“Our mission is to make a beer you can sit down with your buddies and feel good about.” As soon as I stepped into the bustling warehouse that this Chicago-based crew playfully refers to as SS Half Acre, led by the captain himself decreeing his mission, I knew I was going to like this place. If you’re ever in Chicago on a Saturday, this brewery tour is worth the wait. Amongst the savory options laid out for us as part of the tour, I chose their Over Ale, the “styleless wonder.” Because, how could you not?

With a reddish-brown hue and toasty, nutty aromas hinging on a malty backbone, I think this “styleless wonder” actually fits well into the American Brown Ale category. But, I appreciate the originality in not putting your baby in a corner, so I’ll respect the lack of category. The brewers at Half Acre prefer to focus on what they want to put in the beer, not what they want to get out of it.

Like all of Half Acre’s beers, if you’re not getting Over Ale on tap or in a growler, you’re getting it in a can. Half Acre was the first Chicago brewery to sell beer in cans, a practice they maintain so that their carefully chosen hops are protected from the sun’s meddling rays. Before you complain about the aluminum-y taste that accompanies drinking from a can, be informed that there’s a layer of protection between the aluminum and the beer, so you’re making it up.

This brewery tour was one part drinking and one part motivational speech. The enthusiasm and spunk that spurred these guys to start their brewery eight years ago in a spare bedroom is still very much alive as they encourage the rest of us that we’re all capable of doing the same. “Any brewery with a good product is going to grow,” spouts the captain. “There’s enough demand. Get out there.”