It’s no surprise that a former architect and native Chicagoan would choose to name the second arm of his brewery after a piece of Chicago’s structural anatomy. Really only known by locals, “Hubbard’s Cave” is a colloquialism that refers to the section of highway sheltered by Hubbard Street as it passes from East to West over I-90 and I-94, just northwest of the Chicago Loop (source: The Chicago Architecture Blog).

Here, look at this map I made:

1. Une Anńee Brewery LLC, 2. Hubbard’s Cave, 3. My house (not pictured)

As I hinted above, Hubbard’s Cave is also the second arm of Brewmaster Jerry Nelson’s Une Anńee, just down the street from the original Hubbard’s Cave (the underpass). From what I can tell, Nelson releases anything that is not a Belgian or Belgian-inspired ale under the Hubbard’s Cave label so that his original concept for Une Anńee (you got it … Belgian-inspired) remains pure.

When this particular beer began getting a lot of praise from friends and friends of friends, I knew I had to give it a try. (They were right!)

Fresh IIPA by Hubbard’s Cave
Double IPA, 9.0% ABV

Appearance: Pours murky-urky with a fluffy, creamy, and bubbly head. Just a bit darker than orange juice, this beer is a golden orangey-brown.

Aroma: Orange juice, grapefruit, peaches, and lemon

Mouthfeel: Medium-full and fluffy

Flavor: Piney, resinous and bitter, juicy, orange-y, pine sappy, malty, and boozey. Begins like a sweet, juicy orange/grapefruit, then finishes bitter and resinous. As I continue to drink, it gets less and less bitter.

This beer was cloudy and juicy like an East Coast IPA, but had a bitter kick like a West Coast IPA. Super fresh to boot, this beer was bottled on a Sunday, and we drank it the following Tuesday. It was truly delicious, and at $9.99 a 750mL bottle, I will happily buy this again and again!

Cheers.