There have been two new breweries opening in Illinois in the last few weeks. We visited with Fox Republic in the last episode, and this week we focus on the one that opened just a week before, Sundial Brewing and Blending.
Co-owners/brewers, Mike DeMalpartida and lan Swanson, together with co-owner Diana Carlini, have taken over the space previously occupied by Flesk Brewing, in Barrington’s Icehouse Mall. There they are producing some exceptional beers using blending, barreling, and fermentation methods which are not your ‘standard’ styles, even though you will find a pils and a hazy on the taplist. By the way, that hazy is called a farmhouse IPA, as their twist is to use a Belgian yeast.
In our conversation we talk about how they came to start this venture, their approach to the styles they are producing, and the challenges they will face in storing and stacking their barrels. As we continue chatting it becomes more apparent that these guys really know how to produce the beers, using their experiences from home-brewing, and in the restaurant industry to understand what flavors can be obtained using a variety of different adjuncts. For example, their wit has the addition of coriander but also is changed up by using a citrus tea, making the result a wonderfully refreshing beer.
We are excited about Sundial, and highly recommend a visit to sample their brews. Tell them The Brit sent you! Cheers!
Beers Sampled:
- Wit, Farmhouse Wheat Beer with citrus tea and coriander 5.2% ABV
- Posh & Dodgy, Farmhouse Dark Mild fermented and aged in oak barrels, 4.5% ABV
- Field Stone, Farmhouse IPA, 6.7% ABV
- Dolce Far Niente, Port barrel aged Imperial Stout, 15% ABV
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