In our minds, there’s hardly a better combination than drinking beer and appreciating baseball - a pastime as wholesome as apple pie milkshake IPAs. So we step into the box, looking to square up five tasty beers from Midwestern breweries that certainly want you to think about baseball. We cram this one with baseball miscellany: Chicago food-themed uniforms, baseball and beer math, Hot Dog Summer, and baseball Stumptappd. Mercy!

Beers Reviewed

Off Color Brewing - Beer for Ballgames (Cream ale)

Goose Island Beer Co. - White Sox Golden Ale

Spiteful Brewing - Bleacher Bum (Blonde ale w/ peaches)

Noon Whistle Brewing - Gummiskey (Northeast India Pale Ale)

Lion’s Tail Brewing/Young Blood Beer Co. - Uecker On the Radio (Hazy Double IPA)

Looking to provide an “oasis for life and leisure,” Madison, Wisconsin’s Young Blood Beer Company had to bring the oasis to the people in their first year of operation. For this episode, Craig talks with co-founder Tom Dufek about rewriting business plans, adding a twist to every beer, and cultivating those dank and drippy vibes. We also drink through five cans of their beer while trying (and failing) to outdo their beer names with MadLibs. Plus, there’s the threat of a lactose streak, a little W.C.W. love, and the mystery of the street burper.

Beers Reviewed

Shower Bier (Helles Lager)

She’s Fox Valley Rich (Buckwheat Saison w/ plum and cinnamon)

Boone’s Farm Related Scar (Cherry Limeade Sour w/ cherry, key lime, and vanilla)

Templeton Ferrari the Third (Hazy IPA)

Coffee Regular Silkshake (Cream Ale w/ coffee, milk sugar, and vanilla)

Head about 45 minutes west of Chicago, and you’ll find a cluster of fresh craft beer options that are certainly destination-worthy. Ryan took a weekend to check out breweries in St. Charles and Geneva, and he brought back five different beers that’ll have you planning a day trip. The background on these breweries is as fascinating as the beers are varied, and our rankings are about as different as they can be. Also, we talk for a while about chili dog-related issues, pull a Table the Label card, admire those beefy boys in Hobbs & Shaw, try to keep the over-fruited sour temps from dropping, and smash your label beers. (This episode is not paid for by the St. Charles and Geneva Tourism Bureau...but it’d be cool if it was.)

Beers Reviewed

93 Octane Brewery - Hugger Orange Whip (American Wheat Ale w/ orange, vanilla, lactose, and coriander)

Riverlands Brewing Company - Spring Rejuvenation (Maibock)

Penrose Brewing Company - Dryft (IPA)

Art History Brewing - Fastenbier (Lenten Dark Smoked Lager)

D and G Brewing Company/Obscurity Brewing and Craft Mead - The D.O.G. (Braggot Imperial Red Ale)

In our triumphant return to our state series, we venture into the beers from the great state of Connecticut for our 25th installment. And we do so in a big way - with six beers of (mostly) very different styles that span all corners of the state. Thanks to Spenser for the help with the show - and for the small wooden...opening. We also talk about 10,000 hours of altbiers, the new maltwave, more plans for Craig’s beer parody song career, skinfeel, ice cream challenges, and the Knight of the Mall. 

Beers Reviewed

Luppoleto [Windsor Locks] - Putting Down Roots (Altbier)

Counter Weight Brewing Co. [Hamden] - Headway IPA

Kent Falls Brewing Co. [Kent] - Ready to Drum (Barrel-aged saison w/ blueberries)

New Park Brewing [West Hartford] - Blender: Raspberry (Berliner weisse w/ raspberry)

Transcend Beer Crafters [Southington] - 7 Layers of Sin (Imperial milk stout w/ cocoa, graham crackers, roasted peanuts, coconut, marshmallow, vanilla, and butterscotch)

Fox Farm Brewery [Salem] - Avalonia: Blueberry (American wild ale w/ blueberry)