Once every four years, we gather up nine Märzens or Festbiers for a blind review revue as a not-so-subtle excuse to drink what might be our favorite seasonal style. And again, we have eight local takes (and one collab from a legacy American brand) on the German-style lager to help us determine our arbitrary preferences. Surprises abound and misconceptions are challenged as this extremely drinkable nine-pack has us craving pretzels in no time. Also, Ryan has inadvertently created an eight year-old future Cicerone; Craig is once again calling for unnecessary adjuncts; and it’s ‘Oops! All Basslines!” for one beer. Light up your pretzel rod cigars and fill up your ceramic stein with Oktoberfest, and join us. 

Beers Reviewed Blindly

Maplewood Brewing Company - Festbier

Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest

Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co./Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei - Oktoberfest (2023)

Spiteful Brewing - Oktoberfest

Temperance Beer Co. - Oktoberfest

Off Color Brewing - Waddle

More Brewing Company - Oktoberfest

Mikerphone Brewing - Kick, Push, Prost

We’re bringing the dry heat with our 32nd State Show, drinking through five beers from five different Arizona breweries, courtesy of listener Ryan Lamb. There’s a lot to like from this set with some essential Arizona ingredients and a few beers with heavy medal pedigree. But also, Craig’s recent Disney trip has him looking at redoing some rides; Ryan reminds us that stouts are for closers; and we finally find out what love smells like. 

Beers Reviewed

Four Peaks Brewing Company [Tempe, AZ] - Kilt Lifter (Scottish-style ale)

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. [Gilbert, AZ] - Cactus Juice (Prickly pear sour)

Wren House Brewing Company [Phoenix, AZ] - Spellbinder (Hazy IPA)

Mother Road Brewing Company [Flagstaff, AZ] - Tower Station (IPA)

Fate Brewing Company [Scottsdale, AZ] - Hatch Chile Gatos (Golden ale w/ hatch chiles)

Revolution is back at it this summer with a threesome of barrel-aged delights for an early kickoff to the Deep Wood series, and we take our time breaking down these complex blends to find our results to be pleasantly surprising. Also, Craig ruins going to the mall; Ryan’s having breakfast with Velveeta; and we let the barrels take it to the X-treme (and Ex-Treme). 

Beers Reviewed

Dread & Breakfast (Breakfast Blend Ale with coffee aged in bourbon barrels)

Cuvée De Grâce (Cuvée Ale aged in bourbon barrels)

Life Jacket (Barleywine Ale with mango, guava, passionfruit, and coconut aged in bourbon barrels)

We can give a lot of credit to Half Acre co-founder Gabriel Magliaro for helping awaken the craft beer scene in Chicago. And more than 16 years later, Half Acre is still a leader in craft in the city and all over the country, so we’re thrilled to sit down with Gabriel for a deep dive into the history of his legendary brewery. We talk about how he was strongly advised against putting beer in 16-ounce cans, how opening a retail shop exposed the brand to a new audience, the evolution of their barrel program to its esteemed current status, and why the Lincoln taproom sale was the best of all outcomes. Then, Craig and Ryan open four Half Acre beers across a variety of styles to review, and it’s kind of a cosmic gumbo. Also, we’re trying hard to make Slowdem a real thing.

Gabriel Magliaro Interview (00:07:29 - 01:09:02)

Beers Reviewed

Green Torch (Lime Lager)

Bodem (IPA)

Slow Wink (West Coast IPA)

Double Barrel Benthic 2022 (Double arrel-aged imperial stout with toasted coconut and cinnamon)

It’s another show about highly drinkable summer styles, and this minor trend of local breweries releasing hopped-up wheat beers caught our attention enough to put five beers in front of us for review. The styles differ despite their shared ingredient, and we’re as excited about the big hops as we are comforted by the soft wheat. Also, we blue-sky some product design for Impractical Packaging Brewing Co.; Craig might drizzle some honey on that dry ramen snack; and Ryan’s just looking for a little extra fiber.

Beers Reviewed

Riverlands Brewing Company - Lazy Fox (Hazy Pale Wheat Ale)

Brothership Brewing - Citra Crop Circles (Hoppy Wheat Ale)

Keg Grove Brewing Company - Vacation Haze (Hazy Wheat New England-Style IPA)

Miskatonic Brewing Company/Seldom Beer Co. - Silver Sun (Hoppy Wheat Lager)

DryHop Brewers - Shark Meets Hipster (Wheat IPA)