I’m a bit shocked that they so easily dismissed the brewpubs in the Chicago area. A lot of these breweries, like Flossmoor Restaurant/Brewery, sell to regional distributors as well as their own pubs. These people are just as influential in spreading craft beer culture as their production focused counterparts.

Kudos to WTTW for getting the word out, though.

Baume’ is Half Acre Beer’s first brew in their new digs at 4257 N Lincoln Ave. They moved in last October, but were finally set up to produce beer earlier this year. According to Half Acre’s blog, they tapped the Baume chocolate rye stout on April 22. We’ll, let’s do it:

Smell (1.6): This has a good chocolate smell to it, though compared to the Goose Island stout I sampled last week, it’s a bit lighter on the nose. There’s not much complexity behind the chocolate and roasted smell, but sometimes simplicity is also enjoyable.

Color(1.8): Another good black stout. The head is a also thin, but can leave rings.

Drinks (3.8): This stout feels light when drinking and thinly coats the mouth. Their is a rough flavor of roasted grains that tastes somewhat like Guinness. Still, this beer is more drinkable and would pair well with heavier foods.

Incidentals (1): I like the bottle design, and as the first beer from a new brewery, you feel like your sipping history.

Notes on rating: I use a 10 point system. 5 points for drink, 2 for smell and color, and 1 for “incidentals” which include  cost, packaging and my general mood after drinking it.