This is the first in a two-part series, Anatomy of a Beer Menu. Part 2 will run on Monday and include an annotated draft list for Local Option’s upcoming “Occupy the Local Option” event on January 27th. 

Photo: Natalie Walser

We don’t always get stumped by a beer menu, but when we do, we prefer it to be at Local Option. Their legendary draft menu garnered the Lincoln Park bar recognition this week by DRAFT Magazine as one of the nation’s top 100 beer bars. The kicker is that their staff is knowledgeable and approachable enough to help you navigate the choice between some of the most obscure beers in the world.

We sat down with Local Option bartender Alexi Front to learn about their vision, including the unique house brews that they have created in partnership with breweries around the region.

CHITOWN ON TAP: What makes Local Option unique?

ALEXI FRONT, LOCAL OPTION: Local Option has 31 beers on draft daily and we change roughly ten of them each week.  In addition to having beers of all different styles on we carry numerous offerings from small new or up-and-coming breweries from around the world.  We pride ourselves on being knowledgeable about these beers and do our best to help these breweries establish themselves here in Chicago.  We also brew our own beer.  We do things the way we want.

Looking at your draft menu always leads me to “How the hell do they do this?” So how the hell do you do it?

If you come into the Local Option and look at our chalkboard you’ll find a variety of beers both in terms of styles and origin.  We have great relationships with quite a few breweries and are able to sell many of the one-offs they brew.  We also carry beers brewed by very small brewers from around the US and Europe, some of who don’t even own their own breweries.  Fresh beers of the highest quality are what you’ll find on our menu.  Special events highlight extraordinarily exceptional and often times rare beers that we have set aside.  When there are enough of these beers to do an event we do one.  We also have a small bottle list that is focused on beers that can stand the test of time.  No one should drink a pilsner that has sat in a basement for 7 months.

What do you think makes a great beer bar experience and how is that vision evident at Local Option?

When you enter a great beer bar you should be sitting down in a comfortable, laid-back environment, with a great selection to choose from and a knowledgeable server that can take your order or offer suggestions.  The server should then be able to competently pour your beer – through clean draft lines – into the proper glassware and serve it in a timely fashion.   To us this is the best beer bar experience and this is what we strive to give customers at the Local Option.

What are some of the most exciting beers you’ve had available at Local Option and why?

Beers that excite us don’t necessarily beat your palate like a dominatrix.  On the experimental side we are excited about beers that push style boundaries and challenge the drinkers perception of what flavors are ‘supposed’ to be.  A great example of this is Mikkeller’s Lemoncello.  When you taste Lemoncello, look at the beer and its color, the flavors that are present are intriguing and unlike any other beer.  We also are excited about beers that are well balanced and fundamentally sound.  Perhaps this sentiment comes from our experience as brewers.  Additionally we are always very excited to serve our own beers since we spend a lot of time developing recipes, brewing multiple test batches, and producing at breweries that we respect.

Tell me about your beers.

The beers we brewed that are currently available include Dampf Loc, La Petite Mort, American Muscle, and Morning Wood.

Dampf Loc is a Bavarian-style steam ale (not to be confused with a California Common) that we first brewed at Dog Brewing Co. in Maryland and again at Cumberland Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky.  In the case of Dampf Loc the goal was to resurrect a lost style and create a well-balanced, accessible ale.

La Petite Mort was brewed at Central Waters Brewery in Amherst, WI and is the only time Central Waters has opened their doors for collaboration.  La Petite Mort is a Belgian-inspired weisse bock designed to contrast rich, complex, specialty grains with subtle dark fruit flavors from the abbey yeast used.  La Petite Mort is the first beer we are barrel aging (in bourbon barrels); bottles of the barrel-aged version will be available in the spring.

American Muscle is a 12.5% hop-bomb that is our response to all the bitter, palate killing IPA’s hopnerds love to torture themselves with. The beer is aggressively late-kettle and dry hopped with four quintessential varietals of American hops that create rich citrus fruit, floral and earthy flavors.  We balanced the resulting bitterness with a strong malt backbone, which was not compromised with sugars, additives or adjuncts.  American Muscle is built like houses used to be.

Finally, Morning Wood is coffee amber ale aged on fresh American oak.  It is lower in alcohol than most other coffee beers and we aimed to create a beer possessing a delicate balance of sweet malt, coffee and oak flavors without being overwhelming.  Try the beer when it is cold then let it sit for awhile and then drink the rest of it closer to room temperature you’ll get a real sense of what this beer is all about.  Morning Wood and American Muscle were both brewed at Against The Grain Brewery in Louisville.

In addition to the aforementioned beers we have brewed P.P Smoocher Pils at Bluegrass Brewing Co in Louisville; Cuppa Two Tree ESB also at Bluegrass Brewing Co; Brewmaster’s Alt at Goose Island Brewery; and Dortmunder Einfall at Three Floyds Brewing Company.  All of these beers were collaborative one-offs and are no longer available.

You clearly enjoy brewing. Why don’t you have your own brewery?

As you can imagine, having a brewery in Chicago is a huge financial commitment. We have a bar to run and currently do not have time to also oversee a fully functional brewery.  When we develop a recipe that is ready to be brewed at the commercial scale we speak to breweries and see who has capacity available for us.  We then buy the ingredients, brew the beer and arrange the logistics of having the sold to the distributor and shipped wherever it needs to go.  At some point we’d love to have our own brewery but for the time being we are happy to brew at great facilities like Against The Grain and Central Waters.

Sounds complicated, and you are already running a bar. So why brew beer at all? 

Tony and Noah – the owner and GM of the Local Option respectively – brew beer because they love to do it. Being able to taste some of the greatest beers on earth daily gives us an interesting perspective when it comes to brewing and helps us to create unique and often times new flavor combinations.  When we brew a beer, no matter what the batch size, the intention is to contribute something meaningful to the brewing world.