Chicagoist's Beer of the Week: Tyranena's 'Sheep Shagger' Scotch Ale

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Jan 25, 2013 7:25PM

This week, temperatures dipped down into the single digits, only to rise a bit to let it snow. Luckily, we found just the thing to warm us up.

Sheep Shagger is Tyranena Brewing's version of a Scotch Ale. It pours a beautiful ruby-amber in the glass, with notes of bready malts and caramel on the nose. On the palate, those bready malts are incredibly round and juicy and that caramel becomes very prominent and absolutely delectable. Underneath the surface, we also get flavors of naval orange and honey-glazed walnuts with a hint of ginger and a touch of earthy bitterness on the finish from the hops. At 7.7 percent alcohol content, the Sheep Shagger is full-bodied, but dangerously smooth. If the name puts you off a bit, the story on the label assures us that to shag means to retrieve, as in, to retrieve a sheep for shearing.

If you're going to try the Sheep Shagger with food, you'd do well to try it with some roast poultry, especially if you're going to be enjoying a game bird like pheasant or quail. You might do better to try it with something heartier, like lamb chops or even venison. Because of the subdued hop profile, you'll probably want to stay away from anything too spicy. You will, however, do just fine with foods that have sweeter, richer sauces, or almost anything that's cream based. Don't forget about dessert either. Creme brulee? Yes please!

Try Sheep Shagger at The Bad Apple in Lincoln Square, or pick up a six pack at Bottles and Cans, which we featured last week.