The Best Places To Buy Solemn Oath Beer

Solemn Oath Brewery is located in Naperville, IL, and offers a wide range of beers, including IPAs, stouts, ales, and more. Their beers are available for purchase at their taproom in Naperville, as well as at various bars and restaurants in the Chicagoland area. You can also find their beers at select craft beer retailers, such as Beer on the Wall in Arlington Heights, IL. Additionally, their website and third-party sites like BeerMenus and Untappd can provide more specific information on where to buy their beers near you.

Solemn Oath Brewery's location

Solemn Oath Brewery is located in Naperville, Illinois, United States. The exact address is 1661 Quincy Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540.

The brewery was established in 2012 by brothers John and Joe Barley, along with Tim Marshall, who had experience with Belgian-style beers and barrel aging. They chose Naperville as their base because it had a large population and an underdeveloped local craft beer supply. The city council worked with the brewery to craft a new liquor licence classification, allowing Solemn Oath to operate as a production brewery with an on-site taproom.

The brewery has a 15-barrel Premier Stainless three-vessel system and 105 barrels of fermentation, giving it a production capacity of about 2,000 barrels per year. An expansion in 2013 added 60 more barrels of fermentation capacity, bringing the annual volume capacity to about 3,200 barrels.

Solemn Oath Brewery distributes its beers through Windy City Distribution and has a taproom in Naperville.

Beer varieties and their ABV

Beer is one of the most widely consumed alcoholic beverages in the world, with a variety of styles and flavours to choose from. The two main categories of beer are ales and lagers, differentiated by their brewing temperatures and types of yeast used. Ales are brewed at warmer temperatures, resulting in a faster fermentation process and a more complex flavour profile. Lagers, on the other hand, are brewed at cooler temperatures, yielding a smoother and more refreshing beverage.

When it comes to beer varieties and their ABV (alcohol by volume), there is a wide range to choose from, catering to different preferences and occasions. Light beers typically have an ABV of around 3%, while stronger brews can exceed 10% ABV. Here is an overview of some popular beer styles and their ABV ranges:

IPAs (India Pale Ales)

IPAs are known for their bold hop flavours and aromas, with a distinct bitter, floral, citrus, or piney taste. The American IPA often has a higher alcohol content and more bitterness than its English counterpart. Double IPAs, or Imperial IPAs, have an even higher ABV and a more complex flavour profile. New England IPAs are characterised by their hazy appearance, low bitterness, and intense hop aroma.

IPAs ABV range: 4.5-10%

Example IPA brands: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny the Elder, Goose Island India Pale Ale

Stouts

Stouts are dark, rich beers with robust flavours and a creamy mouthfeel. Irish dry stout, made popular by Guinness, features a cascading effect in the glass and dry, roasted malt flavours. Oatmeal stouts, brewed with oats, have a smooth and silky mouthfeel with notes of roasted coffee and chocolate. Imperial stouts have a high ABV, rich malt flavours, and complex aromas, often featuring dark fruits and bittersweet chocolate.

Stouts ABV range: 4.2-12%

Example stout brands: Guinness Draught, Troegs JavaHead Stout, Stoudts Fat Dog Imperial Stout

Porters

Porters are dark and robust beers, similar to stouts but with a less intense flavour profile. They often feature notes of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. American Imperial Porters have a higher ABV and intense flavours, including roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee. English Brown Porters have a more moderate flavour profile and are smoother and easier to drink.

Porters ABV range: 4.5-12%

Example porter brands: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Porter, Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale, Smuttynose Robust Porter

Pilsners

Pilsners are light, crisp lagers with a clean, refreshing taste and a golden colour. The classic American lager is a type of pilsner widely consumed in the United States. German Pilsners, or pils, are known for their pale golden colour and floral hop aroma. Czech or Bohemian Pilsners have a rich malt character and a spicy hop aroma.

Pilsners ABV range: 3.2-5.6%

Example pilsner brands: Budweiser, Troegs Sunshine Pils, Dogfish Head Piercing Pils

Wheat Beers

Wheat beers are made using wheat as the malt, giving them a refreshing and crisp taste. American pale wheat beer is light and easy to drink, with a mild hop bitterness and subtle wheat flavour. Berliner Weisse is a traditional German wheat beer that is low in alcohol content and often served with flavoured syrup. Hefeweizen is another German wheat beer variety, known for its cloudy appearance, full body, and effervescent carbonation.

Wheat beers ABV range: 2.8-5.6%

Example wheat beer brands: Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat, Freetail Brewing Company Yo Soy Un Berliner, Magic Hat Circus Boy

Pale Ales

Pale ales offer a balanced mix of hoppy bitterness and malt sweetness. American pale ales are hop-forward, while English pale ales have a more balanced profile. Blonde ales are a lighter and more delicate version of pale ales, characterised by their crisp, clean flavours and pale golden colour.

Pale ales ABV range: 4-5.5%

Example pale ale brands: Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale, Victory Brewing Company Summer Love, Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale

These are just a few examples of the many beer varieties available, each with its unique flavour, aroma, and ABV. Beer lovers can explore a diverse range of options to suit their preferences, from light and crisp lagers to bold and complex stouts.

Beer varieties and their tasting notes

Beer is a versatile beverage, with hundreds of documented styles and unique characteristics. The art of tasting and describing beer is a skill that can be approached in multiple ways, ranging from direct and analytical to creative and subjective. Here is a guide to some popular beer varieties and their tasting notes:

English Pale Ales

English Pale Ales are known for their prominent hop bitterness, flavour, and aroma. They typically exhibit a medium body and low maltiness, with fruity and estery flavours and aromas. Dry-hopping is a common technique used in this style, enhancing the hop character. Examples include Honker's Ale by Goose Island and London Pride by Fuller's.

American Pale Ales

American Pale Ales range from gold to light copper in colour, with high hop bitterness, flavour, and aroma. They are slightly less malty than their English counterparts, but still possess a strong fruity-ester character. Notable examples include Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Mirror Pond Pale Ale by Deschutes Brewing.

Belgian Pale Ales

Belgian Pale Ales share similarities with other pale ales but stand out with their spicy and aromatic profiles attributed to the malt and yeast. They have a noticeable but lower level of hop bitterness, flavour, and aroma compared to the other pale ales. An example is De Koninick by De Koninick, Belgium.

India Pale Ales (IPAs)

IPAs, or India Pale Ales, are known for their high alcohol content, full flavour, and intense hop bitterness. They have a medium maltiness and body, making them a well-rounded and flavourful option. Notable IPAs include 90 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

American Amber Ales (Red Ales)

American Amber Ales, also known as Red Ales, range from copper to light brown in colour. They are defined by their malt character, with a medium to high maltiness and a distinct caramel note. Examples of well-crafted Red Ales include Red Seal Ale by North Coast Brewing and Fat Tire Amber Ale by New Belgium.

Scotch Ales

Scotch Ales are lightly hopped and characterised by their maltiness and full body. They often have a sweet and robust flavour profile. Notable examples include Claymore Scotch Ale by Great Divide Brewing Company and Saranac Scotch Ale by The Matt Brewing Company.

English Brown Ales

English Brown Ales present a deep copper to brown colour, with a dry to sweet maltiness and mild hops. They often exhibit nutty characteristics and a smooth, easy-drinking profile. Popular choices include Newcastle Brown Ale and Nut Brown Ale by Samuel Smith's Brewing.

American Brown Ales

American Brown Ales are similar to their English counterparts but with a more prominent hop presence, showcasing a stronger hop aroma and increased bitterness. Notable examples include Indian Brown Ale by Dogfish Head and Brooklyn Brown by Brooklyn Brewing.

German-style Brown/Dusseldorf-style Alt Bier

These beers are well-balanced, crisp, and flavourful, with noticeable fruitiness and bitterness. They may be highly hopped, contributing to a prominent malty flavour. Examples include Long Trail Double Bag by Long Trail Brewing Company and Ten Years Alt by Victory Brewing Company.

Lagers

Lagers are typically served chilled and are known for their crisp, refreshing character. They have a clean, smooth flavour profile and are often light in colour. Common examples include pilsners and Helles-style lagers.

Stouts

Stouts are characterised by their dark colour and robust flavours. They often have notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee, with a creamy mouthfeel. Irish dry stouts, such as Guinness Draught, are particularly well-known for their smooth and creamy texture.

Porters

Porters are similar to stouts but tend to be less bitter and have a sweeter, biscuity flavour. They still possess the dark chocolate and coffee notes found in stouts but with a slightly lighter profile. Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is an excellent representation of this style.

Wheat Beers

Wheat beers, such as Hefeweizen, are known for their cloudy, unfiltered appearance and clove spiciness. They often have banana notes and are perfect for summer drinking. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, the oldest brewery in the world, is a prime example of this style.

Beer varieties and their ingredients

Beer styles are differentiated and categorised by various factors, including colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. The two main types of beer are lagers and ales, differentiated by the type of yeast and fermentation process used. Ales are fermented with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures (60–75 °F), while lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast and are fermented at cold temperatures (50 °F). Some beers are hybrids, with characteristics of both lager and ale beers.

Lager

Lagers are the most common type of beer in production today. They are fermented for a long time at low temperatures and rely on bottom-fermenting yeasts, which sink to the bottom of the tank. Pilsner beers are a subspecies of lager, distinguished by their water, which varies from neutral to hard. They are among the hoppiest lagers and generally have a dry, slightly bitter flavour. American lagers are highly carbonated with a refreshing, crisp taste.

Ale

Ale is a general category of beer, with sub-categories like brown ales and pale ales. It is the oldest style of beer, dating back to antiquity. Ales are characterised by warm-temperature fermentation for a relatively short period. Brewers introduce top-fermenting yeasts, which form a layer of foam on the surface of the brew.

Porter

Porter beers are a type of ale known for their dark black colour and roasted malt aroma and notes. They may be fruity or dry in flavour, depending on the variety of roasted malt used in the brewing process.

Stout

Stouts are another type of dark, roasted ale. They taste less sweet than porters and often have a bitter coffee taste, which comes from unmalted roasted barley. They are characterised by a thick, creamy head, like Ireland's Guinness.

Blonde Ale

Blonde ales have a pale colour and a clear body. They tend to be crisp and dry, with few traces of bitterness.

Brown Ale

Brown ales range in colour from amber to brown, with chocolate, caramel, citrus, or nut notes. The different malts used and the country of origin can greatly affect the flavour and scent of this style.

Pale Ale

Pale ales are known for their copper colour and fruity scent. They are strong enough to pair well with spicy foods.

India Pale Ale (IPA)

Originally, IPAs were a British pale ale brewed with extra hops to survive the long boat trip to India without spoiling. The extra hops give IPA beers their bitter taste. American brewers have introduced unusual flavours and ingredients to satisfy the U.S. market's love for this style.

Wheat Beer

Wheat beers are an easy-drinking, light style of beer known for a soft, smooth flavour and a hazy body. They tend to taste like spices or citrus, with the hefeweizen or unfiltered wheat beer being one of the more common styles.

Sour Ale

Sour ales are crafted from wild yeasts, like sourdough bread. They are known for a tart tang that pairs well with tropical fruit and spices. Lambics, goses, and Flanders are all types of sour beers.

Hybrid Beers

Hybrid beers use modern techniques and materials instead of, or in addition to, traditional brewing aspects. Mixed beers generally fall into the following categories:

• Altbier and Kölsch, which are top-fermented and then cold-conditioned (lagered).
• Steam beers, invented by German immigrants in California, are made with a type of bottom-fermenting yeast that can ferment at warmer temperatures.
• Fruit and vegetable beers are mixed with some kind of fermentable fruit or vegetable adjunct during the fermentation process.
• Herb and spiced beers include herbs or spices derived from roots, seeds, fruits, vegetables, or flowers instead of, or in addition to, hops.
• Wood-aged beers are any traditional or experimental beers aged in wooden barrels or left in contact with wood chips or cubes.
• Smoked beers use malt that has been treated with smoke, resulting in a smoky aroma and flavour.
• Champagne-style beers are finished "à la méthode originale", mainly in Belgium, and include Grottenbier, Deus, and Malheur Bière Brut.

Beer varieties and their awards

Solemn Oath Brewery in Naperville, IL, offers a wide range of beer varieties, including several award-winning brews. Their Foederface beer, a Foeder-Aged Märzen with 6% ABV, is a standout example. This beer, recognised with a bronze medal at FOBAB, captivates drinkers with its rich form and substance, encouraging imaginative flights of fancy. It boasts slight tannins, a malt character enhanced with caramel aromatics, a touch of American bitterness, and German Perle hops to round it off.

Another notable variety is their Barleywine, with a substantial 10% ABV. This beer, described as "barleywine from the unseen and unheeded, buried out of sight and memory," offers piney forest aromas and deep, dark fruit flavours. For those seeking a lighter option, the Foeder-Aged Italian Pilsner, at 5% ABV, is a refreshing choice, ideal for sharing with loved ones. It begins with waves of Adriatic malt sweetness and concludes with herbal hop notes and a hint of tropical palms.

Solemn Oath Brewery also presents an array of innovative and experimental beers. For instance, their Imperial Bourbon Barrel-Aged Blended Ale, at 13% ABV, is likened to "chocolate ganache-covered bourbon raisin cake in a glass." They also offer a Belgian-style Pale Ale, Punk Rock for Rich Kids, at 5.5% ABV, which combines light caramel sweetness with fruity Belgian yeast and unique hop aromatics.

The brewery's diverse selection includes various other styles, such as American IPAs, Stouts, Porters, and Saisons, each with its own distinct character and flavour profile. Solemn Oath Brewery's creative and award-winning offerings cater to a wide range of beer enthusiasts, from those seeking robust and complex flavours to those preferring lighter and more refreshing options.

Frequently asked questions