Beer Of The Week: Revolution Brewing's Local Hero
By Jason Baldacci in Food on Nov 29, 2013 8:45PM
If you're crazy enough to be out shopping on this Black Friday, let us take this opportunity to remind you that beer, wine and spirits all make fantastic gifts for your loved ones that are of-age. Taking this route also gives you the chance to support small local businesses. We tasted one beer this week that we would gladly pick up for the beer lovers in our family.
Local Hero is the latest IPA from Revolution Brewing Company. It pours a deep golden to light amber color in the glass and we picked up some very prevalent floral and piney notes on the nose. On the palate there's a big burst of citrus tones, both pithe and juice, that hit right up front and stay strong through the mid-palate until we get to a very floral finish. Revolution used centennial, cascade, chinook and nugget hops to make Local Hero, so saying that it's hop-forward is a bit of an understatement. Despite the incredible hoppiness the beer is wonderfully balanced. The malts used make for a very juicy mouthfeel and lend just enough sweetness to let those hops shine through. At 6.5% alcohol content, Local Hero is a hop-lover's dream that won't put you out of commission if you tip a couple back in one sitting.
Most of the hops grown in America come from the Pacific Northwest, but the hops used in Local Hero all came from Hop Head Farms in Hickory Corners, Michigan. They started out as a test plot in 2007 and in 2012 they launched a full scale operation growing five main hop varietals with several more either in production or in the trial phase. If you're looking to learn more about hops in general and as an ingredient in beer, the information on their website is some of the best we've found compiled in one place. You can even order hops directly from their website if you have a homebrewer in the family.
Local Hero is available on draft and in 22oz bomber bottles. Check beermenus.com to see who has it in stock this weekend or pop by the Revolution Brewpub on Milwaukee Ave or the Taproom on Kedzie to pick up a growler.