Redband Stout

Brewer: Great River Brewery

Style: Coffee Stout

ABV: 6%
IBU: 36
Serving Type: 20 oz. can poured into a Bohemian Pilsner glass

Pour is thick and opaque, nearly black with no highlights. Two fingers of brown head that quickly fade to a thin but persistent film. Minimal lacing. The aroma packs a wollop, falling somewhere between a dark roasted coffee and an iced mocha.

Almost tastes more like coffee than beer. The dark malts are there, but the coffee definitely plays center stage in this one. If there are hops here, they're well hidden; the bitterness tastes like it's all coming from the astringency of the espresso. Medium to heavy in body, though perhaps just a tad lighter than expected. The moderate carbonation really helps the strong aromatics come out.

It's good to see such a good coffee stout coming out of a local brewery, and not have to rely on super limited releases like Kentucky or Bourbon County Breakfast Stout. If they start barrel aging this stuff, I'll buy it by the case. If there's a criticism, it's that this is a beer that probably doesn't need to come in a 16 oz. can.

My score: 4/5

Beer Advocate: A

Rate Beer: 77/100

Pintley:

A brew pub since 2004, Great River Brewery began packaging out of Davenport, IA in May 2010, exclusively in 16 oz. cans.

Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works

Destihl is a self described gastrobrewery opened 2007 in Normal, IL. I've only known them to serve excellent food and beer (all brewed on site). My most recent visit was April 23, when my wife, son and I were in Bloomington for Easter.

Beers come in 4, 12, and 16 oz. sizes. I opted for a 12 oz. of the current cask ale, their Jacob's Ladder American Brown, plus a number of 4 oz. samples. Keep in mind that the beers here are in order of consumption; my senses were probably getting strained by the end, not to mention the effects of alcohol.

Von Linne Apricot Wheat--A super tart beer. Very little to no malt or hop flavor, but tons of apricot. Almost less a beer than a very light, slightly carbonated, apricot liqueur.

Jacob's Ladder American Brown--Had this one on cask. Pine and earthy hop notes up front, with caramel malt behind. Light in carbonation and super smooth.

St. Dekkera Single Barrle Reserve--This was actually my first taste of a sour ale. It hardly seemed like beer at all. Very sour, no carbonation. There is a little malt there to balance the sour, but it's definitely in the background. And then there's this savory, almost cheesy note that comes through under the tongue. Very intriguing. Can't say I'm a true believer in sour ale, but this makes me curious for more.

Antiquity Rye Wine--This one is super peppery on the nose and palate; hard to believe that's all from the rye and not straight up black pepper. Otherwise, a fine barleywine.

Cerise Stout Imperial--The server brought me a little sample of this one after I opted for the first sour ale. A sour stout with cherries. There's an aroma of hot tub water. The super tart cherry flavor comes through with the sour. It has the smoothness of a stout.

Bamberger Rauchbier--Lighter (in color) than I was expecting. Very smokey. This was the last beer of the night and it was hard to get much out of it besides the smoke.

Saluki Dunkel Dog

Brewer: Big Muddy Brewing

Style: Dunkel

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 22

Servig type: 12oz bottle poured into Bohemian Pilsner glass

Ap: Dep mahogany with ruby highlights. Finger of offwhite head fades to a thin, persistent layer. Small amount of lacing.

Ar: Wheaty with some sweetness, some light fruit.

T: A little acidic, but not overpowering. Flavors are fairly light otherwise, but include some caramel malt, and a touch of bitterness on the end.

M: Medium in body, higher in carbonation. Smooth with a slightly sweet finish.

I: A good entry for Southern Illinois' only craft brewry. A good introductory beer for people used to Bud Light.

My Score: 3/5

Beer Advocate: B

Rate Beer: 3.3/5

Pintley:

Black Hemp

Brewer: O'Fallon Brewery

Style: American Brown Ale

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 33

Servig type: 12oz bottle

Ap: Dark brown, ruby highlights. Good clarity in spite of darkness. One finger light tan head,

Ar: Very little aroma. Hints of... licorice?

T: Farily bitter, but little hop character. Perhaps a floral hop character, if anything. There's also some je ne sais quoi tang in the back... the hemp seeds?

M: Medium to light bodied. Medium in carbonation. Very smooth.

I: A very curious beer. Gives the impression of a much lighter beer, but still has some indescribable character that begs for attention.

My score: 3/5

Beer Advocate: B+

Rate Beer: 73/100

Pintley: