Worth A Shot: The Boilermaker Makes A Boozy Comeback In Chicago
The boilermaker — more commonly known as a shot and a beer — has long been a drink with a very specific purpose: to get the drinker inebriated quickly and without fuss.
The efficient combination is rumored to be named after 1920s factory workers — for their tendency to quickly down a dram of whiskey and a beer on break, seeking fast relief from grueling workdays. Today, schools of thought vary on the exact order of consumption: whether to suck down the shot and chase it with a pint; sip alternately at a leisurely pace; and even to drop the shot into the beer for a "depth-charge." Still, they are all acceptable methods, depending on your mood and how quickly you want the liquor to hit your senses.
In taking a look at the liquid at play, the standard combination is a shot of whiskey and an inoffensive lager or pilsner. But even that guideline is flexible. In the book The Great Beer Trek: A Guide to the Highlights and Lowlites of American Beer (originally published in 1984), author Steven Morris details regional variations of the drink discovered on his drinking adventures. "In Buffalo, a boilermaker will get you beer and peppermint schnapps. In Boston, beer and Scotch, unless in South Boston, where Irish whiskey will be substituted for the Scotch. Elsewhere, the consensus choice is beer and blended whiskey from the bottom shelf."
While the drink is historically lowbrow in nature, it was only a matter of time before someone would take the concept to the next level, given the abundance of "craft" beverages emerging across the country. As part of their annual whiskey week, Chicago restaurant Fountainhead recently put together a special boilermaker menu featuring pairings from producers around the Midwest.
To find the best matches, Fountainhead proprietor Aaron Zacharias takes two approaches. The first, parallel pairing, brings similar flavors together in harmony. The best example of this is the smoky German Aecht Fastenbier with Corsair's Triple Smoke Whiskey. "Let's take something smoky, pair it with something else smoky and everything is on the same page," he says.
Alternatively, finding pairings that contrast also works. "I am looking for flavors to expose other flavors in one particular drink or another. So in that instance, we'll pair sweet with something a little spicy." With the Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger IPA paired with a full-bodied spicy rye whiskey from Redemption, the sweet baking spice flavors of the whiskey brought out the hops in the mild IPA, covered the tracks of the whiskey burn and left a crisp ale flavor lingering afterwards.
Some pairings work better than others. The FEW spirits Single Malt packs a hefty punch of smoke, which is quickly tempered with the creamy bitterness of Left Hand's Sawtooth ESB (on nitro). And one of Zacharias' favorites is the only pairing on the menu that doesn't actually feature beer. "I really like the Vander Mill Apple Cider with the Clyde May's Whiskey," he says. "The apple in the cider really brought out similar flavors in the whiskey."
Getting caught up in the nuances of style pairings can get very intellectual (very quickly), which can be fun for beer and whiskey nerds and regular drinkers alike. But it's important to remember the boilermaker is a democratic drink — with the best pairings found in the (sometimes fuzzy) eye of the beholder.
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