Just as the season can’t decide if it’s going to get warm or stay cold, we choose to get nice and toasty with four barrel-aged stouts we’ve gathered over the past few months from local sources. The four beers on this show ascend in adjuncts, and Craig and Ryan don’t see eye-to-eye on the rankings at all. Also, we explore different foodstuff cafe possibilities; we try not to promote *clown horn*; and we practice the ancient art of the Soul Burp. 

Beers Reviewed

Central Waters Brewing Company (w/ Binny’s) - 12 Seasons of Slumber (Stout aged 3 years in Binny’s hand-picked Weller Wheated Bourbon Barrels)

Hop Butcher for the World - Overwhip (Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout conditioned on Ugandan vanilla beans)

Saint Errant Brewing - Barrel-Aged Tepoztecatl (Imperial Stout w/ Guatemalan coffee, cassia bark, and Mexican vanilla beans aged 30 months in Weller and Sazerac Rye barrels)

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Barrel-Aged Krampus Kandy 2023 (Blend of Willett, 1792, & Basil Hayden Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Milk Stout w/ vanilla, cocoa nibs, toasted almond, and toasted coconut)

St. Louis’ Heavy Riff Brewing has built a strong local following since 2013, and their mix of experimental styles, barrel-aged beers, and rock-n-roll sensibility has started to make its way up the state of Illinois. Craig talks with co-owner Rick Hagen about the past and future of the brewery before we try through a lineup of five standout beers. Also, Ryan takes us down the Robin Williams Quotes Facebook page rabbit hole, Craig is getting spoiled by all the lactose, and we agree that there’s a lot going on in here. 

Rick Hagen Interview (00:13:20 - 00:32:50)

Beers Reviewed

Love Gun (Vanilla Cream Ale)

Velvet Underbrown (Brown Ale w/ lactose)

Vanilla Coffee Underbrown (Brown ale w/ vanilla & coffee)

Gose to Fino’s (Gin barrel-aged Gose w/ lemon and lime zest)

Quadraphonic Euphoria (Belgian Quad-style Ale aged in port wine barrels)

A decade-and-a-half ago, West Coast DIPAs were changing the craft beer curious into full-on obsessives, and breweries were in an IBU arms race to melt faces with hop bitterness. Recently, now that some of the haze has settled, breweries are returning to the aggressive style again - with some bringing newer juicy hop varietals to the mix, while others attempt to throw it back to the classics. For this episode, we enthusiastically drink through five locally made West Coast Double IPAs and can’t really agree on anything other than the beers taste too dang good. Also, Craig’s hyped about the features of his new chair, Ryan swears he did his research, and we put a few hops into the Hop Hall of Fame. 

West Coast-style DIPAs Reviewed

Pollyanna Brewing Company - Beads on a String

Maplewood Brewing Company - Sidewalk Surfer

Miskatonic Brewing Company - West Coast Warlock

Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - Vertical Canine

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Chaos Weaver

The city of Asheville may not even be in the top ten most-populated cities in North Carolina, but it might be the state’s capital for breweries. Thanks to the generosity of listeners Benji and Suzanne, we drink five beers from Asheville (and the surrounding area) that represent a wide amount of styles - and Craig is absolutely giddy about a secret Chicagoland connection to one. Also, Craig has found a secret bag that is oddly fortuitous; Ryan’s taking a week off to put on bread weight; and we’d like a spritz of that Red Vine Perfume, please. 

Beers Reviewed

Hillman Beer - Old Fort Original (American Lager)

Zillicoah Beer Company - Bo Pils (Open-fermented Czech-style Pilsner)

Cellarest Beer Project - Marakio (India Pale Lager fermented in a cherrywood foedre)

Burial Beer Co. (w/ Cloudwater Brew Co.) - A Compilation of Sporadic Contemplations From Minds Unraveled (Imperial stout w/ toasted coconut, fresh orange zest, and cocoa butter)

Whistle Hop Brewing Company - Ilaria (Mezcal barrel-aged smoked peach Lichtenhainer)