Brewery Visit: Tighthead Brewery Mundelein Illinois

Finally happy to be able to visit Tighthead in Mundelein, after watching it grow from a simple announcement in the Daily Herald as a craft brewery started up by one guy and now open as a simple brewpub. See mention here a while back. The name comes from his rugby playing days, where a tighthead was apparently a position that was played or something like that. All I know about the rugby guys is their ability to hit the bar hard after games, playing such exciting games as quarterhorse. You have to be a Johnny B fan for that reference.

But anyway, as the beer tour we took explained, they provide their beer in barrels only and to local breweries and to this taphouse. Not in bottles or cans yet nor do they offer a lager, in case you were wondering. I tasted the Scarlet Red in a previous post. But this time I was able to try the other ones they offer. They sell them in a sampler glass, pint and growler. I personally thought the growler prices were a little high, especially since I wasn't completely thrilled about most of them ($18 including the growler, $13 without-that breaks down to $13 for a 5 pack of beer you've never had before most likely).
Now for the beer that we tasted. I am putting them in the order they have them on their website.
This trip I took with Tim from Cincinnati, who I have beer-traveled with before (Yuengling, Great Crescent to name a couple). He and I did not agree on our favorites, so I am not CBC rating them here.
Comfortably Blond: Light, refreshing, a little fruit, mild, good tasting.ABV: 4.8%
Scarlet Fire Red Ale: Toasty and a little sweet, slight bitterness in good balance. ABV: 5.6%
Boxcar Porter: Bold, roasty and coffee tastes mostly, without the creaminess usually associated with porters. ABV: 6.9%.
Irie IPA: Almost a double IPA, a little bold for the amateur, and without a lot of room for enjoyment of rest of brew. I think they should have left a little hop in the bag this time. ABV: 7.5%, IBU: 134.1!
Hat Trick Tripel: A well-made tripel, a little fruit, a little malt. I picked up a little too much apricot or peach, but I was told by a few people I was full of it, it is a great brew. ABV: 8.9%
Upright Extra Pale Ale: Refreshing with a little bitterness, I compare it more to a GI Green Line than a SNPA, and due to its relatively low alcohol I assume we get the Extra Pale Ale name. ABV: 4.8%.

 I personally liked the Upright and Scarlet and Blond, and wasn't too thrilled with Hat Trick (but love the name). Irie and Boxcar were too knockout in their flavors, for me.

I was happy to have gone, and I was thankful I knew where it was because it is tucked away and hidden but worth the trip.