Half Acre — Orin 2025

Technical Details

Tasting Profile

The nose opens with assertive bourbon barrel character, delivering waves of vanilla oak, dark caramel, and brown sugar alongside dried fig and dark cherry. On the palate, this robust strong ale showcases impressive complexity—rich toffee and honeyed malt provide a sturdy foundation for warming alcohol, complemented by subtle hop bitterness and notes of raisin, molasses, and toasted wood. The finish is long and warming, with lingering bourbon sweetness, gentle spice, and a pleasant tannic grip from extended barrel contact that balances the substantial malt body.

Food Pairing

Pair with aged Gruyère or sharp cheddar to complement the beer’s caramelized malt character and barrel influence, where the cheese’s crystalline texture and nutty complexity mirror the ale’s depth. Alternatively, serve alongside dark chocolate torte with espresso, where the dessert’s bitterness and richness harmonize with the bourbon notes and warming alcohol.

About Half Acre Beer Company

Half Acre Beer Company was founded by Gabriel Magliaro in 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, establishing itself as a pioneering force in the city’s craft beer movement. After initially brewing their recipes at an out-of-state facility, the company opened its own brewery on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood in March 2009, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. The brewery’s commitment to both quality and community quickly garnered recognition, with its tap room being named Chicago’s eighth best bar by Chicago magazine in 2013. Half Acre’s approach extends beyond brewing, demonstrating environmental responsibility by partnering with Northwestern University engineering students to minimize waste and find innovative ways to reduce or reuse brewing byproducts. The company’s growth trajectory led to opening a second, larger brewhouse and pub on Balmoral Avenue in the Bowmanville neighborhood in 2015, eventually consolidating all operations there in 2021. Today, Half Acre produces six year-round beers, three seasonal offerings, and regular special releases, while maintaining strong ties to the local community through sponsorship of Half Acre Cycling since 2007.