Tonight, on my birthday, I thought to slip out for a little something to celebrate, but I had family at home who love me, of course. And besides, I have lots of local beers that I had purchased to review, and I should just pop one now.
51st Ward Beer Co., the offshoot from Whiskey Hill Brewing Co. (from back when it was Urban Legend, then Myths and Legends), has bottled Pill Hill, a rye porter brewed with Tahitian vanilla beans. It’s named, of course, for the small South Side neighborhood that became an affluent enclave for doctors from nearby South Chicago Community Hospital. It’s 6.4% abv, and contract brewed at Church Street Brewing Co. of Itasca.
The beer pours deep brown, nearly black, with a spongy brown head. The smell is a slightly “burnt” roast, but not overly strong, just a component of the malt at work. There’s a pretty sweet nose, too, aided by a tinge of vanilla.
The taste starts with a slightly thin mouthfeel. The main taste is more of a dry stout than a porter, which I suspect is the work of the rye malt The spiciness keeps the beer from getting too sweet, and even keeps the level of vanilla down. But I’ve got a 22-oz. bomber here, enough beer to build up some sticky malt on my lips. Perhaps if there was more sweetness, though, it might have given the vanilla a familiar taste, rather than the bitterness of a “raw” spice.
The full beer is a little brusque, probably as intended. I t is using ingredients one would expect to find in a higher-alcohol, barrel aged beer, which this is not.
