Went to Chicago, drank some beer #BskyBeer www.instagram.com/reel/DQ9W8pL...

The Design Museum of #Chicago has an exhibition about beer! 🍻 #BskyBeer

A very busy Saturday evening at Off Color Brewing in #Chicago 🇺🇸. Mainly Belgian-inspired/barrel aged stuff 😋 First up, their Apex Predator saison. #BskyBeer

Onwards in #Chicago 🇺🇸 to another bucket list beer destination: Hop Butcher 🤩🍻 #BskyBeer

Not a brewery I knew much about before today, until I did their excellent brewery tour: Chicago's Dovetail Brewery @dovetailbrewery.bsky.social. specialists in euro-style beers, particularly lagers. And they do them really well! #BskyBeer

Early start on the beering in #Chicago 🇺🇸 today. Kicking off at Begyle Brewing, with their 'Coffee Tough Guy', a dry nutty brown ale with coffee 😋 #BskyBeer

Next stop in #Chicago 🇺🇸 is All Rise Brewery, where this guest beer is going down very nicely thank you: 'Beer Here Now' from Illuminated Brew Works, a 7.5% DDH DIPA

Sometimes it's nice just to have a healthy non-alcoholic fruity seltzer 🤔😬😂 #BskyBeer

Onwards and upwards in #Chicago 🇺🇸, to the District Brew Yards. Interesting concept: 4 local breweries under one roof, and it's all self-pour #BskyBeer

Well that's no good is it 🙄 #BskyBeer

Well that was an excellent brewery tour at Goose Island. I've been on lots of brewery tours but that was probably the booziest. Plied with freebies throughout, including two pours of 2024 Bourbon County Stout in their barrel store 😲😍 #BskyBeer

More bucket list beering in #Chicago 🇺🇸: Goose Island Brewery. Currently enjoying their River Bird West Coast IPA while waiting for a brewery tour 🍻 #BskyBeer

Final #Chicago 🇺🇸 beer stop of the night is @maplewoodbrew.bsky.social. Another winner! First up, their Green Crest WCIPA, which packs a proper hop punch 👊, quickly followed by their Xmas Ale (my 3rd Christmas beer of the evening 😆) which has all the spices #BskyBeer

Onwards, to another solid #Chicago 🇺🇸 recommendation from @hopsandhoops.bsky.social: The Beer Temple. It is indeed a temple of beer. First up, because Christmas would indeed appear to be coming, is Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 🎄 #BskyBeer

Visiting the impressive Revolution Brewing taproom in #Chicago 🇺🇸 Kicking off with their superb Anti-Hero IPA 👊🍻 #BskyBeer

Another excellent #Chicago recommendation from @hopsandhoops.bsky.social: Hopleaf. Very impressive beer list (see bonus pics below). I'm having an Express Way IPA from @trilliumbrewing.bsky.social, 'cos I've never had draft Trillium before 👍 #BskyBeer

Just next door to Half Acre is Spiteful Brewing, where I enjoyed their Alley Time West Coast Pale and Turnstile Hopper West Coast IPA, both beers providing a proper hop slap 😋 #Chicago #BskyBeer

Bucket list beering in #Chicago: enjoying a Daisy Cutter in the @halfacrebeer.bsky.social taproom in #Chicago #BskyBeer

And the next beer stop in #Chicago 🇺🇸 is Clark Street Ale House, where I followed the advice of the neon: I stopped and I drank. And I drank Beachwood Amalgamator IPA and Three Floyds Robert The Bruce Scotch Ale. And they were both veeery good! #BskyBeer

Next beer stop in #Chicago 🇺🇸 is Centennial Crafted Beer, where the 'Neverbright' Fresh Hop Black IPA from Hidden Hand is as good as a BIPA gets, and where the 'Space Broccoli' from Other Half is DIPAtastic. #BskyBeer

Just arrived in #Chicago 🇺🇸 First beer stop is Crushed By Giants Brewing Company, where a flight is being flown. All 6 of their draught beers: Hazy IPA, Vienna Lager, Session IPA, NZ Pilsner, Hefeweizen, Dark Lager. All very solid offerings. #BskyBeer

Citro-tropicaloid dankness on the nose. Taste offers slurpy passionfruit and a limey orange pulpy bite. A very approachable, joose-led, ABV-defying DIPA from @durationbeer.bsky.social #BskyBeer

Yum! Pleasing aroma of white grapes and toasted apricot. Taste has a dry woody intro before developing a tangeriney juiciness and adding dried mango and white raisins. Finishes with a big impression of sparkling white wine. Saisonic delightfulness. #BskyBeer

Holy goat, this is a mighty scoop! Old skool piney marmalade on the nose. Taste has that bitter-sweet brown bready orangey grapefruit vibe. Nice dry finish. A little bit more sticky resin and an extra smack of bitterness would work for me, but this is a lovely slosh of West Coast DIPAness #BskyBeer

Fancypants lager. Aged in a used French oak white wine barrel. Aroma combines woody vanilla with an underlying rustic cerealism. The taste does likewise, while adding a subtle grapey tang. Finishes dry with a nice level of herbal bitterness to balance against the bready malts. Very good! #BskyBeer

Aroma is a Starburst nosebag. Taste is a citro-tropical soup, featuring soft ripe stone fruits, juicy citrus, and slurpy exotica. No hint of the ABV. For me, it’s a little two-dimensional, lacks depth and bitterness. But it’s a well-executed example of a modern easy-drinking UK NEIPA. #BskyBeer

Better than the regular version? BBR says Yes! Funkoid citric nosewaft. Taste has a sustained yeasty bite and provides notes of lemon, orange and pear with a peppery oversprinkle. Clean dry finish. Saisonic deliciousness. #BskyBeer

Aroma is lightly peppered, has some straw maltage, hints of orange. Those malts pervade the taste while there’s a juicy citroid hoppage and a light tropicalism. Branded as a Belgian IPA but is wide of the mark for me (too malty, not yeasty enough!). As a regular IPA it’s entirely decent. #BskyBeer

Yes I've got a new Instagram account, but don't get too excited www.instagram.com/insterpeterg...

Chocolate covered plummy raisins on the nose and in the gob. Soft mouthfeel, which enhances its glugability. Becomes more carameloid as it warms. Mild roasty dryness on the finish. Very pleasing Lithuanian Baltic Porterism. #BskyBeer

Pub Exterior Detail Of The Day The Low Lights Tavern, #NorthShields #BskyBeer

Aroma of saisonistic herbalism. Taste has plenty of pepperyness alongside a mild tropicality and a decent citric bitterness. Not getting much banana. Stylistically questionable (don’t offer it to a Bavarian!). But it’s über-quaffable and muchly enjoyable. Prost to @donzokobeer.bsky.social #BskyBeer

Aroma has grainy cerealistic florality, orange oil, and a waft of banana. Taste has chewy breadiness, rye spiceyness, marmaladey bitterness, and a tongue-clicking dryness in the finish. The ‘saison-inspired’ element is there but is hard to put your finger on. This is tasty, very tasty. #BskyBeer

Everyone loves pumpkin beers don’t they. Don’t they? 😆 Aroma has an initial spicy waftage, giving way to a deep dark choccy-coffeeness. Taste is very coffee-forward, and there’s a distinct creamy flavour too. The spices are there but are complementary rather than dominant. Decent stuff. #BskyBeer

Aroma shouts ‘harvest time’. Mouthfeel has a welcome softness. Taste has an initial malty sweetness before developing a herbalistic hop bitterness and providing a dry finish. Solid as hell(es). #BskyBeer

Oh this is lovely! Big overripe banana fumes on the nose, with a bonus whiff of burnt toffee. Which follows right on through to the taste. Squishy banana drizzled with toffee sauce. Develops a roasty coffeeness and some dark fruitage as it warms. Like a stout blended with a dunkelweizen. #BskyBeer

Aroma has mashed banana on toasted sourdough, with a drizzle of toffee sauce. Taste takes that mashed banana but puts it on a soft white bread sandwich and squirts it with lemon and orange, adding a light spicy sprinkle. Classical weizenism from the König. #BskyBeer

Floralistic white grapeyness on the nose. Taste has tangy citrus up front, then a subtle yeasty funk, quickly followed by a drying woodiness. So much going on here for only 3.4% ABV! But then you wouldn’t expect anything less from @burningskybeer.bsky.social #BskyBeer

This is me after a week in #Naples 🇮🇹 I reckon it might be time to go home 😆 #BskyBeer

Another #Naples 🇮🇹 supermarket mini-haul. These cost me a grand total of 6.87 Euros (£5.96), which shows how much we're getting ripped off in the UK. (Having said that, I haven't tasted them yet, they might all be shite 😂.) Watch this space... #BskyBeer

Aaaand next up in #Naples 🇮🇹 is Mosto Birra Artigianale & Distillati, which, after my experience in the previous bar as the only customer, is a real shock to the system - it's fkin heaving!! But the 8% Mosto Tripel (large glass - 500 ml I'm assuming - for 7 euros) is spot on 😋 #BskyBeer

Next up in #Naples 🇮🇹 is Il Birraiuolo, a nice little bar and bottle shop. I'm the only customer in here, and the barman doesn't speak English, but that's ok as I like to feel exclusive and unapproachable 😂. Enjoying this 'Contessa' IPA from Birra Amiata. #BskyBeer

Next up in #Naples 🇮🇹 is Blind Pig, a 'hideout drinkery'. I like it. Enjoying an extremely joosey 'How Much Hops Is Too Much Hops' hazy IPA from 50&50 Birrificio di Varese #BskyBeer

Sunday supping in #Naples 🇮🇹 Oak Wine & Beer. Cool bar. Nice relaxed vibe, and a decent selection. Half the punters are drinking beer, the other half are drinking wine, so this place seems to have got the balance right. Enjoying this 'Ecciu' IPA from Birrificio RentOn. #BskyBeer

Italian supermarket mini-haul 🍻 #Naples 🇮🇹 #BskyBeer

Next up is Jokr. A 'craft beer pub' with only 4 beers on tap. Hey ho. But we've all seen worse beer selections in places with 20+ taps. And it's mercifully quiet. Enjoying this 'Big One' APA from Birrificio Calibro 22. #Naples 🇮🇹 #BskyBeer

Moving on to Hoppy Ending, a small but perfectly formed bar and bottle shop. Slightly chaotic, but that could just be me, the gormless foreigner. Tucking into this Piggy Plunderer IPA from Denmark's Amager Bryghus (shame we don't see their excellent beers in the UK anymore!) #Naples 🇮🇹 #BskyBeer

Local #Naples 🇮🇹 craft brewers Mosto have a few bars dotted around the city. I found this one in the Vomero neighborhood. Very busy, but then it is a Friday night. Lots of Young People. A very decent beer selection. Enjoying this crisp refreshing saison on a balmy evening. #BskyBeer

When in #Naples 🇮🇹 Yes the beer is crap, but the pizza is 🤌😋 #BskyBeer

Accurate label alert! Aroma of a Twix multi-pack. Taste has a dark choccy richness, a black coffee bitterness, a caramelly sweetness, and a biscuity dryness. And it’s all very harmonious. Quality pastry stoutism from Croatia. #BskyBeer