Malt Row Hoppy Hour: Smoked Beers

Sign up for our next guided beer tasting with Advanced Cicerone Shana Solarte and brewers from Dovetail and Keeping Together. This Hoppy Hour we'll be tasting and discussing locally-brewed smoked beers.

"Resurrecting historical beer styles and merging them with modern brewing ingenuity is a hallmark of American craft brewers. And smoke beers are a perfect example of this creative spark. In the smoke-beer genre, most point to the traditional Rauchbier style, which emerged in Bamberg, Germany, in the 1500s. In fact, “rauch” is the German word for “smoke.” By drying the malts over an open fire — typically beechwood — and incorporating them into the brewing process, it leaves a moderate level of smoky flavor and aroma that compliments the base beer, usually similar to a Bock or Märzen (or Oktoberfest).

However, today’s craft brewers experiment with different wood, malts, beer styles and levels of smokiness. The confluence of tradition and innovation has sparked a diverse collection of crafted smoke beers throughout the U.S." - Historical Style Catches Modern Fire: 9 Smoke Beers to Try, Craftbeer.com

Don't miss out on the unique chance to learn directly from Malt Row brewers! Our panel will include brewmasters from what may be Chicago's most prolific smoked beer brewery (Dovetail) and one of only 19 Master Cicerones in the world! Use the links below to purchase your beers in advance and sip-along! Presentation will be followed by Q&A.

Featured Beers include:

• Dovetail's Rauchbier - Dark with reddish tones and an off-white head with a rocky foam standing above the rim of the glass. As you bring it to your nose. you feel like you're eating a bar of chocolate in a smokehouse; full and rich with generous hopping to balance the flavor of beechwood smoked bacon. [available in 4-packs]
• Dovetail's X01: Flanders Rauch - Bringing together two beers—Franconian smoked lagers and Belgian sours—into a new distinct style, aged in 19 oak barrels over one year. Crazy? Yes, crazy & complex, smoke & tart with a hit of funk. [available in 500ml bottles]
• Keeping Together's I Am Because We Are - A mixed culture saison brewed with lavender-smoked barley from Sugar Creek Malt Co., wheat malt, oats, and EKG hops. The beer presents with aromas of orange blossom, grilled artichoke, and rising bread dough beneath notes of lime leaf and delicate fennel. The smoke is faint in the nose, almost alderwood-like. On the palate, the smoke is front and center—slightly leathery and dusty, reminiscent of terra cotta earth, roasted agave, and charred red apple skins. Flavors of lavender, lime pith, and wildflower honey carry through the smoke. Conditioned in bottle with honey to create a creamy natural carbonation which soothes the lingering smoke in the finish. This beer drinks like a mezcal margarita and practically begs to be paired with a burrito. [available in 750ml bottles] Learn more about Keeping Together