Hop Butcher Chicago Style Hop Dog 4Pk

Hop Butcher Chicago Style Hop Dog 4Pk is a hazy Double India Pale Ale brewed at 8.0% ABV, sold as a four-pack of cans. Born from a long-anticipated collaboration between Hop Butcher For The World and Nashville's Southern Grist Brewing Co., this DIPA earned an 89 on BeerAdvocate and carries a 4.1 out of 5 rating on Untappd across nearly 1,750 reviews.

Quick Facts: ABV: 8.0%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: Double IPA  |  Brewery: Hop Butcher For The World (collab with Southern Grist Brewing Co.)

Production & Heritage

Hop Butcher For The World operates out of Chicago, Illinois, and has built a devoted following for its rotating lineup of heavily hopped, haze-forward ales. Chicago Style Hop Dog was developed as one half of a cross-city collaboration with Southern Grist Brewing Co. of Nashville — a partnership that was reportedly in the works for quite some time before release. The beer features a triple-hop bill of Motueka, Citra, and Galaxy, a combination engineered to push tropical and citrus character to the forefront while the grain bill delivers a full, pillowy body characteristic of the modern hazy DIPA style.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Ripe pineapple leads immediately, followed by waves of tart orange, fresh lemon zest, and juicy mango. The tropical citrus intensity is unmistakable and sets the tone for what follows.

Taste: The first sip lands with cherry limeade brightness that transitions quickly into a tropical strawberry smoothie character across the mid-palate. The mouthfeel is full and remarkably soft, with the Citra and Galaxy hops driving layers of stone fruit and citrus pith. There is no aggressive bitterness — the 8% ABV is well-concealed beneath the juice-forward hop expression.

Finish: Sweet oats round out the back end, providing a creamy, grain-forward landing that balances the fruit-heavy palate. The finish is medium in length with lingering pineapple and a gentle malt sweetness.

How to Drink Chicago Style Hop Dog

Pour directly into a tulip glass or wide-mouth IPA glass to fully release the aromatic hop oils; drink fresh and cold, as hazy DIPAs lose vibrancy quickly. A gentle swirl before each sip helps keep the suspended yeast and hop particulate evenly distributed. While this beer is best enjoyed on its own, its tropical sweetness can anchor a shandy-style serve blended with fresh lemonade for a lower-ABV warm-weather drink.

Best For

• Sharing with fellow hop-obsessed friends during a tasting session of limited-release IPAs
• Pairing alongside a backyard cookout with heavily spiced grilled sausages
• Gifting to a craft beer collector who values brewery collaborations and limited runs
• Celebrating a special release day with a side-by-side comparison against Southern Grist's Nashville Hop Chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Chicago Style Hop Dog taste like? It delivers bold cherry limeade and tropical strawberry smoothie flavors over a full, soft body, finishing with sweet oats and lingering pineapple. The hop combination of Motueka, Citra, and Galaxy keeps the profile juicy rather than bitter.

How does Chicago Style Hop Dog compare to Nashville Hop Chicken? Nashville Hop Chicken is the companion beer brewed by Southern Grist as the other half of this same collaboration, representing Nashville's brewing approach to the shared concept. Tasting them side by side reveals how each brewery's house style — Hop Butcher's Chicago haze tradition versus Southern Grist's Nashville sensibility — interprets a shared hop-forward vision differently.

Is Chicago Style Hop Dog good for sipping on its own? Absolutely — the soft mouthfeel and fruit-driven hop profile make it extremely drinkable despite its 8.0% ABV, and it rewards slow, attentive sipping from a proper glass. Pouring it into a tulip or stemmed IPA glass rather than drinking from the can dramatically improves the aromatic experience.

Where is Chicago Style Hop Dog made? It is brewed by Hop Butcher For The World in Chicago, Illinois, in collaboration with Southern Grist Brewing Co. of Nashville, Tennessee. The beer represents Chicago's contribution to a two-city creative partnership.

What foods pair well with Chicago Style Hop Dog? Spicy grilled bratwurst or Chicago-style hot dogs complement the tropical sweetness with savory contrast. Fish tacos with mango salsa echo the beer's citrus-forward hop character. Creamy goat cheese tempers the hop intensity while matching the oat-driven body. Thai green curry amplifies the tropical aromatics, and key lime pie mirrors the cherry limeade notes for a dessert pairing.

What sizes does Chicago Style Hop Dog come in? It is available as a four-pack of cans, which is the standard format for Hop Butcher's rotating Double IPA releases.

Is Chicago Style Hop Dog worth the price? It positions in the premium craft DIPA tier, where limited-run collaboration beers between respected breweries typically command a higher price than year-round offerings. The combination of a notable collaboration pedigree, high-quality triple-hop bill, and strong community ratings supports its value within that segment.

Why Chicago Style Hop Dog?

This beer exists because two of the most respected haze-forward breweries in the Midwest and South decided to put their names on the same project — and by all measurable accounts, the result delivered. The Motueka, Citra, and Galaxy hop combination produces a tropical intensity that stands apart from standard two-hop DIPAs, while the collaboration format gives the beer a story and scarcity that single-brewery releases rarely match. An 89 on BeerAdvocate and over 1,700 Untappd ratings at 4.1 out of 5 confirm that the drinking public responded to the execution, not just the hype. For anyone serious about exploring what modern American Double IPAs can achieve when two skilled brewing teams align, Chicago Style Hop Dog is a concrete answer.