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Home›Featured Post›Brewery Focus›Brewer's Choice›Brewer’s Choice: Burnt City’s Ben Saller on being impressed by Phase Three and Roaring Table, constantly tweaking recipes, and tapping his own traditional Oktoberfest

Brewer’s Choice: Burnt City’s Ben Saller on being impressed by Phase Three and Roaring Table, constantly tweaking recipes, and tapping his own traditional Oktoberfest

By Trent Modglin
September 1, 2023
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Burnt City Brewing
Located at District Brew Yards in Chicago at 417 N. Ashland and in north suburban Wheeling at 700 N. Milwaukee Ave.
BurntCityBrewing.com

The last really good beer you drank was…

Geo, the Phase Three West Coast pilsner. I picked it up at my local store, and it’s a style I’ve been intrigued by. I love hazy IPAs but have been drinking fewer of them and gravitating toward cleaner, crisper beers like West Coast pilsners, West Coast IPAs and cold IPAs. I go through phases and like to change it up.

Seasonality is an exaggerated concept in Chicago because most of the time we’re drinking it’s indoors in 70-degree rooms, but West Coast pilsners are a refreshing style in the summer for sure. 

Roaring Table Brewing Co.

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

Roaring Table is a brewery that I’ve been struck by how good they’ve been across diverse styles for a while now. Old Irving Brewing Co. I always enjoy too. I had a Maibock there that stood out. I had faith that it would be a good one, and it was. 

Our approach to brewing is we constantly work on tweaking recipes and learning more about processes. … We don’t want to sit back on autopilot. We try to engage with everything we make.

What are you most proud of at your brewery? 

Our approach to brewing, where we constantly work on tweaking recipes and learning more about processes, even if it’s something we’re not always comfortable with at first. We don’t want to sit back and go on autopilot. We try to engage with everything we make. Like our Patio Crush summer wheat beer — this was our fourth different version of it. The previous three sold fine, but I knew I could get it to a better place.

Our staff is very accommodating to us changing things up, and everyone is interested in the process. Nobody with Burnt City wants to be complacent, and we get excited when we try out some new stuff. Something everyone is on board with, in this day and age of craft beer, is true experimentation, and that doesn’t just mean putting weird shit into beer just to do it. It’s all about trial and error and careful adjustments, focusing on the process and really caring about it. 

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

Our Oktoberfest beer came out in August. Over the last 11 yeas, we’ve made tweaks to our recipe, but it’s kind of a hybrid of a Marzen and Festbier, which is paler and lighter. We wanted it to be malt forward with traditional German malts, but we also wanted it to be very much unlike the typical American version that tends to be more caramel and sweet. We brew it to be more drinkable than some of the other versions out there. 

We wanted our Oktoberfest to be malt forward with traditional German malts, but we also wanted it to be very much unlike the typical American version that tends to be more caramel and sweet.

Our Summer Patio Crush is a wheat ale that is slightly fruity and hoppy but low key and pleasant. The Gemini Rising is our cherry Berliner that we recently added to our year-round distribution lineup. It’s a relatively low alcohol fruit sour that we’ll be selling year round, but is very appropriate for the summer. 

District Brew Yards — Wheeling, IL

TagsBen SellerBurnt City BrewingCold IPADistrict Brew YardsFestbierhazy IPAIllinois breweriesIllinois BrewingMarzenOktoberfestOld Irving Brewing CoPatio CrushPhase ThreePhase Three GeoRoaring TableWest Coast IPAWest Coast pilsner
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About us

Sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, Illinois Brewing is printed and distributed quarterly (early January, April, July and October) to more than 250 breweries across the state as well as more than 100 craft beer-focused bars, restaurants and stores. Each member of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild’s IMBIBE club also receives the magazine in the mail. 

Publisher/owner: Trent Modglin
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Art director: Brian Hertel
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Illinois Brewing's magazine, website and email newsletter are property of Venture Forth Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023.

illinoisbrewing

Stylish magazine, website and e-mail newsletter focused on the vibrant craft beer scene in Illinois. Sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild

It’s official… Imagine us having to keep this It’s official…
Imagine us having to keep this little secret for most of the last year, especially when the second location will be walking distance from our house. Congrats Mike and the talented crew at @mikerphonebrewing … we can’t wait to be your first customer. Look for a Q&A about this fun expansion in the fall issue of Illinois Brewing
The Inside Scoop from our big summer issue: The @m The Inside Scoop from our big summer issue: The @maplewoodbrew new kitchen, Beer Night at the @pistolshrimpbaseball game July 10, @lakeeffectbrewing new long-awaited taproom, Streetz Artz Alliance @streetzmobeatz upcoming shows, the Tinley Park Ale Trail trolley, @stcalliance Brew Tour, @opmicrobrew festival and more

Read it all now at IllinoisBrewing.com
From our Brewer’s Choice section in new summer i From our Brewer’s Choice section in new summer issue: 

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

@burningbushbrewery head brewer Scott McElhenie: 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.

Read the spotlight now at IllinoisBrewing.com
Instagram post 18399803860117341 Instagram post 18399803860117341
The Streetz Artz Alliance Summer Art Bazaar return The Streetz Artz Alliance Summer Art Bazaar returns to Tinley Park’s @flipsidebrewing this Sunday, July 6 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The event with @streetzmobeatz will showcase 16 talented local artists in an intimate and vibrant setting inside the brewery’s taproom, perfectly paired with house-made smash burgers and fresh craft beer.

Shoppers can expect a wide and unique range of offerings — from handcrafted hot sauces, crocheted creatures, and original artwork to houseplants, tarot readings, skincare products, handmade jewelry, coffee, candles and even giant cookies.
Oh yes. The expansion continues. Oh yes. The expansion continues.
From our new summer issue... Brewer’s Choice: @b From our new summer issue...
Brewer’s Choice: @burningbushbrewery head brewer Scott McElhenie on @russianriverbrewingofficial living up to the hype, the @sturdyshelterbrewing sensational Paddlewheel porter, and naming a popular new beer after the Pope Leo XIV

“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.”

Read it all now at IllinoisBrewing.com
If you haven’t tried the menu at @industryales i If you haven’t tried the menu at @industryales in downtown Chicago yet, prepare to be blown away. 

Be on the lookout for our Breweries in Bunches feature on the four Loop breweries in our new summer issue.
Well, we thought we were doing a decent job with t Well, we thought we were doing a decent job with the magazine, but it seems Illinois Brewing is so entertaining, it can even distract people from enjoying the likes of Malibu Beach and Joshua Tree National Park in California.
From @oldirvingbrewing burgers and the @uneannee c From @oldirvingbrewing burgers and the @uneannee cave monster sandwich to @crustbrewing fish tacos and @morebrewing Indian dishes, we asked readers and industry professionals: What’s the best meal you’ve had recently at an Illinois brewery?

Read the Last Call section now at IllinoisBrewing.com
Quick family vacation to Southern California and c Quick family vacation to Southern California and coming away impressed with the San Diego craft beer scene. Favorites so far include: @moderntimesbeer Orderville hazy IPA (winner so far), @latitude33brew Brewing’s blood orange IPA, @seekbeerco That Adds Up hazy IPA, @coronadobrewing Weekend Vibes IPA, @emboldenbeerco Industry blonde ale and @burgeonbeer Carlsbad Crush pale ale.
Read our spotlight on @suncatcherbrewing — who h Read our spotlight on @suncatcherbrewing — who happens to be hosting a Summer Solstice party today.

“Suncatcher is all about going back to the beers I was stoked and inspired by when I was first learning about beer as a younger person… and keeping that feeling going.” — Co-owner Matt Gallagher

Read the feature now at IllinoisBrewing.com
From the archives: Spotlight on @onelakebrewing — Located in a gorgeously renovated 1920s bank in Oak Park, this brewery from a pair of friends focuses on beer that’s true to the region it’s from and fostering a community vibe. And did we mention they have an awesome rooftop? 

“We try to brew beer that’s true to the region it came from. We bring in ingredients from all over the world and use them in their purest form. … We even adjust the water chemistry too, in order to mimic the environment of the local brewers.” — Shawn Stevens

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Double hazy IPA from @mikerphonebrewing on the pat Double hazy IPA from @mikerphonebrewing on the patio while playing a “candy Monopoly” my kid created on his own? 

Not a bad way to spend a summer evening.
Had a great time at the annual @illinoisbrewing go Had a great time at the annual @illinoisbrewing golf scramble earlier this week — with a tasty variety of beers from the likes of @hopbutcher @midwestcoastbrewing @blindcornerbeer @werkforcebrewing @reserveartisanales @alterbeer and more.

Also swung by for an interview with @brotherchimpbrewing for a feature in the summer issue. Now that’s a day.
Thanks to @maplewoodbrew for the invite earlier th Thanks to @maplewoodbrew for the invite earlier this week to get a sneak peek of their new kitchen and expanded taproom in Logan Square. Stellar smash burger, Pillowy Mellows NEIPA and In Dark Trees dark Czech lager. And a bottle of their finest bourbon to go. Look for more on Maplewood in the upcoming summer issue
Fun event alert: The fourth annual STC Six collabo Fun event alert: The fourth annual STC Six collaboration launch party is happening on Wednesday, June 18 at 5 p.m. at Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling in downtown St. Charles. 

The STC Six is made up of the following St. Charles breweries: @93octanebrewery @alterbeer.stc @brokenbrix_cidery @pollyannabrewingcompany @riverlandsbrewingcompany and D&G. The breweries invite everyone to join in on the celebration for a great cause with the first opportunity to taste the new beer — a West Coast pilsner with notes of citrus, tropical fruit and a touch of pine. 

This year’s collaboration supports the important mission of Support Over Stigma, a nonprofit helping veterans and first responders. For every beer and limited-edition glassware sold, $1 will be donated to the cause. Can’t make it to the event but want to contribute? You can visit any of the participating breweries to try the beer and purchase limited-edition glassware.

More information: STCSix.com
Nice patio session catching up with old friends la Nice patio session catching up with old friends last night at @halfacrebeer on Chicago’s far north side. Really dug the Nebula Double Daisy Cutter hazy IPA, Persephone pomegranate kolsch and Second Setting imperial IPA. New supply of Illinois Brewing is there now too. Summer issue out soon.
Brewer’s Choice: Tom Beckmann @twbeckmann from @ Brewer’s Choice: Tom Beckmann @twbeckmann from @goldfingerbeer on tasty recent brews from @iswasbrewing and @suncatcherbrewing … the growth of his brewery and their fifth annual Lagerversary coming up July 18-20

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This is not an event to be missed from the @ilcraf This is not an event to be missed from the @ilcraftbeer Guild. Tomorrow, Friday, June 6 at @gallagherwaychi next to Wrigley Field. Not a bad backdrop, right?

30-plus Chicago breweries serving up some of their best stuff for just $30. Can’t beat it, and the weather looks awesome.
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