You’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend an evening than traveling from bar to bar on a trolley filled with a bunch of fans of craft beer and sampling some of Chicago’s finest craft brews.

Seriously. Take a minute and try to think of something better. I’ll wait.

See? It’s not easy. And that’s exactly how I spent the evening of May 21. The tour began at Fountainhead and made its way to five other bars before the evening ended and at each, we got to try some of the latest offerings from Chicago and Midwestern breweries. I’m not going to review them all here because it would take forever. That said, we here at Metasip have a few mini-reviews for you. Hopefully, they inspire you to go out and try some new beers. Here we go.

3 Sheeps Cashmere Hammer

The tour kicked off with a sample of Cashmere Hammer, a rye stout from Sheboygan, Wis.-based 3 Sheeps. It poured a rich brown with a light tan head. 3 Sheeps brewmaster Grant Pauly said this particular beer was designed to be incredibly smooth.

“It was designed for nitro,” Pauly said.

It was indeed smooth and decently bitter, which is a plus in my book. But after a couple sips, I just wasn’t into it. It was a perfectly average beer, but nothing about it stood out. Nothing popped. It was boring.

Metasip rating: 2/5 stars

Ale Syndicate du Sable Hoppy Saison

Ok, so the tour started out on a not-so-great note. But it picked up when we got to the next bar. First up, a sample of du Sable Hoppy Saison from Logan Square’s Ale Syndicate. This is not my usual style of beer. I tend to go for dark, malty and roasty as opposed to hoppy. But I was there to experiment, so I took a sample.

And oh did I make the right call. The danger with a lot of hoppy beers – IPAs and the like – is that sometimes, they’re way too hoppy, to the point of being sharp or astringent. Not so with this. The hop flavor was prevalent, but it wasn’t sharp, making for a refreshing, easy-drinking beer.

Metasip rating: 3.5/5 stars

Ale Syndicate Omega Midnight Foreign Extra Stout

This wasn’t even being offered as an official sample, but Ale Syndicate brewer Jake Williams was buying samples for whoever wanted them, so of course I was going to try it. And let me tell you, Omega Midnight was the best beer I had that night.

Admittedly, this was odd as stouts go. There was a good bit of fruit flavor in it, but it wasn’t sweet. In fact, as Williams said, it was “bone dry” with a very pleasant bitterness. It’s smooth and sessionable, which could be a problem for me, as this beer checks in at 9.5% ABV.

Metasip rating: 4/5 stars

Summit Oatmeal Stout

The night of May 21 was definitely a summery evening. So you wouldn’t necessarily think to drink an oatmeal stout. But if you’re going to drink an oatmeal stout on a summer night, you might want to consider the oatmeal stout from St. Paul, Minn.-based Summit Brewing Company.

Oatmeal stouts (which I love, by the way) tend to be somewhat heavy. This was decidedly lighter than a lot of oatmeal stouts I’ve had. I didn’t feel full after drinking it, which was nice on a warm night. It’s a very bitter beer and the bitterness definitely lingers on the tongue. But it’s also very balanced, which keeps you from being overwhelmed by the bitterness.

Metasip rating: 3.5/5 stars

Goose Island The Ogden

Later in the evening, the trolley made its way back to North Center for a stop at the Wild Goose. Once inside, we were handed samples of The Ogden, from Chicago’s own Goose Island.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this one at first. It’s a Belgian-style tripel, but it’s very hoppy, which was unexpected. However, despite the hoppiness, it wasn’t too bitter, which was quite nice. Overall, this was a solid offering, but not Goose Island’s best. I’ll drink it if it’s around, but I won’t go out of my way for it.

Metasip rating: 3/5 stars

Local Option Dampf Loc

I’ll close out this list with another Chicago beer: Dampf Loc from Chicago’s Local Option. It wasn’t my favorite offering that evening, but it was pleasant.

I’d call this a warm weather beer, but I imagine I could enjoy it year-round. It’s a very dry beer with some mild hop notes on the back end. The reason I call this a warm weather beer is because it’s light and refreshing, but it’s got a good amount of body and I think it’d make a good session beer.

Metasip rating: 3/5 stars