I confess I really don’t get out to the beer places or events I promote. Some of that is due to my decreased ability to hold my beer. Some is from not having the schedule availability. So it seems I’ve managed to make the time to drop in just as a place is closing down. It’s also how I refresh my wardrobe, at the going-out-of-business sales for Sears, Carson’s, etc.
And this past weekend, after some business at the county seat, I managed to swing by Dry City Brew Works in downtown Wheaton. Perhaps you’ve heard that they will be closing down on February 25 with a “Drain the Tanks” celebration (though they could hold on until all the beer is gone). Right until the end, they are keeping up with their schedule: Open Mic on Wednesday (7-9pm), Trivia on Thursday (7-9), live music on Friday and Saturday. Maybe they’ll put a hold on the Saturday board games.
It seems that once again, I’m sorry I haven’t visited this spot before. It’s got a great funky vibe, with spaces cleverly carved out for live performances, and more decorative tchotchkes than a Cracker Barrel. And since their founding in 2014, they’ve been an established “Safe Space” for the LGBTQIA+ crowd, who might feel less than welcome in the city that Billy Graham built. Though it’s quite possible they’re not the only ones in town. And like Temperance Brewing in Evanston, Dry City gewts its name from history: the village of Wheaton prohibited the sale of alcohol in 1887, covering all restaurants and markets. The ban was not lifted until 1985.
I picked out four of their nine beers on tap. They only happened to have one IPA on tap, and it wasn’t some hazy or dessert IPA either. A nice change of pace.
Chatted with some of the other patrons, and with the bartender. I probably oughtn’t identify her because she was not one of the principals of the place. She said, that Dry City always had trouble being found, as it’s in a busy downtown area with many more restaurants, and with very crowded downtown parking. I observed that their brewing area had three or so fermentation tanks behind the bar, which can leave very little room for expansion. Though they had a main entrance facing Main street, most patrons find their way in from the alleyway.
But let me talk about the beer, perhaps to suggest you might want to get some of your own.
Rye Jacked
Rye IPA using hops exclusive to the Pacific Northwest. 6.7% abv
My taster displayed a thick brownish-amber color, with a thin head. A nice spicy smell, with sweetness and a bit of malt. Lovely rye beer taste, with hops providing a second component. Slightly fruity ale note adds to the complexity. Hop bitterness kept building with each sip.
New Year’s Resolution
Vanilla Porter. 4.2% abv
Stouty black, a small ring of foam that’s still there in my 2nd taster. The nose is more of a Vanilla Coca-Cola. But first in the taste is a very roasty malt, making the vanilla have a hard time being felt. After a few sips have been swirled on my palate, it comes together a little better.
Sol de Noche
Spicy Mexican hot chocolate stout. 3.4% abv
Fair warning. I’ll always make room on my tray for a chile beer. Black with a persistent thin ring of foam. At fitst, there’s a mild malt nose. But the taste BANGS with hot pepper. This “spicy” is all heat., with no way to find the veggie pepper taste. But that’s all right if you’re a chile head. Heat is strong enough to knock out any hope of a chocolate taste.
Stout-Man
Imperial Stout. 10.5% abv
Black body of course, with thin ring of tan foam remaining at the end of my flight. Mild stouty malt nose does not bring in much alcohol. The taste is mellow stout with a bit of, um, marshmallow. Roasty malt still comes up. Simply made stout with little alcohol burn.
I recommend stopping by this week. See what beers are left. Buy some branded pint glasses or crowlers. And toast a happy space that may one day return in some other form.
