Last ride, we had good Vietnamese food and "interesting" beer. This ride, we do the inverse, as we visit the Mousetrap, home of Off Color Brewing. The beer is truly outstanding, the food choices... limited.
The weather forecast is good, and as city rides go, this won't be unduly stressful; our southbound trip is partly on the Lakefront Trail, while our return takes Clyborn to Belmont, and a standard return route on the Channel Trail. That said, construction on the Greenwood Greenway and a half-marathon this weekend that closed a portion of the Lakefront Trail did require some rerouting. The route is here:
Off Color - Mousetrap (Starting at Chandler)
| | Off Color - Mousetrap (Starting at Chandler)City ride to the Chicago river and the Mousetrap, home of Off Color Brewing, then back via Clyborn, Belmont, and... |
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This ride is part of the electronic ride sign up pilot program. To sign up for this ride, please use the following link:
EBC Ride Sign Up
Beer Notes:
Off Color is the brewer of Apex
Predator, which is an excellent example of a saison, also
referred to as Belgian Farmhouse Ale. New Glarus' Spotted Cow shares this style. Off Color also offers a host of other styles, mostly ales, that they brew specifically to match particular
types of foods or activities, such as Beer for Pizza, Beer for
Tacos, and Beer for Golf. Don't look for a double hopped 200+ IBU IPA though, Off Color is 'thoughtful' about how they use hops.
Normally, I make a beer recommendation or two. If you've never had Off Color's beers before, start with Apex Predator.
However, I've tasted my way through a number of their brews across multiple visits, and I have enjoyed everything I've ever tasted there (even a pastry stout with coffee and other adjuncts, which I usually avoid like the plague). The sours are good. The fruited beers are good. They make a near perfect Belgian Wit. Everything is good. You cannot choose poorly, you can only go wrong by choosing a style you do not like to begin with.
Website access is here, and the site contents give insight to their currently available beers, their philosophy, and sense of humor:
https://www.offcolorbrewing.com/
Unfortunately, Off Color does not offer a kitchen, but encourages people to bring in their own food. We'll be making a stop to acquire food, should you choose not to bring your own lunch.
If you are really into craft brewing lore, Off Color is also the current home of the famous "Traveling Barrel", barrel pH1, used exclusively for sour beers. This barrel has visited some of the most prominent brewers in the history of craft brewing; if you are curious about its story, one good telling is located here:
https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2026/07/14/color-brewing-ph1-barrel
I intend to ask if we can visit said barrel.
Dining Notes:
As noted above, this is not a gourmet food ride. I intend to just walk over to Whole Foods ( one block northwest ) and procure something that goes well with great beer. While there are a few taco and sandwich places a short ride away, I checked, and none of them exceed mediocre. Plan on either bringing your lunch, or visiting Whole Foods for something to tide you over.
See you Friday!
Ron
Ronald P. Fleischer
rfleisch1@yahoo.com