Once brewed as a “superbier” to push the limits of ABV in a Belgian Blonde ale, the Tripel has almost a century of history with many American breweries embracing its fruity and spicy barrage. We try five Tripels, including the style standard, to better familiarize ourselves with this Belgian staple - and to help us complete half of our Belgian Beer Cycle. Also, Ryan gives the play-by-play in the 5 year olds basketball class, we sample the newest flavors of Jeez-Its, Craig wants all the brandy ba...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 9Ep. 418
Ushering in our 8th year of the podcast, this anniversary episode is a surprisingly sessionable trip down memory lane. Each host blindly leads the other through three beers of their choosing with the caveat being that all breweries must be Chicagoland local and would have already been open in 2013. Then, there are other connecting themes behind our choices that the other must guess - all while we find ourselves reeling pickled off of a bunch of 5% beers. Also, we decide which restaurants we woul...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Season 9Ep. 417
For the past two years, Off Color’s line of Beer For… beers have been a steady source of creative pairings executed immaculately, so we talk with co-founder Dave Bleitner about the project he heads up. Dave shares some of his process for conceptualizing these beers, why it was the right time to do his first ever pale ale (and make it a year-round release), how the label art and merchandising comes about, and why you shouldn’t sleep on a hop pillow for too long. We also drink through five of the ...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Season 9Ep. 416
A sequel to one of our favorite shows of 2021 might seem rushed, but Keeping Together’s time in Chicago is limited. For this one, we drink five more of Averie Swanson’s artful creations in an exercise that honestly feels shamelessly self-indulgent due to how good the beers are. Also, we speculate on a provolone problem, conjure up some Joey Pants, do a sitcom t-shirt reveal, and feel inspired to don windbreakers. Expect a very early contender for beer of the year that we never saw coming. Who sa...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 415
Though our very existence denies it, we love the idea of Dry January - a time when people can re-evaluate their habits around beer and explore more sober and healthy options. But we never really intended on doing this show - not until Ryan got Covid. So to keep this weekly show going amidst that diagnosis, we explore how non-alcoholic beers have come to mimic craft styles much more than they did half a decade ago. Also, Craig needs help with a t-shirt resolution, Ryan’s just grateful he can stil...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 8Ep. 414
The Cold IPA itself is an oxymoron. So is it a hopped-up lager, or a lagered-down IPA? Or is it neither? We speak with Doug Veliky, CFO of Revolution Brewing and industry trend-spotter, about why the Cold IPA could be a legitimate trend, and what could keep it stuck in fermentation. Then we examine the style further by drinking through five local examples, hoping to create our own frame of reference. Additionally, Craig has a new workout plan for 2022, Ryan’s creating the Slow Pour Cold IPA at-h...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 44 min•Season 8Ep. 413
As if barrel-aging alone wasn’t enough, breweries these days are taking beers that have already experienced an extended oak rest and dumping them into another barrel to age even further. We sample five beers that result from this process (or something similar) to see if all that patience pays off in the end. This final installment of Barrel-Aged December features two legit top ten candidates for beers of the year, and we attempt to extend our merchandising output. And as if two barrels for every...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 8Ep. 412
This is Deep Wood Stout Edition 2021 for our fourth Barrel-Aged December episode, as we drink through the five Revolution stouts in their fall/winter specialty release series. Each year, this lineup finds a new way to step forward - and there’s one beer in particular here that surprisingly leaps to the top of our lists. Also, Ryan confronts Craig about the Hair Bag Incident, Craig keeps insisting on entering the chat, Ryan’s High Life vertical is f*cked, and we just sort of have a love fest abou...
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Season 8Ep. 411
An oasis in a month of enormous beers, this episode resets our palates to ready us for the remainder of Barrel-Aged December. But that’s not to say that saisons don’t have quite a few tricks up their sleeves, like the five on this show certainly do. We also are introduced to Milwaukee’s Supermoon Beer Company, and Craig grabbed an interview with co-founder Rob Brennan. Additionally, we have surprising strolls through the mall, and Craig tells you where he’ll take his glitter. #DrinkSaisons Beers...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Season 8Ep. 410
No matter what your strategy is at the fest, it’s almost impossible to avoid FoBAB FOMO. We were lucky to attend the 19th edition of FoBAB, but we also felt like we missed out on trying some of the exciting medal winners - until now. For our second Barrel-Aged December show, there are five medal winners from 2021 across various styles on this episode that confirm, hey, yeah, maybe the judges know what they’re doing. We also brainstorm some local beer gift box ideas, find Craig roaming the island...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 8Ep. 409
Rising from the depths of an obsidian sea to bring about an experience both conceptual and elemental that bends past the traditional, or something: Benthic 2021. To kick off Barrel-Aged DecemberNFT we wade through the cosmic gumbo for this show on Half Acre’s big adjunct stout release for 2021. Five variants of the barrel-aged coconut stout are up for review and lead us to the 4PM Shedd Aquarium tour where things get a bit raunchy. Also, we talk about the podcast we would’ve started at age 15, a...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Season 8Ep. 408
We take on five beers from the great city of Cincinnati for this episode, courtesy of listener Andrew who picked out an exceptionally fun variety of styles and odd ingredients. It’s not every week we get beers with juniper berries, paw paw, and tayberries. Also, we discuss a tweet about which famous old people could identify Mario; we talk about some of our favorite signature fonts; and we have the majesty of dolphins ruined for us forever. Beers Reviewed Streetside Brewery - Return of the Mac (...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 8Ep. 407
Add a 2021 FoBAB Gold Medal to the many reasons why Cruz Blanca’s seasonal barrel-aged beer release is not to be missed, but you hopefully already knew that anyways. For this one, we chat with head brewer Jacob Sembrano before opening up all eight of these grapplers in the Luchador series. Jacob talks with us about growing Cruz beyond just a brewpub, what makes something a “Cruz beer,” and some of the surprising flavor inspirations behind this year’s Luchadors. Then we drink ‘em all up, and it’s...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Season 8Ep. 406
We’re finally caught up on Craig’s summer Northeast trip which took him to Barreled Souls, who do 100% oak-fermented beers out of their Maine location. The flavors are big and bold, and some work much better for us than others. But the standouts are incredible, and we’re even getting some slushie vibes. Also, Craig considers his scent, Ryan runs down all the different sub-styles of soup beers, and we hold a community Fluff event. Beers Reviewed Space Gose (Gose w/ coriander, Maine sea salt, and ...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 405
It’s the episode where we drink all the Bourbon County beers being released on Black Friday this year, and give you our honest reactions to this eight-bottle lineup. Whatever we say probably won’t influence your purchasing decisions whatsoever, but we had fun and got drunk while doing it. Honestly, we try to run our podcast with a set of principles as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that'll be a homerun. And so that'll make it a 4-0 ballgame. Beers Reviewed Bourbon County...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Season 8Ep. 404
In another tale of the macabre (beers), our palates are attacked and our bodies shake with that unmistakable burn: it can only be Crypt Fever! We once again try to outdo one another by picking beers we think are going to be revolting for a blind test of our tolerance for bad - and most of these drinks fit the horrible bill. We also envision the Skoilet, smell some sockfruit, invent Flushtones™, and discuss why hard seltzers are the future of the Torture Test. Beers Administered The Bruery Terreu...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 8Ep. 403
For the 28th installment of our State Show series, our friend Don Kasak brought us back a nice (IPA-less) lineup from South Dakota. We have five different beers from five different breweries, although one host’s personal curse seems hellbent on lowering that number. But in addition to these enjoyable brews, we construct five different nostalgia/pop culture-based Mount Rushmores of our own, which leads to discussions around cereal mascots, Seinfeld NPCs, classic WWF wrestlers, Saturday morning ca...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Season 8Ep. 402
With Duneyrr Artisan Fermenta Project, Tyler Davis wants to explore the ways wine and beer fermentation can cross over into styles that defy traditional categorization. And with Moderne Dune, he is using newer ingredients and techniques with IPAs and lagers in thoughtful and artful ways. We talk with Tyler about his many projects and upcoming taproom, the origins of Duneyrr, his brewing history, choosing quality over locality when it matters, and how deep into the world of wine he’s looking to v...
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Season 8Ep. 401
To recognize the improbable 400th episode of this show, we take it all the way back to the beginning - with a little added age. We revisit the same five local breweries from “Episode 1 - Chicago Stouts” - but this time, there are barrels involved. We take stock of all that has changed along the way and share a few memories from listeners. But there’s also our Top 3 arcade cabinets, shameless Trader Joe’s plugs, some babka truths, stout luge races, and a little old-fashioned Ryan rage over unwiel...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Season 8Ep. 400
In a record year at the Great American Beer Festival, Illinois breweries captured 16 medals across a wide variety of styles. We ran all over Chicagoland to assemble six of the medal winning beers to sample while sharing a pretty comprehensive history of Illinois beers at GABF in the 21st century. Also, we pitch some ideas for Extreme Bingo, play a game of Stumptappd about beers with depressing movie names, and get stuck between a glitter bomb and a jamband. More lactose categories next year, ple...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Season 8Ep. 399
From the rolling green hills of Vermont, we have five beers that span the state for our 27th installment in our State Show series. All five breweries included are new to the show with a wide variety of styles, and at least one beer elicits the strangest divergent reactions we’ve had in quite some time. Also, Ryan is living through an unwritten Seinfeld episode, Craig is disappointed by the lack of moose, and we both fixate on parts of songs we had never noticed before. You’re going to have to sp...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 8Ep. 398
This week, we’re perusing the aisles of three of the most popular grocery store chains who contract brew their own IPAs so they can sell them at a steep discount, all to determine if it’s okay to skip your trip to Beer on the Wall every now and then. (It’s not.) We have some, uh, spirited reviews of the IPAs made by Costco, Aldi, and Trader Joe’s, with one nearly-redeeming surprise. Also, we welcome a live studio audience to the show for the first time, petition to take over the Challenge Butter...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 8Ep. 397
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 t...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 8Ep. 396
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 ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 8Ep. 395
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 Zome...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 394
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 bre...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 393
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 .™ Be...
Aug 11, 2021•49 min•Season 8Ep. 392
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...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Season 8Ep. 391
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 ...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 8Ep. 390
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 ...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 8Ep. 389
