Chicagoist's Beer Of The Week: Furthermore's Knot Stock

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Feb 15, 2013 9:40PM

Earlier this week, we wrote about Furthermore Beer launching in Chicago. This should be some very exciting news to local beer nerds (ourselves included) who make a point of picking up a six pack (or a case) of their fabled Knot Stock every time we visit Wisconsin. For those who haven't had the pleasure of tasting Knot Stock yet, allow us to enlighten you.

Knot Stock is Furthermore's American Pale Ale that they brew with black pepper. Before you start to make an assumption about what black pepper might do to a beer, let us just assure you that it's delicious. We're not saying that you should go cracking black pepper into all of your favorite beers to see what happens, but it's good to keep an open mind. Knot Stock pours a beautiful, copper-amber in the glass, and we pick up floral hops and notes of melon on the nose right away. There's a touch of nutty caramelization from the malt and some restrained fruits right up front with the first sip, but those hops really take over on the finish. The finish is long, dry, and spicy, with that black pepper lingering prominently. At 5.5 percent alcohol content, we feel like we're only going to enjoy 'Knot Stock' more and more as we move into Spring.

With food, the possibilities for great pairings are pretty vast. Knot Stock practically screams for grilled meats, with that hint of malty sweetness and the black pepper, but it would most likely stand up to a roast just fine if it had to. We don't normally go for a hoppy beer with a salad course, but this would probably be wonderful with a variation on a caesar, especially if there were actually anchovies in the dressing. The only course that might prove difficult is dessert, as we don't really see Knot Stock working too well with anything that's sweet, except for nut brittle.

Furthermore had their launch party at High Dive in Ukranian Village on Wednesday night, so we'd recommend starting there to have your first pint in Chicago.