Emily tries craft beers: a thread (will add updates when I remember to)

This journey only began because I've been looking for a specific flavor from a Chicago brewery, I had a taste of it earlier this year but I suspect I haven't been able to find it because it's seasonal (it was Pipeworks Horchata Ale)

I'm not really a beer fan but I remember it being a good balance between sweet and beer-y, and I like horchata flavored stuff so I wanted a whole can to myself this time (sidenote: if u have a good horchata recipe please send it my way!)

So since I couldn't find the horchata ale I browsed the local shelf and landed on Orion's Milk Stout bc it touted a chocolatey aftertaste. The first few sips I got it and then it was really beer-y up until the last can in the 4 pack and I could def pick up the milk chocolate-

-notes for the entire duration of the can. Maybe a flavor to revisit later as I develop my beer palate.

Next up: I'm on my first can of Pipeworks Pipetopia, an ale with kiwi and strawberries. If you're more of a wine cooler or mixed drink person like I am and want to get into beer, this one's a good segue. The fruit flavors are right there in the front of the taste and there's-

-a nice level of sweetness. Not too sweet, not too bitter. The fruit flavor kind of sandwiches the ale flavor, it goes fruit-ale-fruit but it's still blended nicely. I'd buy this again.

If you have an Illinois/Midwest brew you'd like to recommend, lemme know! I'll add to this thread when I try new flavors.

Tonight's brew: Acid Test from Around the Bend Beer Co. Very fruity! I think this is my favorite so far, actually. Peach and ginger flavor. There's no bitter beer-y taste so this is another nice one for my homies who prefer wine coolers. I could chug this one (lol but I won't)

I was trying to figure out what the taste reminds me of and I figured it out. Since it's fermented peach and ginger it tastes like kombucha! So if you're a 'booch drinker you'll like this one!

Okay I know I said the last one was my favorite so far but I might have a new favorite: "Bear-ie White" from Short Fuse. They're based out of Schiller Park IL. There's a light beer-y taste but I don't mind bc the gummy bear taste on the front end is very pleasant.

Like, the gummy bear taste is THERE and you can tell what it is bc of the light sweetness, but it's not so overly sweet that it steps into wine cooler territory

Candi Crushable from 18th Street Brewery in Hammond, IN. "Pale ale with lactose sugar added." A little more bitter than the previous beer in this thread, so I'm kinda iffy about it. Probably another to revisit after my palate develops.