First Beers

On the last day of my trip to the bay area I had nowhere in particular to be until my flight home that night, so I wandered the streets of Berkeley for a couple hours. I wasn’t totally aimless though as I had a mission to see 924 Gilman Street, the D.I.Y. venue that over the past three decades has become iconic in punk culture for birthing bands like Operation Ivy, Green Day, more.

The venue was pretty easy to pass up if you weren’t looking for it.There is no signage or fliers shouting to the world “Hey! Did you Green Day used to play here before they could sell out stadiums?” because selling out to major record corporations and forsaking quality and grit of the songs for fuck-tons of money is not exactly encouraged in the scene. It was only marked with a simple 924 and covered in band stickers and fliers for shows taking place in the future somewhere else. Luckily for me, a 942 Gilman Street Project volunteer clad in punk attire (studs, spikes, patch covered vest, etc.) was sitting on the ground outside eating a burger. They let me in and gave me a free shirt for which I am very grateful.

With 15 minutes successfully killed poking around the empty venue and explaining to volunteers that I wasn’t from around there, I left and finally noticed the fine establishment right next door. Gilman Street Brewing Co.

Their brewery is located, as the companies name suggests, on Gilman Street in North Berkeley CA but they also have a taproom in nearby Daly City (just south of San Francisco). I started with a Hot Carl Hazy IPA. It’s 7.7% ABV but did not have the bitterness that accompanies most heavy IPAs. Instead it was surprisingly sweet and floral. In the glass it was an translucent gold color which really put the “hazy” in hazy IPA.

This time we were drinking Two Brothers: Domaine DuPage. Two Brothers brews out of Warrenville IL but can be found in retail stores all over the Midwest United States. Domaine DuPage is 5.9% ABV and only 24 IBU.

One of Two Brothers brewing year-round selections, Domaine DuPage is something of an oddity as far as American beers go. It is a French Country ale, which according to my research,is not commonly brewed by other craft breweries in America. The beer itself tastes very sweet upon the first sip, almost as if eating a piece of caramel chocolate. The candy-like taste fades afterwards but it still feels thicker than most ales throughout. It’s dark amber in color.

Though this beer is light on its alcohol content, it still feels like more of treat than a beer one would session all night. I found it strange that it tastes more like a specialty beer without trying to be. If someone were to slap a new label on the bottle that read “NEW SPECIAL CARAMEL BEER!” from some obscure brewery, I would believe it. However, the label design and packaging make it seem like just any another craft beer and its year-round availability hides the undeniable fact that Two Brothers has made something special here.

Tucked away in an unsuspecting manufacturing lot in Naperville Illinois, Solemn Oath Brewery continuously brews over 100 different craft beers.

Solemn Oath Brewery was founded in May of 2012. According to Solemn Oath’s General Manager of Operations, Erin Lowder, the name of their brewery is derived from Robert Burns’ poem “John Barleycorn.”  Lowder said, “S.O.B. President, John Barley, viewed the grain, which was being personified within the poem, as being cultivated for beer instead of bread.” Barley came up with the idea for Solemn Oath on his way home from San Diego after hosting a beer tasting party with his brother.

Solemn Oath brews over 100 beers throughout the year but their four mainstays are: Lü (Kölsch-Style Ale), Old Faithorn (American Pale Ale), Snaggletooth Bandana (American IPA), and End All (Hazy IPA), all of which are offered year-round and are typically their bestsellers. The rest are seasonal and specialty beers. “We're proud of all the beers we put out into the world and we've been fortunate that they've all done well for us,” said Lowder. Solemn Oath taps aren’t an uncommon sight at bars in Naperville and the rest of Chicagoland.

Solemn Oath beers can be found at retail liquor stores in only three states, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. However, to gain access to many of their specialty beers a brewing enthusiast would need to take a visit to the taproom in Naperville. In their six years of starting the company, Solemn Oath Brewers have set yearly production goals. The goal set for 2018 is 7,500 barrels of beer and 10,000 for 2019.

One thing that stands out about Solemn Oath is the artwork featured on their labels. It is unique yet consistent. That’s because it’s all done by one man, Jourdon Gullett. The artwork sometimes feature punk-rock, almost tattoo like, images such as what’s on the Snaggletooth Bandana can which is clad in Mohawk-sporting young men as well as their Belgian-style American Pale Ale which is appropriately titled called “Punk Rock for Rich Kids.” Aside from that, Gullett’s work is featured on Solemn Oath posters, keg labels, and even a custom deck of playing cards.

It’s summer time and that means beer drinkers should grab some Oberon and hit the nearest beer garden! In this beer drinker’s humble opinion, Oberon by Bell’s is one of the greatest summer beers. It’s like nectar but not too sweet. It doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s a beer behind overwhelming fruity flavors like a lot of other summer beers and I admire that.

Finally, an homage to punk rock that we can drink! This is Solemn Oath Brewery’s The Snaggle Tooth Bandana. It’s an American IPA that’s hoppy as hell but not very bitter. What impressed me most about Snaggle Tooth is its artwork. Its got some mohawk sporting punks clad in leather and studs on a black and white can. It makes me feel nostalgic say the least. I have officially fallen for their marketing ploy. The only thing more pleasing than this beer’s ascetics is the flavor.

The Snaggle Tooth Bandana is brewed in Naperville IL. It’s 6.5% ABV and 81 IBU. This would imply that it is another very bitter IPA, with it’s high IBU that’s what a craft beer enthusiast might expect, but that’s not the case at all. Sure, it’s not exactly a sweet nectar but, damn, it is crisp and smooth. It brings more of a citrus aftertaste but, above all, it’s just a great beer.

Here’s the video I made with it. Soon we will go to Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville and give you folks a damn nice photo spread of their operation. Until then, enjoy the drinking.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, a personal favorite.

Penrose Brewing’s Taproom IPA is one of their four year-round beers. If you live in the Chicago area, these beers are readily available. If not you’re out of luck since Penrose is not a large operation. This beer is 7.1% ABV and has 85 IBU, meaning if you are looking for a bitter brew that will get you sufficiently buzzed after a couple, this beer is for you! It’s brewed in Geneva IL, a western Chicago suburb, where the Penrose brew pub is open 7 days a week.

The idea behind this IPA is to make a hop heavy golden ale. Despite being very hoppy and bitter, it finishes smooth with a crisp aftertaste. In the glass it’s a surprisingly light shade of gold despite being a heavy hitter. The can claims that the mix of hops give this beer a “tropical fruit hop aroma.” I found the taste to be very refreshing despite my recent aversion to IPA. This the kind of beer that would change the mind of any IPA hater.

The video I made of drinking these was spread out through an entire evening. I did not slam them one after another, after another. That being said, even with my “drink responsibly” spacing, this beer hits hard and without mercy. Definitely drink these casually with a group of chill people. Making this a challenge beer would probably ruin your night and the next morning. Enjoy the video.

Since we are based out of Chicago we thought we kick off the blog with a local brand that is only distributed in the midwest and parts of the east coast; Chicago’s own Revolution Brewing. Arguably their most recognized beer is Anti-Hero IPA but we chose to do something from Revolution we had not tried before.

Cross of Gold is Revolution’s take on the Golden Ale, which I often find are made to be gluten free by many craft breweries like New Belgium’s Glutiny Golden Ale. As far as I can tell, Cross of Gold is not gluten free. If that’s a hangup for you, you have officially been warned.

Here is some history on Cross of Gold before we get into the experience. It has been brewed by Revolution in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood since 2010. It is also a gold medal winner at the 2012 World Beer Cup for English-Summer Ales. It is available year-round, none of that seasonal bullshit. It is one of Revolution’s original beers and named after a speech given by populist, William Jennings Bryant, in 1896.

Upon the first taste it was clear that Cross of Gold would be easy drinking. It has a smooth texture and a relatively sweet after taste. It is also only 4.8% ABV so one can cruise them easily without letting the night get away. Cross of Gold is definitely a brew that is more malt than hop. With only 25 IBUs, the drinker will trying to avoid the bitterness of an IPA will undoubtedly approve.

The can is gold in different hues from to to bottom and in a glass it is as gold as the bullion stashed in Fort Knox. Revolution really made it feel like one is drinking the sweet nectar out of a bar of gold, if that makes any sense.

(photo cred: Brews and Beyond)

To ensure that we could share a proper experience with our readers, we drank six Cross of Golds each. That will be a common practice on this blog because drinking just one cannot give the full experience of a night out with Cross of Gold or any beer for that matter. The feeling we got was a very mellow yet attentive intoxication. No aggression or major fuck ups, just chill jamming followed by attending a college circus performance. We were even sober(ish) enough to hit a bar at the end of the night. Here’s the 2nd half of First Beers’ Cross of Gold video.