Two Michigan breweries enter Illinois; only one will be declared victorious. Well, not really, as we’re sure that both Short’s Brewing and Odd Side Ales will make a lot of new fans in Illinois. We pit six of these Michigan export beers head-to-head on this episode - and the real winner is good taste. But also, we take asides on Craig’s Street Fighter knowledge, offensive beer names, Johnny Cage the Elephant, and that time Ryan almost witnessed Sugar Ray die. (Long live Sugar Ray!) And yes, there will be a little Ween.

Beer Matchups

Round 1:

Short’s Bellaire Brown vs. Odd Side Bean Flicker

Round 2:

Short’s Huma Lupa Licious vs. Odd Side Citra Pale Ale

Round 3:

Short’s Soft Parade vs. Odd Side Flash Golden

We disengage our clutches and rev up our car metaphors for a whole show dedicated to the Speedway Stout from AleSmith. Mike Zoller from PorchDrinking joins us to taste five versions of this coffee-fueled, high-octane stout, and it’s a damn good thing we’re not actually driving. We talk about aging coffee beers, infected beers, and barrel-aging’s impact on ABV. But we also discuss Wacky Races, recoil from political talk, step on Craig’s pole, and try not to offend any volcanoes. And someone gets threatened with his own Cicerone pin. There are no friends at 200mph. Got speed? Drive Hard; Get Dirty.

Beers Reviewed

Speedway Stout (2015)

Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout (2015)

Speedway Stout - Vietnamese Coffee

Speedway Stout - Kona Coffee

Speedway Stout - Hawaiian (with coconut and vanilla)

Episode 111 - Stoneface Brewing Co.

Since 2014, the people of Stoneface Brewing Co. have been focused on churning out a small variety of high quality brews. We drink five from the New Hampshire brewery, and there’s nary a complaint to be made about these great beers. But the diversions we take are more, uh, graphic than ever. Expect to hear about a Mozzapocalypse, perfect rimjobs, the genius of Neil Breen, eating babies, Nick Nolte’s Sea Captain period, and Craig’s sexual proclivities. It’s actually not as bad as it sounds. But we do say maybe the worst words we’ve ever said, Craig reveals he’s a Certified Beer Server, and Ryan subjects Craig to a game of “Name That Stone or Face.” Caution: it gets frothy.

Beers Reviewed

Blip (Session IPA)

Rye (India Red Rye Ale)

Porter

RIS (Russian Imperial Stout w/coffee and vanilla beans)

BA RIS (Rum barrel-aged)

CORRECTION: Marvin Berry in Back To The Future is actually Chuck Berry’s cousin, not his brother. ABV Chicago would like to formally apologize for this error.

To celebrate the opening of their new bottle shop, Off Color has released a few unique beers that we combine with two other shelf selections for review on this episode. And because Craig spent the day acquiring cideries at the Cider Summit, we try to keep it brief and on topic - which fails quickly. There’s a little talk of food color byproducts, two new Craig characters (John Apple and French Stupid), Ryan’s trouble in the produce aisle, a reappearance from the orgy tarp, and a solid eight minutes on our second favorite subject: candy. Furry little creatures are welcome.

Beers Reviewed

Bare Bear (Sahti)

Le Woof (Biere de Garde)

Whiskers (American Wild Ale)

Space Tiger (American Wild Ale)

We enter unfamiliar territory on this one by doing our first-ever cider show. Kim Leshinski of Hail to the Ale and MC Johnsen of Worth 1000 Beers join us to educate us on these fermented apple beverages. You’ll learn a lot about how ciders are made, apple varieties, local cider sources (including Broken Nose Cider), heirloom apples, and “the long pour.” We go from “cider stupid” to just plain stupid at times, as the diversions here are frequent and give Craig a good core workout. And Ryan is made to feel stupid by being the only one familiar with Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. Listen and let us be the apple of your...ears?

Ciders reviewed

Farnum HIll Dooryard Cider

Shacksbury Farmhouse

Bantam The Americain

Uncle John’s Apple Hard Cider

Vander Mill Chapman’s Blend 2014

Wandering Aegnus Wanderlust

Straight out of the cellar and into your earholes, five Side Project beers are on the table for this one as Steph from The Girl and Her Beer joins us to review these ridiculous works of liquid art. It’s not news that Cory King makes badass 100% barrel-aged beers, but you can live vicariously through us as we experience them. There’s also a musical side projects game, blending talk, a wall of acetone, origins of blue raspberry candy, ideas on how to make wax better, and a gusher we won’t soon forget. We also find out how Craig screens potential guests, and the details will SHOCK you. CLICK to find out MORE!!!

Beers Reviewed

Marietta Ave. Saison

Pulling Nails (Blend 2) Wild Ale

Black & Wild (Blend 1) Wild Black Ale

The Origin Imperial Stout

Blueberry Flanders

From the caves and laboratories of New Glarus, these four beers undergo our own “research and development” - by which we mean we “review” them and get surprisingly “drunk.” But the beers are of the usual New Glarus quality, so it gives us a lot to talk about: if Barney Rubble smells worse than a band-aid; what a “funk blanket” is and how to use it to get out of your Cicerone exam; and whether or not Craig has ever eaten celery. We also give some tips on beers with Belgian yeast and read an absurd poem.

Beers Reviewed

Wild Bitter

Vintage 2014

Wild Barrel

Golden Ale

We dipped into our vault this week to bring you our little tribute to working together. All five beers on this show were the product of collaboration featuring at least one local brewery (or liquor store) and a brewing buddy. Recorded back in August, this episode just got buried in our release schedule, but we’re proud to finally bring it to you so you can hear our trite discussions of the Aggro-Crag, smelly toys, One Direction, supple buttcheeks, and our idea for a naughty collaboration beer. Also, stay tuned to the end for some HOT TIPS on how to totally ignore bottle release allotments. Grab a friend and do it together!

And come to Beermiscuous on February 6th for our 2nd Anniversary party!

Beers Reviewed

Off Color/Side Project - Corybantic (American Wild Ale)

Arcade/Ale Syndicate - Dubbel Time (Dubbel with cocoa nibs)

Pipeworks/4 Hands - Black Tuna (Black DIPA with honey)

Hubbard’s Cave (Slapshot/Une Année) - Imperial Stout (with vanilla)

Jester King/West Lakeview Liquors - Encendia (Mezcal barrel-aged saison with agave nectar, ancho chiles, and epazote)

It’s about to get all rustic up in here with four tart beers from Casey Brewing and Blending. Troy Casey subscribes to the Old World philosophy of brewing by using local Colorado ingredients and 100% oak fermentation to create these masterful brews. We subscribe to the ABV philosophy of getting completely off-topic from our beer reviews to create a fever-dream of a podcast. In addition to our take on these finely-crafted ales, there’s bits about Craig’s garbage mouth, overzesting your lemons, spaghetti sauce beers, and a long discussion of what styles of beer pair with certain weather and/or clothing. Because why the hell not.

Beers Reviewed

East Bank Saison (with honey)

Apricot Fruit Stand Saison

Oak Theory Wild Ale

The Cut: Montmorency Cherry Wild Ale

To clumsily pay tribute the only way we know how, we drink some beers to honor David Bowie that have some tangential relationship to his career. And though we don’t attempt to give Bowie a proper send off, the beers turn out really damn good and silliness abounds. We talk Monster cereals, sing some Cher, fear “target character drift”, defend Elisabeth Shue’s honor, and recall Quantum Leap. And there’s more conclusive evidence that Craig is our greatest living beer poet. Thank you, David Bowie.

Beers:

Bayerischer Bahnhof - Berliner Style Weisse

Marz Community Brewing - Marzcal Kolsch

Half Acre Beer Co. - Space IPA

Revolution Brewing - Blue Gene BA Porter

Uinta Brewing - Labyrinth Quadruple Black Ale/Imperial Stout (2013)