A new set of five hop warriors enter the extremely flimsy ring for another blind tasting to lead us to our favorite Chicagoland flagship hazy IPA. This one features many more hops than just Citra and Mosaic, so it leads to the widest range of flavors yet. Will we agree on who moves to the championship, and will any beer make it on the bubble? Listen to find out that but also which brewery could potentially be profiting big from director K*vin Sm*th, why Craig’s making a heel turn, and how we’re implementing a simplified haze SRM scale to cut through all the fog. 

Beers Reviewed Blindly

Revolution Brewing - Hazy Hero

Around the Bend Beer Co. - Juice Trials

Penrose Brewing Company - Goofy Boots

Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummylicious

Ravinia Brewing - Isle of Lost Hops: Medusa’s Lagoon

If it wasn’t obvious from the totally easy to understand episode title, this show is a return for us to a whole lineup of barrel-aged beers from different breweries we love. We add a little blind twist to this one as all four are adjunct-free affairs: just delicious big stouts in world-class barrels. Also, Craig’s totally serious about the tater tots offer, Ryan has found The Cheesecake of Beers™, and we both have a lot of thoughts about ramen. 

Beers Reviewed

Mikerphone Brewing (w/ Beer on the Wall) - Pick of Destiny #10: Raw Power (Imperial Stout Ale Aged in a Single Weller Wheated Bourbon Barrel)

Central Waters Brewing Company - Twenty Five (Blended Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout)

WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Medianoche 2022 (Imperial Stout aged in Blanton's 15-year bourbon, Thomas H. Handy 6-year rye, E.H. Taylor 6-year bourbon, and Eagle Rare 10-year bourbon barrels)

Triptych Brewing - AJ’s Stout Vol. 1 2022 (Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill Parker Heritage Collection bourbon barrels)

Though still somewhat unknown around these parts, Cellar West Artisan Ales out of Lafayette, Colorado became known to us as an award-winning saison brewery. This episode further proves their proficiency with a variety of styles. Thanks to a porch box from founder and brewer Zach Nichols, we sample five cans of wildly drinkable and enjoyable beers as we calculate how many chapters it’ll take us to get some beers on local shelves. Also, Craig relives his Cellar West taproom visit from last fall, we consider the advantages of wine-flavored bubblegum, and Ryan wishes he was warned about the Woodman’s robot.  

Beers Reviewed

Silver Stream (Helles Lager)

Unfed Mind, Vol. 1 (Pale Ale w/ Simcoe and HBC 630)

Single Hop Saison - Emerald Spire

Bourbon Barrel Spinechiller (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels)

Bourbon Barrel Ginger Clove Spinechiller (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ ginger & clove)

The second installment in our ongoing (and expanding) arbitrary competition to determine what we deem to be the best Chicagoland Flagship Hazy IPA continues with this murderer’s row of five eclectic and skilled breweries. There are many joyous smells and even a false lactose spotting, but at least there are no glasses of SkittleMilk on this show. See who’s moving on to the championship round, and who may find a second chance on the bubble.

Beers Reviewed Blindly

Open Outcry Brewing Company - Delirio

Alarmist Brewing - Le Jus

Phase Three Brewing - Pixel Density

Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Insufficient Clearance

Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - Elevator to Nowhere

Seemingly popping up on more local taplists than ever, smoked beers are moving past being a niche brewery-only oddity. We find five beers that enlist smoked malts in their production to give off a surprising variety of flavors - and a refreshing level of nuance. Also, we role play our own Chopped appearances, spend some time living in the aftertaste, and accept that this might be one of the best top-to-bottom lineups of beer we’ve done all year. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Beers Reviewed

Alarmist Brewing - Bamberger (Rauchbier)

Maplewood Brewing Company - Over Fire Island (Smoked Porter)

Soundgrowler Brewing Co. - Burning Hill (Rauch Marzen)

Dovetail Brewery - Rauchdoppelbock

Art History Brewing - Good Night Bamberg (Rauchbier)

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Savoy, Illinois’ Triptych Brewing and their creative, artfully-crafted brews, and we’re toasting to them with four of their barrel-aged beers. We went into this one expecting quality beers, but the results far exceed what we could’ve imagined - and should have every Chicago big beer lover driving south for these specialty releases. Plus we’re reaching alcohol-by-volume heights we hardly ever see, so we’re soaring by rankings time. Also, Craig’s only green t-shirt gets him into trouble, Ryan reaps what he sows re:BCBS, and we get a little sad thinking about a lonely whale. 

Beers Reviewed

Batch 969 [collaboration w/ Foreign Exchange] (Barleywine aged in Amburana and bourbon barrels)

AJ’s Stout Vol. 2 [2022] (Blended barrel-aged imperial stout)

Dearest Anna (Barrel-aged imperial stout w/ Intelligentsia coffee and Tahitian vanilla)

52.5 Hz (Bourbon barrel-aged stout w/ pistachios and Ugandan vanilla beans)

In this first round of what will become an ongoing arbitrary competition, we conduct a blind tasting of five Chicagoland breweries’ go-to, year-round, flagship hazy IPAs to determine our favorites - and to move the top beer(s) onto the championship round. For this one, we start with two newer flagships, a top award winner, and two of the original local hazies - and the results catch us totally off guard. Also, Ryan’s got a new swear word to consider thanks to his six year-old, we’re expanding our merchandising brand, and Craig’s Mosaic blindness actually comes in handy for once. Stay tuned for Round 2 in a few weeks, as we scour the shelves for more flagship hazy IPAs to toss into the ring. 

Beers Reviewed Blindly

Old Irving Brewing - Beezer

Hubbard’s Cave - Fresh IPA

Solemn Oath Brewery - Small Wave City Club

Half Acre Beer Co. - Waybird

Maplewood Brewing Company - Son of Juice

Even without a proper cask engine, we sample five Chicagoland interpretations of centuries-old English styles to appreciate what is hopefully a still-growing trend. The beers sometimes overlap in style but none are done exactly the same way, which makes this a nice little learning experience. Also, Ryan lets the AI script a few scenes for the podcast, we’re trying hard to find a suitable replacement for “mouthfeel,” and Craig’s ready to go pro with his vape tricks for ESPN7. Plus, there’s a Jack Bauer mission, greasy digits, crewneck tattoos, hard corn, a crazy game of UNO, and a good morning at the White Castle. So basically, the least English episode ever.

Beers Reviewed

Miskatonic Brewing Company (w/ MobCraft) - Gled Tae Meet Ye, My Name Is English-Style Mild

Roaring Table Brewing - Warbler Vivant (Dark Mild)

Illuminated Brew Works - Her Majesty’s Satanic Request (ESB)

Soundgrowler Brewing Co. - Butcher Bird (ESB)

Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - English Sporting Beer (ESB)

St. Patrick’s Day in Chicagoland is a whole season, and thanks to that more local breweries are making the curiously not-traditional Irish Red Ale. To learn more about this style (and give ourselves a nearly-impossible guessing challenge), we do a blind tasting of the five beers on this show. Also, we let the AI bots tell us more about ourselves, we’re dancing in the aisles over that joyous romp The Banshees of Inisherin, and we’re looking for new partners for our Glass Wavy™ line. So, whether you’re a seasoned beer enthusiast or just starting out on your craft beer journey, ABV Chicago is definitely a podcast worth listening to for its lively discussions, informative interviews, and engaging content. Cheers!

Beers Reviewed Blindly

Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - Irish Tommy

Funkytown Brewery - Cuffin’ Season

Begyle Brewing - Dicey Riley

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Lucky Linny

BuckleDown Brewing - Good Times

Listener and friend Don Kasak conceptualized this show around five Illinois breweries that are practically suburbs of St. Louis, and we are more than happy to drink through a lineup from this mostly unfamiliar-to-us territory. We also can’t get over Smokey Robinson’s new album and song titles, Craig discovers that side-of-the-tongue flavor, and Ryan’s got some hot tips on pretzel investments. 

Beers Reviewed

Millpond Brewing & Incubator [Millstadt, IL] - Lawrence (German-style Pilsner)

Excel Brewing Company [Breese, IL] - Lefty’s Lager (Helles Lager)

Stubborn German Brewing Company [Waterloo, IL] - Stubbornfest (Märzen)

White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery [Sparta, IL] - Syllables (Foeder-aged Mixed Fermentation Saison)

The Old Bakery Beer Company [Alton, IL] - 7th Anniversary Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout w/ chocolate, coconut, caramel, and peanuts)