ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 65 - The Open Bottle Apr 22, 2015

Show notes

The south suburbs have exploded with options for great beer, and The Open Bottle is the right beer store for the right time. We sit down with owners Patrick and Julie to talk about their Tinley Park bottle shop and tap room, and we review six delicious local beers. They share what inspired the concept, how they curate their selection, and why Tinley was the right place for the business. They also get us drunk before noon, and we talk about beer muzzles, Bud Light winning blind tastings, and some crying beer hunters. And find out why the alternate title of this episode is “Pay attention, Craig!”

Totally Arbitrary Rankings!

Craig

1. 350 Brewing Crook County IPA

2. Pollyanna Brewing Ocular DIPA

3. Hailstorm Brewing 1st Anniversary Sour

4. Imperial Oak Prediction?...Pain! DIPA

5. Banging Gavel Chicanery Russian Imperial Stout

6. Arrowhead Ales Entry Level Snob IPA

Ryan

1. Pollyanna Brewing Ocular DIPA

2. Hailstorm Brewing 1st Anniversary Sour

3. 350 Brewing Crook County IPA

4. Banging Gavel Chicanery Russian Imperial Stout

5. Arrowhead Ales Entry Level Snob IPA

6. Imperial Oak Prediction?...Pain! DIPA

Episode 64 - Welcome to Chicago Apr 15, 2015

Show notes

With so many new arrivals to the Chicago market, we make sure our audio welcome basket is stuffed with goodies. We drink five beers that are new to Chicagoland (and one that is a return), and try to advise on whether or not they’re worth the shelf space - or your money. We discuss whether or not we need any more IPAs and how other breweries recent to the market are doing. Craig recaps his recent beer travels and shares some exciting rib tips. Ryan talks about Dennis Quaid and verbose brewers. Who wants to drink some Sea Monkeys?

Ryan

1. Prairie Eliza5beth Midwest Farmhouse Ale with Apricots

2. Schlafly Kolsch

3. Urban Chestnut Zwickel Bavarian-Style Lager

4. Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

5. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

6. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Craig

1. Schlafly Kolsch

2. Urban Chestnut Zwickel Bavarian-Style Lager

3. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

4. Prairie Eliza5beth Midwest Farmhouse Ale with Apricots

5. Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

6. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Episode 63 - 51st Ward Beer Co. Apr 08, 2015

Show notes

The founder of 51st Ward Beer Company, Tim Hoerman, hooked us up with six of his beers, and we find many surprises, mostly pleasant! We occasionally veer away from our reviews to talk brewing with vanilla beans, Jesus' hygiene, and Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog - and that's just one segment. We also say "Doody" a lot because we are children. Experience the unexpected!

Ryan

1. Control Freak Rakau Imperial IPA2. Down Over Vienna Lager

3. The Mayor Cream Ale

4. The Poll Tax Scottish Export Ale

5. Pill Hill Vanilla Porter

6. East Clintwood Harvest Ale

Craig

1. The Mayor Cream Ale

2. Control Freak Rakau Imperial IPA

3. The Poll Tax Scottish Export Ale

4. Down Over Vienna Lager

5. Pill Hill Vanilla Porter

6. East Clintwood Harvest Ale

Episode 62- Cookie Drunk Apr 01, 2015

Show notes

We get our inner fat kid hammered on beer and cookies. In this episode, we’re looking for the right local beer pairings with Girl Scout cookies. We have six pairings to review, but thankfully, Ryan has edited out all the chewing and moaning. We test out some new characters, call for year-round cookie sales, and explain why Twitter hates babies. Craig forgot a beer and then throws some stuff. Ryan is unaware of U2. Support your local troop, y’all!

Beer and Cookie Pairing Rankings

Ryan

1. Tagalongs and Three Floyds Behemoth

2. Do-Si-Dos and Arcade Final Level

3. Samoas and Pipeworks Imperial End of Days

4. Thin Mints and Aquanaut Misterioso

5. Savannah Smiles and Scorched Earth General Resin

6. Trefoils and Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor

Craig

1. Tagalongs and Three Floyds Behemoth

2. Samoas and Pipeworks Imperial End of Days

3. Thin Mints and Aquanaut Misterioso

4. Do-Si-Dos and Arcade Final Level

5. Trefoils and Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor

6. Savannah Smiles and Scorched Earth General Resin

Beer Rankings

Ryan

1. Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor Lemon Saison

2. Aquanaut Misterioso Coffee Porter

3. Scorched Earth General Resin DIPA

4. Arcade Final Level ESB

5. Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

6. Pipeworks Imperial End of Days Milk Stout (Batch 253)

Craig

1. Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

2. Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor Lemon Saison

3. Aquanaut Misterioso Coffee Porter

4. Scorched Earth General Resin DIPA

5. Pipeworks Imperial End of Days Milk Stout (Batch 253)

6. Arcade Final Level ESB

Episode 61 - Anything Gose! Mar 25, 2015

Show notes

Things get a little salty as we open up nine different Goses, and good Gose do we overload this episode with crappy puns. But we also talk a little history, embrace Bahl Hornin' (whatever the hell that is), decant some peppers, and get surprisingly sauced on 4 percent alcohol beers. And Ryan wishes Craig was a taco. So it gose.

Craig

1. Ritterguts Gose

2. Freigeist Geisterzug Gose

3. Westbrook Gose

4. Westbrook Gozu

5. Leipziger Gose

6. DESTIHL Here Gose Nothing

7. Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

8. Against the Grain There Gose The Neighborhood

9. Marz Ruby’s Tears

Ryan

1. Ritterguts Gose

2. DESTIHL Here Gose Nothing

3. Westbrook Gose

4. Westbrook Gozu

5. Leipziger Gose

6. Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose

7. Against the Grain There Gose The Neighborhood

8. Freigeist Geisterzug Gose

9. Marz Ruby’s Tears

Episode 60 - Transient: Bindle of Fun Mar 18, 2015

Show notes

We sure drink a lot of Chicago’s own Transient Artisan Ales, and now that some of his beers are being distributed for non-reserve society members, it’s a fine occasion to drink some more! We review five of Chris Betts’ beers of varying styles, and we don’t pull any punches. Well, we don’t have to. This beer is damn good. Expect talk of a new slogan, cherry soda, progressive tingles, and The Power of Almost. Our bindles are bulging full of fun!

Craig

1. Presque (Red Wine)

2. Pentameter

3. Henry

4. Presque (Apple Brandy)

5. Cuvier

Ryan

1. Presque (Red Wine)

2. Pentameter

3. Cuvier

4. Henry

5. Presque (Apple Brandy)

Episode 59 - Barrel-Aged What's New Chicago? Mar 11, 2015

Show notes

With an award nomination under our belts and a pocket full of new money, we skip the lines and haul in some barrel-aged Chicago-area brews. We review five beers and, occasionally, get distracted! Ryan checks out Exit Strategy in Forest Park, Craig struggles with wax, and Josh Deth does a...uh, nevermind. There’s Tinley Park stories, more FOBAB memories, yogurty cabs, street toughs, Waka Flocculation, and bad Untappd reviewer habits. The struggle is real!

Ryan

1. Temperance Beer Co. Manhattan Might Meets Right

2. Middle Brow Beer Co. Who’s That Girl?

3. Imperial Oak Brewing Barrel Aged I Must Break You\

4. Penrose Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Spectral

5. Hailstorm Brewing Vlad the Second

Craig

1. Temperance Beer Co. Manhattan Might Meets Right

2. Middle Brow Beer Co. Who’s That Girl?

3. Imperial Oak Brewing Barrel Aged I Must Break You\

4. Hailstorm Brewing Vlad the Second

5. Penrose Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Spectral

Episode 58 - The MA Show Mar 04, 2015

Show notes

For too long we’ve neglected beers from the Eastern seaboard, so we’re dedicating this episode to The Bay State. We sample beers from three Massachusetts breweries, and everything is coming up great (like the mid-aughts Toronto music scene, according to Craig).

We pitch a few beer concepts and a show idea for the real “Uppers and Downers,” then Craig shares about how German bratwurst changed his life. Oh the burning!

Craig

1. Tree House Brewing Haze (DIPA)

2. Trillium Brewing Night and Day (Imperial Stout with cold brewed coffee)

3. Tree House Brewing Lights Out (APA)

4. Night Shift Brewing Cape Codder Weisse (Berliner Weisse with cranberries and orange zest)

5. Trillium Brewing Vicinity (DIPA)

6. Night Shift Brewing Mainer Weisse (Berliner Weisse with blueberries and cinnamon sticks)

Ryan

1. Tree House Brewing Haze (DIPA)

2. Trillium Brewing Night and Day (Imperial Stout with cold brewed coffee)

3. Tree House Brewing Lights Out (APA)

4. Trillium Brewing Vicinity (DIPA)

5. Night Shift Brewing Mainer Weisse (Berliner Weisse with blueberries and cinnamon sticks)

6. Night Shift Brewing Cape Codder Weisse (Berliner Weisse with cranberries and orange zest)

Episode 57 - Middle Brow Chocolate Homebrew Contest Feb 25, 2015

Show notes

Chocolate is the subject of Middle Brow Beer Co.’s latest homebrew contest, and for some reason, they let us help pick a winner. We’re joined by Nick and Bryan from Middle Brow, and we taste and talk about five of the best beers out of the 23 submitted by local homebrewers. While deciding on which beer will be commercially brewed, we talk oak spirals, MTV, vanilla beans, Beechwood-aging, wax, post-contest success stories, and This Year’s Prop. Plus, the Middle Brow guys share some details on some upcoming releases with Dark Matter, Jimmy Whispers, and much more. Oh, and lots of nut jokes.

Homebrews sampled include:

Pecan Brown Ale with cocoa nibs

Chocolate Rye Saison

Chocolate Hazelnut Porter

Imperial Oatmeal Stout with coffee, hazelnuts, and vanilla bean

Imperial Oatmeal Stout with cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao nibs, aged on bourbon oak spirals

Episode 56 - Voodoo Brewery Feb 18, 2015

Show notes

It’s Mardi Gras time, and we’re tasting a carnival of Voodoo Brewery beers. We review six (plus one) beers from the Meadville, Pennsylvania brewery, and we end up having one of our best drinking experiences ever recorded. In this episode, you’ll also hear about Craig’s trip to Voodoo, why Ryan might be leaving the podcast, and our virulent support of the Anti-Waxer movement. Plus, a trio of barrel-aged beers brings about some of the more memorable - and lascivious - reactions we’ve had in a while. For us, every day is Fat Tuesday!

Mutual Rankings!

1. Pappy Van Winkle Black Magick

2. Buffalo Trace Black Magick

3. Laird’s Apple Brandy Black Magick

4. Voodoo Love Child

5. Big Black Voodoo Daddy

6. Wynona’s Big Brown Ale