Off Color Known Gnome 4Pk

Off Color Known Gnome 4Pk is a 6.7% ABV botanical porter brewed with quassia bark and licorice root, sold as a four-pack from Chicago's Off Color Brewing. Drawing on a historical tradition of porter "adulterants" once used to sidestep hop taxes, this expression stands apart from conventional dark ales with its layered herbal complexity and carries a solid 3.8 out of 5 rating on Untappd from over 3,000 reviews.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.7%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: Porter with Botanicals  |  Brewery: Off Color Brewing

Production & Heritage

Off Color Brewing operates out of Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood at 3925 W. Dickens Ave., producing beers that lean heavily into forgotten and unconventional European styles. Known Gnome is built on a grain bill of pale ale malt, brown malt, oats, dark chocolate malt, and black malt—a robust foundation designed to support two unusual additions. Quassia bark, historically used in bitter tonics, provides a dry, woody bitterness in place of heavy hop dosing, while licorice root—containing a compound roughly 50 times sweeter than sucrose—adds a pronounced natural sweetness and tannic structure. The combination is a deliberate nod to 18th- and 19th-century British porter brewing, when brewers routinely added botanicals and adjuncts to reduce their reliance on taxed hops.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dark chocolate and espresso lead, followed by earthy herbal notes, a tobacco-like dryness, and faint mint. A subtle licorice sweetness lingers underneath, tying the roasted and botanical elements together.

Taste: The entry is rich with cocoa and molasses, settling into a biscuity mid-palate supported by oat-driven creaminess. Licorice root sweetness emerges alongside anise and a woody, almost oak-like spiciness. The herbal bitterness from quassia bark builds gradually, adding depth without sharpness, while rooty, carob-like undertones weave through the back half.

Finish: Medium in length with lingering brown malt character, fading coffee, and a dry botanical bitterness. The licorice tannins provide gentle grip, leaving a clean, slightly earthy close.

How to Drink Known Gnome

Known Gnome is best served at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, to let its botanical complexity open up; pouring into a tulip glass concentrates the chocolate and herbal aromas. For cocktail-curious drinkers: use it in a Black Velvet (half porter, half sparkling wine) where the licorice sweetness pairs beautifully with dry bubbles; try it in a Porterade (porter with fresh lemonade) where the quassia bitterness replaces hop bite against citrus; or build a Porter Float with vanilla ice cream, letting the dark chocolate and anise notes create a root-beer-like dessert drink.

Best For

• Sharing with craft beer enthusiasts who appreciate historically inspired brewing
• Cool-weather evening sessions when a roasty, herbal beer fits the mood
• Introducing adventurous drinkers to botanical-forward dark ales
• Pairing dinners built around rich, savory courses

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Known Gnome taste like? Known Gnome delivers rich dark chocolate and molasses up front, followed by herbal anise sweetness from licorice root and a dry, woody bitterness from quassia bark, all supported by a biscuity, oat-driven body.

How does Known Gnome compare to a traditional American porter? Where most American porters rely on roasted malts and hop bitterness for balance, Known Gnome substitutes quassia bark for much of that hop role and adds licorice root for sweetness, resulting in a more herbal, tannic, and historically rooted flavor profile. Reviewers frequently note strong schwarzbier vibes alongside its porter character, giving it a drier, more European feel than typical U.S. examples.

Is Known Gnome good for sipping on its own? Absolutely—its 6.7% ABV is sessionable enough for a relaxed evening, and the layered botanical and malt flavors reward slow, attentive drinking at cellar temperature.

Where is Known Gnome made? Known Gnome is brewed by Off Color Brewing at their facility on 3925 W. Dickens Ave. in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

What foods pair well with Known Gnome? Smoked brisket or pulled pork, where the beer's roast and herbal bitterness cuts through fat; aged cheddar, which echoes the nutty, biscuity malt backbone; dark chocolate brownies, amplifying the cocoa and anise notes; mushroom risotto, complementing the earthy, rooty character; and licorice or anise-flavored desserts like pizzelle cookies for a direct botanical echo.

What sizes does Known Gnome come in? Known Gnome is available as a four-pack, the standard retail format for this expression.

Is Known Gnome worth the price? Known Gnome positions as a mid-range craft porter with a genuinely unusual flavor profile—the quassia bark and licorice root additions are rare in the American porter category, and the historical brewing concept gives it a distinctive identity that justifies its place among specialty craft four-packs.

Why Known Gnome?

Known Gnome earns attention not through gimmick but through genuine historical research baked into its recipe. The use of quassia bark and licorice root as bittering and sweetening agents is a direct revival of pre-industrial porter brewing practices, making this one of very few American porters to authentically explore that tradition. Its grain bill—five malts including brown malt, oats, and dark chocolate malt—provides serious depth without relying on adjunct flavors or pastry-beer sweetness. With a 3.8 rating across more than 3,000 Untappd reviews and a flavor profile that reviewers consistently describe as unique and layered, Known Gnome is a rare example of a beer that teaches you something about brewing history while being genuinely satisfying to drink.