Chicagoist's Beer of the Week: Greenbush Brewing's 'Distorter'

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Nov 2, 2012 7:20PM

Well, it's November, and while the sun may be shining today, the weather isn't getting any warmer. We're already getting emails from various online retailers about their Black Friday sales, so the only thing left to do at this point is hunker down with a nice, dark beer.

The good folks at Greenbush Brewing describe their 'Distorter' as a "stout-ish porter with a touch of porter-ish stout." We describe it as damn tasty. The beer has layers of heavy roasted tones and deep, complex malts. We get hints of blueberry, bitter cocoa nib, and a touch of burnt sugar that leads to a long, smoky finish. There's a slight caramelization in the malt that plays off the roast and smoke, and some earthy hops to balance everything out. At 7.2 percent alcohol content, 'Distorter' is full-bodied, full-flavored, and just might hold the answers to all of life's problems somewhere.

When it comes to food, dark beers are more promiscuous than you would think. They're obviously a dead ringer for chocolatey desserts, but they also do very well with grilled meats, especially gamey ones. One of the best things to eat with porters and stouts, though, are oysters. This pairing hasn't really caught on in America, but the Irish have been enjoying it for hundreds of years. If you're going to try it with 'Distorter,' we'd say the brinier the better. If all else fails, just enjoy a pint next to a couple fingers of Scotch.

Try 'Distorter' on tap at the newly opened Carriage House in Wicker Park, where Chef Mark Steuer has a dish on the menu called the "Lowcountry Oyster Roast." Need we say more?

Greenbush beers are draft only in Chicago for now, but we're hoping to see bottles in 2013. They do sell limited amounts of bottles at their beautiful brewery, which is only an hour and a half away from the city.