Chicagoist's Beer of the Week: Begyle Brewing/Aleman 'Always Bet on Black'

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Jun 14, 2013 8:35PM

Now that it finally looks like summer might stick around for more than a few days at a time, a lot of the beers we review here over the next couple months are probably going to be more appropriate for summer consumption. That being said, we tasted a dark beer this week that we really liked, and felt the need to squeeze in before swimsuit season.

"Always Bet on Black" is a Black Saison that was brewed at Begyle Brewing Co. in collaboration with budding brewery, Aleman. There's a pleasant hint of burnt caramel on the nose along with some robust notes of heavily roasted malt. Those aromas translate very well to the palate, where those big, roasty tones are balanced with a little smokiness and a touch of fleshy fruit from the yeast strain, we picked up something along the lines of grilled pineapple. At 7.5 percent alcohol content, Always Bet on Black drinks pretty full-bodied and maybe a little boozy, but we enjoyed it regardless of the fact that it's probably a little heavier than something we would usually drink in June.

If you're going to pair it with food, Always Bet on Black would be great with most meats that come off of the grill, especially if they have been prepared with a rich marinade or sauce. Whether it's a rack of lamb or a rack of baby back ribs, you'd be in a pretty good place either way. What we really like about this beer, though, is that it could take you straight through the meal and right into a dessert course. It would pair very well with chocolate, especially if the chocolate dish were more bittersweet, and it would probably even hold up to a lot of different fruit pies, as long as they were sweeter, and especially if they were made with dark berries.

Always Bet on Black is a very limited release, so be sure to check beermenus.com to see where you can find it this weekend.