It’s getting to be that time of year where I just don’t want to do anything productive. I’m going on vacation soon (one more week to go!), every other day there is another holiday-themed function, and there is an unmistakable antsy-ness among everyone at work. I definitely need a mid-week break and what better way than to attend Local Option’s last event of 2011: the Ass Makeover. OK, I’m not too fond of the name. But after one look at the tap list, they can call it whatever they want; I will be there. This event is advertised as having a biblical tap list of rare, exclusive, and sought after beers from all over the world, including a nice selection from gypsy brewer Evil Twin. The event was slated to begin at 3 p.m. and continue until 2 a.m. Unfortunately, I have to work both Thursday and Friday so I had a small window from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. to get my fill of this insane tap list. Hopefully they don’t run out of all the good stuff before I get there!
Thankfully, despite my nervousness, everything was available and freely flowing when I got there around quarter to seven. I grabbed a seat at the end of the bar and began scouring the insane list of beers. Right in the center, there was a list of six Evil Twin beers and I knew those were what I was there for. I started with the Molotov Cocktail, a 13% ABV Imperial IPA that was full of grapefruit and citrus. This was a hop bomb, but the consistency of a barleywine. It was so delicious I almost ordered a second one. But there were other beers to be had!
Just by chance, my bar stool was next to Eduardo Franceschi, better known to his Twitter followers as @BeerSnobChicago. He was very generous and we ended up offering each other sips of each others’ beer in order to cover more ground. He let me taste his Mikkeller Texas Ranger, a Chipotle Porter. This was dry and roasty with just a slight spicy burn on the finish. Next, I ordered the Evil Twin Xmas Eve in a New York City Hotel Room, an Imperial Stout. This beer had a roasty, chocolaty nose, and a dry, delicious flavor. The Evil Twin Soft Xmas was truly something special. It is a porter aged with tart cherries that started sour but then finished with a sweet caramel flavor.
By this time it was getting a little late. And by late, I mean 9 p.m. (Don’t judge me…) I wanted something else before heading home, though, so I went with Emelisse Imperial Stout that was aged in Jack Daniels barrels. This beer was also a little sour on the start but finished creamy, like butter, thanks to the barrel aging. Very tasty! Franceschi had the Emelisse Barleywine and let me take a sip. It had a distinctive English beer flavor, I’m guessing from using Maris Otter as the base malt. It was very good, but had a different flavor then a lot of American barleywines.
Overall, this was an awesome event. It was great meeting Franceschi, and hanging out with our CBG Resident Philosopher, Christian Burd. I don’t make it over to Local Option nearly enough; they always have beers that you can’t find anywhere else in Chicago. True, the beers are a little pricey. But it was totally worth it.
the Molotov Cocktail … Xmas Eve in a New York City Hotel Room ..those kids at Evil Twin have alot of fun w these beer names…good stuff
Very cool! I’ve always wanted to try more Evil Twin brews beyond their Yin/Yang that I’ve sampled. Pricey, but damn good beer!