Episode 595 - West Coast Pilsners
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Newly adopted as its own category for this year’s GABF competition, the West Coast Pilsner has the hoppy influence of its namesake locale while also retaining much of what makes German Pilsners so repeatedly drinkable. We gather five locally-made examples from some of Illinois’ top names in hops, and they help us build a case for the style’s existence. Also, Craig has a new BFF through his new obsession; Ryan doesn’t want to let go of his beloved goo pillow; and we outline exactly when it’s okay to put cheese on a hot dog. Beers Reviewed Hop Butcher for the World - Francheezie...
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Episode 594 - Goldfinger Brewing (with Tom Beckmann)
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In just 5 years, Goldfinger Brewing Company has made Downers Grove, Illinois a true destination for lager-lovers and much of that is to the credit of founder, co-owner, and head brewer Tom Beckmann’s tireless quest to make the most interesting lagers you’ll ever drink. Tom sits with us for a while to sample through some new and upcoming beers while discussing why telling the stories of his lagers is a key part to reshaping the perception of the category. We also talk about his recent Polish medal for a Polish-style beer, how his first brewing jobs set him up to start his own business, what...
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Episode 593 - Hop Roundup: Heating Up
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In our second of our quarterly “random hoppy things” episodes wherein we gather notable hop-driven drinks from local breweries, we have a murderers’ row lineup to lead us into the warmer months - and we even include one non-beer. The high quality of the beverages leads to steadily sloppier discussions of Craig’s first Magic: The Gathering tournament, Ryan’s transition into erotic craft beer fiction novelist, our desire for unique taproom experiences, and the assembly of a Hop Conclave to give these experimental varieties an identity. It’s girthy - yet grippable, so grab an earful...
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Episode 592 - IPA All-Stars Blind, Round 2
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In our continuing quest to find the best legacy IPA (that also happens to be widely available), we blindly taste and rate a set of five here that represent four from the West Coast and one extremely familiar local. Are we grading more harshly on this episode than last? And what blind surprise catches us the most off guard? All this will be answered, along with how we can more effectively lie about having seen movies, and why Craig’s Mosaic blindness is going to flip the whole episode on its head. Beers Reviewed Blindly Sierra Nevada Brewing - Torpedo Extra IPA Revolution Brewing -...
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Episode 591 - MoBAB 5: Barrels Alive!
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
It’s been over a month since we last drank barrel-aged beers, so to reward our tremendous restraint we’re throwing another MoBAB: a show that features more barrel-aged beers! In an unofficial “halfway to FoBAB” show, we sample four pretty distinctive styles and one collaboration pair built for blending. But also, we’re speculating about the injection boutique, translating for velociraptors, struggling to understand some fruits, and establishing an elite safe word. Come and experience The Joy of MoBAB. Beers Reviewed Off Color Brewing - Pomegranate Fox (Foedre-fermented wild ale...
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Episode 590 - How Low Can You Go?
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Who says you need a lot of alcohol to have fun? Well, a lot of people, I’m sure. But this show sets out to prove beers that are under 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) can be surprisingly flavorful and ultimately satisfying. This “IPA sandwich” lineup is met with enthusiasm and a tighter grasp on sobriety than usual. Also, we really date the heck out of this show (recorded May 7th, 2025) by spending time discussing the Conclave Hot Stove before we knew the identity of the New Pope. Also, Craig needs a Trapper Keeper, Ryan admires a girthy grip, and we successfully predict the coming of Chicago...
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Episode 589 - Czech Dark Lagers
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In our second exploration of Czech styles made locally, we sample five Czech Dark Lagers - a style that has slowly grown into a dependable stand-by for many brewers. We get into what makes a beer like this that perfect balance of dark malt and clean lager drinkability while drinking more of these than we probably should. Also, we contemplate if we’re too old for concerts being marketed directly at us, we fail to fully ban bad puns, we hit up the Hop-O-Rama, and there’s a reason they never made an aroma box for virtual meetings. Beers Reviewed Samson (Budějovický měšťanský...
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Episode 588 - IPA All-Stars Blind, Round 1
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
With this episode, we kick off our new ongoing blind tasting series with a focus on the IPAs that made craft beer what it is today. Periodically over the next few months, we’ll be gathering up five IPAs that represent well-known, influential, or otherwise significant IPAs from all over, looking to find our pick for the overall best using a much more professional and organized scoring system than usual. This first one has a bit of an, uh, “unintentional reboot” feel to it - but the results truly rock us to our cores. But also, we have a surprising number of sandwich topics, Craig seeks...
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Episode 587 - Czech Light Lagers
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
The lighter beers produced in the Czech Republic have inspired a bevy of lighter lagers stateside, so we get as Bohemian as we can with five different beers - four from the Chicagoland area. We brush up on our definitions of Czech pilsners and Czech pale lagers while finding some surprising local examples. Plus, we’re getting sucked into game ads due to some hazy bait, we make a pitch to fund our snack drone, and Craig may have killed off Cronch. We’ll cover your Czech - if you agree to Czech this one out. Beers Reviewed Budějovický Budvar - Czechvar Original (Czech Pilsner) Seldom Beer...
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Episode 586 - Mosaic Immersion Therapy
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
For as long as we’ve been reviewing beers, Craig has struggled with perceiving the Mosaic hop’s aroma and flavors to the point that we’ve diagnosed him with the first-ever case of Mosaic Blindness. So Ryan set out to cure (or torment) his friend by tracking down five all-Mosaic beers to learn what makes this complex hop just so dang elusive for Craig. Also, Ryan’s got a game for eagle-eared radio listeners in new cities; Craig’s excited he finally got accepted into MIT; and we think we should’ve incorporated a dry-hopped Neti pot in all this. Beers Reviewed Werk Force Brewing...
info_outlineLike some sort of softball-sized, hairy drupe falling from a tree to knock us on the head, within this lineup of four beers is a surprise that almost completely brings the show to a grinding halt. But otherwise, it’s a fun little exploration of our relationship with coconut as an adjunct in barrel-aged stouts, and there’s no suntan lotion to be found here. Also, 3 Floyds is normal now, Disney is entering ill-advised music territory, Head & Shoulders should sponsor this episode, and Ryan explains why the result of this show is like checking for a cockroach in your shoe. (It’ll all make sense, later, we swear.) Thanks again to Dan Roemer for help in procuring the Phase Three!
Beers Reviewed
3 Floyds Brewing - Cocomungo (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ toasted coconut and maple syrup)
Hop Butcher for the World - Steel (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ vanilla beans and coconut)
Phase Three Brewing - Eunoia Batch 2 (Barrel-aged imperial stout w/ coconut and Saigon cinnamon)
Half Acre Beer Company - Double Barrel 2x4 Benthic 2023 (Double bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ toasted coconut, vanilla, and coffee)