Craig hates coffee, but he loves coffee beers. Ryan makes Craig taste and smell coffee, and then we drink five high alcohol coffee beers. With the help of massive amounts of caffeine, we answer all of your questions about coffee and coffee beers. What are the best coffee beers out there? How do brewers add coffee during the brewing process? What happens when you pour cheap canned espresso into BCBCS? How does Craig put his cream in? Why do we talk about Four Loko for so long? Remember Goldfinger?

Craig

1. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout (2014)

2. Off Color Coffee Dino S’mores Stout

3. Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout (Release #30)

4. Lagunitas High-Westified Imperial Coffee Stout

5. 4 Hands Three Kings Barrel-Aged Tripel

Ryan

1. Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout (Release #30)

2. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout (2014)

3. Off Color Coffee Dino S’mores Stout

4. Lagunitas High-Westified Imperial Coffee Stout

5. 4 Hands Three Kings Barrel-Aged Tripel

Coffees

Passion House Coffee Roasters Pitch Delay Blend (tasted and reviewed)

Intelligentsia El Diablo Dark Roast (smell test)

Big Shoulders Falcon Blend (smell test)

The south suburbs have exploded with options for great beer, and The Open Bottle is the right beer store for the right time. We sit down with owners Patrick and Julie to talk about their Tinley Park bottle shop and tap room, and we review six delicious local beers. They share what inspired the concept, how they curate their selection, and why Tinley was the right place for the business. They also get us drunk before noon, and we talk about beer muzzles, Bud Light winning blind tastings, and some crying beer hunters. And find out why the alternate title of this episode is “Pay attention, Craig!”

Totally Arbitrary Rankings!

Craig

1. 350 Brewing Crook County IPA

2. Pollyanna Brewing Ocular DIPA

3. Hailstorm Brewing 1st Anniversary Sour

4. Imperial Oak Prediction?...Pain! DIPA

5. Banging Gavel Chicanery Russian Imperial Stout

6. Arrowhead Ales Entry Level Snob IPA

Ryan

1. Pollyanna Brewing Ocular DIPA

2. Hailstorm Brewing 1st Anniversary Sour

3. 350 Brewing Crook County IPA

4. Banging Gavel Chicanery Russian Imperial Stout

5. Arrowhead Ales Entry Level Snob IPA

6. Imperial Oak Prediction?...Pain! DIPA

With so many new arrivals to the Chicago market, we make sure our audio welcome basket is stuffed with goodies. We drink five beers that are new to Chicagoland (and one that is a return), and try to advise on whether or not they’re worth the shelf space - or your money. We discuss whether or not we need any more IPAs and how other breweries recent to the market are doing. Craig recaps his recent beer travels and shares some exciting rib tips. Ryan talks about Dennis Quaid and verbose brewers. Who wants to drink some Sea Monkeys?

Ryan

1. Prairie Eliza5beth Midwest Farmhouse Ale with Apricots

2. Schlafly Kolsch

3. Urban Chestnut Zwickel Bavarian-Style Lager

4. Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

5. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

6. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

Craig

1. Schlafly Kolsch

2. Urban Chestnut Zwickel Bavarian-Style Lager

3. 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

4. Prairie Eliza5beth Midwest Farmhouse Ale with Apricots

5. Coronado Blue Bridge Coffee Stout

6. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

The founder of 51st Ward Beer Company, Tim Hoerman, hooked us up with six of his beers, and we find many surprises, mostly pleasant! We occasionally veer away from our reviews to talk brewing with vanilla beans, Jesus' hygiene, and Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog - and that's just one segment. We also say "Doody" a lot because we are children. Experience the unexpected!

Ryan

1. Control Freak Rakau Imperial IPA
2. Down Over Vienna Lager

3. The Mayor Cream Ale

4. The Poll Tax Scottish Export Ale

5. Pill Hill Vanilla Porter

6. East Clintwood Harvest Ale

Craig

1. The Mayor Cream Ale

2. Control Freak Rakau Imperial IPA

3. The Poll Tax Scottish Export Ale

4. Down Over Vienna Lager

5. Pill Hill Vanilla Porter

6. East Clintwood Harvest Ale

We get our inner fat kid hammered on beer and cookies. In this episode, we’re looking for the right local beer pairings with Girl Scout cookies. We have six pairings to review, but thankfully, Ryan has edited out all the chewing and moaning. We test out some new characters, call for year-round cookie sales, and explain why Twitter hates babies. Craig forgot a beer and then throws some stuff. Ryan is unaware of U2. Support your local troop, y’all!

Beer and Cookie Pairing Rankings

Ryan

1. Tagalongs and Three Floyds Behemoth

2. Do-Si-Dos and Arcade Final Level

3. Samoas and Pipeworks Imperial End of Days

4. Thin Mints and Aquanaut Misterioso

5. Savannah Smiles and Scorched Earth General Resin

6. Trefoils and Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor

Craig

1. Tagalongs and Three Floyds Behemoth

2. Samoas and Pipeworks Imperial End of Days

3. Thin Mints and Aquanaut Misterioso

4. Do-Si-Dos and Arcade Final Level

5. Trefoils and Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor

6. Savannah Smiles and Scorched Earth General Resin

Beer Rankings

Ryan

1. Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor Lemon Saison

2. Aquanaut Misterioso Coffee Porter

3. Scorched Earth General Resin DIPA

4. Arcade Final Level ESB

5. Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

6. Pipeworks Imperial End of Days Milk Stout (Batch 253)

Craig

1. Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

2. Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor Lemon Saison

3. Aquanaut Misterioso Coffee Porter

4. Scorched Earth General Resin DIPA

5. Pipeworks Imperial End of Days Milk Stout (Batch 253)

6. Arcade Final Level ESB