As you could see in my last couple of posts, I’m in Chicago for work, and thanks to @SubBeerBia I got some some recommendations for places to hit in the Chicago suburbs, including Lunar Brewing and Beer House Chicago. I already stopped at Lunar Brewing and had their Moondance IPA and Hopping Cow Cream Ale. So, the next stop was Beer House Chicago where I ordered a burger from Tom & Eddie’s next door and sat at the bar. I was looking for a beer I couldn’t get anywhere else but Chicago, and Solemn Oath fit the bill.

Location: On tap and served in a tumbler style pint glass at Beer House Chicago in Lombard, IL.

Numbers: 6.2% ABV, 42.5 IBUs, ~160 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s a dark amber-brown color and is very clear. The head fell to a very thin, off-white, almost spore like texture. The aroma was light with malty notes of caramel and toffee.

Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is crisp. Up front, there’s a light caramel maltiness slightly detectable through the crispness. In the middle, the maltiness grows and is joined by some grassy-spicy hop bitterness. The hop flavors and bitterness grow in the finish, which is mostly a grassy hop bitterness, with some spicy hop character, and maltiness in the background. The aftertaste is mostly earthy-spicy hop bitterness, which lasts for a minute or so

Food Pairing: It went great with my mushroom and swiss burger and fries from Tom and Eddie’s. The maltiness worked well with the beef and bun, while the earthy, grassy, spicy hop flavors worked nicely with the earthy mushrooms and truffle sauce on the burger.

Overall Impression: I enjoyed the malty aroma and flavors, but this beer had a bit too much bitterness for me. The grassy, earthy, and spicy hop flavors and bitterness were fairly pronounced, overtaking the maltiness in the middle and finish. Oktoberfest beers should lean toward the malty side in my option, and this one didn’t. The hop flavors weren’t bad, and the light, crisp texture made it fairly drinkable. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but I’d rather go with an Oktoberfest marzen that’s more malty.

My Rating:

Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]