We might as well send off 2020 on an upbeat note and just get wild with the ingredients, so we let it all hang out on this mixed five pack of barrel-aged variant stouts from local breweries. Each of these releases represents a fun little twist on its barrel-aged base, and we’re going to need a new word for “adjunct.” In addition to our reviews, we attempt to tune the GAS scale, share the history of the base beers, dream up new brandy flavors, make some fresh savory pastries, and watch as the Orange Knight rises. Get! Excited!

Beers Reviewed

Werk Force Brewing Company - Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sleepy Beer

Off Color Brewing - Double Barrel-Aged Dino S’mores

Half Acre Beer Co. - Cherry Brandy Benthic

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Barrel-Aged Champurrado Krampus

DESTIHL Brewery - Dosvidanya Orange Chocolate Rye

The imperial oatmeal stout at the heart of it all, Deth’s Tar may have seemed like a fun little pun back when it first came out of barrels in the early part of the decade, but now it’s clearly the centerpiece of the best barrel-aged series in the city. We enlist the help of Revolution’s own barrel wizard Marty Scott to join us via Zoom to talk all about this year’s lineup of Deths, as well as a wide array of reasons why Revolution is working harder than anyone to release the best barrel-aged beers in the city each year. The rest of the episode is us over-indulging in this incredible lineup while also providing OG services, creaming those beans, and testing each other on analogies. 

Revolution Deep Wood Beers Reviewed

Deth’s Tar (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout)

Cafe Deth (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout w/ Dark Matter coffee)

Maple Deth (Imperial oatmeal stout aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels w/ BBA maple syrup)

Deth by Cherries (Bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout w/ cherries)

Double Barrel V.S.O.D. (Imperial oatmeal stout aged in Weller Special Reserve barrels then Weller 10 Year barrels)

Coffee was once the only adjunct a good stout needed, until recent years has brought the entire pastry case with it. So finding five barrel-aged stouts with just coffee added was a bit of a challenge - but it’s a welcome reminder that sometimes all you need is coffee. (And love? Probably love, too.) These five locally-made coffee stouts saw a small variety of different barrels, and the elevated ABV has us hacky-sacking beer cans around the room in no time. We also assemble our team of experts to compete with the Distillery Channel, survey the absolute not normal-ness of 4 Floyds, get a late start on Beanvember, and learn a lot about the man they call Ludacris. 

Beers Reviewed

Half Day Brewing - Barrel-Aged Warrior Paint Imperial Coffee Stout (coffee beans from Newport Coffee House)

Lake Effect Brewing - Perkolator: Madeira Barrel-Aged (coffee beans from Perkolator)

Transient Artisan Ales - Blanton's Barrel-Aged Neckbeard Nectar (coffee beans from Tugboat)

Lil Beaver Brewery - Adventures Ahead: Coffee (coffee beans from Sirius Roasters)

Revolution Brewing Company - Supermassive Cafe Deth (coffee beans from Dark Matter)

Barrel-aged December is now officially underway, and we’re delighted to crack open four medal-winning Illinois beers from this year’s Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers. Appropriately enough, the barrels are the star of the show, as these four very different styles are presented without additional adjuncts - just wood-made magic. Also, we have our friend Aaron Keefner from More Brewing stop by the Zoom to talk about the beer entry fee he paid to be our first remote guest, but actually he talks mostly about what’s new with More, their barrel-aging program, and their recent move into distribution. We also share our pitches for 90s-themed jukebox musicals, have a pretty weird night in the barn, dare brewers to make a barrel-aged hefeweizen, and determine what’s a sipper and who’s a gulper. Brace yourself for six feet of tube candy.

Beers Reviewed

Imperial Oak Brewing - Savage Oak Gold (Belgian-style Sour Golden Ale) Silver Medal: Wild Beer Sours (Acidic)

Urban Brew Labs - Abba G.O.A.T. (Apple Brandy Barrel-aged Doppelbock) Bronze Medal: Dark Strong Beer

Horse Thief Hollow - Wrenly Rose (Belgian-style Tripel aged in Pinot Noir barrels) Gold Medal: Strong Pale Beer

More Brewing Company - Mehndi 2020 (Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout) Silver Medal: Strong Porter/Stout

If there’s ever been a month for careless indulgence, it would be December of 2020, so we’re going full-on dessert and pastry beer for this episode. These five entries have us nostalgic for vacation ice cream shoppes, cozy breakfast diners, and gourmet popcorn stores - despite some initial fears. Also, we are stocking our rage rooms, admiring the Sacred Leavings, sniffin’ stuff at Whole Foods (again), and jiggling like a flan. Diet starts tomorrow.

Beers Reviewed

Old Irving Brewing - Cinnamon Prost (White stout w/ Saigon cinnamon, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk sugar)

Humble Forager Brewery - Coastal Sunrise V1 (Fruited breakfast pastry sour w/ blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla bean)

Hubbard’s Cave - Rocky Road (Imperial stout w/ almond, walnut, chocolate, marshmallow, vanilla, and lactose)

Liquid Love Brewing - Y’all Come Back Now (Pastry golden ale w/ caramel and pecans)

Lake Effect Brewing - Fannie’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged (Imperial milk stout w/ chocolate cake, aged in bourbon barrels)