Enshrouded in a dark and mysterious energy, Illuminated Brew Works has become a cult favorite in Chicago - because they are probably an actual cult. Our initial apprehension becomes open-armed acceptance as we ingest Five Sacraments of IBW, and dabble in the mystic arts. (Actually, we just use a really bad online Ouija board, but hey, we’re trying!) Additionally, we pay tribute to legendary baseball names both real and fictional, wonder what happened to mobile canning, weakly pitch the Magic 8-Ball movie, and face a few phobias. Will this podcast delight your senses? All signs point to, “maybe.”

Liquids Reviewed

Pleiadian Play Date (Piquette-inspired malt beverage w/ wine grapes and hibiscus)

Trust (Lager)

Astronaut Eye Scream (DDH DIPA w/ lactose)

Watermelon Gun (Farmhouse ale w/ watermelon)

Kreeper (IPA)

In a state chock full of great hazy IPA producers, More and Phase Three still stand amongst the best and most-revered. The fact that they have an intertwined history adds to the stakes of our totally arbitrary blind battle of the haze wherein one brewery will be crowned winner, and the other will be crowned, “still very excellent.” We also attempt to guess the beers based on what we know about ABV, style, and hop profiles - and the results are mind-melting. Also, Craig gets caught up on six month-old beer twitter, Ryan buys a kite at a hardware store, Gerry Rafferty is on the line, and we demand to bring bitterness back. 

Beers Reviewed Blindly (in order of appearance)

Phase Three Brewing - DDH Pixel Density (IPA)

Phase Three Brewing - Mindspark (DIPA)

More Brewing Company - DDH Double Dusty (DIPA)

Phase Three Brewing - Color Scheme (DIPA)

More Brewing Company - Moreover (IPA)

More Brewing Company - Pillow Talkin’ (DIPA)

Soon to be celebrating their 4th year in business, Old Irving Brewing has established itself as one of the best brewpubs in the city - with the hardware to prove it. This episode features an interview with owner and head brewer Trevor Rose-Hamblin, who tells the story of OIB, his culinary background and its influence on the brewpub, that GABF medal that changed everything, the struggles of running a brewpub during a pandemic, and what surprising plans are ahead for the brewery side of the business. Additionally, we acquaint ourselves with five Old Irving beers for reviewing purposes, and the standouts here are as surprising as they are remarkable. Also, we pivot to hand sanitizer reviews, the dog digs up the old video equipment, Ryan has some embarrassing baseball fan memories, and Craig is singing about malt again.

Interview with Trevor Rose-Hamblin (00:10:47 - 00:48:46)

Beers Reviewed

Betamax and Relax (India Pale “Lager”)

Supersonic Fuzz Gun (Kettle sour w/ peaches, lemon peel, and lactose)

Scentinel (IPA)

Double Beezer (DDH DIPA)

All For One, One For All (Imperial milk stout w/ hazelnut, vanilla bean, coffee, and milk sugar)

We held out so long on seltzers, until the exact moment when we saw some of our favorite breweries releasing their takes on the flavored malt beverage craze. Are they any more refined or impressive than the tacky trendsetters filling a million Yeti coolers and frat house fridges? (And we would know, because we drank five of the highest-selling big seltzers before recording this very episode, and released the unsavory results on Patreon.) We spend most of the episode trying to break seltzers, but they end up breaking us. Also, we envision a dystopian future for breweries, seek out some experienced tree climbers for a highly-specialized mission, and find comfort in sugary yum-yums. I miss beer.

Seltzers Reviewed

City Water - Lime Coconut

Untitled Art - Florida Seltzer: Pineapple Mango

Odd Side Ales - POG (Passion fruit, orange, and guava hard seltzer)

4 Hands Brewing - Contact High Hard Seltzer

Transient Artisan Ales - Sparkle Water Green (Gin Fizz-inspired hard seltzer)

When a brewery releases a double dry-hopped version of one of their go-to hoppy beers, it’s often a surefire hit with consumers. Though it has somehow become synonymous with hazy beers, double dry-hopping has a longer history of adding bombastic hop aromas to beers as far back as the 1970s in the U.S. But does the added “DDH” really level up the beer? We try two local hazy standouts and one all-time hoppy classic alongside their DDH counterparts to figure out if it’s actually worth all the extra hops. Though this episode eventually turns into a half hour love letter to Pliny, we have a fantastic lineup of beers while also reimaging ice cream trucks, being reborn in every episode, making all beers little, sipping on those slippery pillows, and getting aggressively Sabro. 

Beers Reviewed

Phase Three Brewing - Pixel Density (NE IPA)

Phase Three Brewing - DDH Double Pixel Density (NE DIPA)

Alarmist Brewing - Le Jus (NE IPA)

Alarmist Brewing - DDH Sabro Le Jus (NE IPA)

Russian River Brewing Company - Pliny the Elder (Double IPA)

Russian River Brewing Company - Pliny for President (Double IPA)