AVONDALE — When Rick KingenSmith drank some of his Revolution Brewing beers recently, he could tell immediately they tasted different.
"I said to a friend, 'This beer's off,'" said KingenSmith, a fan of the Chicago-based brewery since it opened in 2010.
KingenSmith was among a group of customers who visited Revolution's tap room, 3340 N. Kedzie Ave., Wednesday to exchange "bad beer" — or beer affected by the brewery's massive recall (batches listed below) — for fresh beer.
"It's not the beer I wanted," KingenSmith said of the fresh beer. "But it's only beer. There's no use crying over spilled beer."
This week, the popular brewery recalled 10,000 barrels of beer due to a quality issue: "We believe these off-flavors were produced by a wild yeast that has gotten worse over time and was not identified in time by our quality control methods," the brewery wrote in a prepared statement.
The brewery sad there was no health or safety issues associated with drinking the beer.
Affected beers include batches of Anti Hero IPA, Fist City Pale Ale, Cross of Gold Ale, Mosaic Hero IPA, Eugene Porter and Unsessionable Imperial IPA.
KingenSmith and other customers said the recall hasn't changed their opinion of the brewery.
"I think it happens. It's just chemistry," said Andrea Kaspryk, who frequently drinks Revolution beer.
Kaspryk bought Revolution beers recently, but, unlike KingenSmith, didn't notice any difference in taste.
"If I had noticed the difference in flavor, I would've brought them in," she said.
Serena Tarazi, a bartender at Revolution for five years, said no more than 10 people came in to exchange beer during the first two hours of the exchange, between 2-4 p.m.
Everyone who did come in, she said, was "so understanding and nice."
"People who like beer are going to understand that we want everyone to have the best quality beer possible," Tarazi said.
Plus, consumers are getting more beer in the deal, she said. For example, if a customer comes in with one affected beer can (or even just the receipt), he or she will get an entire six-pack of fresh beer in exchange.
What isn't clear is what happens to all of the affected beer. Revolution staff members said the brewery is holding onto the beer for the time being so a partner company can check to make sure that there was indeed a quality issue.
"Maybe they'll have a private party," KingenSmith joked.
The following package dates (found on the bottom of cans, on the labels of bottles and printed on kegs) are affected:
• Anti Hero IPA: 8-5-16 to 10-11-16
• Fist City Pale Ale: 8-11-16 to 9-26-16
• Cross of Gold Ale: 8-23-16
• Mosaic Hero IPA: 8-16-16 to 9-8-16
• Eugene Porter: 8-3-16 to 10-6-16
• Unsessionable Imperial IPA: 9-27-16 to 10-7-16
The recall does not affect any Oktoberfest, Rev Pils, Citra Hero, Rosa Hibiscus Ale, and Bottom Up Wit beers.
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