Abv Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Unknowable horrors await us on our sixth annual Torture Test show, wherein we try to find weird, old, and terrible beers to blindly afflict one another, and this one’s crawling with impossible-to-guess styles and shapeshifting ABV. We try to avoid adding ounces to the simmering Cuvée of Doom by guessing whatever we can about these beers while (often) choking down what’s in the glass. Ryan pumps himself up with the Unsolved Mysteries theme song, Craig keeps feeling the effects of a flavor creeper, and we experience The Longest Finish.  Beers Survived Local Option Bierwerker - Dampf Loc c. 2015 (Dampfbier) Rinkuškiai - Effin Awesome (Imperial Lager) Grupo Modelo - Chelada Piña Picante (Pineapple and Pepper beer) Athletic Brewing Company - Oktoberfest (Non-Alcoholic Beer) Bell’s Brewery - Neptune: The Mystic (Imperial Stout w/ black pepper, hickory bark, dandelion root, spices, molasses, and maple syrup with cayenne peppers, star anise, raisins, and dates added) Oliphant Brewing - Milkman Manbaby (Milky Weizen D

For the 40th year of GABF - and the first festival in three years - we had to go bigger than ever, so much so that we couldn’t fit it into one episode. Even though Ryan stayed behind in Illinois, Craig succeeded in drinking all the beers Denver had to offer and bringing back some stellar interviews from some of his brewery highlights - along with an all-time bucket list guest. Even though we recorded this over two days and thousands of miles away, we manage to drink through some beers that have a GABF connection and give some one-sided reviews. For Part Two, Craig goes into his Saturday afternoon session experiences, and we discuss the highlights of this year’s awards. Check that guest list below!

For the 40th year of GABF - and the first festival in three years - we had to go bigger than ever, so much so that we couldn’t fit it into one episode. Even though Ryan stayed behind in Illinois, Craig succeeded in drinking all the beers Denver had to offer and bringing back some stellar interviews from some of his brewery highlights - along with an all-time bucket list guest. Even though we recorded this over two days and thousands of miles away, we manage to drink through some beers that have a GABF connection and give some one-sided reviews. In Part One, Craig talks about his experiences at WeldWerks, Peculier, Cellar West, Hops & Pie, and the Denver Rare Beer Tasting - in addition to his first two sessions at GABF. Part One Beers Reviewed Cellar West Artisan Ales - Spinechiller (Bourbon Barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout) Cellar West Artisan Ales - Cone Country (Golden Wet Hop Pale Ale) Beachwood Brewing - Amalgamator (West Coast IPA) Interviews Zach Kelly of HenHouse Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, CA)

The 30th installment in our State Show series takes us to the Southwest thanks to listener Don Kasak’s recent trip to New Mexico. To beat that dry heat, things stay pretty light on alcohol with five beers from four breweries that fortunately aren’t light on flavor. Also, Craig runs into a surprising t-shirt at a beer fest, Ryan looks for the flavors that exist in the negative spaces (ooooooh), and we would really love a be-turtlenecked Brian McKnight to sing a love ballad about kölsches.  Beers Reviewed Santa Fe Brewing Company [Sante Fe, NM] - NMX Standard (American Lager) Boxing Bear Brewing Company [Albuquerque, NM] - New Mexi-Kölsch Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. [Albuquerque, NM] - Rancho Light Lager (Light Lager w/ lemon zest) Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. [Albuquerque, NM] - Savage Times (Sour IPA) Rowley Farmhouse Ales [Sante Fe, NM] - Germophile - Prickly Pear (Berliner Weisse w/ prickly pear)

Just off the Lake Michigan shoreline sandwiched between popular vacation beach towns, there’s a little farmhouse brewery in Fennville, MI called Waypost. Opened in 2018, the folks at Waypost make a variety of styles exceptionally well (and even have a GABF Gold for Saison in their recent history). Ryan brought back five beers from his summer trip, and he’s positively giddy to finally share them with Craig. Also, we are on the search for the perfect T-shirt, Ryan stands up for Little Caeser’s pizza, and we’re both kind of mesmerized by the oddities of the South Haven Meijer.  Beers Reviewed House Lager (Zwickelbier) Grisette (with Earl Grey tea) Current (Pale Ale) Flora (Foeder-fermented saison w/ elderflower and hibiscus) Helles Bock

Further expanding our recent slew of city-centric shows, Craig took a brief trip to the Twin Cities area and scored five killer beers from Minneapolis breweries. In addition to learning about weird Minnesota beer laws and Ryan trying to imagine Feather Bowling, Craig snagged an interview with Dan Herman and Tom Berg of Falling Knife Brewing. Also, we consider what it’d take to become a sommelier for pancakes (batterino), aim our gripes at the inventor of ducking autocorrect, and get goofily excited over a sticker.  Falling Knife Interview (00:47:05 - 00:57:24) Beers Reviewed Utepils Brewing Company - Helles (Helles Lager) La Doña Cervecería - Doña Oscura (Dark Lager) Modist Brewing Co. - Small Hang Glide (Wheat Pale Ale) Pryes Brewing - Royal Raspberry Sour (Berliner Weisse w/ raspberry) Falling Knife Brewing Company - Very Old Painless (Bourbon barrel-aged English Barleywine)

Who says you need a reason to saison? Saison is all the reason you need. On this landmark episode, we again drink five different takes on our favorite style of beer - but we pepper this one with some interviews. You’ll hear from Sarah Flora from Flora Brewing on how she ended up releasing a saison with Chicago’s Pilot Project, in addition to how the art world brought her to be one of the most popular homebrewers on social media. Then we hear from Sway Brewing and Blending’s Matt Sampson on how a side project of a side project ended up releasing exquisite saisons in 16 ounce cans out of Door County, Wisconsin. And Afterthought’s Mike Thorpe phones in briefly to talk about his Revolution collab. As a bonus, you get to listen in as Ryan experiences a beer as he never has before: blasted through his nasal cavities at an extreme rate of propulsion. If that’s not enough, there’s brewery theme parks, heavy bubbles, and a popcorn-based TikTok challenge. It’s episode 450 - something had to explode. Interview with Sara

For our 29th State Show in our decade-long intermittent series, Craig’s travels reward us with beers from one of the great beer states in the nation: Oregon. This impressive lineup of five different styles from five breweries put this one high on our all-time State Show list, and our rankings are more difficult than ever. Also, Craig learns the hard way about Oregon’s gas-pumping law; Ryan is the reluctant IBU expert; and we play a location name game of “Oregon or Oregoff?”  Beers Reviewed Fort George Brewery [Astoria, OR] - Spruce Budd (Spruce Beer) Von Ebert Brewing [Portland, OR] - Volatile Substance (American IPA) Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery [Newberg, OR] - Foothills (Barrel aged saison w/ pineapple sage, szechuan peppercorns, and lemongrass) Alesong Brewing & Blending [Eugene, OR] - Coconut Rhino Suit (Imperial Milk Stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ toasted coconut) Pelican Brewing Company [Pacific City, OR] - Mother of All Storms (Barrel-aged English Barleywine)

It’s our job to bring together five local table beers (and deal with Eddie Munster), so we seek to further understand this lighter cousin of saison by talking with Mike Thorpe of Afterthought Brewing about the style and his TableFest™ on September 11th. Also, Ryan finds the perfect work night beer; Craig says the brewery name that makes him squeamish; and we both create the flavor better known as Thunder. The tables are our corn. Mike Thorpe Interview (00:11:27 - 00:23:10) Beers Reviewed Off Color Brewing - Beer For Lightweights Afterthought Brewing Company - Table: Contessa Metropolitan Brewing - Micro-Volt Mikerphone Brewing - On the Table and Dreaming Sundial Brewing & Blending - Table Chardonnay

BlackStack Brewing has built quite a reputation off of exceptionally well-crafted hazy IPAs, and we have three of them in this lineup to prove it’s true. Craig also managed to find two other styles to help us better understand this five year-old brewery out of St. Paul, MN. You gotta love a show that challenges your expectations of style, and this one reinvigorates some haze appreciation on our part. Also, Craig excitedly recaps his time at the World’s Largest Bouncy Castle; Ryan invokes Patio Dad to gain a new perspective on haze; and we’re a little nostalgic for the Kveik Days of 2019. Also, Google translates into peanut butter, Roll Your Own Ham nights, and (heavy sigh) Critical Meat Theory.  Beers Reviewed  Giving Trees (Mixed culture foeder-fermented Berliner Weisse w/ apple cider, cinnamon, granola, and brown sugar) DDH 755: HBC 586 (NEIPA) Kveik 755 (NEIPA) Trust the Process (DDH DIPA) Maximum Drip (Milk stout w/ coffee)

Unlike a usual episode where we rub our fuzzy faces and gaze at our navels, this peach beer show comes with a twist. Certainly we review five local beers under a shared theme of “beer with peaches,” but we also foray into a dice-rolling RPG-style podcast with a whole game based around a popular mustachioed video game character (who is not Mike Haggar from Final Fight…sorry). Fortunately, the beers are much better than Ryan’s dice rolls, and Craig’s playing like he has a GameShark. Also, we talk about what Spirit Halloween does in the offseason, imagine other fruit-based mascots, and get some trivia on these five breweries to help move the game along.  Beers Reviewed Goose Island Beer Co. - Sounds Queer, I’m In (Wheat ale w/ peaches & natural peach flavor) Phase Three Brewing - Raw: Passion Fruit// Peach (Wheat ale w/ passionfruit and peach) Around the Bend Beer Company - Vivian (Pistachio cream ale w/ peaches) Pipeworks Brewing Company - Ride the Gnar (Sour ale w/ peach and white grape) Hopewell Brewing C

Known as Beervana for a reason, Portland, Oregon is maybe the premier beer destination city in the United States. Summer Craig recently spent some time getting to know the beers of the Pacific Northwest, and he got some help from accomplished beer writer Jeff Alworth. The Beer Bible author gives us the story of Portland’s beer proclivities and how they don’t always follow the national trends. Also, Jeff gives us good Portland beer history, explains how the hazy trend might’ve actually started out west, and tells us whether or not “smoothie sours” made it into the recent reprinting of his book. We also review five stellar beers from Portland breweries, yell stuff at HackerMan, conceptualize Inkblot Brewing, and try to solve a beer snob mystery. Jeff Alworth Interview (00:14:58 - 00:51:24) Beers Reviewed Breakside Brewery w/ Barley Brown’s Beer - WanderJack (American IPA) Ruse Brewing - Wolves in the Rain (West Coast IPA) Wayfinder Beer - Original Cold IPA Little Beast Brewing - Dream State (Foeder-aged Ale w/

The hefeweizen is a pretty universally appreciated summer beer, and we’ve amazingly never dedicated an entire show to the style. But thankfully a bunch of cool local brewers have put their best non-hoppy hazies in cans for us to consider, as we rise from 5% ABV all the way up to 5.4% ABV in this lineup. Also, we do some summer PD by putting Summer Craig through a SWOT analysis; Ryan has rediscovered his Willi Becher; and we have Hefeweizen Opinions (on HBO). There’s also a game that Ryan’s unfortunately calling Beerdle, and Craig’s wife gets in on the ranking action. Hefeweizens Reviewed Revolution Brewing - El Hefe Loco The Conrad Seipp Brewing Company - Bavarian Hefeweizen The Hopewell Brewing Co. - Here & There Roaring Table Brewing Co. - Secret Beach Maplewood Brewery - Bavarian Dream

Though it may not be many people’s pick for Oregon’s best beer city, it’s hard to ignore the quality beers produced in Bend. From Craig’s trip, we have five diverse beer styles from five different Bend breweries that both impress us with new flavors and stir up some nostalgia. Also, Craig talks about his trip to The Last Blockbuster and quizzes Ryan on related trivia. Plus there’s talk of squirrels drunk off of tree fermenters, a Rule 34 Brewery, imaginary berries, and a desperate plea for someone to take Ryan’s unwanted DVD of the movie “Funny People.” Make it an ABV Chicago night, and we’ll take care of those late fees. Beers Reviewed Crux Fermentation Project - Island Pilz (Tropical Pilsner) Boss Rambler Beer Club - We’ll Do It Cold! (Cold IPA) The Ale Apothecary - Connor (American Wild Ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels w/ marionberries) Boneyard Beer - Notorious IPA3 (Triple IPA) Deschutes Brewery - The Abyss: Coconut (Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels w/ roasted coconut flakes, licorice, cherry bark &a

Plunge that hand deep into the slushy depths of that beach-ready cooler and help yourself to a cold and refreshing serving of…lactobacillus, saccharomyces, and brettanomyces?! That’s right - we are packing our coolers with refreshing and fruity mixed culture sour beers from local breweries to bring some new energy to our summer gatherings. These are the kind of tart beers that can only be measured in beach balls, deck chairs, patio lights, and floppy sun hats. Also, we imagine the stories behind memorable commercials and jingles; we identify the most well-rounded brewery in Chicago; Ryan does whatever the labels tell him to do; and Craig knows which fruit is the scariest.  Beers Reviewed Is/Was Brewing - Levain Yuzu (Saison fermented in oak w/ mixed culture and yuzu added) Odious Cellars - Alabaster (Mixed-culture sour w/ white peach, wildflower honey, and vanilla) Maplewood Brewing Company - Softcore Mutation: Foeder Raspberry (Mixed-culture foeder-aged sour w/ raspberries) Duneyrr Artisan Fermenta Project -

For almost 30 years, Alan Sprints and his Portland, Oregon brewery Hair of the Dog pioneered American craft beer through some of the earliest barrel-aging experiments and developed potent beers built for aging, creating some of the original “whales” in the process. Once Alan decided to retire and close his legendary brewery in June of 2022, Craig booked a trip to experience Hair of the Dog for a final time and to get Mr. Sprints on the microphone to reflect on his career and look ahead to the joys of retirement. In addition to the interview, we are fortunate to drink through five Hair of the Dog beers and cross off a significant line on our beer bucket lists. We also speculate on the brewery’s actual magical powers, open the oldest beer we’ve had on the show, and play some 1993-based trivia along the way. Thanks again to Alan and his whole crew - all of beer has been made better because of Hair of the Dog. Alan Sprints Interview (00:07:02 - 00:20:01) Beers Reviewed Polka Dot (American IPA) Doggie Claws: 2012

The time has finally come to pit the world’s premier saison producing cities - Chicago and Milwaukee, obviously - against one another in an arbitrary competition to determine once and for all whose farmhouses rule the I-94 corridor. We have six saisons, three from each city, going head-to-head in specified categories to help determine a “winner.” Also, we evaluate which candies would make the best breakfast food, Craig’s mundane superpower of ABV-detection, and our desire to drink fancy bathroom beers.  Beers Reviewed Round 1: Saisons with Brett Is/Was Brewing - Spandrel (Saison brewed w/ aged hops, raw spelt, and Brettanomyces) vs. Radix Fermentation - Simpler Times: Batch 2 (Brett-conditioned saison) Round 2: Saisons with Fruit Keeping Together - Watching the Mind, Watching the Body (Saison w/ Michigan pears, Chaat Masala, and honey) vs. 1840 Brewing Company - Three Part Harmony (Saison w/ peaches) Round 3: Barrel-aged Saisons Afterthought Brewing Company - Biere De Pieces #39 (Blended saison aged in mead a

We’ve long loved Hood River’s Pfriem Family Brewers, and thanks to Craig’s recent travels, we are able to drink through five of their impressive beers. For this one, we experience a wider array of styles, and a few challenge the best of style available locally. Also, we dream of having our own Streisand-like underground malls, we settle into a good butt nook, and we try to forget some bad brut memories. If you’re down with P(friem), then you’re down with me.  Beers Reviewed Helles Lager Sparkling IPA Druif Blanc (Barrel-aged grape ale) Rum Barrel-Aged Porter Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine

Pittsburgh’s Necromancer has just crossed over a year in operation, and we’re already onto our second show featuring only their beers. Why?  Kuit beer is the reason. We catch up with head brewer Lauren Hughes about five of her “Resurrection” releases - beers that were previously “dead” or so obscure that there’s almost no example for comparison’s sake. (Much like our beloved Kuit beer.) She also shares updates on Necromancer’s expansion plans and what in the hell is a Pennsylvania Swankey. Also, we test our innovative snack ideas, battle a little foam gremlin, vape the vase water, and watch as Xander Cage solves global warming. (And shoutout again to Craig’s mom, who picked up all the beers for this show.) Beers Reviewed Forbidden Fruit: Mango, Guava, Passionfruit (Smoked sour Lichtenhainer w/ fruit) Rag And Bone (British Golden Ale) Parkour (Bière de Printemps) Münster Mash (Kuit Beer) Bitter As Death In the Gallows (Merseburger)

No matter how much trends fluctuate, one of the steadiest beers to bank on is the pilsner. Everyone who loves beer loves a great pilsner, and in our opinion, no beer list is complete without one. So we pick five pilsners from five midwestern states to taste through and appreciate while trying very hard to banish the term “drinkable” from the show. Also, Bo Jackson is behind the wheel on the way to our pheasant-hunting trip; we talk about how going to New Glarus is like going to Six Flags; and we evaluate which bubbles make Craig feel happy.  Beers Reviewed Fair State Brewing Cooperative [MN] - Superclear (German-style Pilsner) New Glarus Brewing Company [WI] - 22 Pils (German-style Pilsner) Noon Whistle Brewing [IL] - Brüski (Czech-style Pilsner) Moontown Brewing Co. [IN] - Anni IV (American Heirloom Czech Lager) Seedz Brewery [MI] - Shark Pils (Czech-style Pilsner)