Rock Bottom Chicago Blitzen Ale

Brewed by Rock Bottom Chicago
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Served as a sticky, copper-bodied brew with a thin, tan film. Banana shows in aroma and flavor with an obviously high ABV. This one is sticky and warming with a ton of fruity yeasts and esters. Definitely a "slow sipper".

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chicag Bottom, Chicago, IL 60610<font size=-1>

Some wheat in the nose; smells like an American or Belgian strong. No visible carbonation. Excellent lace. Good Belgian Strong. Sweet with high alcohol profile. I really like this brew, but am guessing it wont score overly well in style percentile.

Chicago. Translucent pale yellow-gold in color with a solid, thin, icy white splotch that covers the head. Aroma digresses with pears, bananas, cloves, linen sheets, golden sweet corn juice and lemons still in the skin, begging to be opened but patient being holed-up. Flavor spins a wonderful 180. Potato bread with fresh flour spatterings cake the mouth. Buttery yeast phenols team with coriander and buttered-rum pudding. Maybe it’d be cloying in my early craft beer days, but this baby’s Stille Nacht nature is basking in glory. Oily, thick, chewy, blanketed palate. Spicy dimension, yet everything’s in harmony, finishing with sweet potatoes, clover, coriander and fresh baguettes. Damn, this brewery is at the head of the class.

A dark orange color with a quick diminishing head. Smells like sweet dark fruit. Flavor has a fruity and spicey kick followed by a slight alcohol punch. The subtle flavors melded well together which doesn’t make anything offensive in this brew. The palate was fairly light and drinkable.

A striking looking drink in its goblet, golden orange with a lofty, creamy head. The aroma is quite sweet, very fruity - orange, banana, cherry - with spices and alcohol. The fruits are there in the taste, along with cloves and a peppery spiciness. And alcohol. This finishes on a sticky, swweet alcoholic note. A friendly, warming Belgian strong ale.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Bottom Chicago, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Orange with a white head. Aroma was almost identical to bubble yum original bubble gum. The taste was RIDICULOUSLY sweet, almost like pure sugar. I felt like I was drinking the liquid form of bubble gum before it hardens. Nasty beer.

Pours hazy golden with a white head. Immediately the aroma smacks the nasal palate, VERY estery- lots of bananas and cloves. Flavor is a bit strong for my liking. There are just too many esters- they completely overwhelm any hop or malt flavors that could be present. Decent beer. VERY flavorful, VERY unbalanced.

served in a huge, thick, glass goblet and at just the right cool temp. described by the bartender as a 12% belgian strong ale. and this is delicious. my friend noted that it reminds him of a tamed The Beast. in an odd sense i thought of it as a heavily doctored wheat because of some banana and spiciness. it’s also sweet and full (i didn’t think this was thin at all) but not cloying and chewy, cremey palate, and just filled with alcohol. this stuff got me silly.