Whiner Beer: Where To Buy And What To Know

Whiner Beer Company is located in Chicago, Illinois, in a neighbourhood known as Back of the Yards, just south of the downtown Loop. The brewery is housed in a building called The Plant, a former factory that has been transformed into an ecologically-minded, zero-waste facility. Whiner Beer Company specialises in barrel-aged beers, with a focus on Belgian-style beers and experimental blends. Their core range includes Le Tub, a blended Saison aged in cabernet wine barrels, and Rubrique-a-brac, a dry-hopped, Brett-fermented Bière de Garde. In addition to their unique beers, Whiner Beer Company also offers a taproom and tours of their brewing facility.

Whiner Beer Company's location in Chicago

The Whiner Beer Company is located in Chicago's historic Back of the Yards neighbourhood, just south of the downtown Loop. The address is 1400 W 46th St, Chicago, IL 60609-3225. The brewery is housed in a building known as The Plant, a former factory that has been transformed into an ecologically-minded, zero-waste facility. The building now boasts exposed brick and concrete, futuristic neon lights, and dimly lit hallways, giving it a unique urban-decay-chic aesthetic.

The Whiner Beer Company is dedicated to the Belgian tradition of bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations. They specialise in barrel-aged beers, with a focus on creating curiously unique beers in an environmentally responsible way. Their core range includes Le Tub, a blended Saison aged in cabernet wine barrels, and Rubrique-a-brac, a dry-hopped, Brett-fermented Bière de Garde. Miaou, a dry-hopped sour wheat beer, is another popular option.

The taproom at Whiner Beer Company has a loft-like feel, with a fresh plant wall, a waterfall, and inside steam. They also have live plants as centrepieces on the tables. The brewery is located in a rehabbed warehouse that used to be a meatpacking site, giving it a unique and interesting architectural design. The building also houses multiple businesses that feed their waste products into each other, creating a closed-loop economy.

The Whiner Beer Company is surrounded by other local businesses, including a chocolatier, a specialty ice maker, a screen printer, and more. The Plant also holds a farmers market on the first Saturday of each month, with outdoor markets in the summer and indoor markets during the winter. The Whiner Beer Company is a unique and exciting destination for beer lovers and anyone interested in sustainable practices.

The company's focus on barrel-aged beers

The Whiner Beer Company focuses on barrel-aged beers, a traditional method of brewing that originated in Belgium and France and is now gaining popularity in the United States. The process involves ageing beer in wooden barrels, typically made from oak, which adds unique flavours and aromas to the beer.

The company's founders, Brian Taylor and Ria Neri, are industry veterans with a passion for creating unique and innovative beers. Taylor, a certified brewmaster with over 15 years of experience, and Neri, a Certified Cicerone and craft beer enthusiast, aim to cater to beer enthusiasts with a "wanderlust palate" and a curiosity for new and unusual flavours.

Whiner Beer's dedication to the Belgian tradition of bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations sets them apart. This traditional method imparts distinct characteristics to the beer, resulting in complex and intriguing flavours. By embracing this age-old technique, Whiner Beer offers a range of carefully crafted beers that stand out in the market.

The company is located in Chicago's historic Back of the Yards neighbourhood, housed within The Plant, a collaborative community of food businesses. The Plant focuses on material reuse and closed-loop systems, reflecting Whiner Beer's commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability in brewing. This net-zero energy business incubator provides the ideal setting for Whiner Beer to experiment and innovate, contributing to a healthier and more efficient city.

Whiner Beer's range of barrel-aged offerings includes a variety of styles, such as their blended, barrel-aged wild farmhouse saison, dry-hopped Belgian wheat, and unique fruit-infused variants. Their dedication to the craft of barrel-aged beer, combined with their focus on sustainability and unique flavours, makes Whiner Beer a compelling choice for beer enthusiasts seeking something special.

The Belgian tradition of bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations

The Whiner Beer Company is housed in The Plant, a collaborative community of food businesses in Chicago’s historic Back of the Yards neighbourhood. The company focuses on barrel-aged beers, continuing the Belgian tradition of using bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations to impart unique flavours and characters to their beers.

Belgian beers are well-known for their distinctive character, often derived from the yeast or bacteria used in fermentation. The two signature chemical families produced by Belgian ale yeasts are esters and phenolics. Esters are known for their fruity notes, reminiscent of pears, plums, citrus fruits, roses, strawberries, and bananas. Yeast phenolics, on the other hand, are often described as spicy, resembling black pepper or cloves. The art of brewing Belgian-style ales lies in selecting the proper yeast and then coaxing the desired flavours from it.

When fermenting beers with Belgian yeast strains, factors such as yeast pitch rate, cool wort oxygenation, fermentation temperature, original gravity, nutrient level, and simple sugar content come into play. Brewers must carefully balance these parameters to achieve the desired yeast character without creating undesirable flavours or aromas.

Belgian yeast strains tend to work well within the typical ale temperature range of 62–68°F (16–20°C), but some saison strains can tolerate temperatures as high as 100°F (38°C). Belgian strains also tend to be big attenuators, consuming a large percentage of available sugars during fermentation. Additionally, these strains vary in their flocculation characteristics, with some readily clumping together and settling out of suspension, resulting in clear beer.

When it comes to yeast selection for specific Belgian beer styles, abbey and Trappist strains are known for producing the signature fruity esters and spicy phenols associated with Belgian beers. Belgian strong ale yeasts, such as White Labs WLP570 and Wyeast 1388, can withstand the high alcohol content of golden and dark strong ales. Saison strains, like White Labs WLP565 and Wyeast 3724, contribute a spicy, peppery, and clove-like character, along with a distinct dry tartness. For Belgian pale ales, which are fermented with relatively clean yeast strains, options include White Labs WLP515 and Wyeast 3655-PC.

The range of beers offered by Whiner Beer Company

The Whiner Beer Company, based in Chicago, focuses on barrel-aged beers, specifically those that follow the Belgian tradition of bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations. Their range of beers reflects this, with a variety of barrel-aged and dry-hopped options available.

One of their specialties is the blended, barrel-aged wild farmhouse saison, which offers a unique, complex flavour profile. They also offer a dry-hopped version of this beer, for those who prefer a more pronounced hop character. Another variation on this style is the dry-hopped peach saison, which incorporates orange and lemon peel for a bright, citrusy twist.

For fans of Belgian wheat beers, Whiner Beer offers a blended, barrel-aged, dry-hopped option, as well as a dry-hopped, foggy farmhouse IPA. The latter is also available in a "foggy" version, presumably referring to a hazy or unfiltered take on the style.

Fruit lovers will enjoy Whiner Beer's creative offerings, such as the Le Tub, which has variants featuring watermelons, blueberries, or a refreshing combination of lime, cucumber, and salt. The Miaou, another one of their beers, has a variant with fresh chamomile. They also offer a Pineapple Berliner Weisse and a beer-spiked kombucha with hibiscus.

Rounding out their range is a blended, barrel-aged Flanders Red; a stout with flaked oats, coconut, cacao, and mango; and a selection of hard kombuchas, including a grapefruit flavour that is gluten-free.

The company's distribution strategy

Whiner Beer Company is located in Chicago's historic Back of the Yards neighborhood, housed in a building called The Plant. The Plant is a collaborative community of food businesses that focuses on material reuse and closed-loop systems. Whiner Beer Company is dedicated to the Belgian tradition of bacteria and alternative yeast fermentations, specializing in barrel-aged beers.

The brewery's 17,000-square-foot production space allows them to brew up to 6,000 barrels per year, with a small crew of five brewers, including co-founder Brian Taylor, who is still heavily involved in the brewing process and recipe creation. The beers are distributed through Windy City Distributors, who supply Chicago and the surrounding areas, and Cavalier Distributing, who cover the Ohio market.

Whiner Beer Company's unique location and environmentally responsible approach to brewing, combined with their focus on accessibility and drinkability, have contributed to their success. Their beers are designed to be suitable for everyday drinking, with a blend of barrel-aged, mixed-fermentation beers in cans featuring cartoon cats, making them stand out on the shelves. The company has also benefited from the collaborative nature of The Plant, with several other food businesses located within the building, providing opportunities for cross-promotion and shared resources.

Frequently asked questions