dry bevv.
notice! it's january! and whether you're doing dry january, or dry january 23rd, we got you covered with fun new bevs for piano accompaniment.
first. for all you folks who go too far in nov/dec: dry january is critical! we're among you. and while we may not have the capacity to dry out for a whole month (job requirements and all), we've done dry january 20th and dry january 23rd. and they both felt great!
we launched a *SPARKLING BARLEY TEA* last week. and it's terrific! grape nutty. pensive. lightly sweet. but, you know, no sugar added because sugar is crack. just a malty sweetness. a safe sweetness. a healthy sweetness. ... the bubbles on this grain tea are invigorating, and the nose makes you feel like some crazy chef-bully shoved your head in one of those giant sacks of brewers' and bakers' grain. and there you sat. soft smile on your face. enjoying the discipline. ... and you want just about as many of these teas as you'd want beers. so you really feel like you're drinking with everyone! and having fun! it's wholesome japanese instrumentation. and 70s topanga canyon. without the cults.
and our *HOUSE OAK FERMENTED KOMBUCHA* program is on fire! right now we've got a lovely strawberry-pink peppercorn surprise for y'all. it's a staff favorite. it's what we all drank for our shifties on dry january 15th. one day only! but so many of us can't now quit it. we'll never have a "bland january". could never give up the earthy acidity of this kombucha. and wait! by feb we'll have a hard one!
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*WE GO BACK*
notice! you know all that funk and wild yeast we talk about? like, at this point, maybe 50% of our offerings are wild in some way. including on the food side. we just can't stop. we're wild children. we're wild men and women. we're wild moms and dads. from the future where children aren't scary. they're just other humans. and our beers define us!
there's something about "dark" that gives us anxiety. all of us. it can be comforting: really low light. deep, rich mahogany. that's likely why every damn brewery ever. and many restaurants, are set up like english pubs. but not us. we have an aversion to that ubiquitous darkness. we chase the light! and we chase it in so many facets of our day-to-day. our beers rarely clock in above 5.5% abv. there almost always pale or pink. or the prettiest, lightest orange-amber. ... that's what we most often find ourselves wanting to drink. as if we're farmers looking for bright refreshment. appalachian hippie farmers, if you will. the foxfire set.
but then: sometimes we crave a roastier, toastier day beer. something that, although light as f, inspires a little woo and shiver and feels like a warm animal-fur blanket wrapped around our shoulders. and that's where caramelized beers (burnt? bruleed? over-roasted?) come into play. we've got a wild burnt beer on tap right now. it's called *WE GO BACK*. it's dark! it's funked up! it's toasty! it's soft caramels and bitter chocolates. swirling around with all the psychedelia of wild yeast. and it was fermented and aged in the foeder for, like 4 months. so it's got a little tannin on the finish.
100% wild caramelized brett beer. lovely and fitting after a day or week or drying out. rewarding and warm after a long day of trudging over the treacherous ice mountains lining chicago curbs.
deep. the reward of winter. the point of winter, fact.
now come make tonight like you're living in adorable copenhagen and some northern farmer brought his weird, wild brown beers down to share at his favorite bar. we can serve you hunks of bread and cheesy butter right alongside.
*WE GO BACK*. the rewards of winter.
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*BLOC PARTY PLUMB*
hi. i'm wondering if you still have *BLOC PARTY* on tap. ok. ok great. my wife and i love that beer,. do you have any to go? oh! oh interesting! and can you put one of those 4-packs aside for me? no big deal if not. just, you know, maybe put it in the fridge now and take it out about 10 minutes before 7p. we're gonna order take out and i want it to be cold. but not too cold. and do you sanitize the cans before you fill them with beer? you do? oh that's great! are they made from aluminum? just want to make sure they crush easily in my recycler. ok. ok. hmm. well... no no. this is too much. well. ok ok. is there any chance you could remove the cans from their four-pack holder. resanitize the tops *and* the four-pack holder. reapply the four-pack holder. and then vacuum-seal the entire four-pack? my kid is allergic to air. he's still in my eye. but i don't want to sully my sperm or my wife's eggs with dirty air and then cause him to be all itchy once conceived.
ok great! we'll be there tuesday! what?! you're not open tuesday??? well you should really be open tuesday. it's gonna be beautiful out!
anyway, it's a rare time. when we have two (2) bloc parties in house. *BLOC PARTY PLUMB* is brand new on tap. tart and fruity. plum. blueberry. cinnamon. blended yeast. some wtf element. a true joy to drink. fun for the whole party. and *BLOC PARTY BOYS & GIRLS* to take away. in four packs. boysenberry. cranberry. vanilla. cacao. rich and northern. and so round of mouth.
come get one or the other! stay here or take it away! pour now or emportay!
we go back.