How does a brewery that owns a single fermenter in a borrowed space with a staff of three people with other full-time jobs not only survive but thrive in the marketplace? Jeremiah from Hop Butcher gives us the whole story - and a lot of tasty beers. Few stones are left unturned as we talk about the name change (from South Loop Brewing), the brewery’s prospective growth, the importance of good artwork, the difficulty of hop contracts, and how they’ve managed to sell their beer to a few major Chicago sports institutions. We get a little sweaty, taste a very rare barrel-aged treat, and thank Jeremiah for not trolling the show as he had planned.

Beers Sampled

Your Wish Is Granted (Double IPA)

Alemerica the Beautiful (Mosaic-Hopped American Pale Ale)

Good Ryes Wear Black (Black Rye IPA)

The World’s Colombian Coffee Exposition (Imperial Coffee Stout)

The World’s Colombian Coffee Exposition: Bourbon Barrel-Aged

It’s been almost two years since we first recorded in the legendary Chicago institution, and as much as things have changed, Goose Island Clybourn is still about creative small batches from some of the most passionate brewers around. Brewers Jon and Steve join us to talk about the implications of the sale to AB InBev including equipment upgrades, recipe ownership, franchising the brewpub model, and the public reaction to “selling out.” They also pour us some unbelievable beers, including maybe our first recorded experience with a “ghost whale.” Also expect to hear about their current issues with brewing sour beers, how they handle bottle releases and determine pricing, and a little teaser regarding Belgian Fest. Steve also absolutely schools us on Old Ales and Stock Ales, Jon gets to bask in his proudest beer-naming moments, and we all give some sweet love to Cory King. This one is chock full of goofs and goodies, folks, so grab a few beers and enjoy.

Beers Tasted:

Sara Later (Belgian pale ale)

Cran-Bruin (Oud Bruin with cranberries aged in red wine barrels)

Barrel-Aged Dark Crusader Coconut (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with coconut added during bottling)

Nutulhu (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with toasted hazelnuts and vanilla beans)

Side Project Brewing - Saison du Fermier Pinot (Wild saison aged in pinot noir puncheons)

Well dammit if we can’t just be happy with our regular ol’ IPAs, brewers have been adding all sorts of stuff to our favorite hopdrinks. This show features five IPAs...with a TWIST! Might it be possible that we built this show around a “ringer”? Perhaps. But all of the beers more than hold their own, and they bring out an unusual array of distractions: Björk, WiiKush, Offspring beers, and BagelFest. We also challenge each other to come up with a list of unusual ingredients that have yet to be used in IPAs - so brewers take note! Cream bomb: out.

Beers Considered

Middle Brow Beer Co. - Karin (Belgian IPA + farmhouse ale blend)

Like Minds Brewing Co. - Archimedes (IPA + Brettanomyces)

Burnt Hickory Brewery - Killboy Powerhead (IPA + orange & vanilla)

Stone Brewing - Mocha IPA (DIPA + cacao & coffee)

Other Half/Half Acre - Rainbow Never Ends (DIPA + oats, rice flakes, rice syrup, & kölsch yeast)

(Producer’s Note: Like Minds now has a fancy website but did not at the time of this recording.)

Used to be that a beer aged in wood was a rare shelf find, but now you can’t throw a bottle cap without hitting one. For this episode, we have five barrel-aged “Chicago” beers, and the results are...unexpected. We have one of the most mysterious beers we’ve ever opened, experience nostalgia for the days of bottle-waxing, and try to resist the urge to jibboo. And Craig might not be hunting whales, but he sure is hunting something.

Beers Reviewed

Whiner Beer Co. - Le Tub (blended wild farmhouse aged in cabernet barrels)

Nomad Brewery - Batch #1 (imperial brown ale aged in bourbon barrels)

Mikerphone Brewing - Jibboo (farmhouse ale aged in wine puncheons)

Off Color Brewing - Barrel-Aged Dino S’mores (imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels)

Transient Artisan Ales - Kentuckley (imperial breakfast stout aged in bourbon barrels)

Not so long ago, Craig took the midnight train to Georgia and came back with a bushel of tasty beers. Here we drink five of them and throw in a few brief interviews, including yeast talk with Ford from Orpheus, and chattin’ beer styles with Joran from Three Taverns. Craig also recaps his Georgia trip including ballpark food, his guest spot on Beer Guys Radio, and the profoundly stupid beer laws of the Peach State. We’ll also learn how Ryan continues to make the freshest dunks and the actual hotness of 98 Degrees. But then Craig refuses to take us to Stankonia. :-( :-( :-(

Beers Reviewed

Second Self - Maverick & Gose

Orpheus - Atalanta Tart Plum Saison

Creature Comforts - Tropicália IPA

Three Taverns - Inceptus American Wild Ale

Burnt Hickory Brewery - Kolb’s Farm Imperial Stout

Mike Pallen is releasing instant classics on a regular basis, and since the rabid fans demanded it, we drink some “updated” versions of his beers from our recent go-round with Mikerphone - with one bonus “track.” This one also involves a little music trivia, Craig’s new catch phrase, Ryan’s advice for winning at strip-anything, and a huge wax boner. Rock over London! Rock on Chicago! Polaroid: see what develops.

Beers Sampled

Hang Me Up To Dry Dry-Hopped Sour

Special Sauce (Batch #2) Double IPA

Travelin’ Man Dry-Hopped Saison

Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit Breakfast Stout

Stop, Collaborate, & Listen Vanilla Rice Stout

Just a spit trail east of Cowshit Corner in Newcastle, Maine, Oxbow Brewing has been making actual farmhouse beers since 2011. We’re lucky to try five of their low-SRM ales - most of them thanks to David Leshinski - and talk about what makes them unique. Craig has an exciting update on a long-time fugitive, Ryan explains how he chooses music for the show, and we break the space-time continuum. Also: Stuff to shave into your head! Grisette addicts! Crystal IPAs! Ska talk! FrankenCraig! Listen, or tell it to Jimmy Teku.

Beers Reviewed:

Farmhouse Pale Ale

Loretta Grisette

Cross Fade Saison

Saison de Kuaska

Goods from the Woods Farmhouse Ale

Only one brewery in Illinois is also in the distilling business, and we leave the bunker to record amongst those lovely vapors. Maplewood is not only crushing it in the beer department, but they’ll soon release their own small-batch spirits. Joining us are Adam Smith (brand manager/assistant brewer), Adam Cieslak (Co-founder/head brewer), and Paul Megalis (Co-founder/business manager), and they share several of their flawless beers and let us pop the bung for a little whiskey sampling. Topics include the upcoming taproom, label makeovers, unique challenges of a brewery/distillery, canning vs. bottling, the dynamics of yeast, selling to CostCo, and the (im)practicality of SMaSH beers. And because it’s our show, we also talk about the band Train, Disney sing-alongs, and who has the best hair at Maplewood. Hike up those juice pants and get ready for an adventure.

Beers Sampled:

The Charlatan Pale Ale

Creepy Ginger Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Mandarina Bavaria Saison

Azacca Morris IPA

Get ready for a ton of nostalgia as we drunkenly bid farewell to the original recording space for the podcast. We clean out five of Ryan’s cellar beers to help reduce the load and reveal our origin story. You’ll learn about our convoluted early attempts at rankings, the many beta versions of the podcast, and why we’ve never had guests at ABV West. There’s also a ton on aging beer, Malort, the Fire sauce quota, and an excellent addition to our ever-growing list of band names. Shades up, ABV West. Shades up.

Beers Unloaded:

Founders Furniture City Stock Ale (2012)

Allagash Mattina Rossa (2015)

New Glarus 20th Anniversary Strong Ale (2013)

The Bruery White Oak (2013)

Goose Island Cherry Rye BCBS (2012)

After last episode’s penance, we are blessed with five outstanding hoppy beers on this one. United by their hop-forward nature, these beers prove that a perfectly-made IPA is no longer a rare find in the wild. And with great beer, it loosens up our conversation into all sorts of unpleasant, juvenile places. So, behold pellicle porn, a lot of wang talk, Jeff Bridges, cartoon personas, Yaz, and the drunkest rankings we’ve likely ever recorded. Good ol’ Yaz.

Beers Reviewed:

Toppling Goliath Citra Double Dry-Hopped PseudoSue Pale Ale

The Veil Crucial Taunt DIPA

Hoof Hearted Wängbär Oatmeal DIPA

Hubbard’s Cave Fresh IIPA V2

515 Brewing Hopititis DIPA