ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

The most terrible tradition returns with our third annual gauntlet of gore as we try and outdo each other with the absolute worst-tasting beers we can find. Throw in some Zombie Skittles, and you have a profane exhibition of freakishly-bad flavors. We also try to avoid adding ounces to our Cuveé of Doom by guessing details on our brutal blind pours. We share some Halloween party conversation starters, recreate the general mood of The Deer Hunter, dine at UmamiBloodMeat, and fight against our Pavlovian smelling instincts.

Malignant Beers Reacted To

Mikkeller - Spontanbeetroot (Lambic-style ale w/ beets)

3 Floyds Brewing - Barrel-aged Chevalier 2013 (Barrel-aged Biere de Garde w/ brett)

Stone Brewing - 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung (Double IPA from 2013)

Rinkuškiai - Crazy Brewski (Imperial Pilsner)

Brewery Vivant - Tart Side of the Moon (Dark Farmhouse Ale)

Goose Island Clybourn - Silver Jubilee (Double Pale Ale from 2013)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_299_Torture_Test_III.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:26am CDT

In our yearly tribute to Chicago’s biggest and best beer fest, we continue our tradition of giving our recommendations for the Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beers while drinking from a distinguished lineup of attendees - but that’s not all. We introduce the FoBAB Fantasy Draft into the world, give you instructions on how to run your own league, and hold a mock draft between ourselves (before our real league draft). But we don’t forget to hurl some major superlatives at the barrel-aged beers on the show, and talk about sad dinosaur stories. (Keep your eyes peeled on our website for the next week to get more info on running your own FoBAB Fantasy Draft. And buy tickets to FoBAB, if you haven’t already.)

Beers Reviewed

Revolution Brewing - Strawberry Jacket (BA Barleywine w/ strawberries)

Revolution Brewing - Honey Jacket (BA Barleywine w/ honey)

Around the Bend Beer Co. - Proximal (BA Barleywine)

Begyle Brewing - Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas (BA Imperial Oatmeal Stout)

WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Medianoche Premier Vol. 1 (BA Imperial Stout blend)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_298_FoBABlin4_The_People.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:17am CDT

It’s a joyous time in the ABV bunker as we celebrate Craig’s engagement by letting him pick a lineup of seemingly incongruous beers that are as significant as they are interesting. With a mix of cellar dives and recent finds, Craig imbues this episode with a certain personal resonance while also napalming Ryan’s esophagus. Craig shares his creative and beer-related proposal story, but we also expound upon our fat voices, weird produce, Craigaoke, misheard Beyonce lyrics, Zach Afrin, and the worst beer collaboration ever imagined. Congratulations to Craig and Liz!

Beers Reviewed

Hill Farmstead Brewery - Civil Disobedience #6 (Blended wine barrel-aged saison)

de Garde Brewing - Imperial Apricot Bu (Berliner Weisse aged in oak w/ apricots)

Triptych Brewing - And I Think My Spaceship Knows Which Way To Go (Hazy Double IPA w/ Galaxy & Ella hops)

Funk Factory Geuzeria - Framquartet (Méthode Traditionnelle blend aged w/ red, purple, black, and golden raspberries)

The Bruery - Black Tuesday Reserve (Double barrel-aged imperial stout)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_297_Craigs_Choice.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:52am CDT

For three whole days, we are the masters of our domain - which is the expansive festival hall in Denver, Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival. We’re double dipping on this episode as we combine interviews from the festival floor with beer reviews and a weekend recap from the comforts of our hotel room. We stop short of two hours on this one, but it’s filled with takes on our favorite beers from the fest, a recap of Illinois medal winners, and highlights from drinking around Denver all weekend. Also, hear about a few surprise breweries coming to FoBAB, a beer that was literally aged on grunge, how the guy who wrote the book on IPAs feels about the haze craze, the actual best chili in Cincinnati, what it means to win it all at Hunaphu’s Day, and which brewery makes the most Seinfeld references. It’s gold, listener! Gold! Here’s to feeling good all the time.

Beers Reviewed

Bierstadt Lagerhaus - Slow Pour Pils

Baere Brewing Co./Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits - The Baeres And the B’s (Sour ale w/ Gewurztraminer grapes and Nelson Sauvin hops)

Great Divide Brewing Company - S’mores Yeti (Imperial Stout brewed with Chocolate, Marshmallow and Spices)

Interviews from GABF

Matt Johnson and Jason Green of IMBĪB Custom Brews (Reno, NV) - [00:14:26 - 00:18:26]

Nick Walker and Max Arndt of Ology Brewing Co. (Tallahassee, FL) - [00:21:23 - 00:25:04]

Kelly Montgomery and John McGarry of Brink Brewing Co. (Cincinnati, OH) - [00:30:34 - 00:35:43]

Mike Czech and Kurt of Pure Project Brewing (San Diego, CA) - [00:44:46 - 00:53:03]

Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA & VIrginia Beach, VA) - [01:00:47 - 01:11:00]

Andy Maben of New Sarum Brewing (Salisbury, NC) - [01:20:37 - 01:29:44]

Steve Pominski of Barrage Brewing Company (Farmingdale, NY) - [01:36:18 - 01:43:51]

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_296_GABF_2019.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:56am CDT

Already an established force in IPAs, Revolution was curiously slow to embrace the hazier varieties. Not rushing in has afforded them the ability to learn from others and perfect their approach, starting over the last year through wildly popular test batches at the brewpub. But since this summer, Revolution has jumped in head first by releasing two murky Hero varieties and collaborating with a few of the hottest local haze producers. We sample five beers that represent this new side of Rev, hoping for a new hero to come along. We also recorded this after being at a beer fest all day, so you’ll get a few diversions on odd t-shirts, a pocket full of George, 311 inspiration in the produce aisle, a new solo podcast venture, and what it’ll take to unleash Milkshake Hero. Time for a game wavy.

Beers Reviewed

Northeast Hero (NE IPA)

Base (West Coast-style Pale Ale) - Collaboration with Hop Butcher for the World 

Superstructure (Imperial Hazy IPA)  - Collaboration with Hop Butcher for the World 

Reverrant (DDH NE IPA)  - Collaboration with Saint Errant Brewing

Hazy Hero (NE IPA)

Direct download: ABV_Episode_295_Rev_Against_the_Machine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:15am CDT

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