The Year in Beer

Name: Chi-Town Pier Pale Ale

Brewer: Chicago Beer Company, Chicago, Ill. (Contract-brewed at Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, Wis.)

By the numbers: About 170 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume

Notes: I picked this beer up as part of a mixed six-pack near the end of 2011 and just kind of let it sit in the refrigerator for a while. I wasn’t expecting much and feared this was one of those contract-brew beers (like Berghoff) that was simply trying to cash in on the Chicago mystique. I poured it into a pint glass and it was a golden color with almost no head. The aroma was grassy with a bit of citrus. The taste was light, more so than your typical pale ale, with a dose of Cascade hops to spice up the back end of the flavor. It was a pretty easy-drinking mild-mannered beer.

Try it with: A love of Chicago, I guess. Chicago Beer named this one after the famed Navy Pier tourist attraction, while its flagship brew is Windy City Wheat and they also make a Lake Shore Lager. So they are trying to strongly associate themselves with Chicago to market the beer. Of course, those in the know will know that the king of Chicago brewers is Goose Island.

    — Posted by Mike Freimann