Episode 572 - Singles in Your Area
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In an ill-advised experiment almost 4 years in the making, this episode is our style exploration of the Belgian Single - sometimes called Patersbier, sometimes Enkel, and definitely rarely made stateside. Even most of the Trappist breweries keep them in house and rarely send them overseas. With a glacial pace of local Belgian single releases, we’ve held on to some American versions with hopes of one day finally completing our Monastic Cycle. So we took one fresh single - and four definitely way less fresh singles - to see how compatible we all could be. It’s certainly a learning...
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Episode 571 - Heavy Riff: Dear Agony
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
It took us almost a dozen years to catch on that Heavy Riff Brewing out of St. Louis is an absolute treasure, and we are more than happy to open a little vertical of their signature barrel-aged stout series, Dear Agony. Crafted from a lactose mistake, this rich and creamy imperial milk stout sees yearly release with multiple variants representing different barrel picks or adjuncts - and the only agony on this show comes from the beer’s name. Also, Ryan’s son has created a superhero with surprising powers; Craig is experiencing his 44th year molting; and neither of us can recall anything...
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Episode 570 - Riverlands Brewing Company
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Pride of the Fox River and St. Charles, Illinois, Riverlands Brewing is approaching six years with a refreshed love of their own lagers, thanks to their U.S. Beer Open Championship gold-winning pilsner, Kayak. We sit down with co-founder and head brewer Eric Bramwell along with assistant brewer Brianna Levi to chat all things Riverlands - not limited to their horizontal tanks. Eric and Bri tell their stories about influential local brewers that helped them learn how to move from homebrewers to the commercial space and what inspires them to play with different ingredients and endlessly tinker...
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Episode 569 - Pulpit Rock
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Back in August, we had the great fortune to drink through an entire lineup from Decorah, Iowa’s Pulpit Rock Brewing (thanks to listeners Benji and Suzanne) and this resulting episode is sounding great out of the cellar, thanks to some interview snippets with co-head brewer Bob Slack from the Great Taste of the Midwest. It doesn’t take long until we go a little nuts over nuts, but we also learn to appreciate long written-off desserts, rank the gorgeous can art, and stand in bewilderment over ice cream truck music. Bob Slack Interview (00:09:06 - 00:15:50) Beers Reviewed Whatever (West...
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Episode 568 - A Side of Side Project
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
It may not be the main course, but we make a meal out of this four bottle Side Project lineup, gifted to us by listener and friend Don Kasak. We may think we know where things are going with these four barrel-aged beers of differing styles - but we quickly get swept up in some surprising flavors. Also, we are adjusting to some of the new holiday traditions, we make some New Year’s fruit resolutions, and after this episode we’re heading down to our shift at the Farm Barn to check out Beyond Tart’s set. Beers Reviewed Merci 2024 (Blended oak-aged American wild ale) SpontanFermier -...
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Episode 567 - FoBAB Winners 2024
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
The Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers came in late November this year, and we have another episode to add to our wall-to-wall coverage of Chicago’s best beer fest. As has become a delicious tradition, we have gathered medal winning beers from this year - but with a totally sessionable twist. Three gold medal winners, one bronze, and one Best in Show gives us a lineup of 4 that’ll go down as one of the best we’ve done. Also, we break down FoBAB winners by the numbers, recap our festival highlights, and replace the Elf on the Shelf with Craig on the Keg. Beers Reviewed Milieu...
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Episode 566 - Deep Wood: Wine O’ Clock
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
It’s always wine o’ clock somewhere, especially when you’re opening up the finest barleywines and ryewines Revolution has to offer. This episode features three different ‘wines and a special release stout as part two (or three?) of their barrel-aged Deep Wood series for this year, and at least one of us deems this the best set of four Rev has ever done. Also, we don’t think we really want to smell our TVs; someone is in need of a little Halloween costume inspiration; and we get to know Captain Check (and his alter ego, Captain Czech). 2024 Deep Wood Beers Reviewed Straight...
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Episode 565 - Bourbon County 2024
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Even though Black Friday doesn’t mean what it once did, Bourbon County is still an event - and we have Ryan Tracy with us at Beer on the Wall to help us taste through this year’s lineup of six from Goose Island. Sure we were banned from the official media tasting, but we assess the whole group fairly - and find some surprises that are real standouts in the history of BCBS. Also, shenanigans may be afoot at FoBAB in regards to our Fantasy League; Ryan T. and Craig have a proposed wardrobe swap; we discuss BCBS variants that “don’t exist”; Tracy shares a Rare Day story that can only...
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Episode 564 - Ciders N’ Stuff
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
It’s been 8 years since we last did a whole lineup of ciders, and this was just the re-evaluation we needed to fall back in love with these well-crafted non-beer drinks. But it’s not just apples this time: each cider brings something else to the mix - to consistently surprising results. Also, Craig has created a glitter problem he can’t solve, Ryan learns of a surprising cidery connection to the beer world, and we’re both forced to put on the oversized blazer before being let inside. Ciders Reviewed The Northman - Hopped Cider Stem Ciders - Apricot Haze Eris Brewery & Cider...
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Episode 563 - Thanksgiving Beer Feast
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Not content with waiting for one single day to stuff ourselves with our favorite traditional foods, we just had to drink our way through a feast of Thanksgiving-adjacent beers to get us hyped for what might be our favorite holiday. We see how many of this lineup of five Illinois beers would make a nice addition to the table while also playing a full game of Personal Preference: Thanksgiving Foods. Plus, Ryan tries to make sense of a possibly inappropriate teacher costume, Craig takes a hardline stance against mixing foods, and we both have a few sides we like better than turkey. Loosen that...
info_outlineThe Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers came in late November this year, and we have another episode to add to our wall-to-wall coverage of Chicago’s best beer fest. As has become a delicious tradition, we have gathered medal winning beers from this year - but with a totally sessionable twist. Three gold medal winners, one bronze, and one Best in Show gives us a lineup of 4 that’ll go down as one of the best we’ve done. Also, we break down FoBAB winners by the numbers, recap our festival highlights, and replace the Elf on the Shelf with Craig on the Keg.
Beers Reviewed
Milieu Fermentation - smol. (Barrel-aged mixed culture table beer)
Off Color Brewing - Funky Beer for Tacos (Gose fermented with wild yeast aged in lime gin barrels)
Cruz Blanca Brewpub - Tepache Cowboy (Mexican lager aged in añejo mezcal barrels with pineapple and spices)
Half Acre Beer Co. - Orin (Bourbon and brandy barrel aged strong ale)