Our last stop of the evening on the Tales, Taverns & Towns tour of Chicago was Sheffield’s. They had a lot of great beers on tap, and this one was recommended by our guide Liz. Off Color is one of the newer breweries in Chicago, and I’d also heard many great things about John Laffler and the barrel program he ran at Goose Island. So, I was looking forward to trying one of his beers.

Location: On tap and served in a tumbler pint glass at Sheffield’s in Chicago, IL.

Numbers: 6.5% ABV, ~195 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s straw-cold in color and somewhat hazy. The head was foamy, white, and about a half inch thick which fell after a few minutes, but left a little bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma was tropical and fruity with some lemon and hints of spices.

Taste & Feel: The body was light-medium and the mouthfeel was smooth with just a bit of a carbonation crispness. The flavor up front was light and lemony with a bit of bready yeast. The lemon flavors turned a bit more tropical in the middle, with some pineapple and slightly fruity flavors. The tropical fruit flavors were joined by some earthy barnyard funkiness in the finish, but it was the tropical and citrus flavors that lasted briefly in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This beer has a lot of tropical fruits and citrusy flavors, with some funkiness on the end. I think these flavors would definitely complement fish tacos, or maybe even a summer salad.

Overall Impression: The beer was light, but it definitely had a complex mix of flavors. There was a good amount of citrus and tropical, which dominated throughout, but there were some bready-yeasty flavors up front and some earthy funkiness in the finish. From front to back, there was a lot going on, and yet it was still very drinkable. Overall, it was a good beer, but I think the flavors would be better on a hot summer day instead of this cold winter night at Sheffield’s.

My Rating:

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