It’s adjunct stout hour featuring chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and peppers - all tasted and reviewed blind! We review and rank six “Mexican hot chocolate” style beers, and only you - the lisener - will know what we are drinking. Get ready for some Telenovela-sized plot twists in this one, as we ruin Craig’s favorite beer for him forever and an unexpected local brewery handily defeats all the others. Bring your mouth!   Ryan 1. Spiteful Malevolence: Chocolate Caliente 2. Perennial Abraxas 3. Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2014) 4. Westbrook Mexican Cake (2013) 5. Hailstorm Vlad the Conquistador 6. 18th Street Bitches’ Bank   Craig 1. Spiteful Malevolence: Chocolate Caliente 2. Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2014) 3. Perennial Abraxas 4. Westbrook Mexican Cake (2013) 5. Hailstorm Vlad the Conquistador 6. 18th Street Bitches’ Bank

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 IPA2. 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

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} 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

Things get a little salty as we open up nine different Goses, and good Gose do we overload this episode with crappy puns. But we also talk a little history, embrace Bahl Hornin' (whatever the hell that is), decant some peppers, and get surprisingly sauced on 4 percent alcohol beers. And Ryan wishes Craig was a taco. So it gose.   Craig 1. Ritterguts Gose 2. Freigeist Geisterzug Gose 3. Westbrook Gose 4. Westbrook Gozu 5. Leipziger Gose 6. DESTIHL Here Gose Nothing 7. Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose 8. Against the Grain There Gose The Neighborhood 9. Marz Ruby’s Tears   Ryan 1. Ritterguts Gose 2. DESTIHL Here Gose Nothing 3. Westbrook Gose 4. Westbrook Gozu 5. Leipziger Gose 6. Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose 7. Against the Grain There Gose The Neighborhood 8. Freigeist Geisterzug Gose 9. Marz Ruby’s Tears  

We sure drink a lot of Chicago’s own Transient Artisan Ales, and now that some of his beers are being distributed for non-reserve society members, it’s a fine occasion to drink some more! We review five of Chris Betts’ beers of varying styles, and we don’t pull any punches. Well, we don’t have to. This beer is damn good. Expect talk of a new slogan, cherry soda, progressive tingles, and The Power of Almost. Our bindles are bulging full of fun! Craig 1. Presque (Red Wine) 2. Pentameter 3. Henry 4. Presque (Apple Brandy) 5. Cuvier   Ryan 1. Presque (Red Wine) 2. Pentameter 3. Cuvier 4. Henry 5. Presque (Apple Brandy)  

14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} With an award nomination under our belts and a pocket full of new money, we skip the lines and haul in some barrel-aged Chicago-area brews. We review five beers and, occasionally, get distracted! Ryan checks out Exit Strategy in Forest Park, Craig struggles with wax, and Josh Deth does a...uh, nevermind. There’s Tinley Park stories, more FOBAB memories, yogurty cabs, street toughs, Waka Flocculation, and bad Untappd reviewer habits. The struggle is real! 14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Ryan 1. Temperance Beer Co. Manhattan Might Meets Right 2. Middle Brow Beer Co. Who’s That Girl? 3. Imperial Oak Brewing Barrel Aged I Must Break You\ 4. Penrose Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Spectral 5. Hailstorm Brewing Vlad the Second Craig 1. Temperance Beer Co. Manhattan Might Meets Right 2. Middle Brow Beer Co. Who’s That Girl? 3. Imperial Oak Brewing Barrel Aged I Must Break You\   4. Hailstorm Brewing Vlad the Second 5. Penrose Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Spectral

For too long we’ve neglected beers from the Eastern seaboard, so we’re dedicating this episode to The Bay State. We sample beers from three Massachusetts breweries, and everything is coming up great (like the mid-aughts Toronto music scene, according to Craig). We pitch a few beer concepts and a show idea for the real “Uppers and Downers,” then Craig shares about how German bratwurst changed his life. Oh the burning!   Craig 1. Tree House Brewing Haze (DIPA) 2. Trillium Brewing Night and Day (Imperial Stout with cold brewed coffee) 3. Tree House Brewing Lights Out (APA) 4. Night Shift Brewing Cape Codder Weisse (Berliner Weisse with cranberries and orange zest) 5. Trillium Brewing Vicinity (DIPA) 6. Night Shift Brewing Mainer Weisse (Berliner Weisse with blueberries and cinnamon sticks)   Ryan 1. Tree House Brewing Haze (DIPA) 2. Trillium Brewing Night and Day (Imperial Stout with cold brewed coffee) 3. Tree House Brewing Lights Out (APA) 4. Trillium Brewing Vicinity (DIPA) 5. Night Shift Brewing Mainer Weisse (Berliner Weisse with blueberries and cinnamon sticks) 6. Night Shift Brewing Cape Codder Weisse (Berliner Weisse with cranberries and orange zest)

Chocolate is the subject of Middle Brow Beer Co.’s latest homebrew contest, and for some reason, they let us help pick a winner. We’re joined by Nick and Bryan from Middle Brow, and we taste and talk about five of the best beers out of the 23 submitted by local homebrewers. While deciding on which beer will be commercially brewed, we talk oak spirals, MTV, vanilla beans, Beechwood-aging, wax, post-contest success stories, and This Year’s Prop. Plus, the Middle Brow guys share some details on some upcoming releases with Dark Matter, Jimmy Whispers, and much more. Oh, and lots of nut jokes.   Homebrews sampled include:   Pecan Brown Ale with cocoa nibs Chocolate Rye Saison Chocolate Hazelnut Porter Imperial Oatmeal Stout with coffee, hazelnuts, and vanilla bean Imperial Oatmeal Stout with cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao nibs, aged on bourbon oak spirals

It’s Mardi Gras time, and we’re tasting a carnival of Voodoo Brewery beers. We review six (plus one) beers from the Meadville, Pennsylvania brewery, and we end up having one of our best drinking experiences ever recorded. In this episode, you’ll also hear about Craig’s trip to Voodoo, why Ryan might be leaving the podcast, and our virulent support of the Anti-Waxer movement. Plus, a trio of barrel-aged beers brings about some of the more memorable - and lascivious - reactions we’ve had in a while. For us, every day is Fat Tuesday!   Mutual Rankings! 1. Pappy Van Winkle Black Magick 2. Buffalo Trace Black Magick 3. Laird’s Apple Brandy Black Magick 4. Voodoo Love Child 5. Big Black Voodoo Daddy 6. Wynona’s Big Brown Ale

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000006128 StartFragment:0000002472 EndFragment:0000006092 To celebrate the birth of his daughter, Ryan got to assemble his show his way, and he did a hell of a job. Six local beers are reviewed, and all are pretty great. Both men drink for the first time in a while, so expect to hear the following: Ryan shares his love for Waka Flocka Flame’s cough drop commercials; Craig forgets about oatmeal and words in general; BCBS is Kanye, and we realize that we are jumping the shark. Also, Ryan learns how to curse again after a few weeks off, and Craig shares a story about how he was rejected by a rising star brewer. Sadly, no Derk Lerd.     Craig   1. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2009)   2. (tie) Pipeworks Crimson Snapper and Arcade Winter Slayer   4. Off Color Dino S’mores   5. Une Année/DryHop The Devil’s Reign   6. 18th Street Rise of the Phoenix     Ryan   1. Pipeworks Crimson Snapper   2. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2009)   3. 18th Street Rise of the Phoenix   4. Off Color Dino S’mores   5. Arcade Winter Slayer   6. Une Année/DryHop The Devil’s Reign  

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000006555 StartFragment:0000002472 EndFragment:0000006519 We finally release this much-ballyhooed old episode, and it’s one for the books. Back in the Spring of 2014, we drank seven Dark Horse special release beers, and things did not go well. Sometimes the expectations we have for certain episodes do not match the outcome. And in this one, what starts as steadily-growing disappointment ends in a profane crescendo of anger-filled rankings. We do have a hell of a time along the way, and Ryan finally stumps Craig in a game: “Real Dark Horse Beer Name or Something I Just Made Up.” Bask in our suffering!     Craig   1. Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th (2013)   2. Sarsparilla 666 Bourbon Barrel Root Beer Stout   3. Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th (2012)   4. Brandy Barrel-Aged 4 Elf   5. Louie’s Long Polymer John Donut Ale   6. Beer is Dark XIII Anniversary Ale   7. Bourbon Barrel 3 Pairs of Legs     Ryan   1. Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th (2013)   2. Louie’s Long Polymer John Donut Ale   3. Bourbon Barrel Plead the 5th (2012)   4. Sarsparilla 666 Bourbon Barrel Root Beer Stout   5. Brandy Barrel-Aged 4 Elf   7. (tie) Bourbon Barrel 3 Pairs of Legs/Beer is Dark XIII Anniversary Ale  

It’s no secret that we love Missouri breweries, and we’re delighted to try four beers from 2nd Shift Brewing. In this short show we manage to cram in our usual beer reviews, a thorough discussion of yellow candy, a few songs from Craig, and a sneaking suspicion that we have been drugged. This one ends with a tingle!   Ryan 1. Liquid Spiritual Delight 2. Art of Neurosis 3. Albino Pygmy Puma 4. Mullineaux   Craig 1. Liquid Spiritual Delight 2. Art of Neurosis 3. Mullineaux 4. Albino Pygmy Puma

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000005622 StartFragment:0000002470 EndFragment:0000005586 We’re clearing out Craig’s cellar on this episode by drinking the first five beers Revolution Brewing released under their Deep Wood series. We learn valuable lessons about aging barrel-aged beers, distinguishing dark fruits, and drinking five high-ABV beers before attempting to make sense of rankings. Craig pulls back the curtain on some of our recording secrets, and Ryan does stuff with prunes. This episode is not for suckers, fools, or ho-hum emcees.     Ryan   1. Very Mad Cow (2012)   2. 3rd Year Beer   3. Straight Jacket (2012)   4. Bean Gene (2013)   5. Mean Gene (2013)     Craig   1. Very Mad Cow (2012)   2. Straight Jacket (2012)   3. Bean Gene (2013)   4. 3rd Year Beer 5. Mean Gene (2013)

Normal 0 0 1 125 718 5 1 881 11.1539 0 0 0 Now that we’re a year old, we can finally drink like grown-ups, while still behaving like children. So we attempt to class up the joint by drinking six fancy beers from Cantillon and inviting Ken Getty to join us. Listen in as Craig handles some actual research while trying not to fumble his lambic basket (literally and figuratively). Ken explains why Cantillon’s brewing methods are so hard to reproduce, and why these fruited lambics are so important to drink fresh. Ryan mostly gets heartburn. Oh, and you might not want to listen if the term “Fou’ Foune” offends you. Happy birthday to us! Ryan 1.   Fou’ Foune 2.   Lou Pepe Kriek 3.   Iris 4.   Lou Pepe Framboise 5.   Lou Pepe Gueuze 6.   Cuvée St-Gilloise Craig 1.   Fou’ Foune 2.   Lou Pepe Gueuze 3.   Lou Pepe Kriek 4.   Cuvée St-Gilloise 5.   Iris 6.   Lou Pepe Framboise Ken 1.   Fou’ Foune 2.   Lou Pepe Gueuze 3.   Iris 4.   Cuvée St-Gilloise 5.   Lou Pepe Kriek 6.   Lou Pepe Framboise  

For this milestone episode, we revisit the inimitable Hill Farmstead by drinking and reviewing seven more beers. We reminisce on some of our favorite beers and episodes from the first 49 and reach an unprecedented level of, uh, professionalism by the end of the show. The beer is as good as the content is ribald. Here’s to another 50 episodes of craft beer irreverence!   Ryan 1. Arthur 2. Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged) 3. Damon (Port Barrel Aged) 4. Beyond Good and Evil 5. Vera Mae 6. Jimmy 7. Everett   Craig 1. Arthur 2. Damon (Bourbon Barrel Aged) 3. Beyond Good and Evil 4. Vera Mae 5. Damon (Port Barrel Aged) 6. Jimmy 7. Everett

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Winter is awful, and usually, so are winter seasonal beers. So we’re surprised to have some great ones on this episode with a few standout locals. We share our New Year’s resolutions and then take a lot of strange diversions along the way. There’s also an announcement of an exciting home brew contest with Middle Brow. Then, Ryan eschews traditional “research” by “making stuff up” and Craig admits he doesn’t know smells from flavors. Grab a beer, turn us on, and join us on our polar bear rug by the fire. (Clothing optional.)   Ryan 1. Upland Bourbon Barrel Warmer 2. Anchor Winter Wheat 3. Middle Brow A Hundred Miles Off    4. Slapshot White IPA 5. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice 6. Bell’s Winter White Ale   Craig 1. Slapshot White IPA 2. Anchor Winter Wheat 3. Upland Bourbon Barrel Warmer 4. Middle Brow A Hundred Miles Ooff 5. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice 6. Bell’s Winter White Ale

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} As a gift to you, we brought back almost all of our guests from the first year for a holiday party recording. But since Ryan was absent, Craig took his one mic and brought people together to review some beers. In this episode, we sit down to share some of the audio from the party while tasting some new local stouts. There will be beer reviews and drunken talk of broken Prius locks, slash fiction, Kermit impressions, and Craig’s hatred of nature. The guest list includes Chris Betts (Transient Artisan Ales), Nick Burica (Middle Brow Beer Co.), Marie Cummins (Down the Hatch), David Sullivan (Supple Knuckles Massage Parlor), Matt LaFleur (LaFleur Illustration), Dennis Lee (ThePizzle), Kim Leshinski (Hail to the Ale), and Ken Getty (CHAOS Brew Club).   Beers Had By Craig and Ryan:   Une Annee Feats of ******** Half Acre Big Hugs (2014)   Holiday Party Beers:   Transient Whiskey Barrel Presque Mystic Chardonnary Barrel Fermented Saison de Garde Cran Bu de Garde Kiwi Bu St. Bernardus Christmas Ale Pipeworks Santa Vs. Unicorn Oxbow Synthesis Slapshot McLaughlin’s Red Eye Coffee Porter Transient Sporadic #2 (Wine)

Normal 0 0 1 94 537 4 1 659 11.1539 0 0 0 We unbox five Firestone Walker anniversary ales and try to dissect these complex barrel-aged beer blends through our arbitrary reviews. We also experiment with our own beer blends and feel the effects of these potent potables before we even hit our third pour. Thus, at some point, we make it our mission to raise awareness of...something I’d rather not type (or Google image search). Prick up your ears! Beer Rankings (with personal blend percentages) Ryan 5. XVI (10%) 4. XVII (15%) 3. 14 (20%) 2. XV (20%) 1. XVIII (35%) Craig 5. XVI (5%) 4. XVII (15%) 3. XV (20%) 2. 14 (25%) 1. XVIII (35%)  

In this episode, we discuss the fine art of craft beer labels with artist and homebrewer Matt LaFleur. We each bring a few beers to taste based on their label art, and Matt shares the stories behind the labels he has created for Arcade, Transient, and Middle Brow. We hit other topics like marketing, the overlap of art and craft beer, and homebrewing as an excuse to make beer labels.  Our tastes in artwork and beer vary wildly, but by the end Craig gets mad about art and announces that he’s a lumbersexual. Just like always.   (Beer Rankings) Craig 6. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest 5. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings 4. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction 3. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn 2. Off Color Le Predateur 1. Transient Wayward   Ryan 6. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings 5. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn 4. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest 3. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction 2. Off Color Le Predateur 1. Transient Wayward   Matt 6. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest 5. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction 4. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings 3. Off Color Le Predateur 2. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn 1. Transient Wayward

Normal 0 0 1 138 791 6 1 971 11.1539 0 0 0 It’s been a long, stupid week in craft beer thanks to Bourbon County madness, so we wanted to find some substitutes to feed those cravings on a budget and a whim. We review five bourbon barrel-aged beers that are pretty easy to find. It mostly doesn’t work out well. We talk about other barrel-aged beers that regularly inhabit shelves and whether or not length of aging makes a difference. Then the belligerence begins and we use bizarre aroma descriptors, discuss “Battletoads” erotica, and recklessly bash a few breweries in the process. There’s no substitute for our hilarity! Sorry. Ryan 1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S. 2. New Holland Dragon’s Milk 3. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013 4. Central Waters Headless Heron 5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout Craig 1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S. 2. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013 3. New Holland Dragon’s Milk 4. Central Waters Headless Heron 5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout

Episode 44 - Bourbon County 2014   With another Black Friday approaching, we sat down to sample most of this year’s Bourbon County lineup, and things get soulful. If you’re looking for divisive opinions or a contrarian stance on the corporate-owned hype machine that is Bourbon County, then you’ll be disappointed. These beers are delicious. And Goose Island gave them to us for free. We share tales of Black Fridays past, and we divert briefly to talk barrel-aging temperatures, autobiographies, the Sad Reality of Baudoinia Fudgy, and Craig’s ideas on how to improve the BCBS label. There’s also five minutes of Brett Porter talking about this year’s Bourbon County Coffee variant, since Goose Island forgot to send us that beer. If loving Bourbon County is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right.   Craig 1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County 2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye 3. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine 4. Bourbon County Brand Stout   Ryan 1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County 2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye 3. Bourbon County Brand Stout 4. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

On the day after FoBAB, we muster up the strength to recap our night of sampling barrel-aged beers at one of the country’s premier beer events. We also load up on electrolytes and review some common hangover remedies. We’ll share some of the positives and negatives about the new venue and discuss our favorite beers of the night, including beers from Off Color, Temperance, Upland, Fremont, Goose Island, and more. Not only do you get to relive our FoBAB, but you’ll hear Ryan’s virgin coconut water experience, Craig’s surprising enthusiasm for Pedialyte, and the flavor nightmare that is V8 Original. Doctor, ain’t there nothing I can take?   Craig 1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit 2. Gatorade Lemon Lime 3. Nice! Spring Water 4. Vita Coco Coconut Water 5. V8 Original   Ryan 1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit 2. Nice! Spring Water 3. Gatorade Lemon Lime 4. Vita Coco Coconut Water 5. V8 Original    

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000007416 StartFragment:0000002693 EndFragment:0000007380 Pipeworks has rolled out more barrel-aged beers, and we invite general public nuisance Dennis Lee to drink them with us. In addition to reviewing the beers, we let Dennis talk about his blog, depression food, black truffles, and the term “foodie.” There’s also a cogent discussion of how experimentation could be impacting Pipeworks brand loyalty and the general overvaluation of barrel-aged beers. Then Dennis sings as Korean Lorde after sous-viding us a poached egg. This is real life.     Craig   1. As You Wish   2. Murderous   3. Over the Line   4. The Coqui   5. The Delicatessen     Ryan   1. Murderous   2. As You Wish   3. The Coqui   4. Over the Line   5. The Delicatessen     Dannis Ree   1. As You Wish   2. Murderous   3. Over the Line   4. The Coqui   5. The Delicatessen  

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000006666 StartFragment:0000002470 EndFragment:0000006630 This compilation of appreciation for Russian River’s wild, sour, and funky “-tion” beers ends in much exultation. We drink eight different beers, many aged in wine barrels, and experience much elation, with some acidification. We share some listener feedback, Ryan gives tips for vegetarian craft beer drinkers, and Craig plays a few rounds of “Name That Russian!™” What a country!     Craig   1. Beatification   2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)   3. Sanctification   4. Supplication   5. Consecration   6. Temptation   7. Damnation   8. Redemption     Ryan   1. Beatification   2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)   3. Consecration   4. Sanctification   5. Supplication   6. Temptation   7. Damnation   8. Redemption  

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000004852 StartFragment:0000002471 EndFragment:0000004816 The brewers at the Goose Island Clybourn brewpub embrace experimentation, and they take on their riskiest one yet when they invite Ryan and Craig into the brewhouse to record. Brewmaster Nick Barron and brewers Jacob Sembrano and Jon Naghski share five of their incredible one-off beers and the inspiration, experimentation, and technique that went into each of them. They’ll also discuss their farmer’s market series, upcoming releases and FOBAB goodies, the world’s most obscure Simpsons reference (seriously), and what it’s like to make bourbon barrel-aged beers in the location where it all began. Pull up a stool, and remember to tip your bartender.     Beers Enjoyed and Discussed:     Pineapple Brettanomite   Gorman’s Biere de Garde   Vainglorious   Cran Bruin   Grimm Vicar  

Founders Brewing Company has been influencing the way Midwesterners drink for almost two decades, so we show our appreciation by drinking their beers to excess. We review eight diverse 12-ounce offerings from the Grand Rapids brewery, only pausing briefly to play a little Founding Fathers trivia. Well, actually, the beers are so good that we get obscenely inebriated and talk about Craig’s DJ name, fond Breakfast Stout memories, getting Hop Fades™ for FoBAB, and who’d win in a fight between us. It’s that kind of show, folks!   Ryan 1. Backwoods Bastard 2. Breakfast Stout 3. Imperial Stout 4. Mosaic Promise 5. Dark Penance 6. Devil Dancer (2012) 7. KBS 8. Harvest Ale   Craig 1. Breakfast Stout 2. Dark Penance 3. Imperial Stout 4. KBS 5. Backwoods Bastard 6. Devil Dancer (2012) 7. Mosaic Promise 8. Harvest Ale

We have five beers new to bottles from Chicago-area breweries and find that you don’t need a lot of experience to impress us. Five unique styles are up for our review, and we unsurprisingly get hammered in the process. There’s a few GABF remnants, Ryan consults his Urban Dictionary, and Craig talks about Mega Man for a while. Trust us - you won’t even need to use a continue.   Ryan 1. Middle Brow Robyn 2. Cahoots Brewing Barrel-Aged AmEn 3. 51st Ward The Krispy Karl 4. Arcade Brewing Mega Milk Stout 5. Forbidden Root Sublime Ginger   Craig 1. Middle Brow Robyn 2. Arcade Brewing Mega Milk Stout 3. Forbidden Root Sublime Ginger 4. Cahoots Brewing Barrel-Aged AmEn 5. 51st Ward The Krispy Karl

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} After three straight days of drinking at the Great American Beer Festival, we open a few beers in the hotel and play back a bunch of interviews with brewers that all won gold medals (in our hearts.) You’ll hear interviews with brewers from Yazoo, Wicked Weed, Comrade, Almanac, Transient, River Dog, The Rare Barrel, and Melvin. There’s also a brief appearance by a well-lubricated Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head. We sift through our memory of the hundreds of beers we tried and deliver our top experiences, but we cover many other aspects of the fest as well. Craig recaps his What The Funk?!? experience, and Ryan makes fun of our terrible drunken interview questions. Wu! Tang! Wu! Tang!   Beers enjoyed on this episode:   Crooked Stave Mama Bear’s Sour Cherry Pie Casey Brewing and Blending Saison First Blend Avery Rufus Corvus

We try to have the most sincere show in hopes of a visit from The Great Pumpkin Beer, as we try 8 of them. Kim Leshinski of Hail to the Ale and Chicago Beer Gals is our guest. As a BJCP Judge and a homebrewer, she carves up some serious knowledge on the intricacies of the style and drops in a candle on what Chicago breweries have to offer. Kim also talks about her many beer-centric endeavors including her experience working on the branding for Alarmist Brewing and what it was like to collaborate on a shark-themed saison with Lake Effect. We also learn that Craig got kicked out of an all-female craft beer event. Good grief.     Craig   1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale   2. Ten Ninety De Ogen   3. Southern Tier Pumking   4. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale   5. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin   6. Cigar City Good Gourd   7. Slapshot Gourd Damn   8. Dogfish Head Punkin     Kim   1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale   2. Ten Ninety De Ogen   3. Southern Tier Pumking   4. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin   5. Dogfish Head Punkin   6. Slapshot Gourd Damn   7. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale   8. Cigar City Good Gourd     Ryan   1. Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale   2. Southern Tier Pumking   3. Ten Ninety De Ogen   4. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin   5. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale   6. Cigar City Good Gourd   7. Slapshot Gourd Damn 8. Dogfish Head Punkin

Episode 36 - Chicago After Dark   Turn the lights down low, because we’re drinking six dark Chicago beers of varying styles. We attempt to eloquently marvel at dark malts and their multiple applications, but then we play another filthy round of Beers Against Humanity. Aside from our usual reviews, topics include cat huffing, actresses named Emma, Robot Dong, proper cookie pairings, awkward sexy talk, and Randy Mosher. And we’ll be very pleasantly surprised by a few beers. (This episode is rated NC-17 for audio nipple.)   Ryan 1. Goose Island Night Stalker (2012) 2. Ale Syndicate Omega Midnight 3. Only Child Night Terrors 4. 5 Rabbit 5 Vulture 5. Metropolitan Arc Welder 6, Off Color Scurry   Craig 1. 5 Rabbit 5 Vulture 2. Goose Island Night Stalker (2012) 3. Ale Syndicate Omega Midnight 4. Only Child Night Terrors 5. Off Color Scurry 6. Metropolitan Arc Welder  

    Perennial Artisan Ales’ Abraxas is Craig’s favorite beer, so we drink it four times. Actually, we have a mini-vertical and experience two variants - one far superior to the other. Our third different guest named Chris joins us to drink our beer and chat about 80’s “extreme sports” movies and Santana. We also pair the amazing beers with some Bee’s Knees Mexican Hot Chocolate Almonds, Ryan’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch cookies, and some Spicy Man Jam. And yes, we get a little emotional over Barrel-Aged Abraxas. Sexual chocolate!     Ryan & Craig     1. Barrel-Aged Abraxas   2. Abraxas (2012)   3. Abraxas (2013)   4. Coffee Abraxas (2013)     Chris     1. Barrel-Aged Abraxas   2. Abraxas (2013)   3. Abraxas (2012)   4. Coffee Abraxas (2013)      

Episode 34 - The Hoppening   This week, we resist the bacteria-born urge to kill ourselves by downing six random hoppy beers!  We’ll regale you with stories of our trip to Decorah, Iowa, and then get off topic a lot as the beer tastes better and better. Then we spend half of the time insulting each other, and Ryan explains to Craig why M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” is so bad that it deserves tribute. Prepare for the TWISTTTTTTT.   Ryan 1. Toppling Goliath - Sosus 2. New Glarus - Scream IIPA 3. Toppling Goliath - King Sue 4. Bells - Mars: The Bringer of War 5. Bells - The Oracle 6. Modern Times - Fortunate Islands   Craig 1. Topplng Goliath - King Sue 2. Bells - Mars: The Bringer of War 3. Toppling Goliath - Sosus 4. New Glarus - Scream IIPA 5. Modern Times - Fortunate Islands 6. Bells - The Oracle

14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse episode! We review five local takes on the style and try some with traditional raspberry and woodruff syrups. We start with a table-setting traditional Berliner Weisse and end with Ryan putting crushed-up Skittles in his beer. And there's the long-awaited meeting of Upton Sinclair and Nicki Minaj. For such a low-ABV show, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of spilling, squirting, and sexual dampness. Wait, come back!   Craig 1. DryHop Brewers - The World Needs Fewer DJs 2. Transient Artisan Ales - Blueberry Peach Maigre 3. Three Floyds - Deesko! 4. Marz Community Brewing - Bubbly Creek 5. Off Color - Fierce   Ryan 1. DryHop Brewers - The World Needs Fewer DJs 2. Three Floyds - Deesko! 3. Transient Artisan Ales - Blueberry Peach Maigre 4. Off Color - Fierce 5. Marz Community Brewing - Bubbly Creek

Normal 0 0 1 130 744 6 1 913 11.1539 0 0 0 Horse Thief Hollow is a South Side neighborhood brewpub that is churning out quality brews and delectable food, and we were invited to sample a whole lot of it. Head brewer Dave Williams and owner Neil Byers share a mic and their craft with us. Neil discusses some of the thoughtful choices made in distinguishing the business from the many nearby Irish pubs and how they manage to keep up with the considerable demand they’ve created. Dave educates us on yeast pitching, aging on oak spirals versus barrels, contracting hops and much more. They also stuff us full of delicious food and share the last bottle of their World Beer Cup Silver Medal-winning sweet potato beer. A post-episode nap is highly recommended. Craig 1. Cheval Deux (2013) 2. Annexation (w/ Galaxy hops) 3. 6410 4. 773 5. The Caretaker Ryan 1. Cheval Deux (2013) 2. Annexation (w/ Galaxy hops) 3. 6410 4. The Caretaker 5. 773

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Brewer Chris Betts brings some of his Transient Artisan Ales for us to sample, and we couldn’t be happier. Humble and soft-spoken, Chris is one of the only brewers in Chicago focused on handcrafted barrel-aged sours, and the buzz that has followed is rightfully earned. We’ll learn about Chris’ history at Witch’s Hat and One Trick Pony, his “barrel library”, how he manages wild yeasts and bacteria in his beers, and why staying small can be a good thing. There’s also pertinent news on the Reserve Society and what we can expect to drink from Transient in the near future. And there’s a puppy. So freakin’ cute.   Craig 1. Oud Bruin (Wild Turkey barrel) 2. Obelus Galaxy (Red wine barrel) 3. Salarium 4. Obelus Galaxy   Ryan 1. Obelus Galaxy (Red wine barrel) 2. Oud Bruin (Wild Turkey barrel) 3. Salarium 4. Obelus Galaxy

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Craig spent a long, drunken weekend at the Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin, and he brought a microphone. So we’ve assembled a “Low ABV” show around a few clips from his experience, and we open two incredible New Glarus beers while wading through the alcohol-induced fog of Craig’s memory. Here’s what you’ll hear: - Dan Caray from New Glarus discusses the Wild Peach release and a few upcoming (including the slightly-delayed Gueuze). - Mike Saboe from Toppling Goliath shares barrel information on their 2014 Assassin and some exciting details regarding the upcoming batch of Kentucky Brunch. - Where did Captain Adam Vavrick steer his ship? He’ll tell you. - Michael Kiser from Good Beer Hunting talks long Polish last names and his personal drinking highlights, while Craig screams at him. - Craig and some drunk fans talk favorite beers and get weird.  ...and all at a sessionable 46 minutes! Beers reviewed: 1. New Glarus R&D Wild Peach 2. New Glarus Oud Bruin

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} CHAOS reigns as we open five “Rustic Ales” from Sante Adairius in Capitola, California. We enlist the help of Ken Getty, president of the CHAOS Brew Club, and he drops knowledge bombs all over us about brewing techniques and why CHAOS is doing truly unique things for homebrewers. But we also talk about the Beer Futurists movement, invent Cosmic Beer Pong™, drink Ken’s incredible Kiwi Strawberry Berliner homebrew, and endure a Dennis cameo. Did we just become best friends? Yup.

14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} For this show, we’re at Beermiscuous in Lakeview, and we “drink around” with owner Paul Leamon to review some great tap offerings and learn about his unique beer café concept. Paul gives us a thorough background on the business, from finding inspiration internationally to overcoming licensing headaches and finding the perfect location. We’ll learn about why proper glassware matters, the ordering habits of customers, and the many weekly events happening at Beermiscuous. We are also visited by head “beerista” Austin Bainard, and he talks about how his background in the Chicago craft beer industry helped fill the tap lines with so many delicious, local brews. Which we drink a lot of on this episode. Never has our drunkenness been so public.

14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} To celebrate St. Louis Craft Beer Week, we review six Missouri beers that aren’t distributed to Illinois. And they’re all mighty fine beers, we concur, but one totally blows us away. We try really hard to make Missouri our sister state, infusing this episode with tons of Missouri trivia and a MO-themed “Who said it?” game. There’s also Ryan’s Missouri Literary All-Stars batting lineup and lots of Michael McDonald. Yah Mo B there!

14.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} It’s Iowa or bust on this one, and we have the help of Marie Cummins to drink several Toppling Goliath brews. Once again, Marie brings the spot-on food pairings and superior research, we ruminate on how TG would fit in to the Chicago market if they ever expanded distribution, and Craig tortures us with some Biblical character/celebrity trivia. We also discuss the Templeton Rye, X-Men, Beyonce, and the depressing reality of a diabetic Cookie Monster. Yeah. Go Hawkeyes.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Brewmaster Brett Porter sits down with us at the Goose Island Brewery to drink beer and discuss a variety of subjects, focusing on the exciting things happening at his rapidly expanding brewery. He talks about this year’s Pitchfork beer, why Madame Rose is the best wine barrel beer they’ve done, and the secrets behind why BCBS is so good and why this year’s variants will be even better. We’ll also talk about Lagunitas, Bob Mould, the genealogy of mulberries, FOBAB, the pastoral beauty of Idaho, meeting Killer Mike and El-P, the maybe returns of Baudoinia and BCBS Rare, AB-InBev’s impressive stable of endless resources at his disposal, and Craig’s suggestion of finally doing that Pear BCBS. And that’s just barely scratching the surface. Expect to learn a lot from this one, folks.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} We’ve picked five different fruited beers from local breweries for this one, and then we went and tossed a bunch of fresh fruit in the beers just because we can. It doesn’t always work out. Craig shares a little BCBS news he got from Brett Porter, Ryan gives a bonus review of Coors’ Summer Brew, and we recap our experiences getting a tour of Une Année’s brewery and checking out Beermiscuous before its opening weekend. Juicy!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Cory King wasn’t satisfied with just brewing amazing beers at one brewery, so he opened another one. We craft an audio love letter (with moderate profanity) to five of his barrel-aged saisons and wild ales. To no one’s surprise, it’s one of the best tasting episodes we’ve done. David Sullivan joins us and vies for title of “best guest ever.” We discuss the best musical side projects, make Cantillon comparisons, expose the secrets of Craig’s successful kissing booth empire, compare a beer to the TV show “Sports Night” and make some tough decisions about our favorite member of the St. Lunatics. Bridges are burned!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Like everyone else, we love hoppy beers, especially when fresh and local! We have five young pales from area breweries while playing our newest game, Hop Bingo. (Play along at home by downloading the card from our website!) Craig talks about his CHAOS Homebrew event experience, Ryan tries to make “Chic-hop-go” happen (It’s not going to happen!), and we both talk comic book/beer pairings. We are floating in the most peculiar way.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The current demand for “session” IPAs is high, and breweries are practically tripping over themselves to release their version of the hoppy longdrinker. We make our way through nine beers under the 5% ABV cap from nine different breweries, tasting each blindly - without the benefit of knowing the brewery of origin. There are many surprise reveals and revelations, our most interesting smell descriptors yet, and a rousing edition of Ryan’s new favorite game, “Jam Band or Flim Flam?” Also, Craig would like to remind you that we’re not cicerones. No kidding.