ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

Even though they’re not even three years old, Eagle Park Brewing Company has already acquired its third location to brew their top-tier beers to serve the Milwaukee area. We chat with co-owners Max Borgardt and Jake Schinker about their explosive growth while sipping through a taproom lineup of flavorful show-stoppers. Everything about the business’ past, present, and future is explored, from how a band of brothers practicing in their parents’ basement and brewing in their garage led to lengthy lines at their Milwaukee taproom releases - and ultimately to their $3 million new facility in their hometown of Muskego. We discuss their first speakeasy taproom, how they are scrambling to meet demand, the rapid acceleration of the Milwaukee craft beer scene, and the dream collaborations that still leave them awestruck. There’s talk of driving albums, what beers not to drink on stage during a concert, the influence (and non-influence) of Untappd reviews, and how Martha Stewart inspired a milkshake IPA. 

Beers Sampled

DDH Goon Juice (Hazy IPA)

DDH Set List (IPA)

Feet Don’t Fail Me (Milkshake IPA w/ lactose sugar, aged on plums, pineapple, and vanilla)

Apricot Peach Sour (w/ apricot and peach)

Booze For Breakfast: French Toast  (Imperial breakfast stout with Vermont Maple Syrup, Cascara Cinnamon, and Madagascar Vanilla)

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Booze For Breakfast (Imperial breakfast stout with Vermont Maple Syrup, Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Beans)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_286_Eagle_Park.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

The two great local conquests of the haze-chasers in Chicagoland for 2019, Phase Three and Hop Butcher have built a hype train of hops that has no signs of slowing down. So we do some blatant pandering to the beer geeks by having three double IPAs from each brewery in a blind tasting to finally determine...well, very little, actually. Taste is subjective, our opinions are arbitrary, and we have weird palates. It’s really just a fun experiment diving into these hazy monsters while doing just a sh*t job of guessing what they are, so enjoy the ride! Also, Craig went to an anime convention and has some predictably odd cosplay thoughts; Ryan confuses a beer with some late-night cinema; and we work out our cross-promotion with Trolls World Tour. There’s also font talk, gradient love, topical fruits, a terrible survival plan, and untrue life hacks for getting rid of Bud Light Orange. 

Beers Tasted Blindly (in order of appearance)

Hop Butcher for the World - Green Moss

Phase Three Brewing - Energetic Mind

Phase Three Brewing - Rule of Thirds

Phase Three Brewing - Discipline for Passion

Hop Butcher for the World - Normalize the Signal

Hop Butcher for the World - The Jewels

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_285_P3vHB_Blind.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

Founded in 2017 as the first brewery in Homewood, Rabid Brewing combines mythical lore with artistic passion to bring a diverse and delicious beer menu to their taproom. We sit down with co-owners and co-founders Raiye Rosado and Tobias Cichon, along with brewer Max Sterbenc, to taste through the whole taplist while talking about how Rabid came to be and where things are headed. In the process, we learn what Rabid does to provide a unique experience for their customers while embracing art and music to make an environment welcoming to everyone. But we also go on about goatskin chaps, hop acquisition, The Feast of the Goat Queen, bathroom chalk art, 3 Floyds inspirations, beer cocktails, the Omega Yeast difference, their milkshake IPA resistance, and a long-dead beer style that should probably stay dead. And Max’s dad Joe steps in to talk about how his 35 years of homebrewing inspired some of the recipes at Rabid, and why his head is plastered all over the taproom. 

Beers Sampled

Shadowstepper (Chocolate milk stout)

Dripping Teats (Lactose IPA)
Hexed (Blackberry apricot ale)

Singularity 007 (SMaSH IPA)

Lycan Pils (Dry-hopped American pilsner)

Battle Monk (Belgian Dubbel)

Zuul (DDH Juicy IPA)

Apollyon (DDH Juicy DIPA)

Dwarves of Doom (Chocolate coffee imperial stout)

Horus (Triple IPA)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_284_Rabid_Brewing.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

We’re taking a liquid voyage to the great state of Tennessee for our 21st state show, thanks to listener Matt Milam. There are five beers from four breweries for us to sample, and at least one of us gets injured in the process. We learn a bit about these great breweries, even if one of us refuses to learn how to properly pronounce their names. Craig reports on his scooter experience, Ryan takes a big bite out of the BubbleTape, and we have a sour program. There’s also Corporal Nut, Steven Moist, the canning demon, Alcohol Rich, and Betty White’s eyes. Tennesseein’ is Tennebelievin’! 

Beers Reviewed

Alliance Brewing Company [Knoxville] - Cubano Coffee Brown (Brown ale w/ lactose, turbinado sugar, and cold brew coffee)

Tailgate Brewery [Nashville] - Southeast IPA

Smith & Lentz [Nashville] - German Pils

Yazoo Brewing Company [Nashville] - Funk Fest 2019 (Tripel w/ brett. aged in peach brandy and vanilla bean bourbon barrels)

Alliance Brewing Company - Imperial Centennial IPA

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_283_The_TN_Show.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

Born from a union of Funk Factory’s Levi Funk and Octopi Brewing’s Isaac Showaki, Untitled Art was launched in late 2016 to bring exciting new styles to Wisconsin before everyone was doing them. Now that everyone is doing them, how has Untitled Art grown to establish itself? Well, it certainly helps to have really cool friends. On this show, we gallery walk through five flavorful collaborations and discover we have yet another reason to drive to Wisconsin. Also, we train for our sick scooter tricks, suss out who smuggled the African hops, suffer Untappd-related brain damage, bravely draw the line at congealed beers, and birth Fardar into existence. 

Art Consumed

Pilsner w/ South African Hops (collaboration with TRVE Brewing Company)

Terpene IPA (collaboration with American Solera)

Spritzer Weisse (collaboration with J. Wakefield Brewing)

Hazy IIPA (Version 5) (collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing Company)

Espresso Marshmallow Stout (collaboration with Equilibrium Brewery)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_282_Untitled_Art.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

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