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On My Way to a Delirious Noel
Monday Dec 18, 2006.
By Dana Kavan
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 photo: Dana Kavan The damage: $7.50—for a beer with 10 percent alcohol content, it's a steal and a guaranteed buzz. Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? Attention to detail can make or break a bar. A hand-selected, custom jukebox (make) versus an outdated jukebox where Boyz II Men shares a page with Beck (break, poor Beck). Bartenders that can draw a shamrock in the head of your Guinness (make) versus bartenders that don't know what "head" on beer means (break). My reason for hitting up Glunz originally had nothing to do with details. My friend had just moved to the neighborhood and proximity prevailed. Imagine my surprise when I found that Glunz not only pours its 12 fine European beers on tap into their matching glasses, but also places them on their matching coasters (make). How it went down: Ever since I picked up Delirium Tremens, the brewery's signature beer, I can't get enough of the label's creepy, pink elephants and the brew's complex flavors. Because I'm a sucker for anything holiday-themed this time of year, I had to order Delirium Noel. The bartender pours the copper-colored Noel into a goblet adorned with the pink elephants sporting Santa hats. It starts with a thick, frothy head that fades fast, but its bubbles lend a slight effervescent quality throughout. A medley of sweet and spicy flavors, including pepper, berries, licorice and vanilla, masks the ale's high alcohol quotient. Its smooth finish and mild hops will deceive you further. You won't make a list and check it twice before ordering another. Would I want to become a regular? On Saturday night Glunz's small but lively crowd was a nice change from packed pubs. Locals lined the bar and a young group danced in a circle to tunes by musicians as diverse as James Brown and Britney Spears. The decor feels like a comfortable German cottage with bright lights, short tables, a horse-drawn Spaten carriage and steins lining a ledge. Glunz's menu lets you pair its strong beers with food that will last you all night, like the pick-two sausage combo served with potato salad and sauerkraut. I ordered a buttery pretzel with a spicy mustard dip that cleared my sinuses and forced me to drink faster. Oops. Next December, I'll have to go back to try Samichlaus: At 14 percent alcohol it boasts the world's strongest lager, and you know I love a festive name. Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.
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