Church Street Brewing Company - Devil's Advocate Ale

Devil's Advocate is Church Street's very competent take on the Belgian Strong Golden Ale, a style benchmarked by the famous Flemish beer, Duvel. In fact, Church Street uses Duvel's yeast strain to produce Devil's Advocate, and to good effect we might add. Bright and hazy golden in the glass topped by a robust head of foam, this ale offers up plenty of aromatic fireworks. Along with some stone fruit notes and a touch of cotton candy, look for spicy & herbal hop notes to meld nicely into phenolic peppery and clove-like yeasty aromas. On the palate, this brew is very round and smooth. There's a lot of malt here (2000 lbs of Pilsen per batch), and the moderate level of residual sweetness is complexly balanced not only by the hop spice & bitterness, but by those spicy phenols contributed by the very active Duvel yeast. 500 lbs of Belgian candi sugar and cane sugar per batch helps fuel the yeast, which not only amplifies the fruity ester and spicy phenol levels, it drives up the alcohol content, which contributes a bit more balancing bite while also thinning the body of what would otherwise be a super dense brew. Enjoy this devilish brew on its own or paired with bold foods that won't be overpowered. A snack of strong cheeses, including blues, is worth considering, along with spicy kebabs, various Indian dishes, and bitter veggies like asparagus. Cheers!

Church Street Brewing Company was founded in Chicago's western suburb of Itasca in 2012 by Joe & Lisa Gregor. Joe, a chemical engineer, had spent much of his professional life traveling throughout Europe and, naturally, sampling the continent's amazing beers. His interest eventually went beyond simply enjoying the finished product; his scientific mind became interested in the varied techniques brewers use to craft their beers. At the suggestion of his eldest son, Joe began homebrewing, a hobby which, as it so often does, led him to the decision to launch his own brewery.

The Gregors acquired an 8,300 square foot facility to serve as their brewhouse, into which they installed a 30-barrel brewing system – an ambitious size for a brand new brewery. Using traditional brewing techniques like the tricky and time-intensive German method of decoction mashing, Church Street produces a wide array of true-to-style European-style beers, with an emphasis on German lager styles like pilsner, helles lager, doppelbock, and more, but also varied ale styles like Irish red ale, Scottish ale, and Belgian strong golden ale. For more info on the brewery, their Tap Room, or their free tours, call 'em up at 630-438-5725 or visit www.churchstreetbrew.com.