About
Local Option Bierwerker is the brewing division of The Local Option, a pub in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Owner Tony Russomanno has established himself in the craft beer community through years of experience, and today he partners with six different breweries to create all of Local Option's diverse and innovative beers. Local Option Bierweker believes partnering with different breweries gives them maximum flexibility, allowing them to brew as large or as limited a batch as needed. They’ve taken up recipes long forgotten by the mainstream, such as the Kentucky Common, and perfected well-established favorites, like their steam beer Dampf Loc. Local Option Bierwerker offers a brash, in-your-face approach to craft beer; they brew with bravado and aren’t afraid of a little well-placed irreverence while still respecting the long-standing traditions that provide the foundation for their heavy metal brews.
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5/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 6 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 5
Bottle shared @ weekly tasting with Joes, Dutchdrebus, Ansjelaah. Very hazy yellow-orange color, small off-white head. Smell and taste wheat, hops, lightly bitter, a hint of leaves and sweetness and something weird I can’t figure out. Hmm it started out nice but it gets less and less good really.
Tried from Bottle on 07 May 2014 at 13:44

6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle @ joes shared by benzai. Hazy orange colour with a small off-white head. Smells mashed potatoes, kale, food, weird. Tastes sweet, slightly hoppy, caramel, dessert. Medium body, soft to medium carbo.
Tried from Bottle on 07 May 2014 at 13:42

6/10
Zebf
Tried on 05 May 2014 at 18:50

5.5/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 6
Refrigerated 0.5 L brown bottle poured into a weizen glass. Pours opaque deep burnt orange with big chunks of suspended yeast. Aroma is herbal hops, medium body, low carbonation, and pretty good medium bubble lacing. Taste is bread, grassy hops, grainy, yeasty, and bitter finish. Heavy, more like an american amber ale to me, no interest in having this again.
Tried from Bottle on 01 May 2014 at 17:18

6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
Small offwhite head. Hazy reddish amber body with visible particles. Strong perfumy cappucino and cinnamon aroma with earthy notes. Dry-sweet perfumy coffee taste with lavender notes. Mid-bodied. Mild, soft mouthfeel. Dryish perfumy lavender and milky coffee aftertaste with cinnamon notes. Not at all bad, but a bit one-dimensional. (0.5l bottle from wine monopoly, Vika, Oslo.)
Tried from Bottle on 01 May 2014 at 01:55

7.8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Half liter bottle from Wine Warehouse Charlottesville. Pours a hazy orange-amber color with a large foamy off-white head. Good head retention. Aroma of spicy hops, bready malt, yeast. The taste is bready malt, herbal, grassy hops, a faint bit of fruitiness. Medium bodied, high carbonation, dry, nice balance. Nice beer.
Tried from Bottle on 24 Apr 2014 at 22:56

7.9/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
500 ml bottle into lager glass, no bottle dating. Pours lightly hazy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a large amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of biscuit, cracker, toast, light caramel, pear, apple, floral, grass, pepper, light nuttiness, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of bready malt, earthy hop, and yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of biscuit, cracker, toast, nuttiness, light caramel, pear, apple, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Minimal earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of biscuit, cracker, toast, nuttiness, light caramel, pear, apple, herbal, floral, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and robustness of bready malt, earthy hop, and yeast ester flavors; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. A slight metallic note noticed on the finish, but not really detrimental to the flavor. Medium carbonation and body; with a smooth, moderately crisp, and lightly bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice steam beer style. All around good balance and robustness of bready malt, earthy hops, and yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried from Bottle on 22 Apr 2014 at 19:24

6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Pours cloudy orange with ok head and lacing. Some earthy, meat on the bones aroma. Muddy light bitter finish that comes off smooth. Tap at Pizzeria Paradiso Dupont.
Tried from Draft on 21 Apr 2014 at 08:34

6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
On tap at Backcountry Pizza. Pours black with medium beige head. The aroma is oak, roast, booze, and grain. Medium mouthfeel with strong wood, light tartness, with nice caramel malt. Good.
Tried from Draft on 12 Apr 2014 at 10:59

6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7
On tap @ Irreale. Strong brown colour, almost black, with an off-white hed that quickly diminishes. Aroma has notes of toasted malts and coffee woth slightly bourbon. Flavor is quite similar as aroma with a mild sourness and wooden traces. The final is roasted malts with coffee mouthfeel.
Tried from Draft on 11 Apr 2014 at 02:19