A good beer for a good cause.
Drink of the week: Palmyra hibiscus-anise table beer ($6) by Illuminated Brew Works and Kaiser Tiger
1415 W. Randolph St. 312-243-3100 and Paddy Long’s, 1028 W. Diversey Parkway 773-290-6988
Any beer made to sell is beer for a good cause in my book, but the folks behind Illuminated Brew Works and Kaiser Tiger have partnered up on a brew for an even better benefit: Syria. Palmyra is a well-balanced hibiscus and anise table beer named for an ancient Syrian city that’s home to countless archaeological findings and historical sights. The beer will be released Jan. 12 at Kaiser Tiger (1415 W. Randolph St. 312-243-3100), and $1 from every $6 pint will go to RefugeeOne, a local nonprofit that helps resettle refugees in Chicago.
Patrick Berger, owner of Kaiser Tiger and Paddy Long’s (1028 W. Diversey Parkway, 773-290-6988), spent time in Syria on archaeological digs during college in the ’90s. While he doesn’t have immediate connections to Syria anymore, it’s still close to his heart, particularly since the Islamic State turmoil has destroyed much of the country, including parts of Palmyra.
“It’s been very difficult watching all this [bleep] go down,” Berger said. “People don’t get it. It’s people over there, people who are fleeing and suffering from the same thing everyone here hates, which is the Islamic fundamentalists. I don’t know what to do about it. The only thing I know how to do is serve beer and food and collaborate with great brewers … and make people aware that these are human beings, just like us, and the color of their skin and ethnicity and religion does not make them our enemy.”
Palmyra is a clean-drinking beer with subtle hints of anise and citrus at the front. Berger and Illuminated head brewer and co-founder Brian Buckman decided on anise and hibiscus flavors based on memories from Berger’s time in Syria. Hibiscus grew in the courtyard of the dig house Berger stayed in, and anise nods to a common Syrian spirit called arak, which has also been affected by the turmoil, according to international news agency Agence France-Presse.
The collaboration started at a bonfire hosted by Illuminated, Buckman said. “[Berger and I] were feeling pretty sensitive and trying to do something,” he said. “We can benefit a great deal from trying to see past the fear that dominates the world right now, so we make beer. It takes the edge off, right?”
A lamb belly sausage with native Syrian spices will also be on offer for $12 at the beer release at Kaiser Tiger (7 p.m. no cover). Palmyra will be on tap at both Kaiser Tiger and Paddy Long’s starting Jan. 12 while supplies last.
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