ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

When a beer festival with national interest comes through Chicago, beer consumers are met with a whole new array of options at their favorite bottle shops, even if only for a short time. For this episode, we take advantage of some FoBAB-influenced “hot drops” of out-of-distribution breweries ending up on local beer store shelves. Is it better for the local beer drinker than it is worse for the local beer producer? The five beers on this show certainly make our response to that complicated. Also, Ryan tries to start the new hot coffee mug phrase, Craig just wants to listen to “Fields of Gold” by Sting, and we struggle through maybe the drunkest rankings ever.

Beers Reviewed

Pure Project Brewing - Fingers of Gold (Murky IPA)

Listermann Brewing Company - Barrel-Aged Chickow! (Hazelnut Double Brown Ale aged in Heaven Hill barrels)

Beachwood Blendery - Funk Yeah (Gueuze-inspired Sour Ale)

Other Half Brewing Co. - Triple Nelson Daydream (Imperial Oat Cream IPA)

Jackie O’s Brewery - Bourbon Barrel Oil Of Aphrodite (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout w/ Black Walnuts and Belgian Candi Syrup)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_303_Hot_Drops.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:45am CDT

We took last week to recover from FoBAB, so this week we dip into our short-storage vault for this episode we recorded back in May with five listener-donated beers. This beer lineup features both minor misses and absolute hits, but we’re feeling genuinely warmed by the listener love. Impending summer makes us looser than ever as we cover the positives and negatives of non-craft beer bars; we imagine Playdoh-aged beers; Ryan draws the line at Baudoinia or Bust; and Craig breaks the podcast through one simple simile. Cream those beans!

Beers Reviewed

Southern Grist Brewing Company - Lemon Meringue Pie Gose (Provided by Matt Milam)

Ale Asylum - Bock’d & Loaded (Maibock aged in Tequila and Chardonnay barrels, provided by Gary Nidetz)

Lo Rez Brewing - Apricot Knockout (Farmhouse Ale w/ apricots, provided by Sarah Rehmer)

Perennial Artisan Ales - Sump Coffee Stout 2018 w/ Ethiopian Roba (Provided by Don Kasak)

Ozark Beer Company - BDCS (Imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels, provided by Chris Butler)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_302_Listener_Supported.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:30am CDT

With winter approaching, one might feel it necessary to lament the passing of lager season. But dear listener, never fret! Brewers from all over the world have got your back! On this show, we salute our schwarz as we drink seven different dark lagers, with four coming from our own backyard of Chicago. We learn a bit about the schwarzbier by soaking up the words of the experts, and we’re pleasantly surprised to find variation all throughout this lineup. Also, Ryan’s age is showing, we mourn the brief life of windbreaker season, we try not to throw away any ghosts, and we take a hard stance on beer made with human ingredients. Touch of molasses!


Beers Reviewed 

Metropolitan Brewing - Magnetron (Schwarzbier)

Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei - Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Argus Brewery - Cygnus X-1 (Dark lager)

Budějovický Budvar - Czechvar/Budweiser Budvar B:Dark (Euro dark lager)

Spiteful Brewing - Dark Lager

Krombacher Gruppe - Krombacher Dark (Schwarzbier)

Maplewood Brewing Company - The Shade (Schwarzbier)

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_301_Dark_Lagers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am CDT

We’re celebrating our big 300 by treating ourselves to the exquisite (and expensive) beers from one of Belgium’s longest-running gueuze producers, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. Despite the occasion, we just do it like we have for the last 300 by reviewing carefully crafted beers as sloppily as possible, only diverting to mini-tangents about Craig’s assassin dog, horse accoutrements, Goozzwords, vacation mouth, forced floors, nighttime TinglersⓇ, and Mosher’s leveled-up skill set. Thanks for listening at any point during our 300 episodes - we hope it’s been entertaining (and just a little informative). 

Beers Reviewed

Oude Geuze 

Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston

Oude Kriek

Framboos (2014)

Hommage

Direct download: ABV_Chicago_300_3_Fonteinen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:43am CDT

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