Abv Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

We’ve long been spoiled to have Allagash beers in the Chicagoland market, considering they still only distribute to about a third of the country, if that. But this show celebrates the brewery differently, with five brewery-only beers from Craig’s recent travels to Portland, Maine. And yes, even when they’re getting experimental, Allagash is as adept at balancing complexity with drinkability unlike few other brewers in the world. This lovefest also features a sentient (and inspiring) Gushy, for the love of B-sides albums, buddy cop films with two talking dogs, and some irate Pokemon fans. Branch beer, branch beer! Beers Reviewed From Maine, With Love #04 (Saison with Lemon Verbena) From Maine, With Love #05 (Tart Pale Ale with Juniper and Sea Salt) From Maine, With Love #06 (Belgian Lager) From Maine, With Love #07 (Pale Ale with Lemon and Sea Salt) Coolship Cerise Estate (Spontaneous ale w/ cherries)

In a state where there’s a brewery for about every 8,000 people, Portland is the ultimate beer-lovers’ destination in picturesque Maine. Craig’s travels bring us five unique and winning beers from five different Portland, Maine breweries. The beers are as charming as the coastal town that bore them, which leads to a little strokin’ of Craig’s ego. Also, we keep those cans a-rolling; Craig feels old thanks to promotional 90s nights; Ryan is a little worried about the sea water; and we’re getting stupid with lactose.  Beers Reviewed Rising Tide Brewing Company - Pisces (Gose) Definitive Brewing Company - Radiant Days: Mandarin Orange, Raspberry, and Marshmallow (Fruited Sour) Liquid Riot Bottling Co. - Blushing Star (Barrel-aged pilsner w/ Brettanomyces and Maine white peaches) Battery Steele Brewing - Abstract Object (Coffee milk stout) Belleflower Brewing Co. - Barn Hex: Mosaic, Strata, El Dorado (Double NEIPA)

Stowed away in Northern Vermont, The Alchemist has been a world-renowned brewery for almost two decades thanks to its tremendously popular and influential Heady Topper. Craig’s recent travels to the area secured us that precious Heady along with four more beers of substantial quality that have us dreaming of green mountains. Also, Ryan resurrects the soundboard, Craig’s missed opportunity lets us all down, and we reach a decisive conclusion to the “drink from the can” debate.  Beers Reviewed Zomerbier (Summer saison) Sterk Wit (Belgian-style imperial wit) Skadoosh: Crystal (IPA) Crusher (Double IPA) Heady Topper (Double IPA)

If you’re going to toss the whole pastry shelf into your stout, we better see some proper punctuation. For this episode, we’ve gathered five stouts that are on a three-adjunct minimum, and we sacrifice our daily calorie count by bringing you our arbitrary reviews. We also consider T-shirts for songs, recommend three flavors for that White Sox waffle cone, conclude our eight year journey of finding a better name for the podcast, pan for cookie dough, smile at bubbles, and bristle at your bold breakfast self-invitation. You hear that, Doink? Beers Reviewed Hop Butcher for the World - Mobula (Imperial stout with chocolate, coconut, and almonds) More Brewing Company - Arketype: Almond Fudge Macaroon (Imperial stout with almond, cocoa nibs, and coconut) Prairie Artisan Ales & The Open Bottle - You Gotta Horchata (Imperial milk stout with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar) Hitchhiker Brewing Company - Point of Confusion (White stout with oats, coffee, cacao nibs, maple syrup, and hazelnut) Cinderlands Beer Co. - Pas

On some episodes, we just wanna act stupid and have some fun, so for this one we’re doing an all suburban, all haze, all blind show to prove that we don’t give a sh*t about tomorrow. Will these five hazy Double IPAs help break Ryan free from his Low Haze Enthusiasm? Will either host hit a respectable average in guessing the blind lineup? How many friendships will be tested? Which White Castle is still squishing the ball? Listen to this tight 50 to hear that and why you might as well papaya.™  Beers Reviewed Blindly (in order of appearance) Triptych Brewing - Batch 900 Mikerphone Brewing - Say Uhh!  Phase Three Brewing/Roaring Table Brewing - Just Down the Road Hidden Hand - Passioned Pastel More Brewing - Elixir Fields

Revolution Brewing’s mission is to dominate your whole calendar. They release one of the most coveted barrel-aged beers in the last few years as a surprise for the summer along with two returning favorites, but they also let you wash it all down with exquisite lighter-drinking beers like the pair from this episode. So we chatted with Rev’s communications manager John Carruthers about these hot summer drops, the future of Rev’s packaged offerings, his charitable pizza project and cookbook, and of course, the 90s X-Men Arcade game. Then we drink through a wildly incongruous lineup that has no business being evaluated on the same level, but we do what we know. There’s also talk of souping-up Craig’s Prius, Hall & Oates music videos, new lexicons for 40-year olds, and hope for VSOJ soft serve cones. Snap into a green bean! John Carruthers Interview (00:07:52 - 00:45:52) Beers Reviewed Riot (Bohemian Keller Pils) Pursuit of Freedom: Watermelon Mint (Session Sour) Supermassive Café Deth (Barrel-aged Imperial Oa

The Belgian Quadrupel is a style one might associate with decades of Trappist-brewed tradition, when in actuality, it was first coined a style in 1991 in the Netherlands. History lesson aside, these strong dark Belgian-style ales have their American fanatics too, and we try to explore multiple facets of the style through this episode. Also, we talk about non-existent emojis, raw bread, a Sorting Habit, accidental chocolate hand, and Craig accidentally drinking syrup. Our pour discipline is poor on this one.  Beers Reviewed Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven - La Trappe Quadrupel Spencer Brewery - Monks’ Reserve Ale Une Année Brewery - Quad Lo Rez Brewing - Rum Barrel-Aged Quad Core Old Irving Brewing Co. - Barrel-Aged As Time Goes By

Summer Craig’s travels brought him to the Steel City of Pittsburgh to explore their vibrant beer scene and bring back five beers for the podcast. We have an unusual mix of styles from five different Pittsburgh breweries, but they impress in ways that make us want to wave our Terrible Towels. Also, Craig has a disorienting experience with the wrath of God at the amusement park, we honor the Warhol Museum Balloon Wrangler, bring Retchy into the fold for one particularly hungover host, and explain how our saggy beers support our pointy ales.  Beers Reviewed Old Thunder Brewing Company - Ordinary Stillage (English session ale) Trace Brewing - Foeder Pils (Czech pilsner aged in an oak foeder) Cinderlands Beer Co. - Gregg (Blended saison) Strange Roots Experimental Ales - Mortal Eidolon (Barrel-aged sour ale aged on grape must) Grist House Craft Brewrey - Solar Submarine (Sour ale w/ tangerine, blood orange, chocolate, vanilla, milk sugar, and graham cracker)

Keeping Together, the saison-focused project from Averie Swanson, has brought world-class mixed culture farmhouse-style beers to Chicago - if even for all too short of a time. We catch up with Averie about the future of Keeping Together as its time in Chicago comes to a close, but we also talk with the Master Cicerone and former co-owner/head brewer at Jester King about her evolution as a brewer and business owner - and it feels like she’s just getting started. Also, we extol the virtues of saison as a style, discuss the ups and downs of destination breweries, praise a few more local saison makers, explore the inspiration behind her beer names, and consider a few Chicago delicacies like Home Depot hot dogs and Chicago Handshakes. Then, there’s a whole other segment where Craig and Ryan drink through five Keeping Together beers and just go on and on about how great they are, so you should listen to that too. We also talk about special occasion fonts, pastry saisons, and a new take-home edition of Gushy.  Inter

The good folks at Necromancer Brewing in Pittsburgh want to bring dead beer styles back to life, learning from the past while also using modern techniques and ingredients to reinvigorate these long-dormant styles for a new audience. On the first day that their taproom opened, Craig happened to be in town and was lucky to chat with head brewer Lauren Hughes before buying up almost every can they had to offer. Lauren shares the journey that led to Necromancer’s opening and the long-term vision of expansion, while articulating why these styles all deserve a second chance. Also, we consider a new take on BYO, sample the hot Jerrysauce, and open up our little bock book. Remember, there’s no resurrection in seltzer.  Lauren Hughes Interview 00:08:36 - 00:25:45 Beers Reviewed Square Dancing (Kentucky Common) Wildwood (Grisette) Laissez-Faire (Witbier) Cold Feet (Cold IPA) Poker Face (Black IPA)

In our 26th installment of our State Show Series, we get surprised with a box from listener Andrew F. and try to turn this admittedly New Orleans-heavy show into a loving exploration of Louisiana beer. Appropriately, the five beers are about as oddly different as they can be, and we have at least one thing we’ve never had in a beer before. Also, we revisit the events that must’ve led to Pitbull’s performance at the 2018 Naperville Ribfest, try to put the baseball in New Orleans, fret over drinking a plastic baby, and hold down school in the weird fruit aisle. Beers Reviewed Brieux Carré Brewing Company [New Orleans] - Teensy Pale Apparition (Grisette) Miel Brewery & Taproom [New Orleans] - Flor De Jamaica (Gose w/ hibiscus, pink sea salt, and cinnamon) Rally Cap Brewing Company [Baton Rouge] - Wendy Peffercorn (White stout w/ coffee and vanilla) Urban South Brewery [New Orleans]/Cruz Blanca Brewery - Desert Lights (Fruited sparkling ale w/ lemon, lime soda syrup, and prickly pear) Zony Mash Beer Project [

Though the only true kölsch can be found in Cologne, Germany, the broad appeal of the style is an obvious draw for brewers and drinkers alike. We find six local examples of kölsch-style beers and sample them in a blind tasting, while trying unsuccessfully not to embarrass ourselves. We also share strange yet optimistic signs in a return to “normalcy,” consider spicy cereals, discover raw bread, and create a bunch of new band names. Grab yourself six for the lazy river.  Beers Sampled Blindly (in order) Metropolitan Brewing - Krankshaft Maplewood Brewing Company/Goldfinger Brewing Company - Coaster King Half Acre Beer Company - Discus middle brow beer co. - Yard Work Dovetail Brewery - Kölsch Whiner Beer Co. - Curb Cutter

If only there was some relevant reason to do our first Hop Butcher show in a year...oh yeah! They released four single-hopped hazy beers! Well, there’s that and the whole “purchasing the Half Acre Lincoln taproom to convert into their own space later this year” thing. We talk with our friend Jeremiah Zimmer from Hop Butcher for the World for a good while about the surprising taproom purchase, from what greased the wheels on the deal to what kinds of plans they have with a tentative late-October opening date. We also get real nerdy about hop acquisition, why different hop lots can make all the difference, and how the Suez Canal blockage is holding back a choice batch of hops. We also talk about how the Smashing Pumpkins collaboration came to be, and who those two handsome gentlemen might be welcoming you to the Hop Butcher taproom in the future. And that’s not all, because the rest of the episode is dedicated to us tasting through four single-hop hazies while expanding on the 311 mythos that surrounds this sho

Mikerphone has become notorious for being willing to toss anything edible (and usually sweet) into a beer, but they’re not all style with no substance. For this episode, we tried to sample a more stripped-down version of Mikerphone, choosing five beers without much added (except for the occasional dry hop or barrel treatment). There are many delightful reminders that sometimes simple is better, but we also muck it up with a forced auction, the art of CD tracks, the seasons of Dexter*, a new future for Hellraiser, bad song parodies, and a game about MTV Unplugged in the 90s. Welcome to the five-timers club, Mikerphone! Beers Reviewed Jagged Little Pils (Dry-hopped pilsner) Naked and Famous (Berliner Weisse) Misty Mountain Hop (IPA) Barrel-Aged Flipped The Switch (Imperial Czech-Style Dark Lager aged in Smoke Wagon Bourbon Barrels) Barrel-Aged Imperial Smells Like Birthday Suit Spirit (Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels) *I was wrong about the Dexter.

Trends with IPAs come and go, but the West Coast-style IPA is foundational for what craft beer is today. So when a bunch of awesome local breweries set aside their hazy tendencies to deliver something more bitter and clear, we’re ecstatic to drink through five of them. Also, we mount up for Michael McDonald, admire some Choice Cones©, and welcome the new steel drum player for the Smashing Pumpkins. We also roll out another round of Personal Preference, which leads to talk of boozy mayonnaise and Craig unsuccessfully crashing a Hood Internet show. We’re getting throwback drunk on this one. Beers Reviewed Phase Three Brewing - West Coast Pixel Density IPA Art History Brewing - Avenue of the Giants IPA Revolution Brewing Co. - DDH West Coast Hero DIPA Hubbard’s Cave - Clearly Hopsurd IPA Miskatonic Brewing Company - DDH Nelson Wizard DIPA

More than just a mash paddle photoshoot for Instagram, these brewery collaborations focus on how their own pre-existing strong recipes can complement those of another. Enter the collab lab with us, as we taste through five inspired collaborations from local breweries, featuring a few medal winners to boot. Also, we pimp our windbreakers, break our lactose streak, imagine the limits of beer NFTs, and are just so done with this mask theatre. Set your windbreakers to yacht rock. Beers Reviewed  Alarmist Brewing/Old Irving Brewing - Le Beez (Hazy IPA) Penrose Brewing Company/Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummy Boots (Hazy IPA) Is/Was Brewing/Hopewell Brewing Co. - If/When (Bière de Coupage/Saison) Phase Three Brewing/Goose Island Beer Co. - If You’re A Bird… (Imperial stout w/ panella, cocoa nibs, and coconut) Goose Island Beer Co./Phase Three Brewing - ...I’m A Bird (Imperian stout w/ panella, cocoa nibs, and strawberry)

Not to be confused with FoBAB (Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers) or MOBAB (Missouri’s Board of Anime Bookstores), this episode simply promises more barrel-aged beers. Five dark beers with a few adjuncts and unique barrels thrown in, this lineup has more than one beer that’ll be on our best of the year list. Also, we discuss a Zubaz incident, summon a Pacino moment, get frustrated again by Kid Craig, and call for more jiggly stouts. We’re going to need moMoBAB.  Beers Reviewed Bent Paddle Brewing Co. - Double Shot Double Black (Imperial black ale w/ coffee and vanilla, aged in bourbon barrels) Third Space Brewing - Mystic Berry (Barrel-aged coffee imperial stout w/ blackberry, blueberry, and vanilla bean) Werk Force Brewing Company - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Mint Chocolate Chip Sleepy Bear (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ cacao nibs, vanilla, and mint)Half Acre Beer Co./The Veil Brewing Co. - Soak In Shadow (Imperial stout aged in apple brandy barrels w/ lactose) Goose Island Beer Co. - Suffolk County S

This show is a tribute to when the b-side is even better than the a-side, as we drink through five beers that for random reasons didn’t make the cut for recent episodes of the podcast. The styles and breweries are all over the place, which inspires us to dip into a slew of random topics like movies that should’ve been old SNES games, the best part of reading about the Columbian Exposition, and a whole game about b-side songs that upstage their a-sides. Grab your fancy hat and your absinthe dripper. Beers Reviewed The Conrad Seipp Brewing Co. - Columbia Bock Histrionic Brewlab - Tolvanera (Hazy IPA) Tox Brewing Co. - Lily of the Valley Raspricot (Fruited sour w/ raspberry, apricot, lactose, and vanilla) Delta Beer Lab - PTR.02 (Coconut chai stout) Young Blood Beer Company - I’m Extraordinarily Humble (Milk stout w/ cinnamon, maple, and vanilla)

Ticking off another Midwestern hotspot for beers, we try out five different beers from Madison, Wisconsin breweries this week. We drink as a badger does and uncover the surprisingly long and decorated histories of a few of these breweries, while we have a diverse lineup of tasty beers. Also, we jump on the video game-to-live action movie express, re-enact The Fabulous Baker Boys, contrast our evolving personal style, and talk briefly about that time Elvis stopped a fight in Madison. We’re all losers in a pun war. #TeamCream #BockSquad Beers Reviewed Giant Jones Brewing Company/The Lone Girl Brewing Company - Bière de Garde Ambrée Great Dane Pub & Brewing - John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt's Dunkel Doppel Hefeweizen Bock Vintage Brewing Company - Bock’s O-Chocolates (Chocolate Doppelbock) Next Door Brewing Company - Plumptuous (Scotch Ale) Karben4 Brewing - Urge Tracker (Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Stout)

In our minds, there’s hardly a better combination than drinking beer and appreciating baseball - a pastime as wholesome as apple pie milkshake IPAs. So we step into the box, looking to square up five tasty beers from Midwestern breweries that certainly want you to think about baseball. We cram this one with baseball miscellany: Chicago food-themed uniforms, baseball and beer math, Hot Dog Summer, and baseball Stumptappd. Mercy! Beers Reviewed Off Color Brewing - Beer for Ballgames (Cream ale) Goose Island Beer Co. - White Sox Golden Ale Spiteful Brewing - Bleacher Bum (Blonde ale w/ peaches) Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummiskey (Northeast India Pale Ale) Lion’s Tail Brewing/Young Blood Beer Co. - Uecker On the Radio (Hazy Double IPA)