Sometimes you want a stout that’s not sweet, adjunct-free, and stripped down to just the base style interpretation, and we were so excited to find five readily-available local examples. (No barrels, coconuts, vanilla beans, or cacao nibs were harmed in the making of this episode.) In addition to our straight stout sippin’, we marvel at Dog Surfing Championships, discover that The Alley is still around, and speculate that one brewery must’ve put a chip in Ryan’s brain.

Beers Reviewed

Roaring Table Brewing - Baby You Don’t Know (Oat Stout)

Revolution Brewing Company - Repo Man (Rye Stout)

Half Acre Beer Company - Original Reaper (American Stout)

Mikerphone Brewing - Symphonic Stout (American Stout)

Hailstorm Brewing Co. - The Malt Slayer (Russian Imperial Stout)

Donning our heavenly jackets for this one, we drink the final set of Revolution’s Deep Wood lineup for the 2023-2024 season. Three ‘wines and a stout make up this unsurprisingly spectacular four pack, and even through all of our nit-picking we can’t deny who is making the best barrel-aged beers in the city and state. Plus, we’re doing our part to stop the TV game show idea shortage; Craig shares his Deep Wood release party recaps (with some glaring consequences); and Ryan gets to test out his Doug Veliky impression. 

Deep Wood 2023-2024 Beers Reviewed

Straight Jacket (Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine)

Ryeway to Heaven (Ryewine aged in bourbon and rye barrels)

V.S.O.R. Select (Ryewine aged in bourbon and rye barrels)

On & On Part 3 [collaboration w/ Half Acre Beer Co.] (Blended double barrel-aged stout)

Our 34th state show is just as sweet as it is sour, as we tackle five beers from South Carolina courtesy of listeners Benji & Suzanne. Even though it’s a bit heavy on the tart beers, we learn about five breweries that represent a pretty good cross section of the South Carolina brewing scene. Also, Craig needs to bail someone out of the hellscape that is a community Facebook group, Ryan has stern words of warning about ranch delivery methods, and we’re attempting to flex our marketing muscles again. 

Beers Reviewed

Munkle Brewing Co. [Charleston,SC] - Saison

Holy City Brewing [North Charleston, SC] - Sparkly Princess (Sour IPA)

Westbrook Brewing Co. [Mt. Pleasant, SC] - Ranch Water Gose (Gose aged in tequila barrels w/ lime & salt)

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company [Charleston, SC] - Sour Mango Papaya (Sour ale w/ mango & papaya)

Ghost Monkey Brewery [Mt. Pleasant, SC] - Jojo Coffee Stout

Ever since January 22nd of 2014, the ABV Chicago podcast has released a new episode every single week - and nobody could be more stunned about this fact than us. To commemorate a decade of arbitrary beer reviews, brewer interviews, and tipsy shenanigans, we open ten beers from ten breweries that all also got their start in 2014. The twist is that Craig and Ryan both present their five beers to the other as a blind tasting, forcing some surprising brewery, style, and “secret theme” guesses. Also, we spend a little time on memory lane, rank some celebrity hunks, and do what we do best: talk about candy, mostly. Thanks for checking us out at any point over these ten years, and expect a lot more to come because we literally don’t know how to stop doing this podcast.

Beers Reviewed, In Half-Blind Order

Middle Brow Beer Co. - Yard Work (Kölsch)

Illuminated Brew Works - Clurichaun Trap (Session Stout)

Imperial Oak Brewing - Roundabout (Pale Ale)

Werk Force Brewing Company - Really Decent (Light Lager)

Penrose Brewing Company - Day Off IPA

Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Amistosa (Mexican-Style Lager)

Marz Community Brewing Co. - Boogie Nights (Dark Wheat Ale)

Pollyanna Brewing Company - In the Cards (Hazy American Pale Ale)

Maplewood Brewing Company - Barrel-Aged Cuppa Stuffff (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon & whiskey barrels w/ vanilla beans, cacao nibs, and coffee)

Noon Whistle Brewing - Good Piebrations: Banana Cream Pie (Hefeweizen w/ bananas & vanilla beans)

It’s been almost three years since the announcement that Hop Butcher for the World would be taking over the original Half Acre brewery space, and it’s been a year since the rebranded taproom opened. So we take time to sit down with co-founder and co-owner Jude La Rose for a long chat about the present and future of his brewery that was recently named Craft Beer & Brewing magazine’s top Small Regional brewery in the country. We dive into formulating recipes, developing a lager program, releasing periodic barrel-aged stouts, and giving a defined purpose to every hazy beer they release. We also reminisce about the early days and what it means to take over such a legendary Chicago beer location. In addition, we also review four Hop Butcher beers of different styles, get curious about that kief, and somehow fall into old sitcoms. All that and a shout out to the late Stas Bulanda. #BringBackFirkinFridays

(Hit the GoFundMe for Nick Segura if you can help in any way.)

Jude La Rose interview (00:07:34 - 0:1:18:56)

Beers Reviewed

The Origins of Polka (Saaz-hopped Czech-style Pilsner)

Symbols of Math (Vic Secret, Sabro, and Simcoe-hopped [clear] Double IPA)

The Adventures of Strata and Peacharine (Strata and Peacharine-hopped [hazy] Double IPA)

Lincoln Anniversary Stout (Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout)

You don’t turn to us for advice on a balanced breakfast, but we’re happy to spoon up five cereal-inspired beers so good that even Mikey likes it. Through clever use of ingredients (or just throwing the cereal right in the beer), these beers really test the nostalgia influence of sitting a foot from the TV in our PJs while watching Captain N: The Game Master. Also, we consider all the different ways to attack the mat, share our own cereal biases, establish our independence through Cocoa Puffs, and endorse Malt-O-Meal above all. I’d say this episode is pretty gr-r-r-eat!!!

Beers Reviewed

WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Bamm Bamm Rubble Rubble: Watermelon (Sour ale w/ fruity rice cereal, watermelon, milk sugar, vanilla, & marshmallow)

Tripping Animals Brewing Co. - YABADABADU (Sour ale w/ orange, lemon, cherry, tangerine, vanilla, F**ty P*bbles, and milk sugar)

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company Cereal For Dinner (Blonde ale w/ vanilla bean, toasted coconut, toasted almonds, and lactose)

Artesia Brewing - FrankenStan (Sour ale w/ strawberries, marshmallow, and honey)

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Cinnamon Prost (White stout w/ Saigon cinnamon, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk sugar)

We fetch another round of barrel-aged beers for this episode, but with a twist: all four beers are aged in different kinds of brandy barrels. We explore the world of sweet brandy barrels and how they work on different styles, and we are totally surprised by our takeaways. Also, we talk mixed drinks, New Year sugar fears, John Entwistle, cooked malt, surprising personal revelations, and Jolly Rancher complaints. (Such a fine barrel.)

Beers Reviewed

Third Space Brewing - Wisconsinator (Doppelbock aged in Wollersheim Distillery brandy barrels)

Central Waters Brewing Company - Peach Brandy & Maple Barrel-aged Barleywine (English-style barleywine with honey aged in peach brandy barrels & Bliss maple syrup barrels)

Maplewood Brewing Company - Black Seed (Wheated stout aged in apple brandy barrels)

Half Acre Beer Co. - Cherry Brandy Benthic 2022 (Cherry brandy barrel-aged stout with coconut and vanilla)

Recorded on Black Friday (and previously released a month ago for our Patreon subscribers), this episode is our return to the Bourbon County lineup - after managing to get ourselves uninvited from the Goose Island media tastings. Luckily, we have our own beer sherpa in Beer on the Wall owner Ryan Tracy as he joins us to sip through all six beers in the back of his Elmhurst tasting room. Also, we measure the tasting against seeing the third Trolls movie in theaters, make plans to eat some rice cakes and drink some Dr. Fongs, try to eat everything at the fancy restaurant, shout out our special tube guy, and identify which store is actually ruining the BCBS release. In terms of beer rankings, two reviewers reach a consensus, and one is way out in left adjunct field. It’s a fun one, folks.

BCBS Beers Reviewed

Bourbon County Brand Stout 2023

Bourbon County Brand Eagle Rare 2-Year Reserve Stout

Bourbon County Brand Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout

Bourbon County Brand Backyard Stout

Bourbon County Brand Bananas Foster Stout

Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout 2023

In what is likely our most decadent Barrel-Aged December™ episode yet, we sample four enormous stouts from WeldWerks’ Medianoche series that are as complex as they are thick (or thicc, as the kids say). Co-founder Neil Fisher gave us some mic time back during GABF that is shared here, and he helps us understand how his Greeley, Colorado brewery’s signature stout series differs from others. Also, Craig gets some much-needed Cronch validation, Ryan’s taking a trip down Peanut Butter Memory Lane, and I fear we veer towards Font Arguments Podcast again. 

Beers Reviewed

Medianoche 2023 (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout)

Peanut Butter Cup Medianoche (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ cacao nibs, peanut flour, and peanut butter cups)

Tropical Medianoche (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ bananas, coconut cream, and pineapple)

Medianoche: Amburana Vanilla Luar (Imperial stout aged in bourbon and Amburana barrels w/ vanilla)

There’s no escaping Deth, so we gather up four of the barrel-aged Revolution stouts from this year’s Deep Wood lineup and drink with reckless abandon. It’s no shocker that Revolution is still running the best barrel program in the city, but even with the bar raised as high as it is, the beers on the show clear it with ease. Even one beer challenges our “beer of the year” title (in a crowded year of stellar Rev beers). Also, we talk about odd movie theater experiences, cream some bean salad, escalate the Math versus English turf war, and remember how LMFAO was culturally significant at one point. Yes, we also talk about beer. But you can’t deny that it would be better with two Keith Davids.

2023 Deep Wood Beers Reviewed

Deth’s Tar

Cafe Deth

Deth by Cherries

DBVSOD