ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 233 - Rosé Three Ways Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

Like diamonds, we have many facets. And on this highly Instagrammable show, we explore rosé as a wine, as a cider, and as a beer. Will our complete inexperience in drinking rosé (or wine in general) skew the rankings towards our “home” style, beer? You will be surprised by the outcome on this one! We talk a lot about rosé - with only one angry rant - and whether or not we’re experiencing “pastry wine.” There’s also stuff about beer trends vs. wine trends, great bar TV, illegal Hi-C dipping, bad clowns with hard seltzer, and two wine-drunk hosts. Our words will evoke the great philosopher Sommelierates.

Drinks Reviewed

Union Wine Company - Underwood Rosé Wine

Swish Beverages - Babe Rosé with Bubbles

Virtue Cider - Rosé

2 Fools Cider - Rosé

Anderson Valley Brewing - Framboise Rose Gose

Forbidden Root - Sparkling Rosé Ale

Episode 232 - Just Peachy Jul 11, 2018

Show notes

Well this episode isn’t THE PITS! Get it?!? We sample six pretty different beers that prominently feature peaches to pick our favorites. We talk about the secrets to finding the best peaches, how the lambic brewers of the world can come together, and what makes something a “festival sour.” We also explore some new breakdancing names, call for the Peach Police, smack down a ludicrous conspiracy theory, and get caught in a bit of a Looper situation.

Beers Reviewed

Revolution Brewing - Freedom of Speach (Session sour) pFriem Family Brewers - Peche (Lambic-inspired ale) Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project - Colorado Reserva Palisade Peach (Golden sour aged in oak) Casey Brewing and Blending - The Mix: Bourbon Peach Bank (Saison aged in bourbon barrels) Illuminated Brew Works - Gay Agenda (Double dry-hopped double IPA) Triptych Brewing - Prairie Peach Picnic (Mixed culture ale)

Episode 231 - Still Hazy After All These Years Jul 02, 2018

Show notes

We were shocked to learn that it’s been 8 months since our last hazy beer/New England-style IPA-focused show - can we learn to love them again? Well, the six beers on this show certainly make a strong case, as we drink newly canned hazy offerings from a variety of local brewers. We also add to our Wall of Fame with our latest celebrity run-in, Craig explains what the hell “throat hops” are, and Ryan predicts future IPA trends.

Beers Reviewed

Alarmist Brewing - Le Jus (New England-style IPA)

Horse Thief Hollow Brewing - Spoonful (Hazy IPA)

Saint Errant Brewing - Takers & Leavers (DDH IPA)

Noon Whistle - Gummypocalypse (Northeast DIPA)Hubbard’s Cave - Fresh IIPA V4 (Imperial IPA w/ Mosaic and Simcoe)

Cruz Blanca Brewery - Freetown (DDH DIPA)

Episode 230 - SaisOn The Shelf Jun 27, 2018

Show notes

Our love of saisons runs deep - far deeper than our technical knowledge of them - but nevertheless, we get excited when we see new saisons filling up our local beer stores. We taste five recently released saisons that are all pretty different takes on the style, while figuring out which ones we’ll add to our must-buy list. There are two pieces of important information about Christopher Cross, a story about a mysterious object on a fishing pole, the semantics of band-aid licking, some real flower eaters, and a proposal on napkin taxes. So, you know, the usual. (Also, we are putting it here in writing that we are trademarking the term Farmhouse IPA™ without doing any actual research if it already exists, but you know, just in case.)

Beers Reviewed

Perennial Artisan Ales - Saison de Lis (saison w/ chamomile flowers) Middle Brow Beer Co. - Neko (rye ginger saison) New Belgium Brewing - Belgian Reserve Sour Saison Solemn Oath Brewery - Larry Powder the Magical Boy (dry-hopped saison) Hop Butcher for the World - Weirdsmobile (Nelson Sauvin & Vic Secret-hopped saison)

Episode 229 - Lager Me Blindly Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

Lagers still represent the most consumed style of beer in the U.S. and it’s not even close. But consumers demand more than the watered-down adjunct-laden fare peddled by the biggest brewers and have pushed slightly less-big brewers to make some tastier options. We blind taste eight lagers - four from “macro” brands, and four from “non-macro” brands* - and try to guess what we’re drinking while ranking our preferences. It’s another one filled with blind surprises and one very unhappy host, but we’ll also take you to Dark Walgreens, toss a few barbs at the band Korn, and introduce you to The Ham Gambler. You can hang your hat on that.

Beers Tasted Blindly (in order of appearance on the show)

Hamm’s Premium Lager Firestone Walker Lager Ballast Point Longfin Lager Pabst Blue Ribbon Coors Banquet Beer Founders Solid Gold Premium Lager Spiteful Lager Old Style

*Founders is 30% owned by leading Spanish beer brand Mahou-San Miguel; Ballast Point is 100% owned by Fortune 500 company Constellation Brands; Firestone Walker is owned by the Duvel-Moortgat brewery; Spiteful is owned by some nice guys named Brad and Jason

Episode 228 - Candy and Cakes Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

It’s like an hour-long cheat day, for on this episode, we indulge in everything sweet and sugary to enrobe ourselves in stouts just in time for the summer. We review five stouts that all feature a bevy of big flavors and adjuncts to create boozy, liquid desserts. There’s also talk about this year’s Riot Fest lineup, a game about candy bar ingredients that Craig is terrible at, and some timely Sega Genesis game reviews. Our diet starts tomorrow.

Beers Reviewed

Lil’ Beaver Brewery - Happy For Pecans (Milk Stout w/ pecans)

Saint Errant Brewing - Cauallier (Imperial Stout w/ chocolate and roasted peanuts)

Hubbard’s Cave - French Toast (Imperial Stout w/ cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, and lactose)

Mikerphone Brewing - Smooth Whopperator (Double Milk Stout w/ chocolate malted milk)

Hop Butcher for the World - The Dog House (Chocolate cake shake stout w/ vanilla and lactose)

Episode 227 - Chicago Sour IPAs Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

As an amalgamation of two styles seen as so disparate in their processes, it’s easy to call Sour IPAs a gimmick - a style that cannot nor should not exist - or simply, liquid clickbait. We put our own skepticism to the test with five of our favorite local breweries and their spin on the tart, juicy, and (supposedly) hoppy trend. We learn about the different methods brewers use to create these mashups, all while we’re desperately seeking the IPAness. Hear our Saisonathon night experiences, a fear of disembodied mouths, a call for Gravy IPAs, a plug for Ryan’s old websites, and the reason why we oh so desperately could use some more mugwumps right now. #liqbait

Beers Reviewed

Forbidden Root - Assembly Required V2 (Sour IPA w/ key lime and vanilla)

Marz Community Brewing - tart’n’tangy (Wild NE IPA w/ lactose)

Maplewood Brewing - Fizzle Drizzle (Sour IPA w/ raspberry)

Illuminated Brew Works - Mugwump Brunch (Sour DIPA w/ orange juice)

Corridor Brewery & Provisions/Forbidden Root - New Wave Dance Craze (Sour IPA w/ almond, cherry, cinnamon, and lactose)

Episode 226 - BeerCrimes May 30, 2018

Show notes

In the world of brewing, beer is brewed by two separate yet equally important groups: the independent brewers who make interesting beer, and the corporate brewers who imitate the former. On this show, we investigate six offerings, mostly brand new to the market, that big beer companies want to trick you into drinking. We try to be open-minded - empathetic, even - but some of these crimes can never be forgiven. Can we be accused of being elitist craft beer jerks for spending an hour dumping on big beer’s version of innovation, when so many of these are objectively bad? That’s where you get to be the judge. Hey - you do your job, I do my job, ok buddy? Also, we get nostalgic about murder, upset fans of punishment shots, read some ridiculous marketing copy, and set up an ill-advised beer bong challenge. We also share some of our highlights from this year’s Beer Under Glass, because the whole show can’t just be us throwing the book at bad beer.

BeerCrimes Investigated and Prosecuted

The Plank Road Brewery (MillerCoors) - Two Hats Pineapple

Blue Moon Brewing - Mango Wheat

Guinness - Blonde American Lager

Old Style Brewing - Cooler By the Lake (Radler)

Pabst Brewing - American Pale Ale

Anheuser-Busch - Bud Light Orange

Episode 225 - Halfway to Black Friday May 23, 2018

Show notes

It’ll be another six months before the next wave of Bourbon County hits the supermarkets, so we check in on the 2017 lineup to see how they’re tasting after half a year. We are joined by Josh Noel, author of the brand new book Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch and How Craft Beer Became Big Business, to review the beers and talk all about Goose Island and the story behind the book. Never has a craft beer drinker’s relationship with a brewer been more complicated, and we reminisce on the pre-sale days of innovation in styles and marketing. Then we talk plenty about what has changed since that fateful day in 2011 and all the people responsible for what we now know as Goose Island and how the craft beer world has been redefined with the acquisitions race of the last five years. But also, is this the least impressive lineup of Bourbon County to date? And how can Goose reinvigorate the legacy of their premier release? We try and figure it out before the ABV catches up to us.

See what indie bookstores near you carry Josh’s book here: Indiebound

Bourbon County 2017 Lineup:

Bourbon County Brand Stout

Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout

Bourbon County Brand Northwinds Stout

Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout

Reserve Bourbon County Brand Stout

Episode 224 - New Crush May 16, 2018

Show notes

Stealing furtive glances from across the liquor store, you let your gaze finally fix on what could be your new summer crush - a local canned beer under six percent alcohol. We flirt with some new releases from some favorite locals, and put them on our Crushometer©™ along with our usual rankings. You’ll also hear the rare double lead-up, Craig’s review of the Impossible slider, a super sneaky (and deadly) Mosh’, some old Playstation games, and the terrifying threat of improv poetry. Kick! Punch! It’s all in the mind.

Beers Reviewed

Blue Island Beer Co. - Limón Pepino (Witbier w/ cucumber and lime)

Middle Brow Beer Co. - Little Crush (Session IPA)

Maplewood Brewing - Zip Zap (Extra Pale Wheat)

Forbidden Root - Hay Fever (Dry-hopped Farmhouse)

Pipeworks Brewing - Blood Orange Guppy (Session IPA w/ blood orange and honey)

Half Acre Beer Co. - Fader (German-style Pilsner)