Don’t know about you, but I’m ready for winter to be over. It’s cold, it’s still to early to countdown to Spring Training, the Bears are gone, the hawks are doing all right but the playoffs aren’t for months. I’m popping open a summer beer.
Cahoots Brewery has been around for about two years, largely as a “gypsy brewer”. They have mainly made beer as guests at other breweries, or their brewers, Dustin Adkison, Lucas Moser, and Ryan Merritt, have done collaborations with those brewers. This arrangement means their output has not been too regular. While their web presence has not been updated lately, it does indicate plans to build a taproom in Oak Park. Their beer portfolio ranges across the style map, from a light, sour Berliner weiss to imperial stouts and barley wines, either straight or barrel aged.
If Cahoots had a flagship “regular” beer, it would be Krule Summer, which they brewed at Church Street Brewing Co. This is a Kölsch style ale, meaning it has a grain bill similar to a light German lager, but is fermented warm with ale yeast, and then lagered cold to finish clean. We have to say “Kölsch style” because a “true” Kölsch is an appellation for beers from brewers in Cologne (Köln), Germany.
I bought this beer in a 22 oz. bomber bottle at Angelo Caputo’s, for $5.99. This pours with the slightly salty nose of a German lager, then the slight spice of German hops. I have not mastered pouring into a “Stenge” glass for Kölsch beers, so I’ve kicked up a lot of foam. Okay, it helps waft the smell better. There is a slight fruity ester in the taste, but it’s also pretty dry overall. This beer seems to stay with a German hop bill for a bit more spice and pepper. This has 5.2% abv, a bit more than the average Kölsch, and what feels like more hops. It finishes nice and clean with just a bit of an aftertaste. Put this one alongside Goose Island’s Summertime, or Metropolitan’s Kränkshaft.
This bottle was a holdover from last year that I just now got to, but it’s kept itself very well. It may not seem like it now, but these beers will be reappearing soon on store shelves. Start picking these up and brighten your fridge with signs of summer.
