Episode 620 - FoBAB Winners 2025
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
We’re hot on the case of the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers 2025’s best medal recipients (that we have access to), and we’ll solve the mystery of whether or not the gold medal winner in this bunch will actually top our rankings. For this year’s roundup of decorated beers, we run the Specialty/Experimental category and throw in a bonus beefy adjunct stout for fun. But also, we’re wondering what we can learn from the Lyric Opera Detectives to become Dicks at FoBAB; we run through all sorts of FoBAB By-The-Numbers breakdowns from this year’ results; we recap some Fantasy FoBAB...
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Episode 619 - Decembeers
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Taking a break from our usual Barrel-Aged December, we round up five festive beers that’ll help make the holidays go down a lot easier. We span styles to appreciate the mostly-local lineup and their different seasonal inspirations while narrowing down our picks for what to bring to that work holiday party or extended family gathering. Also, we’re learning language from musicians, we find a beer more rare than King Henry II, Ryan’s inventing the next red hot beer gift, and Craig becomes a sometimes-seasonal Beer’d Al. Beers Reviewed Goldfinger Brewing - Winter Beer (Rye Lager) Art...
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Episode 618 - Deepest Woodest
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Two things are absolutely certain when it comes to Revolution’s yearly Deep Wood releases: one is that all the beers are going to be slightly varying levels of excellent, and the second is that we will find any excuse to drink them for the podcast. For this round of releases, a few old favorites return alongside the steadiest barleywine currently released, plus a new variant enters the fold as one of the best we’ve had yet. But also, we explore some surprising examples of the younger generation’s borrowed nostalgia; we enter the fantasy factory for future Deep Wood releases; and our...
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Episode 617 - Bourbon County 2025
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Just in time for another Black Friday, we sat down with our good friend Ryan Tracy at his Beer on the Wall shop out in Elmhurst to sample through this year’s somewhat uninspiring (but very well made) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout lineup. We ponder what’s missing this year while also recognizing where the barrels are doing the heavy lifting, the impressive use of nuts (now that we’re fully in the NutZone), and a surprising lean towards more subtlety than expected. Also, Craig is almost literally exuding Red Vines, we finally are pandering to the 10 year olds, Ryan is a surprising...
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Episode 616 - 1840 ‘Til Infinity
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
This episode is a tribute to the great 1840 Brewing out of Milwaukee and a celebration of the beers and memories they made during their years of operation. If you can help the Vetter family during this period of unimaginable grief, please consider donating to the GoFundMe that has been established in Stephanie’s memory: Beers Tasted Saaziwaka (Table Beer w/ Saaz and Riwaka hops) TBD (Dry-hopped Saison) Muumuu (Milk Stout) Sea Foam [2020] (Sour Ale w/ pineapple, passion fruit, blue spirulina, and lactose)
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Episode 615 - IPA All-Stars Blind Rd. 5
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
The latest installment in our journey to discover America’s best IPA, we’re going coast-to-coast for a pretty special lineup that’ll help us further define what makes an IPA both an “all star” and, uh, “very good.” We’re getting pretty good at this guessing thing, and we might have the first IPA in this series that loses points in the appearance category. Also, we are pushing hard for an all Pure Moods stage at Riot Fest, we are haunted by that ridiculous thumb, and we want to know if a slice from Sbarro will fit in a Jnco jean pocket. Beers Reviewed Blindly ...
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Episode 614 - Pitt Fall
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
At the tail end of summer, we recorded this little gem when we knew we’d need it most to help keep us thinking warm thoughts as the temperature falls faster than the leaves. When our friend Aaron Keefner was in town, he dropped a heavy case of Pittsburgh goodies on us, and we use this episode to sip through an exciting lineup of lagers and hops. Also, Craig has found the perfect exclusive club for a first date (and bulk goods), Ryan wants to see a brewery who is dedicated to kicking ass, and we’ll take that time machine straight back to a Wendy’s SuperBar. Beers Reviewed Coven Brewing -...
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Episode 613 - Deth Proof
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
The barrel storm that is Revolution’s Deep Wood series rages on throughout the Fall and Winter months, so we’re catching up on the last release of their Deth’s Tar stout and its variants - and this year’s batch is better than they’ve ever been. We try to place these in the context of past years’ releases and try not to overanalyze the calculated magic that comes out of Rev’s barrels. But also, we are living for Dumpkin Spice season, we try to name a Skele-Boy, and we’re sorry for all the talk about…well, you’ll figure it out. Beers Reviewed Deth’s Tar (Imperial...
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Episode 612 - Torture Test 9: Circles of Adjunct Hell
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
Unnecessarily crammed with junk, this year’s spooky six-pack is an adjunct party that no one ever wanted to be invited to, as we’re on to our ninth iteration of the infamous Torture Test. We both try to outdo one another by attacking our flavor weaknesses - or just finding straight-up old catastrophes of beers that were probably never good in the first place. The goal is to avoid the Cuvée of Doom, but we can’t avoid descriptors like “rancid piña colada,” “wet basement cardboard,” dirty old pennies,” “liquified grandma’s candy,” and “diet medicine.” But also, you...
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Episode 611 - FoBABlin’: 7th Barrel Heaven
ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast
In our annual leadup to Chicago’s best beer fest, we’re talking all about the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers as it is set to return early in November this year. Along with drinking and reviewing four barrel-aged beers from a few FoBAB regulars (and one new to the fest), we look over the new and returning breweries, share our picks for brewers not to miss, rattle off a few general festival tips, and conduct a mock draft of our Fantasy FoBAB teams. Also, Craig devises a plan for packing future festivals, Ryan keeps pushing that coffee bean, a girthsome and titan beer write-up is...
info_outlineWe love hoppy beers, and truthfully, we need to find an excuse to try more local releases that catch our attention. Introducing the Hop Roundup: a quarterly series of episodes focused on notable hoppy releases in a general timeframe. For this Winter 2025 edition, we have a brand new brewery with a resurgent style; a fresh year-round from local legends; a collab “reverse” continuation from a previous episode; a bigger take than we’ve seen on a highly-debated style; and a hopeful return for one of our favorite hops. But also, Ryan’s trying to help Craig through his jump scare fears; we may need an Oops! All Lactose version; and we log-on with Obi Wan Konami.
Beers Reviewed
Blind Corner Brewery - High Draw (XPA)
Half Acre Beer Co. - Slow Melt (Pale Ale)
Riverlands Brewing & Hop Butcher for the World - Long Time Listener, First Time Caller (West Coast-style Double IPA)
Pollyanna Brewing - Gold and Cold (Double Cold IPA)
Maplewood Brewing - Sweet Imagination (Northeast-style Double IPA)