ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 362 - Odious Cellars Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

Starting a sour-focused brewery comes with a unique set of challenges, especially when you enter the market in the midst of a pandemic. But Odious Cellars founder and head brewer Reeve Joseph forged ahead, lucking upon the facility at Pilot Project to help accelerate his beer-school dreams of producing exquisite sour and mixed culture beers. We talk with Reeve about his circuitous journey into making beer, why he intends to “keep it niche,” and how many of his beers are just fermented on GoGurt. (It’s zero, sadly.) We also drink through five of Odious’ first offerings while escaping the fate of mundane tasks, doing it old world style, pushing for incredibly specific 90s cover bands, and circumventing the sandwich ban. And Craig is going to teach you all how to do the Odious Twist.

Beers Reviewed

Symbol of Avarice (Golden sour aged on peaches)

The Secret History of All Things (Brett-fermented petite saison)

Cryptomnesia (Violet sour w/ Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, orange zest, cinnamon, and mulling spices)

Physis Nomos (DDH Brett IPA)

Fact or Fiction (Golden sour w/ Ethiopian coffee beans, toasted cacao nibs, and vanilla)

Episode 361 - Cellar West Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

In a city called Lafayette, somewhat between Denver and Boulder, Zach Nichols runs his farmhouse-focused brewery, Cellar West Artisan Ales. In under five years, the brewery has won two GABF medals, moved to a new location, and expanded their operation, including a side-label focused on trendier styles. Zach was kind enough to send us five of his beers for review, and he joined us on the Zoom to tell the story of Cellar West. And believe us - we’re ready for more saisons in 2021. There’s also a near-impossible video game choice, font letter rankings, long boil excitement, a desired Chuck Tingle collab, and Tom Petty slam poetry. Remember: #TableTheLabel in 2021.

Beers Reviewed

Grateful Sled (Christmas IPA)

Nightingale (Oat saison dry-hopped w/ Nelson Sauvin & Citra)

Westfield (Saison aged in oak barrels)

Make Hay (Strong saison aged in oak with Brettanomyces)

S’more Stout (Imperial oatmeal stout w/ cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and graham flour)

Episode 360 - Exciting! Barrel-Aged Stouts! Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

We might as well send off 2020 on an upbeat note and just get wild with the ingredients, so we let it all hang out on this mixed five pack of barrel-aged variant stouts from local breweries. Each of these releases represents a fun little twist on its barrel-aged base, and we’re going to need a new word for “adjunct.” In addition to our reviews, we attempt to tune the GAS scale, share the history of the base beers, dream up new brandy flavors, make some fresh savory pastries, and watch as the Orange Knight rises. Get! Excited!

Beers Reviewed

Werk Force Brewing Company - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sleepy Beer

Off Color Brewing - Double Barrel-Aged Dino S’mores

Half Acre Beer Co. - Cherry Brandy Benthic

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Barrel-Aged Champurrado Krampus

DESTIHL Brewery - Dosvidanya Orange Chocolate Rye

Episode 359 - Revolution: Deth Wish Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

The imperial oatmeal stout at the heart of it all, Deth’s Tar may have seemed like a fun little pun back when it first came out of barrels in the early part of the decade, but now it’s clearly the centerpiece of the best barrel-aged series in the city. We enlist the help of Revolution’s own barrel wizard Marty Scott to join us via Zoom to talk all about this year’s lineup of Deths, as well as a wide array of reasons why Revolution is working harder than anyone to release the best barrel-aged beers in the city each year. The rest of the episode is us over-indulging in this incredible lineup while also providing OG services, creaming those beans, and testing each other on analogies.

Revolution Deep Wood Beers Reviewed

Deth’s Tar (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout)

Cafe Deth (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout w/ Dark Matter coffee)

Maple Deth (Imperial oatmeal stout aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels w/ BBA maple syrup)

Deth by Cherries (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout w/ cherries)

Double Barrel V.S.O.D. (Imperial oatmeal stout aged in Weller Special Reserve barrels then Weller 10 Year barrels)

Episode 358 - Barrel-Aged Coffee Stouts Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

Coffee was once the only adjunct a good stout needed, until recent years has brought the entire pastry case with it. So finding five barrel-aged stouts with just coffee added was a bit of a challenge - but it’s a welcome reminder that sometimes all you need is coffee. (And love? Probably love, too.) These five locally-made coffee stouts saw a small variety of different barrels, and the elevated ABV has us hacky-sacking beer cans around the room in no time. We also assemble our team of experts to compete with the Distillery Channel, survey the absolute not normal-ness of 4 Floyds, get a late start on Beanvember, and learn a lot about the man they call Ludacris.

Beers Reviewed

Half Day Brewing - Barrel-Aged Warrior Paint Imperial Coffee Stout (coffee beans from Newport Coffee House)

Lake Effect Brewing - Perkolator: Madeira Barrel-Aged (coffee beans from Perkolator)

Transient Artisan Ales - Blanton's Barrel-Aged Neckbeard Nectar (coffee beans from Tugboat)

Lil Beaver Brewery - Adventures Ahead: Coffee (coffee beans from Sirius Roasters)

Revolution Brewing Company - Supermassive Cafe Deth (coffee beans from Dark Matter)

Episode 357 - FoBAB 2020 Winners Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

Barrel-aged December is now officially underway, and we’re delighted to crack open four medal-winning Illinois beers from this year’s Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers. Appropriately enough, the barrels are the star of the show, as these four very different styles are presented without additional adjuncts - just wood-made magic. Also, we have our friend Aaron Keefner from More Brewing stop by the Zoom to talk about the beer entry fee he paid to be our first remote guest, but actually he talks mostly about what’s new with More, their barrel-aging program, and their recent move into distribution. We also share our pitches for 90s-themed jukebox musicals, have a pretty weird night in the barn, dare brewers to make a barrel-aged hefeweizen, and determine what’s a sipper and who’s a gulper. Brace yourself for six feet of tube candy.

Beers Reviewed

Imperial Oak Brewing - Savage Oak Gold (Belgian-style Sour Golden Ale) Silver Medal: Wild Beer Sours (Acidic)

Urban Brew Labs - Abba G.O.A.T. (Apple Brandy Barrel-aged Doppelbock) Bronze Medal: Dark Strong Beer

Horse Thief Hollow - Wrenly Rose (Belgian-style Tripel aged in Pinot Noir barrels) Gold Medal: Strong Pale Beer

More Brewing Company - Mehndi 2020 (Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout) Silver Medal: Strong Porter/Stout

Episode 356 - Sweet Treats Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

If there’s ever been a month for careless indulgence, it would be December of 2020, so we’re going full-on dessert and pastry beer for this episode. These five entries have us nostalgic for vacation ice cream shoppes, cozy breakfast diners, and gourmet popcorn stores - despite some initial fears. Also, we are stocking our rage rooms, admiring the Sacred Leavings, sniffin’ stuff at Whole Foods (again), and jiggling like a flan. Diet starts tomorrow.

Beers Reviewed

Old Irving Brewing - Cinnamon Prost (White stout w/ Saigon cinnamon, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk sugar)

Humble Forager Brewery - Coastal Sunrise V1 (Fruited breakfast pastry sour w/ blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla bean)

Hubbard’s Cave - Rocky Road (Imperial stout w/ almond, walnut, chocolate, marshmallow, vanilla, and lactose)

Liquid Love Brewing - Y’all Come Back Now (Pastry golden ale w/ caramel and pecans)

Lake Effect Brewing - Fannie’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged (Imperial milk stout w/ chocolate cake, aged in bourbon barrels)

Episode 355 - Triple IPAs Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Once more of a niche taproom-only style, the Triple IPA has become a more common sight on the shelves thanks to craft beer customers who never say no to more. Hazy or not, these five beers are aiming for the target between too sweet or too strong, and a few veer a bit off course. But they’re still fun to drink, and we find ourselves in mid-show form pretty early on. Also, we are looking to improve our specialized email closings, attempting to decode the Enigma, addressing the butt chugging critics, and getting absolutely riled up over potato pancakes. Stream ya later!

Beers Reviewed

Hop Butcher for the World - Brain Forest

Old Irving Brewing - E.Nigma

Double Nickel Brewing Company - Family Style

Untitled Art - Hazier TIPA

Hailstorm Brewing Co. - Dominatrix

Episode 354 - American-Made Mexican-Style Lagers Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

We’re on flavor sabbatical for a week, so we’re looking around for minor trends to cover that we haven’t properly explored. As a twist on the traditional German lager, Mexican-Style lagers usually use maize or corn as part of the grain bill, but we find that no two American-made takes on this style are the same. (Thankfully!) There’s also an ongoing game involving America’s most prominent mutation of Mexican culture: Taco Bell. We also try and solve a nice balloon mystery, get hoisted by our own stupid petards, develop exciting new bar games, and gush over our new obsession - The Bell Beefer.

Beers Reviewed

Buckledown Brewing - Cactus Pants

Cruz Blanca Brewery - Mexico Calling

Crane Brewing Company - Odd Bird

21st Amendment Brewery - El Sully

On Tour Brewing Company - Cities

Episode 353 - Cruz Blanca Luchadors 2020 Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

For a few years running, Cruz Blanca’s Luchador series has been perhaps the most inspired and creative lineup of the holy trinity of Chicago barrel-aged beer special releases. We get a mouthful on this episode, as we drink through all eight of these big and burly beers aged in a seemingly endless number of different barrels. And it’s only half stouts; find out what kind of magic Cruz gets up to with Imperial Blonde Ales and Imperial Rice Ales. In addition to our complete remote tasting (with head brewer Jacob Sembrano giving us frequent text updates), we talk about the new life philosophy to help endure the rest of the year, our desire for some dry-bushed beers, and why we might be bailing on barrel-aged December prematurely. Suizo!

Beers Reviewed

El PopStar (Imperial rice ale aged in American whiskey finished Spanish sherry barrels)

Tigre Blanco (Imperial rice ale aged in Italian muscatel barrels with white vermouth botanicals)

Coco Fantasma (Imperial blonde ale aged in bourbon, rum, and rye whiskey barrels with chocolate, coconut, and almond)

Loco Dinero (Imperial blonde ale aged in bourbon, rum, and rye whiskey barrels with Sparrow Coffee)

Rey Gordo (Imperial stout aged in 11 year Bardstown bourbon barrels)

Rey Cuvee (2017 + 2018 + 2019 Rey Gordo blended and barrel-aged in American whiskey finished Spanish sherry barrels)

Senior Bandito (Imperial stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with sweet cherry, cinnamon, and spices)

Tarzan Boy (Imperial stout aged in South American rum barrels with banana, Oaxacan coffee, piloncillo, and vanilla)

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