We’re indulging in our capital vices for our yearly attempt to destroy each other over bad beers, and this one features some of the most unexpected pours we’ve ever seen. There’s at least one beer here that unexpectedly brings out an extra large dose of wrath for one podcaster, and it’s not even the mystery beer in the box. WHAT’S IN THE BOX?? Also, Craig is investigating some decapitated pigeons, Ryan’s plan backfires, and we both learn to fear the SlenderCan. And make sure you stick it out for...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Season 10Ep. 506
Chicagoland is pretty gifted in lager-centric breweries, but now that trends have shifted back towards the more drinkable, almost every brewery is featuring more and more lagers. This is an extremely good thing. For this show, we do a blind tasting wherein we match a local lager-focused brewery’s beer against a local “everything” brewery’s beer along style lines and give our unbiased opinions. Our arbitrary reviews won’t prove much, but we do have an opinion on which brewery we think is making t...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 10Ep. 505
Now somewhat relegated to an occasional fall seasonal from breweries, the Amber style is essential to the history of American craft beer as we know it. So we’re pumped to see five local breweries dabble in amber ales and lagers, and we fall in love all over again (with the beers, not each other). Also, Craig has an unexpected pet, we accidentally have a moment of real beer talk about wilds and sours, Ryan vetoes an obvious 311 reference, and we are bringing our own ludicrous drinkware to the Dis...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 10Ep. 504
We were just back in Denver for the 41st Great American Beer Festival, and we’ve got an episode chock full of interviews and beer highlights that’s as good as gold (medals). Catch up on our beer-y travels as we hit the festival floor for about 14 total hours and stop into several great Denver taprooms and bars, sharing our experiences and regrettable food decisions along the way. Plus, we talk to a bevy of fascinating brewers and brewery owners from all over the U.S. and we hear stories about an...
Sep 27, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Season 10Ep. 503
In the week that we’re heading out west for a certain fest, we gather up four barrel-aged beers from West Coast breweries that are pretty well-known for their wood-aged offerings. Expectations are flipped on their head and a ringer is challenged as we pop a few actual corks for this one. Also, Craig wants in on the limited-edition mattresses; we open our minds to the possibilities that breweries can grow over the course of nine years; and we share the tales of the juggling Belgian Gueuze Mimes. ...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 10Ep. 502
The Great American Beer Festival is right around the corner, and since we’re attending again this year, we’re providing an audio guide to what to drink at the fest while also sipping on some previous medal winners. These aren’t just any Illinois medal winners; our four choices here are a good drive from Chicago while also representing more traditional styles. For the GABF preview, we cover what Illinois breweries are pouring, which “new-to-us” breweries have us the most excited; whose familiar f...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Season 10Ep. 501
For the second part of our big 500, we sit down with Revolution Brewing founder Josh Deth and talk about the last ten years of his brewery while sharing a rare beer from Craig’s cellar. It’s a fitting interview for this milestone, as no brewery has been featured on the podcast more - and it’s not even close. Also, we open another cellar gem while recording in the ABV West bunker for the first time since the pandemic; we discuss some of our greatest hits; we continue our wax hatred for the 10th y...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Season 10Ep. 500
500 episodes is a long time to do arbitrary beer reviews, so we reach out for some help in reviewing a few beers from Craig’s cellar. We chose brewers that have been around longer than the podcast to reflect on the last ten years in craft beer, and they chose a beer from our list. For this part one of two episodes, we sit down with Spiteful Brewing’s Jason Klein and Half Acre’s Gabriel Magliaro. We also sip through their cellar selections, and open up one more in the ABV West Bunker for a small ...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Season 10Ep. 500
Once every four years, we gather up nine Märzens or Festbiers for a blind review revue as a not-so-subtle excuse to drink what might be our favorite seasonal style. And again, we have eight local takes (and one collab from a legacy American brand) on the German-style lager to help us determine our arbitrary preferences. Surprises abound and misconceptions are challenged as this extremely drinkable nine-pack has us craving pretzels in no time. Also, Ryan has inadvertently created an eight year-ol...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 10Ep. 499
We’re bringing the dry heat with our 32nd State Show, drinking through five beers from five different Arizona breweries, courtesy of listener Ryan Lamb. There’s a lot to like from this set with some essential Arizona ingredients and a few beers with heavy medal pedigree. But also, Craig’s recent Disney trip has him looking at redoing some rides; Ryan reminds us that stouts are for closers; and we finally find out what love smells like. Beers Reviewed Four Peaks Brewing Company [Tempe, AZ] - Kilt...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 10Ep. 498
Revolution is back at it this summer with a threesome of barrel-aged delights for an early kickoff to the Deep Wood series, and we take our time breaking down these complex blends to find our results to be pleasantly surprising. Also, Craig ruins going to the mall; Ryan’s having breakfast with Velveeta; and we let the barrels take it to the X-treme (and Ex-Treme). Beers Reviewed Dread & Breakfast (Breakfast Blend Ale with coffee aged in bourbon barrels) Cuvée De Grâce (Cuvée Ale aged in bour...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 10Ep. 497
We can give a lot of credit to Half Acre co-founder Gabriel Magliaro for helping awaken the craft beer scene in Chicago. And more than 16 years later, Half Acre is still a leader in craft in the city and all over the country, so we’re thrilled to sit down with Gabriel for a deep dive into the history of his legendary brewery. We talk about how he was strongly advised against putting beer in 16-ounce cans, how opening a retail shop exposed the brand to a new audience, the evolution of their barre...
Aug 09, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Season 10Ep. 496
It’s another show about highly drinkable summer styles, and this minor trend of local breweries releasing hopped-up wheat beers caught our attention enough to put five beers in front of us for review. The styles differ despite their shared ingredient, and we’re as excited about the big hops as we are comforted by the soft wheat. Also, we blue-sky some product design for Impractical Packaging Brewing Co.; Craig might drizzle some honey on that dry ramen snack; and Ryan’s just looking for a little...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 10Ep. 495
Brad Clark is the man behind the highly sought-after blended barrel-aged beers of Private Press, and Craig sat down with him over some decanted barleywine to talk about the history and future of his members-only brewery. Brad shares how his background at the renowned Jackie O’s in Ohio led to some of the more daring experiments at his current Santa Cruz brewery, and how peaceful running led to him inventing an entire style. Also, he shares details about his meticulous blending process, how his b...
Jul 26, 2023•2 hr•Season 10Ep. 494
After six episodes and 25 beers, we’re finally putting our top 6 choices for best Chicagoland/Illinois hazy IPA to one last blind test. This showdown features four GABF gold medal-winners and two “underdogs” - and each beer impresses in its own way. Which brewery do we think is making the best cloudy juice utilizing Citra and/or Mosaic (and maybe like one or two other hops)? We’ll have a definitive arbitrary answer by the end of the show. Also, Ryan is excited about his Goop Dupe, Craig’s out th...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Season 10Ep. 493
We’ve been admirers of Sante Adairius Rustic Ales for a decade now, and Craig’s recent trip to California brings us back the gift of SARA saisons - and a wonderful conversation with owner and co-founder Adair Paterno. The four barrel-aged saisons on this show are about as good of a lineup of beer we’ll drink all year, so get ready for the lovefest on this episode. But the real highlight is Adair and Craig’s talk which covers the early days to their now three-location status; how the house yeast ...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 54 min•Season 10Ep. 492
Summer Craig is starting off strong this year by bringing back five fantastic beers from California’s Bay Area (and beyond) for us to fawn over and attempt to recreate those vacation vibes. We learn the backstories of these breweries and their unique approaches and cover other beer-ish topics like the follies of berry beers, aggressive bread, trad saisons, and the royal need for hop names. Also, Craig has discovered a new traveling superpower and parlor trick; Ryan has picked a winner in an East...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 10Ep. 491
Ryan’s a University of Iowa graduate, and in the 15 years since his last visit, a few breweries have popped up and thrived in the area. After a weekend with the family in Iowa City, Ryan brought back five beers from the area to talk about what’s been happening with beer in the decade-and-a-half since. Also, Craig’s aghast to share Tom Emanski with an uninterested party, we’re both a bit confused over TMNT villains, and Ryan’s not mad about the algorithm figuring out he likes Mortal Kombat videos...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 10Ep. 490
Another somewhat recent trend in the world of local lagers is the Italian Pilsner, a style with only about a 30-year history that adds a bit more noble dry-hop character to something close to the Czech-style pilsner. It’s all winners on this show, except for the hosts who have to do rankings without the assistance of a large sandwich. Also, we welcome in Hot Grimace Summer, Craig’s empty hand is ever-reaching for an IPL, and Ryan’s got that soon-to-be-viral oyster cracker hack. Beers Reviewed Mi...
Jun 21, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 10Ep. 489
In our penultimate round before the championship, we have one spot up for grabs with these fan favorite hazy IPAs from Chicagoland breweries. Bringing our grand total of hazy IPAs blind-tasted up to 25, this episode still manages to bring some surprising sights and smells - and the show’s winner isn’t exactly what we expected. Also, we workshop a brewer’s new brand concept, Ryan is dreaming of dunking on some suckers, and Craig just wants a banana shaped like a dolphin in his drink. Beers Review...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 10Ep. 488
As we open our arms to embrace the start of summer, our empty glasses are going to need something flavorful yet refreshing. Luckily, Chicagoland breweries have been cranking out the hoppy lagers and pilsners lately, so we assemble five for this episode that are so good that they almost completely break the show. Also, Ryan speculates on banana pudding restaurants, The Queen’s death is really holding up new hop names, and Craig’s dry ramen-chomping has officially entered the canon. Beers Reviewed...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 10Ep. 487
We’re just about halfway to FoBAB, so we are once again doing battle with the barrel featuring a roundup of beers we’ve been saving for this very episode. These four barrel-aged beers jostle around in our arbitrary rankings as we just luxuriate in their decadence for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Also, we explain why you (and Billy Corgan) just have to pay your hackers sometimes; Ryan’s got those Dairy Queen Blizzard flavor exclusives; and Craig gets called out for the snickerdoodle, again....
May 31, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 10Ep. 486
Our quest to find the best flagship hazy IPA from Chicagoland breweries enters its fourth round, as we blindly sample through a fresh set of five to pick a winner that best fits our own personal preferences. And though our ability to guess blind beers is as bad as ever, our taste buds are finely tuned and finally ready to deliver a surprising upset on this episode. Also, we dream up some 80s-centric unexpected sports and celebrity pairings; we’re reaching for the purple stuff over the Sunny D; a...
May 24, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 10Ep. 485
In our 31st installment of our decade-long State Show Series, we are sampling a hop-heavy lineup from North Carolina courtesy of listener Rodney Knox. We learn about these five breweries from across the state while appreciating how difficult they make the rankings segment, in more ways than one. Also, Craig shares tales of drive-thru beer stores; Ryan’s got a weird robot obsession, and we’re sold on the idea of the Sweltzer based on name alone. Beers Reviewed Swells’a Brewing [Kill Devil Hills, ...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 10Ep. 484
Though they’re maybe not the first brewery that comes to mind when you think of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wax Wings Brewing (est. 2018) flourished during the pandemic with their fresh hazies and complex barrel-aged beers gaining a ton of word-of-mouth momentum that saw many a beer fan traveling just for the opportunity to take home some of their lineup. Count Craig as one of those folks, as he went to Kalamazoo to snag an interview with owner Rob Hopkins and bring back a fun (and boozy) lineup of fre...
May 10, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Season 10Ep. 483
A new set of five hop warriors enter the extremely flimsy ring for another blind tasting to lead us to our favorite Chicagoland flagship hazy IPA. This one features many more hops than just Citra and Mosaic, so it leads to the widest range of flavors yet. Will we agree on who moves to the championship, and will any beer make it on the bubble? Listen to find out that but also which brewery could potentially be profiting big from director K*vin Sm*th, why Craig’s making a heel turn, and how we’re ...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 10Ep. 482
If it wasn’t obvious from the totally easy to understand episode title, this show is a return for us to a whole lineup of barrel-aged beers from different breweries we love. We add a little blind twist to this one as all four are adjunct-free affairs: just delicious big stouts in world-class barrels. Also, Craig’s totally serious about the tater tots offer, Ryan has found The Cheesecake of Beers™, and we both have a lot of thoughts about ramen. Beers Reviewed Mikerphone Brewing (w/ Beer on the W...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 10Ep. 481
Though still somewhat unknown around these parts, Cellar West Artisan Ales out of Lafayette, Colorado became known to us as an award-winning saison brewery. This episode further proves their proficiency with a variety of styles. Thanks to a porch box from founder and brewer Zach Nichols, we sample five cans of wildly drinkable and enjoyable beers as we calculate how many chapters it’ll take us to get some beers on local shelves. Also, Craig relives his Cellar West taproom visit from last fall, w...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 10Ep. 480
The second installment in our ongoing (and expanding) arbitrary competition to determine what we deem to be the best Chicagoland Flagship Hazy IPA continues with this murderer’s row of five eclectic and skilled breweries. There are many joyous smells and even a false lactose spotting, but at least there are no glasses of SkittleMilk on this show. See who’s moving on to the championship round, and who may find a second chance on the bubble. Beers Reviewed Blindly Open Outcry Brewing Company - Del...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 10Ep. 479
Seemingly popping up on more local taplists than ever, smoked beers are moving past being a niche brewery-only oddity. We find five beers that enlist smoked malts in their production to give off a surprising variety of flavors - and a refreshing level of nuance. Also, we role play our own Chopped appearances, spend some time living in the aftertaste, and accept that this might be one of the best top-to-bottom lineups of beer we’ve done all year. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Beers Reviewed Alarmist ...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 10Ep. 478
