Russian River Brewing

Brewer’s Choice
Scott McElhenie
Head brewer at Burning Bush Brewery in Chicago

The last really good beer I drank was…

Happy Hops IPA from Russian River Brewing in Windsor, CA. I went out to California to visit Redwood and Pinnacles National Parks a month ago. While I was there, I managed a quick trip to Napa for some wine tasting and to Russian River Brewing for some tasty brews. As breathtaking as the sights were in the parks, the beer was the highlight of the day.

Their Pliny the Elder was delicious and helped put Russian River on the map, but I kept coming back to the well-balanced Happy Hops IPA. It was hoppy with some tropical and stone fruit notes that perfectly matched the fantastic California weather. They sold their beer to-go too, so I had enough to bring some out to the parks and take in the sights with. 10/10 would recommend.

What fellow Illinois breweries and specific beers have impressed you lately?

I just had a couple beers from Sturdy Shelter Brewing that really impressed me. They were on my radar, but after they got a bronze at the 2024 World Beer Cup for their Wilson Street dunkel, I knew I had to get my hands on a beer. Luckily, the owner, Frank, came and visited us on our five-year anniversary party in April with the best gift — beer. He brought their Quarry cream ale and the Paddlewheel Porter with vanilla. The cream ale was very tasty, but the porter blew me away. I have had a few porters in my life, but the Paddlewheel was extraordinarily well crafted. The vanilla is incorporated in the beer, but I found it to be most predominant on the end of the taste and finish, but well balanced with the darker malts so that you aren’t left with an overwhelming sweetness in the beer.

On a separate note, I was at Old Irving Brewing recently and I know their beer is awesome. Obviously their Beezer hazy IPA is a multiple gold medal winner, and their Della kolsch is a great beer for the summer. I was shocked with their cocktail program though, as it was innovative and unique. My girlfriend got a tomato, balsamic, burrata cocktail that was like a caprese salad in drink form. I was a little jealous of her cocktail, but I also loved the flight that I got, particularly the Irish red ale and the hoppy lager.

I just had a couple beers from Sturdy Shelter Brewing that really impressed me. … I have had a few porters in my life, but the Paddlewheel Porter was extraordinarily well crafted. The vanilla is well balanced with the darker malts so that you aren’t left with an overwhelming sweetness in the beer.

Burning Bush Brewery

What are you most proud of at your brewery?

Our staff is amazing, I really love their attitude and the mindset they have about work. Most of our staff have full time jobs elsewhere, and many of them work in schools as teachers or counselors. Yet every day, they come in with a passion for beer and a desire to do the little things to make somebody’s day. My favorite is when the staff comes up with a new secret menu item by mixing two or more beers on tap. They have created some epic combos including a PB & J mix and pseudo shandy mix with our lagers and our lemon sour.

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty proud of the sours too. You can mix just about any sour with any other beer to create a good secret menu item, or have them as is for a delicious and refreshing sip. However, without our wonderful staff, I never would have thought to start mixing beers for a secret menu, so they are the real all-stars.

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

We recently brewed Da Pope, an American mild ale, in honor of the new pope, Pope Leo XIV, who is a Chicago native. People immediately loved the name, but were surprised to realize how much they also enjoyed the beer. We workshopped Da Pope as a lighter-bodied option that still offers notes more commonly found in darker styles to give some variety over the summer. It makes me laugh a little every time somebody says, “It’s actually good!” as if we would make a beer that didn’t taste good just for a cheesy name. There has been such a positive reception for Da Pope, we have also decided to can it and make it available in cans for purchase at our taproom.

My favorite is when the staff comes up with a new secret menu item by mixing two or more beers on tap. They have created some epic combos including a PB & J mix and pseudo shandy mix with our lagers and our lemon sour.