Superdawg to serve craft beer creation in Wheeling

Fans of Superdawg won't have to look far for a beverage compatible with a Chicago-style hot dog.

Superdawg will obtain a Class L liquor license through the Village of Wheeling to temporarily serve Superbier to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, at its location on 333 S. Milwaukee Ave. as part of the restaurant's series of summer events.

Superdawg's owner and operator Scott Berman said Superbier, which is meant to complement the taste of a Superdawg hot dog, was created collaboratively between the restaurant and Lake Effect Brewing Co., a Chicago-based brewery.

Clint Bautz, the brewmaster at Lake Effect, said Berman's son-in-law Ben Ustick, a local beer enthusiast, reached out to the brewery about creating a craft beer to pair with the taste of a Chicago hot dog.

"We're a Northwest side business, and they are a Northwest side business," Bautz said, of Superdawg, which has restaurants on Milwaukee Avenue in both Chicago and Wheeling. "It made sense to collaborate with Superdawg."

Six to seven months later, Bautz had conceived five different options and brought in a panel of taste-testers to try out the proposed craft beverages. The beers selected were designed to either complement the taste of a hot dog or contain ingredients found in a Chicago-style hot dog.

"We as a family went to taste many possibilities Bautz was trying out," Berman said. "We were wondering, 'What kind of beer tastes best with a Superdawg?'"

Bautz said the one drink that drew the most attention was a Kolsch-based German beer creation with a few secret ingredients and spices that were ideal to wash down the garlicky and spicy flavors found in a Superdawg. That creation, now known as Superbier, was the one Berman was looking for.

"It's a cool and refreshing summer beer," Berman said.

Superdawg will give the event's 21-and-over attendees a free sample of the beer paired with a Superdawg. Because Superdawg does not sell beer at either of its Chicago area locations, it will be sold in limited supply in liquor stores along Milwaukee Avenue near the restaurant's two locations and in more retailers in the Chicago area starting Aug. 8.

"It's fun for Superdawg, our families and our customers to be honored in this way," Berman said.