Saturday 3 p.m. ~ Photos and Beer

I’m taking a little liberty with my Saturday 3pm photo this week. I always give myself the option of plus-or-minus an hour on either side of three pm, as a way to mix it up a little. This time I thought I’d include the period just before, during and after three o’clock yesterday afternoon.

Taken out of the window of The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago. I was there to see the second of two photo shows of the day, this one by Anna Shteynshleyger. Didn’t much care for it. I found them fairly depressing, so if that was her intention, well done.

I enjoyed the first show much more. Stephen Daiter Gallery is one of my favorites in Chicago. Currently they have photos by Martin Parr on display. Very amusing stuff. We all got a kick out of his sense of humor.

On the drive home, we decided to stop by Hopleaf for a beer. This is when the clock struck 3pm, time to take a photo and (hooray) opening time at the Hopleaf.

I’ve been eager to try local brewery Goose Island’s newest brew, Green Line, a beer with a small carbon footprint, meaning it’s only available in Chicago. They describe it as “environmentally friendly, economical and very tasty” and I’d have to agree. It had a nice little bite to it and I tasted a bit of pepper at the finish, which was a nice surprise. Plus, a pint is only $3.50! Sweet.

We also tried Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout, a beer aged in bourbon casks for 100 days. It was thicker and you could definitely taste the bourbon as well as chocolate. I enjoyed it and would drink it again; it would make a good after-dinner drink. The taller, dark beer is Dark Heather Saisson from New Belgium.