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Beer Under Glass 2025: An Evening Beneath the Skyline<\/h3>\n
May 12, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nI very much hope this new home for Beer Under Glass sticks around for a while. <\/p>\n
While my compatriates Steve, Eric and Jaime were at the Union Station events of recent years, It\u2019s been a while since I attended a Beer Under Glass. The last one I joined was the final Garfield Park gathering of 2019, and then it\u2019s taken me over five years to get back to Chicago for one of these after the world fractured and sent me careening out of the city. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m glad I came back for this one. I had a really good time under the deep blue Chicago sky surrounded by city skyline at this year\u2019s edition, and it feels like the sold-out crowd did also. Even before the general admission ticketholders rolled in at 5:30, the VIP\/Media access was already humming to the tune of hundreds of beer drinkers all well underway with their tasting time. <\/p>\n
More than a few people made reference to Half Acre\u2019s Far and Away invitational that was held at the same Harris Theater space a while back, and I\u2019m very glad to find that it\u2019s still a wonderful place for a beer event. A central location almost certainly helped move tickets for a Friday event within walking distance of thousands of office spaces looking to kick off some early-summer drinking in a big way. I still saw quite a few familiar faces from throughout the years of beer drinking, which was a nice reminder that there\u2019s still a small sense of community that runs through the years and many, many square miles of beer drinking experiences around Chicagoland. <\/p>\n And the beer was very good as well. While past years may have been a chance for some breweries to try and out-weird the other breweries with wild concoctions pushing the limits of what beers could be, it seems that maybe the recent plateau or general downturn in beer drinking had brewers bringing out some tried and true favorites alongside the somewhat weirder stuff for the hardcore like myself. <\/p>\n Overall: so many hits, so few misses. Here\u2019s what I found myself really liking. <\/p>\n The awards for Double Clutch<\/strong> are, at a quick glance, well earned \u2013 their true-to-style E-Town Vienna Lager was spot-on tasty for my first pour of the night. <\/p>\n The only line I stood in was for Brothership Brewing\u2019s <\/strong>Barrel-Aged Space Debris, which spent time in rye and bourbon barrels with raw and toasted coconut. Every year there\u2019s a hype brewery and the word is out on Brothership \u2013 their line was dozens deep at the start of the fest and only tapered off after a good hour plus into the event. <\/p>\n I was plenty glad they came to me at BUG instead of me heading out to Mokena, and the Space Debris was syrupy-rich, thick, bold and still balanced between stout and adjunct. I followed that up with a pour of Begyle\u2019s <\/strong>Imperial Pajamas with Coffee, just for a bit of comparison \u2013 I know that FoBAB is all about the barrel but still, it\u2019s fun to put a couple adjuncted BA stouts back to back and see the differences. <\/p>\n Things really started kicking when I got a pour of Flipside\u2019s<\/strong> Rascal King pub ale, a 4.8% mid-ABV banger that was just spot-on about what I like in this style. Drinkable, caramel-roasty, bright with fresh earthy malt goodness \u2013 I know they put this on cask on occasion; I strongly recommend taking advantage of that option if you can. <\/p>\n A brewery who I have known by their very distinctive name but never had a chance to try one of their beers is Dutchbag Brewing<\/strong>. I quite enjoyed their Things that Dreams Are Made Of, a 3.6% \u201cNordic Weiss\u201d that was fluffy as hell, sparkly and citrusy and creamy and very refreshing. <\/p>\n As I mentioned in Friday\u2019s BUG Gameplan, I was looking forward to trying a beer or two from Wolfden, <\/strong>and their Trail Mix Porter paid off: It was a deliciously well-balanced porter with the chocolate complexity bouncing off the savoriness of roasted peanut while not being too heavy-drinking. A tough needle to thread but they did it well. Speaking of porters, the Imperial Porter from Moor\u2019s Brewing<\/strong> was another richly fruity pour that \u2013 to me \u2013 felt like it had some deep pomegranate notes to it that were quite welcome. <\/p>\n I knew that Guinness Chicago<\/strong> wouldn\u2019t hire any just-average brewers but I didn\u2019t expect to enjoy the Czech dark lager from them as much as I did. True to style, clean, up-front sharp roasty character and present body; no complaints, just a very good beer. <\/p>\n You know what Pipeworks<\/strong> is good at? Making beer. No, really, I mean their straightforward American light lager, simply called Beer, was really a nice option to have on a night where my palate was getting a bit slammed. Bright, sweet, grainy, you\u2019ve had an American light lager if you\u2019re reading this, I don\u2019t need to explain it to you. But it was a tasty one. <\/p>\n Crust Brewing\u2019s<\/strong> Orange is the New Radler was a mid-festival blast of soda sweetness and sparkle that I didn\u2019t know I needed but greatly appreciated. Seriously, it tasted just like Orange Crush but a little less sticky. <\/p>\n Sundial Brewing & Blending<\/strong> was another brewery I was happy to have for the first time, and their Table Blackberry was a revelation. Barrel-aged saison refermented with second-use blackberries and blended with table beer (per the label \u2013 no way I\u2019d remember all that) was big with sharp wild flavors and punched way above its 4% weight. Delicious. <\/p>\n I think a lot of people have slept on Adams Street Brewing<\/strong>, assuming the brewery jammed into the back of the Berghoff Restaurant in the heart of the Loop could only be average at best \u2026 but probably not so much after many of us tried their spot-on Export Stout that recently came home with World Beer Cup hardware. I heard a lot of people talking about this in a happily surprised manner and hopefully everyone that came away impressed pay a visit. <\/p>\n I think I\u2019m still<\/em> tasting the El Gallo Chingon from Whiskey Hill<\/strong> \u2014 their BA stout with cocoa nibs, coconut, cinnamon and three types of chiles. A sipper to be sure \u2013 that heat would build and build fast if you took it too quick, but patience with it allows you to draw out the sweetness and spice in tandem for a beer that was also impressive in an unexpected way. <\/p>\n Finally, the \u201cGnome Launcher\u201d watermelon sour from Rabid Brewing<\/strong> was an end-of-evening suckerpunch to my palate that was just a joy to drink. Like sticking an immersion blender into a watermelon and letting it rip, then sneaking in a 6.5% ABV sour beer underneath it as a framework for that pink melon sweetness with a touch of tart beneath. This one\u2019s probably quite dangerous in hot weather. I could drink this fast; too fast, probably. <\/p>\n Those are my takeaways from Beer Under Glass 2025 \u2013 a lot more good than bad or even mediocre, thankfully, and a testament to how strong the entire Chicagoland brewing scene is. Fun times, and thanks to the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild for taking a big swing in bringing this festival downtown. It was a hit. <\/p>\n May 12, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.guysdrinkingbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DSC_0960-Enhanced-NR-Edit-1024x681.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nMy Beer Takeaways from Beer Under Glass 2025:<\/h3>\n
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\nMore From Guys Drinking Beer<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n\nBeer Under Glass 2025: An Evening Beneath the Skyline<\/h3>\n