ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 263 - Central Wisconsin Craft Collective Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Deep in the heart of Wisconsin, there exists a not-so-secret society of like-minded artisans - specializing in beer, liquor, and wine - that have formed a collective to bring more tourists to the area. And for some reason, they thought that giving us a bunch of booze would be a good idea to promote their brand. Well luckily the liquids are all tasty-to-impressive, and we have a hell of a time lining them up on this show. In addition, Craig shares his week of Final Destination-style close calls, Ryan shares his notes on 20WineTeen so far, and then there’s stuff about robot cereal and socially-anxious vampires. We also play the very literal new hit game, Name Ten Badgers, and we try to stay on the good side of Seagram’s Jim. And hey, next time you’re up North, say hi to Gary Koziak for us.

Craft Liquids Reviewed

Sunset Point Winery [Stevens Point, WI] - Northern Lights Blackberry Midnight (Merlot infused with blackberries)

McZ’s Brew Pub [Rosholt, WI] - Campfire Rauchbier

O’so Brewing Company [Plover, WI] - Bruin in a Bramble (Black raspberry sour Oud Bruin)

Whole Hog/Stevens Point Brewery [Stevens Point, WI] - Casper (White stout)

Central Waters Brewing [Amherst, WI] - Black Gold 2018 (Barrel-aged imperial stout)

Great Northern Distilling [Plover, WI] - Herbalist Gin (used in a Ginger Smash cocktail)

Episode 262 - Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

Since our first encounter with James and Sarah Howat’s Black Project back at GABF in 2015, we’ve wanted to dedicate a show to their spontaneously-fermented wild ales. So we’re understandably jazzed about this whole deal, and the lineup of five beers on this show go beyond our expectations. In addition, Craig does the following things: quizzes Ryan on government conspiracies; solves the mysteries of The Shining; invents the worst Slip-n-Slide; and starts his Soundcloud rap career as Must Buoy. We also look into chipmunk storage, face tattoos, horny cats, Prilosec murders, dank basement cheese, and sopping wet corks. That’s what happens when the beer is this good.

Beers Reviewed

FOXBAT (Spontaneous ale w/ with peaches, rosemary, sage and sea salt)

TAGBOARD (Wet-hopped Méthode Traditionnelle ale)

CLOUDMASTER (Spontaneous sour wheat ale)

CYGNUS: Cherry [Blend A] (Méthode Traditionnelle ale w/ cherries)

ROSWELL: GRUDGE (Lambic-inspired ale w/ raspberries)

Episode 261 - Afterthought Brewing Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Now that bottles of Afterthought beers are starting to leave Lombard to reach more drinkers in the Chicagoland area, we celebrate by popping five elegant saisons from Mike Thorpe’s small-yet-acclaimed brewery. Using mostly Midwestern ingredients, Afterthought’s saisons are about as diverse as they come, while being mistakable for some of the bigger-name farmhouse-made beers from around the country or world. Amidst our appreciation of these top-tier beers, we somehow find time to debate about horse diapers, determine the right application for gummy worms in beer, take our parts in the Chili’s theme song, and - gulp - go into the Mosherverse. Zangy!

Beers Reviewed

Saison Illinois (Saison w/ all Illinois ingredients)

Raspberry (Ale refermented w/ raspberries)

Black Currant (Saison fermented in oak w/ black currants)

Saison Amer: Galaxy (Hoppy saison fermented in a Sauvignon Blanc barrel)

Bière De Pieces #7 (Blend of Saison Meer: Buckwheat, Faible: Passion Fruit, and barrel-aged Faible with paw paw)

Episode 260 - Deep Wood Deeper Dive Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

After the first five Deep Wood releases, Revolution Brewing could’ve taken the rest of the season off and enjoyed a victory lap. Instead, they drop five more barrel-aged beers that might be collectively better than the first half. We taste through this colorful - and strong - array of styles with an early appearance from joyful inebriation. We work through the tingles by proving our age through technology, coming up with secret beer orders, weighing the seriousness of a high fudge tolerance against fudge fatigue, suggesting a legitimate new FoBAB category, and by sipping on that session bourbon. Should’ve asked for a Cherry Coke.

**Correction: The Beer on the Wall event we mentioned, the Deth’s Tar Crawl, has NOT yet happened, so you should go and do it on January 31st. Check the events page on their website for more info!**

Beers Reviewed

Gravedigger Billy (Bourbon barrel-aged Scotch ale)

Ryeway to Heaven (Ryewine aged in rye barrels)

Vanilla Deth (Imperial oatmeal stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ vanilla)

Straight Jacket (Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine)

Boss Ryeway (Ryewine aged in Armagnac barrels)

Episode 259 - Cruz Blanca Brewery Jan 16, 2019

Show notes

In almost three years, Cruz Blanca has quietly become one of the city’s best breweries, churning out everything from lagers that pair perfectly with a smokey tlayuda to wild ales that will captivate even the nerdiest bottle share. Now with 6-pack cans of three crowd-pleasing beers out in the market, Cruz is poised to build a bigger fanbase than ever. We sat down with brewers Jacob Sembrano and Todd White to sample a broad array of their beers while exploring why they’re ok with being the sleeping giant that they’ve become. The discussion ranges from brewing technique, craft maltsters, Brut IPAs, and barrel blends to the history of Mexican lager, the surprising origin of Cruz Blanca, and the inspiration behind their distinctive artwork. There’s also some truly unfortunate nicknames, freestyle Tetris, crunchy water, a little P.F. Chang’s inspiration, and just a little yelling about bière de gardes. Don’t tell your friends!

Beers Enjoyed

Corn Grisette (100% corn malt mixed culture grisette)

Blood of the Flamingo (Black raspberry Brett Berliner)

Amigovio (Oak-aged wild ale w/ peaches)

Crushada (Wine barrel-aged Flemish Red Ale)

Brut Suit Riot (Brut IPA)

Three Kings (Hazy DIPA w/ guava and tamarind)

Loco Dinero (Imperial coffee blonde ale w/ lactose, aged in rye whiskey and Barbados rum barrels)

Rey Gordo (Imperial stout aged in Barbados rum barrels)

Senor Incognito - (Imperial stout w/ toasted coconut, pecans and Mexican cinnamon, aged in rye whiskey barrels)

Episode 258 - Blind Bruts Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

Opinion on Brut IPAs seems to be passionately divided between love and hate. But many brewers are banking on it gaining traction with the hopes that their version of this wildly inconsistent style will come to define the Brut as we know it. On this episode, we attempt to find out exactly what makes a Brut IPA and carve out our own subjective idea of what makes the good ones stand out. Through a blind tasting, we sample six Brut IPAs - three local, and three from afar - with the added challenge of guessing the lineup. We also plot out the next Neil Breen film, discover why tiny bubbles aren’t always good (and it’s not Don Ho’s fault), and indulge in some more bad puns. Hackback!

Beers Tasted Blindly

Stillwater Artisanal - Extra Extra

New Belgium Brewing - Brut IPA

Stone Brewing - Enjoy By 01.01.19 Brüt IPA

Sketchbook Brewing/Illuminated Brew Works - Resistance W.I.T.C.H.

Middle Brow Beer Co. - Trademark Brut

Hopewell Brewing Co. - Clique

Episode 257 - The CA Show Jan 02, 2019

Show notes

We’re truly in Beer Country now as our States Series takes us to the home of the most breweries in the nation: California! We have six beers on from six breweries, split evenly between the halves of the state, and we are shook by the unfaltering quality. Craig makes an impossible sacrifice for 2019, Ryan educates you on the brewing facts you won’t find in textbooks, and we both enter rankings less clear and less sober than we’ve been in a long time. Come to basketball land, you get dunked on.

Beers Reviewed

Fall River Brewing Company (Fall River Mills, CA) - Blood Knot IPA (NE-style IPA w/ blood orange)

Cellador Ales (North Hills, CA) - Berlinerish Blueberry (Barrel-fermented Brett Berliner w/ whole organic blueberries)

New Glory Craft Brewery (Sacramento, CA) - Wakey Wakey (Oatmeal Coffee Porter w/ vanilla beans)

Highland Park Brewery (Los Angeles, CA) - Twiced Pinot (Barrel-Aged Saison with Pinot Noir Pomace)

Moksa Brewing Co. (Rocklin, CA) - Cape of Good Hops (NE-style DIPA)

Bottle Logic Brewing (Anaheim, CA) - Fundamental Observation: Batch 4 (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Stout)

Episode 256 - The Full Vermonty Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

When you are gifted a mix of beers from Hill Farmstead and The Alchemist, you stop everything and drink them. Thanks to listener/Patreon supporter/forever friend Josh Sissman we have five canned beers from both nü-classic Vermont breweries, and we review them with a tactical precision unseen for nigh on 50 episodes. But we still find time to announce our most exciting brush with fame, the last place you want to find pine needles, our wildly different perception of the Mosaic hop, check the creamy chart, ask for a percent on every unit sold - in perpetuity, and fear the inevitable naked Craig torture.

Beers Reviewed

Hill Farmstead Brewery - Society & Solitude #5 (Imperial IPA)

Hill Farmstead Brewery - Society & Solitude #12 (Imperial IPA)

The Alchemist - Alena (American IPA)

The Alchemist - Beelzebub (American Imperial Stout)

The Alchemist - Luscious (British-Style Imperial Stout)

Episode 255 - WeldWerks 2.0 Dec 19, 2018

Show notes

When Neil Fisher crushes your porch with a big box of WeldWerks beer for sampling, you don’t hesitate to revel in the flavorful delights contained within. Recorded in October, this 2nd edition (in ten episodes) of us marvelling at the expertly-crafted hype-machine beers from the Colorado brewery includes likely the best beer either of us have had all year. But there’s also some important contributions to the ABV Chicago canon, like “flerbals” and “flavor aliens,” so you can hear what that’s all about. And to really bring the magic to this sequel, there are two games: one about WeldWerks beers, and one with an unmentionable name about discontinued snack items. #keepinitflerbal

Beers Reviewed

Fake Item Box (New England-style Milkshake Session IPA w/ lactose and vanilla)

Blackberry Cobbler Berliner (Kettle sour w/ blackberry puree, vanilla, graham crackers, and lactose)

Piña Colada Milkshake (New England-style Milkshake Double IPA w/ toasted coconut, pineapple puree, and vanilla)

Cosmic Torero (New England-style Double IPA)

Mexican Medianoche (Imperial stout aged in Woodford Reserve barrels for 20 months, aged on vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and cacao nibs)

Episode 254 - Bitter Pops Advent Calendar Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

Adults have proven time and again that all childhood nostalgia is better with booze, so beer advent calendars became a thing. Bitter Pops makes one of the best surprise 24-packs of beers, and they’ve outdone themselves this year. So we’re outdoing ourselves by reviewing and ranking the first 12 beers of the calendar. Yes, there is some light caroling (Craiging?) and some overall Xmas music appreciation chatter. But we also share a tasty holiday punch recipe, shamelessly mine for retweets from Xmas-adjacent celebrities, turn up our noses at Winter Craig, and assert that hot beer is the next big trend. #hotkvass

And a partridge in a pear tree.

Calendar Beers Reviewed

Sketchbook Brewing/Bitter Pops - Catch Me If You Can (Brown ale w/ orange zest, cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg)
Alarmist Brewing - Dorado Fields (New England-style IPA)
Great Lakes Brewing Co. - Christmas Ale
Half Acre Beer Co. - Cape Dune (India Pale Lager)
Penrose Brewing Co. - Blackberry Lemon Rosé (Sour ale)
Stone Brewing - W00tstout 2018 (Partially barrel-aged stout with pecans)
Solemn Oath Brewery - Kidnapped by Vikings (American IPA)
Central Waters Brewing Co. - Cassian Sunset (Bourbon barrel-aged stout w/ coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla beans)
Off Color Brewing - Known Gnome (Porter)
Noon Whistle Brewing - Freshman @ Life (Kolsch)
BrewDog - Choco Libre Nitro (Mexican hot chocolate imperial stout)
Deschutes Brewery - Jubelale (Winter Ale)

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