Chicago’s biggest, baddest and most-barreled festival is back in its 21st year, so we’re eager to FoBABble about it for the first time in four years as a lead-up to the competition. We also open four barrel-aged beers from breweries that have been FoBAB staples (and previous medal winners) to lubricate our discussions of new and returning breweries at this year’s fest, our “first pour” picks, festival attendee tips, sleeper breweries not to miss, and Fantasy FoBAB Power Rankings. Also, Ryan has a shameful admission about common bird identification, we ride the plot line of sniffs, and Craig’s getting the BabyBjörn ready for his unprepared podcast partner.

Beers Reviewed

Off Color Brewing - Beer For Burgers: Prime Cut (Helles Bock aged in bourbon barrels blended with fresh Helles Bock)

Short Fuse Brewing Company - What The Night Brings (Imperial stout aged in bourbon and cognac barrels w/ dates and figs)

Half Acre Beer Company - Double Barrel Catch Hell (Double barrel-aged imperial stout w/ Madagascar vanilla and Saigon cinnamon)

Mikerphone Brewing - Sweet Drams (Double mash imperial stout aged in Pappy 15 bourbon barrels)

The seven barrel-aged beers that comprise this year’s Luchador lineup feature styles and ingredients we have rarely - or never - seen in the past, and no local “special release” lineup is getting as experimental as this one. Flavor master Jacob Sembrano is at it again, and we’re here to drunkenly rave over the barrel-aged results. There are many true “wow” moments on this one, and at least one bird that tried to ruin it all for everyone. Also, Craig has neighborhood watch concerns about bananas, Ryan’s ready to huff that bean bag, and beer jerseys are getting raised to the rafters. 

Beers Reviewed

Bad Mermaid (Imperial Blonde aged in rye whiskey and rum barrels w/ dulce de leche and coconut)

Lucha Royal (Imperial Saskatoon ale aged in French black currant liqueur barrels)

Gigante (Double barrel blonde barleywine aged in Barbados rum barrels, finished in Colorado rye whiskey barrels)

El Petito (Double barrel blonde barleywine aged in Colorado rye whiskey barrel, finished in French apricot brandy barrels)

Rey Gordo (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels)

Señor Finito (Imperial stout aged in Colorado rye whiskey barrels w/ cocoa nibs, mesquite beans, and canella)

Don Moustache (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrel w/ Mexican Mazapan candy and cocoa nibs)

We’re indulging in our capital vices for our yearly attempt to destroy each other over bad beers, and this one features some of the most unexpected pours we’ve ever seen. There’s at least one beer here that unexpectedly brings out an extra large dose of wrath for one podcaster, and it’s not even the mystery beer in the box. WHAT’S IN THE BOX?? Also, Craig is investigating some decapitated pigeons, Ryan’s plan backfires, and we both learn to fear the SlenderCan. And make sure you stick it out for one of the most horrifying Cuvées of Doom ever concocted. 

Beers Endured

[LUST] Kultowy Browar Staropolski - Bestbir Pszenica z Sokiem Pacific z Grejpfrutem (Grapefruit-flavored wheat beer)

[GREED] O’Fallon Brewery - Cherry Chocolate Dark Wheat (from 2017??)

[PRIDE] Dugges Bryggeri - Cola (Cola-inspired sour w/ nutmeg, lime, cinnamon, and vanilla)

[GLUTTONY] RAR Brewing - Out of Order: It Wasn’t Easy (Pastry sour w/ pineapple, lemon-lime, coconut, lactose, and pastry cream)

[SLOTH] Penrose Brewing - Wild XI (Oak-aged American wild ale, from 2015)

[ENVY] 903 Brewers - Dr. Seltzer (Hard seltzer slushy w/ fruit and spices)

[WRATH] Aslin Beer Company - Pinkies Up (Quintuple IPA)

Chicagoland is pretty gifted in lager-centric breweries, but now that trends have shifted back towards the more drinkable, almost every brewery is featuring more and more lagers. This is an extremely good thing. For this show, we do a blind tasting wherein we match a local lager-focused brewery’s beer against a local “everything” brewery’s beer along style lines and give our unbiased opinions. Our arbitrary reviews won’t prove much, but we do have an opinion on which brewery we think is making the best lagers in Chicagoland. Also, we force the title colon thanks to A.I. which introduces us to Chi-Taste-O. (We recommend you get a 6-pack of lagers ready and responsibly drink every time we say, “Chi-Taste-O.”) Plus we’re making bread references, attacking the Veggie Stick stash, and valuing rusticity. So sayeth the Mayor and Seer of Chi-Taste-O. 

Beers Reviewed and Battled Blindly 

Alarmist Brewing - Crispy Boy (Pilsner)

Vs.

Dovetail Brewery - Pilsner

Half Acre Beer Company - Helles

Vs.

Metropolitan Brewing - Stromhaus (Helles)

Miskatonic Brewing Company/Seldom Beer Co. & Streetside Brewery - Loggers From Vienna (Vienna-Style Lager)

Vs.

Goldfinger Brewing Company - Vienna-Style Lager

Now somewhat relegated to an occasional fall seasonal from breweries, the Amber style is essential to the history of American craft beer as we know it. So we’re pumped to see five local breweries dabble in amber ales and lagers, and we fall in love all over again (with the beers, not each other). Also, Craig has an unexpected pet, we accidentally have a moment of real beer talk about wilds and sours, Ryan vetoes an obvious 311 reference, and we are bringing our own ludicrous drinkware to the District Brew Yards until someone tells us “no.” Whoa-oh. 

Beers Reviewed

Casa Humilde Cerveceria - Alba (Mexican-Style Amber Lager)

BuckleDown Brewing - Alien Avatar (Amber Ale)

Maplewood Brewing - Amberana (Amber Ale conditioned on Amburana wood)

Off Color Brewing - Beer For Huddles (Amber Ale)

Burnt City Brewing (?) - Titan Walls 5 (Amber Lager)