Off Color Brewing
1460 N. Kingsbury
Chicago, IL
OffColorBrewing.com

Sunday-Thursday: Noon-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: Noon-midnight

History in short: Owners John Laffler and Dave Bleitner, like so many others in the industry, did “other stuff” for a while before figuring out they were better at making beer than at the other stuff. The two met at the famed Siebel Institute and cut their teeth together as interns during the early stages of Metropolitan Brewing in Chicago, where they shared similar ideas about brewing and opening their own thing.

John went on to gain invaluable experience at Goose Island and Dave at Two Brothers, but after three years, they circled back around, ironed out a business plan and collected funding to launch the innovative, unconventional Off Color. Some 1,300 batches, more than 200 different beers and 50 distinct styles later, Off Color celebrated its 10th anniversary this spring. 

Off Color’s mastery of their foeders has helped them earn 10 medals at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beer and a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

Interesting note: An eye-catching aspect of the taproom are the foeders — large, vertical, handmade oak wine barrels from northern Italy that are used to age and ferment everything from wild sours to ales. Off Color’s mastery of these foeders has helped them earn 10 medals at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beer (FOBAB) and a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. 

Wondering about the genesis of Off Color’s mouse logo? John’s mother was a children’s librarian, and a large portion of his life surrounded children’s books, so as a logo, they wanted a “cute, cuddly little character around the brewery we could tell stories with,” John says with a smile. 

The space: Even though it’s just a block and change south of the busy North Avenue and Clybourn intersection — smack dab in between Chicago’s Wicker Park and Old Town neighborhoods — Off Color’s Mousetrap taproom remains somewhat of a hidden entity amidst the giant shopping and entertainment district that surrounds it. Brick walls line the long, cozy, industrial taproom, and large windows provide a glimpse of the brewing facility. During the summer, an outside patio lined with barrels is a popular spot. 

What we’re drinking: We’d be remiss not to start with Apex Predator, their flagship American-Belgian hybrid-style saison with a lemongrass hop profile that put them on the map many years ago. Dino S’mores is their other famous option. It’s a smooth imperial stout that tastes every bit like the childhood campfire treat.

On a recent visit, we enjoyed the easy-drinking Beer for the Top Shelf, a Vienna-style lager made with maple syrup. Don’t let the mention of maple syrup fool you though, as it ferments out almost completely and leaves this brew surprisingly dry and wonderfully malty. The full-bodied Ten Crowns dark lager and Beer for Lounging pale ale (with hints of grapefruit, pine and pear) are stellar options too. For something a little different, Off Color’s April Rain American wild ale is made with white tea and sudachi, a rare Asian citrus fruit.

We tend to be a very fermentation-focused brewery. … We’ve been described as making beer that can be described as ‘pretty,’ and I’m OK with that. Not only in the smell of the beer, but the whole package.    — Co-owner and head brewer John Laffler

On the horizon: Off Color is working hard on “a bunch of tea beers, which we’ve had a lot of fun playing around with,” according to Laffler. Keep an eye out for Yuzu Fierce, a Berliner weisse and one of the staff’s favorite summer beers with its lemon acidity and fruit character. 

More exciting news revolves around Off Color collaborating again with Allagash Brewing Company out of Maine to make some wild, fermented versions of Ghost Lemons, which they haven’t brewed since 2018.

From the brewery: “We tend to be a very fermentation-focused brewery. We get a lot to character from yeast as opposed to adding more and more ingredients. We prefer soft additions to the yeast characteristics, staying more nuanced, and never trying to blow your palate out. … We’ve been described as making beer that can be described as ‘pretty,’ and I’m OK with that. Not only in the smell of the beer, but the whole package, which is why we’ve put a lot of thought into our packaging and design.” — Co-owner and head brewer John Laffler