C'est une célébration de Une Année ! We drink 5 beers from one of Chicago’s best new breweries. Ryan tells his car accident story, and Craig drops some Remedial French 101 on us. There’s also a Bee’s Knees Food Company appearance as we snack on some of their Curry Curry Peanuts. Écouter avec joie!

Ryan

1. Sanguinaire

2. Austere

3. Sanguinaire Première

4. Maya

5. Life Beyond Death

Craig

1. Maya

2. Sanguinaire Première

3. Austere

4. Sanguinaire

5. Life Beyond Death

Things get funky with Crooked Stave in our 10^th episode. We try six of their barrel-aged offerings - many with that funky Brettanomyces leading the flavor train. Hear why Denver-based Crooked Stave is one of the best artisan breweries going, and let the funk take you over.

Big thanks to our friend Marek for the reserve society beers!

Ryan

1.      1.Raspberry Dark Origins

2.      2. Origins

3.      3.Vielle

4.      4. Bourbon Barrel Cherry Origins

5.      5. Persica Blend #1

6.      6. Persica Blend #2

Craig

1. Raspberry Dark Origins

2. Origins

3. Bourbon Barrel Cherry Origins

4. Persica Blend #1

5. Vielle

6. Persica Blend #2

Ryan’s Top 6 songs with “Funk” in the title from this episode

1.     1.  Funky President – James Brown

2.      2. Get the Funk Out Ma Face – Brothers Johnson

3.      3. Bad Motherfunker – Rose Royce

4.      4. Funky Stuff – Kool and the Gang

5.      5. Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky – Lee Dorsey

6.      6. Do You Wanna Funk? – Sylvester

Half Acre Beer Company is a Chicago craft beer luminary, and we invite Dennis to try 6 of their beers with us. Dennis brings his experience as a food writer to the show and makes us eat a Subway Flatizza and drink Boone’s Farm Fuzzy Navel. It was horrible. But the show is great, and so are the beers. It gets so weird.

In January, we sat down with Central Waters' Brewers Reserve beers to commemorate their 16th anniversary. No infections here! We fawn over 6 bourbon barrel aged beers, Craig shares his account of the 16th anniversary party, and we invent more band names. Hear our thoughts on 2014 Peruvian Morning and what should have been.

Rankings

Ryan

1. Peruvian Morning

2. 16

3. Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout (2013)

4. Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

5. Bourbon Barrel Stout

6. Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale

Craig

1. Peruvian Morning

2. Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

3. 16

4. Bourbon Barrel Stout

5. Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout (2013)

6. Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale

We drink six German-style beers from Chicago-area breweries. Listen as we talk about local breweries, traditional German styles, lederhosen comfort, German drinking games, and our favorite albums by Robot Dong. Prost!

Craig just came back from San Francisco, and he brought some beer back with him!  Craig also spins yarns about his trip and we try to diversify our advertising porfolio with Nabisco and Tums.  Let our mouths take your ears to the wild, wild west.

Rankings

Ryan

1. Rare Barrel SKUs Me

2. Sante Adairius Maiden Fields

3. Hopocalypse Black Label TIPA

4. Russian River Blind Pig IPA

5. Hopocalypse White Label DIPA

6. Speakeasy Syndicate No. 1

Craig

1. Sante Adairius Maiden Fields

2. Rare Barrel SKUs Me

3. Russian River Blind Pig IPA

4. Hopocalypse Black Label TIPA

5. Speakeasy Syndicate No. 1

6. Hopocalypse White Label DIPA

We send off the Pipeworks Ninjas (in name) in style by throwing them a retirement party for the ages. To complement these massive double IPAs, we taste two varieties of delicious Bee’s Knees nuts. We also play the new beer reviewing game that we invented that’s rapidly going viral: Beers Against Humanity. 

Rankings:

Ryan

1. Australian Summer Ninja

2. Citra Ninja

3. Marilime Law Ninja

4. Centennial Ninja

5. Cascade Ninja

6. Simcoe Ninja   

Craig

1. Citra Ninja

2. Australian Summer Ninja

3. Simcoe Ninja

4. Marilime Law Ninja

5. Cascade Ninja

6. Centennial Ninja

Six of the most beloved double IPAs are on the menu for this show, and we drunkenly try to make sense of how to rank them. Also, we talk about Craig’s travelling philosophy, and Dennis stops by the microphone to do the only two impressions he can. Plus, Ryan gets really drunk and lets Craig know his true feelings about their friendship.

Rankings

Craig

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder

2. Surly Abrasive

3. The Alchemist Heady Topper

4. Pipeworks Citra

5. DC Brau On The Wings of Armageddon

6. Lagunitas Sucks

Ryan

1. Pipeworks Citra

2. Surly Abrasive

3. Lagunitas Sucks

4. The Alchemist Heady Topper

5. DC Brau On the Wings of Armageddon

6. Russian River Pliny the Elder

We put four Chicago barrel aged beers to the test.  Plus our first contest and the debut of our theme song!

Rankings

Ryan and Craig (same)

1. Haymarket Clare's Thirty Ale (crowler)

2. Revolution Deth's Tar

3. Local Option Morning Wood

4. Two Brothers/Solemn Oath Brotherhood of the Barrel

We take one for the team and imbibe five Hill Farmstead beers, plus one Grassroots brew.  Plus Craig talks about his trip up to Hill Farmstead during the summer and there's more male moaning than ever should be recorded.  Ever.

Beers

Clara

Sankt Hans (Grassroots)

Phenomenology of Spirit (2013)

Twilight of the Idols (2012)

Birth of Tragedy (2012)

Genealogy of Morals (2013)

Rankings

Ryan

1. Genealogy of Morals

2. Birth of Tragedy

3. Twilight of the Idols

4. Phenomenology of Spirit

5. Clara

6. Sankt Hans

Craig

1. Birth of Tragedy

2. Geneaolgy of Morals

3. Twilight of the Idols

4. Clara

5. Sankt Hans

6. Phenomenology of Spirit

This episode is dedicated to Craig's dad, who passed away right before the recording of this episode.