Several weeks ago, I was in Chicago to watch my sister play football (she plays for the St. Louis Slam professional women’s football team). While there, we stopped at Piece Brewery & Pizzeria for a late lunch before the game. I had a couple of beers (as did my wife, although I had much of hers). Since I’d never been here before, I wanted a growler, and I couldn’t leave with it empty, so I took this beer to go. Unfortunately, it’s taken me a bit to get caught up on my reviews, so it’s been in the beer fridge for several weeks now.

Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from the growler at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 6.3% ABV, ~ 200 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s light amber in color with a hint of a reddish hue. There seemed to be plenty of carbonation in it, even though it sat in the growler in the fridge for a while. The head was a bit thin when I first poured it, but thanks to the etching at the bottom of the glass, a thin, white, creamy head was maintained throughout, leaving some nice lacing on the glass. The aroma was a nice mix of piney, resiny, and citrusy hops, with some caramel malt notes in the background.

Taste & Feel: The body was somewhat light and the mouthfeel was crisp from the carbonation and hops. The carbonation up front made it tough to taste any flavors. However, after the carbonation crispness, a big hop flavor kicked in. It was a bit bitter at first, giving way to a piney hop flavor that became a bit floral in the finish. The aftertaste lingered for a bit with some tiny and resident me hop flavors.

Food Pairing: This beer had a good amount of piney and slightly floral floral hop flavors. Therefore, I think I’d pair this beer with a salad, allowing these flavors to mix with the earthy, leafy flavors from the salad.

Overall Impression: I wasn’t sure how this would be, since it sat in the growler in the fridge for several weeks. Fortunately, I don’t think it had too much of an affect on it, as the hop flavors were fairly bold and fragrant. Overall, I enjoyed the hop flavor, and was pretty impressed with this beer. Of all the beers I had from Piece, I think I’d rank this next to the Wingnut as one of my favorites.

My Rating:

Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]