ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

For our fifth straight year at the Great American Beer Festival, we drank all of the beers in Denver so you didn’t have to. This episode is our full recap of this year’s fest, including discussions on the medal winners, our favorite beers at the fest, the hazy IPA takeover, and our inability to navigate the new layout. We also have a bunch of interviews from the festival floor featuring brewers we admire and beer people we respect. And if that isn’t enough, we drink and review three Denver-area beers from our hotel room against the will of our exhausted bodies and brains. We share some good unsolicited advice we received, introduce Craig’s new workout buds, and get interrupted by the drunkest 22 year-old at the fest.

Beers Reviewed

Declaration Brewing - Hardtack Copper

Outer Range Brewing Co. - Trail No. 4 (Quandary Peak)

Ursula Brewery - Imperial Crustless

Interviews from GABF 2018

James and Melissa Priest of The Referend Bier Blendery (Pennington, NJ) –  00:12:18 - 00:20:51

Tony Corder and Drew DeWees of Columbus Brewing Co. (Columbus, OH) – 00:25:39 - 00:32:45

Mike Donovan of The Oozlefinch Craft Brewery (Fort Monroe, VA) – 00:43:04 - 00:51:13

Jason Pellett of Orpheus Brewing (Atlanta, GA) – 00:56:42 - 01:04:30

Marty Nachel (author and beer judge) – 01:13:35 - 01:18:19

Blake Arrowood of Arrowood Farms (Accord, NY) – 01:29:15 - 01:34:39

Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey/Port Brewing Co./The Hop Concept (San Marcos, CA) – 01:40:31 - 01:45:54

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_243_GABF_2018.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05pm CDT

As IPA further becomes a parody of itself, we stare down the ultimate challenge to our perception of what hoppy beers could - or should - be. Milkshake IPAs are a newer variation on the fruit-forward and bitterness-free take on the IPA that features lactose and/or vanilla to raise sweetness while incorporating wheat or oats into the grist to increase its heft. Listen as these six beers slowly chip away at our reservations around this hot new trend, and we learn to love again. Sort of. Also, Ryan refuses to let Craig continue to forget Leg Day, we invent the Beach IPA, and we fall into another tangent trap about candy and Doritos. Put the pectin in it!

Beers Reviewed

Odell Brewing Co. - Cloud Catcher

Collective Arts Brewing - Liquid Art Fest (w/ passionfruit, mango, and vanilla)

Energy City Brewing - Milkshake Nawi Mango (w/ mango and vanilla beans)

Hop Butcher for the World - Blazed Orange Milkshake (w/ oranges and vanilla)

Hailstorm Brewing Co. - Boat Drinks (w/ orange & pineapple juice, and toasted coconut)

Marz Community Brewing - Cocktail Umbrellas (w/ pineapple)

Direct download: ABV_Episode_242_Milkshake_IPAs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:05pm CDT

We’re counting down the days to the 37th annual Great American Beer Festival, and going into our fifth year attending, we finally feel like we’re qualified to give advice for those attending, or provide escapism for those that would like to be. Also, we drink five beers from five Illinois breweries we’ve never had on the show - and who also happen to be pouring at this year’s GABF! In regards to the fest, we share general advice, Illinois brewery pour lists, our picks for must-try breweries, and a rundown of interesting Denver-area events during the week. Also, Ryan plays Six Degrees of LMFAO on the opening, Craig discovers that every beer is a WeldWerks collab, and we write font-based romantic fiction. Whether you’re going to GABF or not, you can’t deny that we say the names of a lot of beers in this episode. We are sincerely sorry for party rocking.

Beers Reviewed

Midnight Pig - Hook & Hatchet (Vienna Lager)

Tangled Roots Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest

Alter Brewing Co. - ALTERior Motive (IPA)

Band of Bohemia - Jasmine Rice (Lager)

Werk Force Brewing Co. - Sleepy Bear (German Chocolate Cake Russian Imperial Stout)

Check out the GABF 2018 Illinois Brewery Pour List here

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_241_Road_to_GABF.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:58am CDT

Years ago, before every other American brewery had a koelschip or a “sour program,” the options to foster a love for sours was mostly limited to shelf-available Belgian beers. As Ryan’s long-gestating audio lovechild, this episode represents a time when exploration of sour styles meant green-bottled imports and hard-to-pronounce names. But our reverence for these classics is apparent as we try five different Belgian sour beers done in five different styles. We learn about the beers themselves including the odd stories about how some of them were willed into existence by non-Belgians. We talk about IRL Mario Kart, put our best foudre forward, sup the cup, and buttdial our Boon buddy. And as this is (sort of) our pledge drive episode, check out patreon.com/abvchicago to donate to the show and get a ton of extra content and gifts!

Beers Reviewed

Brouwerij De Brabandere - Petrus Aged Pale

Brouwerij Van Steenberge - Monk's Café Flemish Sour Ale

Brouwerij Verhaeghe - Duchesse de Bourgogne

Vanberg & DeWulf/Brouwerij De Troch - Lambickx

Brouwerij Boon - Oude Geuze Boon Black Label

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_240_Belgian_Sours.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:44am CDT

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