Brad Clark is the man behind the highly sought-after blended barrel-aged beers of Private Press, and Craig sat down with him over some decanted barleywine to talk about the history and future of his members-only brewery. Brad shares how his background at the renowned Jackie O’s in Ohio led to some of the more daring experiments at his current Santa Cruz brewery, and how peaceful running led to him inventing an entire style. Also, he shares details about his meticulous blending process, how his barrels travel treacherous terrain to reach their destination, where the inspiration for his labels and beer names originate from, and why he once had to set a barrel on fire in an attempt to save it. If that wasn’t enough, we also open four of his beers that are just about unmatched in quality, and Craig talks about an unexpected visitor while dining at The French Laundry.

Brad Clark Interview (00:10:02 - 00:55:28)

Beers Reviewed

Life is Round (Blend of barleywine ales aged in bourbon barrels)

A Silent Pursuit (Blend of barrel-aged Munichwine ales)

Double Barrel Almond Suite - collaboration with Side Project (Imperial stout brewed with almonds and lactose, aged in bourbon and Cognac barrels)

Third Press (Blend of stout and barleywine ale aged in oak barrels)

After six episodes and 25 beers, we’re finally putting our top 6 choices for best Chicagoland/Illinois hazy IPA to one last blind test. This showdown features four GABF gold medal-winners and two “underdogs” - and each beer impresses in its own way. Which brewery do we think is making the best cloudy juice utilizing Citra and/or Mosaic (and maybe like one or two other hops)? We’ll have a definitive arbitrary answer by the end of the show. Also, Ryan is excited about his Goop Dupe, Craig’s out there waiting for fruit to be thrown at him, and someone might just guess so good that they’ll dab into the sun. 

Beers Reviewed Blindly

DESTIHL Brewery - Deadhead: TourBus

Alarmist Brewing - Le Jus

Alter Brewing Company - Ambigram

Riverlands Brewing Co. - Dean Street

Penrose Brewing Company - Goofy Boots

Old Irving Brewing - Beezer

We’ve been admirers of Sante Adairius Rustic Ales for a decade now, and Craig’s recent trip to California brings us back the gift of SARA saisons - and a wonderful conversation with owner and co-founder Adair Paterno. The four barrel-aged saisons on this show are about as good of a lineup of beer we’ll drink all year, so get ready for the lovefest on this episode. But the real highlight is Adair and Craig’s talk which covers the early days to their now three-location status; how the house yeast culture came to be and has had to be resurrected; why so many taproom regulars have ended up joining the staff; and the time when they almost created yeast monsters underground. Also, Craig accidentally finds himself in the middle of parkour practice, and Ryan opts for opulence with the ultimate episode-ending Saison Cuvée.

Adair Paterno Interview (00:09:10 - 00:50:38)

Beers Reviewed

Eye of the Needle (Saison aged in Venus Spirits’ gin barrels w/ passionfruit, mango, and guava)

Intentional Invitation (Saison aged in Venus Spirits’ gin barrels w/ cara cara orange and grapefruit)

Proper Discourse (Saison aged in Frederiksdal Cherry Wine barrels)

Westly (Saison aged in barrels with apricots)

Summer Craig is starting off strong this year by bringing back five fantastic beers from California’s Bay Area (and beyond) for us to fawn over and attempt to recreate those vacation vibes. We learn the backstories of these breweries and their unique approaches and cover other beer-ish topics like the follies of berry beers, aggressive bread, trad saisons, and the royal need for hop names. Also, Craig has discovered a new traveling superpower and parlor trick; Ryan has picked a winner in an East Coast vs. West Coast IPA battle; and we flip through the Sam Goody poster stand for a while. It’s better than Semi-OK.

Beers Reviewed

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing [Santa Cruz] - Hello Pretty (Organic blonde ale w/ strawberries)

Wondrous Brewing Company [Emeryville] - Rote Augen (Franconian-style Rotbier)

HenHouse Brewing Company [Santa Rosa] - Saison (Saison w/ black pepper and coriander)

Fox Tale Fermentation Project [San Jose] - No Más (Gose w/ Persian lime, pink pepper leaf, and lacto-fermented honey)

Ghost Town Brewing [Oakland] - Hammer Smashed EXP 586 (IPA)