If only there was some relevant reason to do our first Hop Butcher show in a year...oh yeah! They released four single-hopped hazy beers! Well, there’s that and the whole “purchasing the Half Acre Lincoln taproom to convert into their own space later this year” thing. We talk with our friend Jeremiah Zimmer from Hop Butcher for the World for a good while about the surprising taproom purchase, from what greased the wheels on the deal to what kinds of plans they have with a tentative late-October opening date. We also get real nerdy about hop acquisition, why different hop lots can make all the difference, and how the Suez Canal blockage is holding back a choice batch of hops. We also talk about how the Smashing Pumpkins collaboration came to be, and who those two handsome gentlemen might be welcoming you to the Hop Butcher taproom in the future. And that’s not all, because the rest of the episode is dedicated to us tasting through four single-hop hazies while expanding on the 311 mythos that surrounds this show. (Welcome to our Mt. Rushmore, P-Nut.)

Jeremiah Zimmer Interview (0:11:35 - 1:04:40)

Beers Reviewed

Beef Dipped (Simcoe-hopped Double IPA)

Snorkel Squad (Citra-hopped IPA)

Lord Octopus (Mosaic-hopped Double IPA)

Soul Head (Strata-hopped IPA)

Mikerphone has become notorious for being willing to toss anything edible (and usually sweet) into a beer, but they’re not all style with no substance. For this episode, we tried to sample a more stripped-down version of Mikerphone, choosing five beers without much added (except for the occasional dry hop or barrel treatment). There are many delightful reminders that sometimes simple is better, but we also muck it up with a forced auction, the art of CD tracks, the seasons of Dexter*, a new future for Hellraiser, bad song parodies, and a game about MTV Unplugged in the 90s. Welcome to the five-timers club, Mikerphone!

Beers Reviewed

Jagged Little Pils (Dry-hopped pilsner)

Naked and Famous (Berliner Weisse)

Misty Mountain Hop (IPA)

Barrel-Aged Flipped The Switch (Imperial Czech-Style Dark Lager aged in Smoke Wagon Bourbon Barrels)

Barrel-Aged Imperial Smells Like Birthday Suit Spirit (Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels)

*I was wrong about the Dexter.

Trends with IPAs come and go, but the West Coast-style IPA is foundational for what craft beer is today. So when a bunch of awesome local breweries set aside their hazy tendencies to deliver something more bitter and clear, we’re ecstatic to drink through five of them. Also, we mount up for Michael McDonald, admire some Choice Cones©, and welcome the new steel drum player for the Smashing Pumpkins. We also roll out another round of Personal Preference, which leads to talk of boozy mayonnaise and Craig unsuccessfully crashing a Hood Internet show. We’re getting throwback drunk on this one.

Beers Reviewed

Phase Three Brewing - West Coast Pixel Density IPA

Art History Brewing - Avenue of the Giants IPA

Revolution Brewing Co. - DDH West Coast Hero DIPA

Hubbard’s Cave - Clearly Hopsurd IPA

Miskatonic Brewing Company - DDH Nelson Wizard DIPA

More than just a mash paddle photoshoot for Instagram, these brewery collaborations focus on how their own pre-existing strong recipes can complement those of another. Enter the collab lab with us, as we taste through five inspired collaborations from local breweries, featuring a few medal winners to boot. Also, we pimp our windbreakers, break our lactose streak, imagine the limits of beer NFTs, and are just so done with this mask theatre. Set your windbreakers to yacht rock.

Beers Reviewed 

Alarmist Brewing/Old Irving Brewing - Le Beez (Hazy IPA)

Penrose Brewing Company/Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummy Boots (Hazy IPA)

Is/Was Brewing/Hopewell Brewing Co. - If/When (Bière de Coupage/Saison)

Phase Three Brewing/Goose Island Beer Co. - If You’re A Bird… (Imperial stout w/ panella, cocoa nibs, and coconut)

Goose Island Beer Co./Phase Three Brewing - ...I’m A Bird (Imperian stout w/ panella, cocoa nibs, and strawberry)

Not to be confused with FoBAB (Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers) or MOBAB (Missouri’s Board of Anime Bookstores), this episode simply promises more barrel-aged beers. Five dark beers with a few adjuncts and unique barrels thrown in, this lineup has more than one beer that’ll be on our best of the year list. Also, we discuss a Zubaz incident, summon a Pacino moment, get frustrated again by Kid Craig, and call for more jiggly stouts. We’re going to need moMoBAB. 

Beers Reviewed

Bent Paddle Brewing Co. - Double Shot Double Black (Imperial black ale w/ coffee and vanilla, aged in bourbon barrels)

Third Space Brewing - Mystic Berry (Barrel-aged coffee imperial stout w/ blackberry, blueberry, and vanilla bean)

Werk Force Brewing Company - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Mint Chocolate Chip Sleepy Bear (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ cacao nibs, vanilla, and mint)
Half Acre Beer Co./The Veil Brewing Co. - Soak In Shadow (Imperial stout aged in apple brandy barrels w/ lactose)

Goose Island Beer Co. - Suffolk County Stout (Bourbon barrel-aged stout)

This show is a tribute to when the b-side is even better than the a-side, as we drink through five beers that for random reasons didn’t make the cut for recent episodes of the podcast. The styles and breweries are all over the place, which inspires us to dip into a slew of random topics like movies that should’ve been old SNES games, the best part of reading about the Columbian Exposition, and a whole game about b-side songs that upstage their a-sides. Grab your fancy hat and your absinthe dripper.

Beers Reviewed

The Conrad Seipp Brewing Co. - Columbia Bock

Histrionic Brewlab - Tolvanera (Hazy IPA)

Tox Brewing Co. - Lily of the Valley Raspricot (Fruited sour w/ raspberry, apricot, lactose, and vanilla)

Delta Beer Lab - PTR.02 (Coconut chai stout)

Young Blood Beer Company - I’m Extraordinarily Humble (Milk stout w/ cinnamon, maple, and vanilla)

Ticking off another Midwestern hotspot for beers, we try out five different beers from Madison, Wisconsin breweries this week. We drink as a badger does and uncover the surprisingly long and decorated histories of a few of these breweries, while we have a diverse lineup of tasty beers. Also, we jump on the video game-to-live action movie express, re-enact The Fabulous Baker Boys, contrast our evolving personal style, and talk briefly about that time Elvis stopped a fight in Madison. We’re all losers in a pun war. #TeamCream #BockSquad

Beers Reviewed

Giant Jones Brewing Company/The Lone Girl Brewing Company - Bière de Garde Ambrée

Great Dane Pub & Brewing - John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt's Dunkel Doppel Hefeweizen Bock

Vintage Brewing Company - Bock’s O-Chocolates (Chocolate Doppelbock)

Next Door Brewing Company - Plumptuous (Scotch Ale)

Karben4 Brewing - Urge Tracker (Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Stout)

In our minds, there’s hardly a better combination than drinking beer and appreciating baseball - a pastime as wholesome as apple pie milkshake IPAs. So we step into the box, looking to square up five tasty beers from Midwestern breweries that certainly want you to think about baseball. We cram this one with baseball miscellany: Chicago food-themed uniforms, baseball and beer math, Hot Dog Summer, and baseball Stumptappd. Mercy!

Beers Reviewed

Off Color Brewing - Beer for Ballgames (Cream ale)

Goose Island Beer Co. - White Sox Golden Ale

Spiteful Brewing - Bleacher Bum (Blonde ale w/ peaches)

Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummiskey (Northeast India Pale Ale)

Lion’s Tail Brewing/Young Blood Beer Co. - Uecker On the Radio (Hazy Double IPA)

Looking to provide an “oasis for life and leisure,” Madison, Wisconsin’s Young Blood Beer Company had to bring the oasis to the people in their first year of operation. For this episode, Craig talks with co-founder Tom Dufek about rewriting business plans, adding a twist to every beer, and cultivating those dank and drippy vibes. We also drink through five cans of their beer while trying (and failing) to outdo their beer names with MadLibs. Plus, there’s the threat of a lactose streak, a little W.C.W. love, and the mystery of the street burper.

Beers Reviewed

Shower Bier (Helles Lager)

She’s Fox Valley Rich (Buckwheat Saison w/ plum and cinnamon)

Boone’s Farm Related Scar (Cherry Limeade Sour w/ cherry, key lime, and vanilla)

Templeton Ferrari the Third (Hazy IPA)

Coffee Regular Silkshake (Cream Ale w/ coffee, milk sugar, and vanilla)

Head about 45 minutes west of Chicago, and you’ll find a cluster of fresh craft beer options that are certainly destination-worthy. Ryan took a weekend to check out breweries in St. Charles and Geneva, and he brought back five different beers that’ll have you planning a day trip. The background on these breweries is as fascinating as the beers are varied, and our rankings are about as different as they can be. Also, we talk for a while about chili dog-related issues, pull a Table the Label card, admire those beefy boys in Hobbs & Shaw, try to keep the over-fruited sour temps from dropping, and smash your label beers. (This episode is not paid for by the St. Charles and Geneva Tourism Bureau...but it’d be cool if it was.)

Beers Reviewed

93 Octane Brewery - Hugger Orange Whip (American Wheat Ale w/ orange, vanilla, lactose, and coriander)

Riverlands Brewing Company - Spring Rejuvenation (Maibock)

Penrose Brewing Company - Dryft (IPA)

Art History Brewing - Fastenbier (Lenten Dark Smoked Lager)

D and G Brewing Company/Obscurity Brewing and Craft Mead - The D.O.G. (Braggot Imperial Red Ale)