18th Street Brewery from Gary, Indiana is just over halfway through their Hunter variant series, and we round up five beers to review for this one. Colin Joliat from Boozist joins us to knock back this vertical of Hunter beers and to help us not end up horizontal. Craig is the game master on this episode with several “hunter”-themed trivia segments. We also discuss the Neo and Ne-Yo conundrum, Rare Day, sun tan lotion, blue licorice, and androgynous vampires. This episode is brought to you by Lions Gate Entertainment's “The Last Witch Hunter” starring Vin Diesel, opening October 23rd.* Hunt forever. Live forever.

Ryan

1. Hunter Cherry
2. Hunter Coffee
3. Hunter Vanilla
4. Hunter Double Milk Stout
5. Hunter Coconut

Colin

1. Hunter Cherry
2. Hunter Vanilla
3. Hunter Double Milk Stout
4. Hunter Coffee
5. Hunter Coconut

Craig

1. Hunter Coffee
2. Hunter Cherry
3. Hunter Coconut
4. Hunter Double Milk Stout
5. Hunter Vanilla

*We’re really not sponsored by this. Please don’t sue us, fine people at Lions Gate Entertainment. Without you, we’d have no Madea.

Before the weather all goes to shit, we look to the north for a flavor vacation with beers from Door County Brewing Co. We try almost everything they make while helping you plan your next vay-cay on Wisconsin’s Prehensile TailⓇ (Segway Tours are highly recommended.) We talk about beers with an eco-conscience, the Doors, fish boils, bottle dating, Shebobs N’ Such, and, of course, Kevin Bacon. Thanks to Sarah Rehmer and Danny McMahon for the beers for this episode!

Craig

1. L’Automne Farmhouse
2. Silurian Stout w/Vanilla
3. Pastoral Saison
4. Biere De Seigle Rye Farmhouse
5. Little Sister Witbier
6. Polka King Porter
7. Big Sister Hibiscus Witbier

Ryan

1. Biere De Seigle Rye Farmhouse
2. Silurian Stout w/Vanilla
3. L’Automne Farmhouse
4. Pastoral Saison
5. Polka King Porter
6. Big Sister Hibiscus Witbier
7. Little Sister Witbier

We load up the wagon for a cross-country tour of saisons, and we go all ‘Murica on you anyways despite drinking delicate Belgian-style beers. On this episode, we review five saisons from five different states all over this great land. You’ll hear some talk of serving temperatures, food pairings, and off flavors as we lazily audition for a freebie Cicerone certification. There’s also some creepy man-crush talk about Cory King and Troy Casey, a digression about the hyper-religious 90’s, some dangerous note-taking, and a few gushing saison problems. We also try hard not to turn it into one giant lemon party. God Bless America.

Craig

1. Hill Farmstead Anna
2. Side Project Saison du Blé
3. Casey Brewing and Blending Saison (Batch 3)
4. Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Saison Bernice
5. Jester King/Crooked Stave/Trois Dames Sin Frontera

Ryan

1. Side Project Saison du Blé
2. Hill Farmstead Anna
3. Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Saison Bernice
4. Casey Brewing and Blending Saison (Batch 3)
5. Jester King/Crooked Stave/Trois Dames Sin Frontera

Once again, we concluded our extended weekend of drinking and chafing in Denver at the Great American Beer Festival by recording an episode chock full of interviews and arbitrary beer reviews. You’ll hear interviews with Jonathan Wakefield (J. Wakefield Brewing, Miami, FL); Sean Lawson (Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Warren, VT); James Howat (Black Project Spontaneous and Wild Ales, Denver, CO); Paul Kreiner (Noon Whistle Brewing, Lombard, IL); Craig Mycoskie (Rahr & Sons Brewing, Fort Worth, TX); Jason zumBrunnen (Ratio Beerworks, Denver, CO); Jay Goodwin (The Rare Barrel, Berkley, CA); and the lunatics from Melvin Brewing (Jackson, WY). We cover many highlights and aspects of the fest, while still allowing time for our usual random digressions. Craig discusses his weekend spent stalking Troy Casey, and Ryan shares his numerical observations about babies, dreadlocks, and sandals. When you get this high, coming down is the hardest part.

Beers Reviewed/Mutual Rankings

1. Casey Brewing and Blending Cherry Fruit Stand
2. Crooked Stave Flor D’Lees
3. AC Golden Hidden Barrel Kriek (Batch #3)

Prost! This week, we put nine Oktoberfest/Märzen-style beers into an ultraviolent cage match of arbitrary opinions. Beers from Germany, the U.S., and Chicago all enter, and a lot of them are kind of the same, but it’s the small differences that are amplified. We give a real informal history of the style, ponder what Germany smells like, and talk about the common problem with reviewing beers from Europe. But also, we smell creamy, maintain the cage, talk about goalie fights, and discover why we don’t let Craig do the walk-up. How high have we raised the discourse with this episode? So high.

Rankings

Ryan

1. New Glarus Staghorn
2. Metropolitan Afterburner
3. Surly SurlyFest
4. Revolution Oktoberfest
5. Two Brothers Atom Smasher
6. Great Lakes Oktoberfest
7. Spaten Oktoberfest ur-Märzen
8. Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen
9. Hofbräru Oktoberfestbier

Craig

1. Metropolitan Afterburner
2. New Glarus Staghorn
3. Revolution Oktoberfest
4. Two Brothers Atom Smasher
5. Spaten Oktoberfest ur-Märzen
6. Surly SurlyFest
7. Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen
8. Hofbräru Oktoberfestbier
9. Great Lakes Oktoberfest

The brewers from Oregon’s de Garde Brewing use a coolship to ferment their beers year-round before aging them in oak, and we taste five of the resulting beers. Despite moments of oppressive heartburn, we find that the Oregonian Coast is blowing some sweet pixie farts into these wonderful beers. We try not to be too self-gratifying, but clutch tightly as this episode includes a touch of French speak, a rub of new band names, and a gentle caress of sensual GoGurt. Craig also loses control of his spittle. And Ryan pleases himself with a very satisfying musical theme. Bu.

Ryan

1. Imperial Cherry Marion Bu Berliner Weisse

2. Amarillo Hose Gose

3. Special Rouge American Wild Ale

4. Oude Rruin Flanders Oud Bruin

5. Peach Bu Berlinner Weisse

Craig

1. Imperial Cherry Marion Bu Berliner Weisse

2. Special Rouge American Wild Ale

3. Amarillo Hose Gose

4. Oude Rruin Flanders Oud Bruin

5. Peach Bu Berlinner Weisse

In the annals of ABV Chicago, this one will certainly go down as Craig’s masterpiece. We have five maple syrup and coffee breakfast beers and pair them with five doughnut creations from local baking geniuses Glazed & Infused. Once again we are joined by Chicago Reader’s 2015  Best Food WriterDennis Lee, and like the feeling of syrup in the corners of your mouth and the rot of sugar in your belly after a giant stack of pancakes, he will make you feel disgusting yet oddly satisfied. Dennis shares some Pizzle updates, a sad birthday story, his thoughts on a Freegan challenge, and some helpful explanations of “Red Velvet” and ganache. But mostly we hear about his garbage life and Tinder disappointments. Other topics include continental breakfasts, the film “Independence Day” (and the eternal Paxton or Pullman debate), new CK scents, and Craig’s awful diet. Please send insulin.

Featured Glazed & Infused Donuts

Terry’s Mocha Koffee Toffee

Maple Bacon Long John

Sweet Tooth (w/Butterfinger topping and vanilla glaze)

Red Velvet

Chocolate

Rankings

Craig

1. Toppling Goliath Mornin’ Delight

2. Tree House Good Morning

3. Transient Buckley

4. Terrapin French-Toasted Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

5. Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

Ryan

1. Tree House Good Morning

2. Toppling Goliath Mornin’ Delight

3. Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

4. Transient Buckley

5. Terrapin French-Toasted Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Dennis

1. Tree House Good Morning

2. Toppling Goliath Mornin’ Delight

3. Transient Buckley

4. Terrapin French-Toasted Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

5. Funky Buddha Maple Bacon Coffee Porter

The spoils of Craig’s epic East Coast trip come to an end here, and boy are we spoiled! Trillium Brewing Company out of Boston is making a variety of beers better than pretty much everyone, we discover. Six beers of varying styles get our unequivocal praise here, which leaves plenty of time for Craig to talk about his visit to the brewery, their upcoming expansion plans, and why they should be on everybody’s radar. Also, hear us explain how your stinky ass can help you appreciate beers, the difference between bags and cornhole; our vague memory of “Good Will Hunting” quotes, a story where Craig effortlessly connects drinking syrup and Zelda, some SRM insanity, and something about a fat robot. Trill recognize trill, homie.

Craig

1. Artaic Double IPA

2. Congress Street IPA

3. Bees American Wild Ale with Honey

4. Fort Point Pale Ale

5. Stonington Barrel-Aged Wild Saison

6. Day and Night Blonde Barleywine with Coffee

Ryan

1. Fort Point Pale Ale

2. Artaic Double IPA

3. Bees American Wild Ale with Honey

4. Congress Street IPA

5. Stonington Barrel-Aged Wild Saison

6. Day and Night Blonde Barleywine with Coffee

This episode goes out to our BFFs in Chicago beer as we open five brettanomyces-enhanced bottles. And despite our fully-disclosed amicable relationships with these brewers, we manage to be brutally honest in our reviews. You’re welcome, buds! Mostly though, you’ll hear us analyze our own friendship through some light reminiscing, reflect on being held, articulate Craig’s specific measurements for beer success, and make at least two fart jokes. Ryan also reads a brief essay about brettanomyces he cobbled together, and Craig is angry about cucumber water. And we become better brett friends than we thought possible. Forever? Forever-ever? Forever-ever?

Ryan

1. Goose Island Clybourn - Brettanomite Sour Wheat Ale

2. Lake Effect - Session Brett Extra Pale Ale

3. Une Année - Xellensis Belgian Blonde Ale

4. Transient - Peur Saison

5. Middle Brow - Cobrastyle Saison

Craig

1. Lake Effect - Session Brett Extra Pale Ale

2. Transient - Peur Saison

3. Goose Island Clybourn - Brettanomite Sour Wheat Ale

4. Une Année - Xellensis Belgian Blonde Ale

5. Middle Brow - Cobrastyle Saison

Craig's East Coast excursion continues to provide a bounty of spectacular beers for us to review, and we couldn't resist doing a third Hill Farmstead show. We drink five growlers and one bottle from RateBeer's top brewery in the country, and it’s all Vermontastic. And whenever the beer is this good, we get gleefully off topic to talk about cereal, movie trilogies, Crystal Pepsi, Peter Cetera, and Hollywood hunks. Craig recaps his most recent trip to Hill Farmstead and what has changed since he last visited in 2013. And things gets creepy early and carry on to Craig unleashing his most lamentable creation: Ryan’s chub scale. Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry.

Rankings

Craig

1. Susan IPA

2. Society and Solitude #1 DIPA
3. Edward Pale Ale

4. Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale

5. Works of Love Blonde Ale

6. Arthur Saison (Dry-Hopped with Styrian Golding)

Ryan

1. Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale

2. Susan IPA

3. Society and Solitude #1 DIPA
4. Edward Pale Ale

5. Works of Love Blonde Ale

6. Arthur Saison (Dry-Hopped with Styrian Golding)