Adventures in Beer Tasting: Half Acre Brewery

I'm sure many of you in the Chicago area have had a Daisy Cutter or twenty.

Half Acre makes some pretty delicious beers. I had gone with my friend Danielle and tried a few beers in their brewery store. And when I took that first sip of Taco Day, I was in love.

Their creative brews with stellar artwork (by local artist Phineas Jones) were things that kept drawing me into this place. And on top of that, their staff was a blast. I noticed that they offered tours, so I put it on my list of things to do.
Having a birthday in January doesn't lend itself well to having a unique celebration. My family always likes to come into town to help me celebrate, and this year, I wanted to do something different than the usual dinner/drinks. Tours at Half Acre are at 11am Saturday mornings, allowing 60 people and costs $10. People start lining up outside the brewery at 10am, so I wanted to make sure we'd get there and were guaranteed to go on the tour.

You enter into a large garage, which essentially is the brewery, and they give you three bottle caps, each good for one pint. YES, one pint! No little tasters here! Very much worth it, and you can keep your pint glass. 

As I said before, the staff was fun and engaging. The tour was an hour and a half, really informal, and my family had a blast. One word of advice, do have a good breakfast before you come, or you'll end up like this (see left).

A new update since going on the brewery tour, they've added a larger tasting room, which is great to place to relax, spend a few hours and have some flavorful beers. 
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A few favorites from here*:
Alpenglow Winter Dark Ale: This winter glider is a concept reserved for the haul, the long push, the times when the day extends into the night. Roast punch and hop slice make this black ale your solution to winter sessions. 5% ABV.

Chocolate Camaro Stout: Coco richness and lactose silk surround roasty notes to offer this stout a firm stance. 6% ABV.

The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game Lightly Smoked Spiced Ale: We blended smoked malts with caraway, laurel, and rosemary for an aromatic feast of an ale. The end result is herb-heavy, in both the nose and taste. This complex beast of a beer pairs great with food of all sorts. 5.5% ABV.

*All descriptions taken from Half Acre