The Wild Bunch

What do you talk about at a bar with no TVs and minimalist fare—canned soup and Hot Pockets—fit for a dorm room? The beer.

Opened in January, The Koelschip spotlights suds brewed with Brettanomyces (or Brett), a wild yeast that provides plenty of conversation fodder. For one, how can you describe a beer’s flavor profile as “barnyard-y” and mean it as a compliment?

From funky to fruity to flowery, the offerings from Central State (Chris Bly, Josh Hambright, and Jake Koeneman are the brains behind both the bar and off-site brewery) will stretch your vocabulary, expectations, and understanding of microbiology. But you don’t need to be a zymologist (one who studies fermentation) or a wordsmith to appreciate the four Central State beers on tap or their eight cousins culled from around the world to highlight the Brett-brewed family’s diversity. Start with Central State’s House, a rustic blonde ale that, at 4 percent ABV, is the most full-bodied “session” beer around. Turn to your neighbor. Fake and discuss. It’ll be just like college.

2505 N. Delaware St., 414-9539