ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 45 - BCBS Alternatives Dec 03, 2014

Show notes

It’s been a long, stupid week in craft beer thanks to Bourbon County madness, so we wanted to find some substitutes to feed those cravings on a budget and a whim. We review five bourbon barrel-aged beers that are pretty easy to find. It mostly doesn’t work out well. We talk about other barrel-aged beers that regularly inhabit shelves and whether or not length of aging makes a difference. Then the belligerence begins and we use bizarre aroma descriptors, discuss “Battletoads” erotica, and recklessly bash a few breweries in the process. There’s no substitute for our hilarity! Sorry.

Ryan

1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S.

2. New Holland Dragon’s Milk

3. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013

4. Central Waters Headless Heron

5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout

Craig

1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S.

2. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013

3. New Holland Dragon’s Milk

4. Central Waters Headless Heron

5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout

Episode 44 - Bourbon County 2014 Nov 26, 2014

Show notes

Episode 44 - Bourbon County 2014

With another Black Friday approaching, we sat down to sample most of this year’s Bourbon County lineup, and things get soulful. If you’re looking for divisive opinions or a contrarian stance on the corporate-owned hype machine that is Bourbon County, then you’ll be disappointed. These beers are delicious. And Goose Island gave them to us for free. We share tales of Black Fridays past, and we divert briefly to talk barrel-aging temperatures, autobiographies, the Sad Reality of Baudoinia Fudgy, and Craig’s ideas on how to improve the BCBS label. There’s also five minutes of Brett Porter talking about this year’s Bourbon County Coffee variant, since Goose Island forgot to send us that beer. If loving Bourbon County is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right.

Craig

1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County

2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye

3. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

4. Bourbon County Brand Stout

Ryan

1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County

2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye

3. Bourbon County Brand Stout

4. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

Low ABV 2 - FOBAB Hangover Nov 19, 2014

Show notes

On the day after FoBAB, we muster up the strength to recap our night of sampling barrel-aged beers at one of the country’s premier beer events. We also load up on electrolytes and review some common hangover remedies. We’ll share some of the positives and negatives about the new venue and discuss our favorite beers of the night, including beers from Off Color, Temperance, Upland, Fremont, Goose Island, and more. Not only do you get to relive our FoBAB, but you’ll hear Ryan’s virgin coconut water experience, Craig’s surprising enthusiasm for Pedialyte, and the flavor nightmare that is V8 Original. Doctor, ain’t there nothing I can take?

Craig

1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit

2. Gatorade Lemon Lime

3. Nice! Spring Water

4. Vita Coco Coconut Water

5. V8 Original

Ryan

1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit

2. Nice! Spring Water

3. Gatorade Lemon Lime

4. Vita Coco Coconut Water

5. V8 Original

Episode 43 - Barrel Aged Pipeworks Nov 12, 2014

Show notes

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Pipeworks has rolled out more barrel-aged beers, and we invite general public nuisance Dennis Lee to drink them with us. In addition to reviewing the beers, we let Dennis talk about his blog, depression food, black truffles, and the term “foodie.” There’s also a cogent discussion of how experimentation could be impacting Pipeworks brand loyalty and the general overvaluation of barrel-aged beers. Then Dennis sings as Korean Lorde after sous-viding us a poached egg. This is real life.

Craig

1. As You Wish

2. Murderous

3. Over the Line

4. The Coqui

5. The Delicatessen

Ryan

1. Murderous

2. As You Wish

3. The Coqui

4. Over the Line

5. The Delicatessen

Dannis Ree

1. As You Wish

2. Murderous

3. Over the Line

4. The Coqui

5. The Delicatessen

Episode 42 - Russian River: The Tioning Nov 05, 2014

Show notes

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This compilation of appreciation for Russian River’s wild, sour, and funky “-tion” beers ends in much exultation. We drink eight different beers, many aged in wine barrels, and experience much elation, with some acidification. We share some listener feedback, Ryan gives tips for vegetarian craft beer drinkers, and Craig plays a few rounds of “Name That Russian!™” What a country!

Craig

1. Beatification

2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)

3. Sanctification

4. Supplication

5. Consecration

6. Temptation

7. Damnation

8. Redemption

Ryan

1. Beatification

2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)

3. Consecration

4. Sanctification

5. Supplication

6. Temptation

7. Damnation

8. Redemption

Episode 41- Goose Island Clybourn Oct 29, 2014

Show notes

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The brewers at the Goose Island Clybourn brewpub embrace experimentation, and they take on their riskiest one yet when they invite Ryan and Craig into the brewhouse to record. Brewmaster Nick Barron and brewers Jacob Sembrano and Jon Naghski share five of their incredible one-off beers and the inspiration, experimentation, and technique that went into each of them. They’ll also discuss their farmer’s market series, upcoming releases and FOBAB goodies, the world’s most obscure Simpsons reference (seriously), and what it’s like to make bourbon barrel-aged beers in the location where it all began. Pull up a stool, and remember to tip your bartender.

Beers Enjoyed and Discussed:

Pineapple Brettanomite

Gorman’s Biere de Garde

Vainglorious

Cran Bruin

Grimm Vicar

Episode 40 - Founders Brewing Co. Oct 22, 2014

Show notes

Founders Brewing Company has been influencing the way Midwesterners drink for almost two decades, so we show our appreciation by drinking their beers to excess. We review eight diverse 12-ounce offerings from the Grand Rapids brewery, only pausing briefly to play a little Founding Fathers trivia. Well, actually, the beers are so good that we get obscenely inebriated and talk about Craig’s DJ name, fond Breakfast Stout memories, getting Hop Fades™ for FoBAB, and who’d win in a fight between us. It’s that kind of show, folks!

Ryan

1. Backwoods Bastard

2. Breakfast Stout

3. Imperial Stout

4. Mosaic Promise

5. Dark Penance

6. Devil Dancer (2012)

7. KBS

8. Harvest Ale

Craig

1. Breakfast Stout

2. Dark Penance

3. Imperial Stout

4. KBS

5. Backwoods Bastard

6. Devil Dancer (2012)

7. Mosaic Promise

8. Harvest Ale

Episode 39 - What's New, Chicago? Oct 15, 2014

Show notes

We have five beers new to bottles from Chicago-area breweries and find that you don’t need a lot of experience to impress us. Five unique styles are up for our review, and we unsurprisingly get hammered in the process. There’s a few GABF remnants, Ryan consults his Urban Dictionary, and Craig talks about Mega Man for a while. Trust us - you won’t even need to use a continue.

Ryan

1. Middle Brow Robyn

2. Cahoots Brewing Barrel-Aged AmEn

3. 51st Ward The Krispy Karl

4. Arcade Brewing Mega Milk Stout

5. Forbidden Root Sublime Ginger

Craig

1. Middle Brow Robyn

2. Arcade Brewing Mega Milk Stout

3. Forbidden Root Sublime Ginger

4. Cahoots Brewing Barrel-Aged AmEn

5. 51st Ward The Krispy Karl

Episode 38 - GABF Oct 09, 2014

Show notes

After three straight days of drinking at the Great American Beer Festival, we open a few beers in the hotel and play back a bunch of interviews with brewers that all won gold medals (in our hearts.) You’ll hear interviews with brewers from Yazoo, Wicked Weed, Comrade, Almanac, Transient, River Dog, The Rare Barrel, and Melvin. There’s also a brief appearance by a well-lubricated Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head. We sift through our memory of the hundreds of beers we tried and deliver our top experiences, but we cover many other aspects of the fest as well. Craig recaps his What The Funk?!? experience, and Ryan makes fun of our terrible drunken interview questions. Wu! Tang! Wu! Tang!

Beers enjoyed on this episode:

Crooked Stave Mama Bear’s Sour Cherry Pie

Casey Brewing and Blending Saison First Blend

Avery Rufus Corvus

Episode 37 - The Great Pumpkin Beer Show! Oct 01, 2014

Show notes

We try to have the most sincere show in hopes of a visit from The Great Pumpkin Beer, as we try 8 of them. Kim Leshinski of Hail to the Ale and Chicago Beer Gals is our guest. As a BJCP Judge and a homebrewer, she carves up some serious knowledge on the intricacies of the style and drops in a candle on what Chicago breweries have to offer. Kim also talks about her many beer-centric endeavors including her experience working on the branding for Alarmist Brewing and what it was like to collaborate on a shark-themed saison with Lake Effect. We also learn that Craig got kicked out of an all-female craft beer event. Good grief.

Craig

1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

2. Ten Ninety De Ogen

3. Southern Tier Pumking

4. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

5. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin

6. Cigar City Good Gourd

7. Slapshot Gourd Damn

8. Dogfish Head Punkin

Kim

1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

2. Ten Ninety De Ogen

3. Southern Tier Pumking

4. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin

5. Dogfish Head Punkin

6. Slapshot Gourd Damn

7. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

8. Cigar City Good Gourd

Ryan

1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

2. Southern Tier Pumking

3. Ten Ninety De Ogen

4. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin

5. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

6. Cigar City Good Gourd

7. Slapshot Gourd Damn

8. Dogfish Head Punkin

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