would expect of all things IPA. They become more prominent after the swallow, when a lingering bitterness takes over. There is....something else going on here...not sure if it is intended or not; hop-selection-related or not. Hmmmmm. An unremarkable brew.

My Rating: 3.75 / 5

Untappd: 3.66 / 5

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Beer Of The Day: Bavarian Destroyer - "Do it!, Do it now!!!"

BOTD: Bavarian Destroyer
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

Weizenbock; 8% ABV

"Just when it starts to get cold outside, The Bavarian Destroyer comes to town to heat things up! A beast of a beer, our flagship Weizenbock is brewed with a rich blend of European malts, a touch of traditional hops, and German yeast. The result is a smooth, satisfying beer, with notes of banana, vanilla, and clove."

Served in a snifter (as part of a flight). Pours very dark, with little head.

There are a number of good imported hefeweizens available these days, characterized by their light and spicy flavor, light golden hazy character. A refreshing summer brew. There are also any number s of doppelbocks available, with their strong ale character and corny (but required, at least in Germany) -ator names. This is both, and neither.

If a hefewiezen and a doppelbock had relations, this would be the product. Kudos to MyGrain for exploring a rare style, and executing it successfully. You get some of the expected hefe clove & spices with a darker, stronger malty character. It is not what you're used to, but I think you'll enjoy it.

And forgive me if I read the name of the beer but hear it in the voice of a famous Austrian-American. And now you will too......

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

Untappd: 3.68 / 5

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Beer Of The Day: When I Have Time

BOTD: When I Have Time
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

Belgian Quad

"Fall and Winter are the perfect time to sit back and relax with friends and family with a big, strong beer. When I Have Time has just the right amount of kick balanced with a caramel and toffee sweetness to make any get-together memorable."

Served in a snifter (as part of a flight). Pours dark amber, with little head and a slight haze.

I like a good quad, Belgian ales are noted for their unique flavor profiles based on their unique yeast strains and brewing techniques, and a good quad is deceptively strong and fruity, almost winelike.

Not this one.

I was expecting more than it had to give. Instead of plum and currants, I tasted a stronger but not quite barleywine-level ale with a slight lingering bitterness but little to no dark fruit flavors.

If you're on site, try it in a flight, but pass on the pint.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

Untappd: 3.75 / 5

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Beer Of The Day: Where Have You Bean - "A Coffee and a Beer? Yes, Please"

BOTD: Where Have You Bean
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

"What is better than the weather beginning to break, than a nice cup of joe, and a bold* beer? How about a combination of both! Where Have You Bean, is a combination of dark roasted malt & locally used Ten Drops Coffee. They blend together to give a bittersweet dark chocolate and caramel flavor that will make you all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside."

Coffee Stout. Served in a snifter. Pours, Very Dark (Espresso Roast) Brown, with a light tan head. Approaching the glass the beer reaches out with tasty coffee notes over the expected roasted malts. Nice but not overly rich mouthfeel, it drinks easily like that first cup in the morning (sigh). Very nice coffee-forward coffee stout, above average entry in the field. If you are a stout fan or a coffee fan (preferably both), getcha some.... I would buy some for the beer fridge if I saw it at my local retailer (as crowded with stouts as it already is....).  A very solid entry. Try it.

My Rating: 4.25 / 5
Untappd: 4.03 / 5

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Beer Of The Day: Iron & Steel

BOTD: Iron & Steel
MyGrain Brewing (Joliet, IL)
(http://www.mygrainbrewing.com/)

"A big, bold beer named for the iron and steel workers that built Joliet into the city it is today. A generous grain bill with plenty of Munich malt and flaked wheat give this beer a pillowy mouthfeel, while the heaping portions of Azzaca, Mandarina Bavaria, and El Dorado hops throw a bomb of citrus on the back end."

Served in a snifter. Pours clear amber with a thin white head. Hops clearly evident on closer olfactory exploration, as one would expect. Hop varieties tend to the resiny/piney side of the spectrum. The first sip hits you with a tough of malt sweetness quickly overwhelmed by hoppy bitterness. Not a trend follower, this is not cloudy or citrusy - points for going their own way here. A solid if unremarkable entry in the DIPA Derby, well suited to those of us who enjoy high IBU flavors. MyGrain has hit this style profile dead-center.

Avaialable onsite (draft), and carry-out as Crowlers and Kegs. MyGrain is just getting their Chicago area distribution going, so keep an eye out or ask you stockist to get some on the shelf. Located in the Joliet Union Station building, it can be easily reached by commuter train, so take you time and try a flight. ;-) (See separate venue review for full report)

My Rating: 3.75 / 5

Untappd: 3.66 / 5

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