Chicagoist's Beer Of The Week: 4 Hands Contact High

By Jason Baldacci in Food on May 16, 2014 7:30PM

St. Louis found its way onto our best weekend getaways list a couple weeks back, but if you don't have time for the five-hour drive south, we just got a line on a great little piece of St. Louis that's made its way to Chicago.

Contact High is a hop-driven wheat beer from 4 Hands Brewing Co that's made with fresh orange zest. It pours a fiery orange color in the glass and the aroma pops profoundly with big notes of pine and navel orange. On the palate, the citrus kicks in right up front, but the hops dominate the mid-palate and ride high through the finish. The overall hop profile is incredibly earthy and herbal, with just enough citrus to help bring the fresh orange zest into play. The wheat in the grain bill keeps the body relatively creamy and light, while adding just a touch of malty sweetness to balance the hop bitterness. At 5 percent alcohol content, Contact High is a dream for any hop lover who's looking for a new warm weather beer.

Pairing hop-forward beers with food is always a challenge, but we feel there are some good possibilities with Contact High when you lean on some of the other things happening in the beer's flavor profile. You could do very well with spicy food, whether it's Thai noodles or chicken wings. You could also step up your poultry game with some sort of roasted bird, but make sure to put some emphasis on herbs to play off of the hop profile, and don't use any sauce that's too rich. This would be wonderful with tacos, especially if they come with a spicy, fruit salsa.

Check beermenus.com to see where you can find Contact High this weekend.