Back in July, we were lucky enough to spend a little time with Kyle Vetter at his 1840 Brewing in Milwaukee (which you can hear on our Brew City episode), and since then we’ve been dreaming about getting five bottles to the bunker for review. Craig’s recent travels bring us a wide variety of styles from this two year-old brewery, and at least one of these beers will be written into the ABV Hall of Fame for eternity. The whole lineup offers an array of big flavors, and we are already planning our return to Milwaukee. Also, Craig ponders a sympathetic Godzilla, Ryan’s been working on some disturbing fanfiction, and we almost get the podcast taken away from us. Ponder your pastry. Beers Reviewed Kascade Kid (Unfiltered lager w/ Hull Melon hops)Rouge (Spelt and wheat saison dry-hopped with Barbe Rouge) Hype Moves (Sour vegan gluten-reduced milkshake IPA double dry-hopped w/ Sabro, super-fruited w/ mango & pineapple, and conditioned on vanilla beans and toasted coconut) Sea Foam (Fruited sour w/ pineapple, passion fruit, blue spirulina, and lactose) Bere Cioccolato (Imperial stout w/ cacao nibs, coffee, hazelnuts, and lactose aged in grape brandy and two-fill whiskey barrels)

Villa Park’s More made a big splash from the moment they opened their doors in 2017, due to their hiring of a rising star brewer and their embrace of big flavor beers. Much has changed in a few short years, with a different (yet equally talented) head brewer at the helm, a gigantic new facility opening in Huntley at the end of the month, and...those lagers. Thanks to Aaron Keefner, we were gifted an assortment of More beers, and we review five varied styles in our usual arbitrary way. Along with our realization that we’re becoming boring old boomers, listen for Ryan’s singing debut, Craig’s beer label nightmares, a crazy game of mocha, the upcoming sequel to Davidoff’s Cool Water, and a rogues gallery of lager characters.  Beers Reviewed More to Life (American Lager dry-hopped with Lemon Drop hops) DDH Double Space Boots (DDH DIPA w/ Citra and Galaxy) Peaches & Cream Marbles (Milkshake IPA w/ peaches, milk sugar, and vanilla) Henna: Cherry Truffle (Imperial stout w/ sweet & tart cherry, cocoa nibs, and vanilla) Dark Lager (yup)

After taking a month to recover from our Barrel-Aged December, we hop right back in the wood with five big beers from Illinois breweries. It leaves us feeling pretty spoiled to have so many great Winter barrel-aged options that don’t rhyme with Bevolution and Bruce Guyland. Craig starts things off a bit morbid, but we soon invent “smoot” and Staygurt for adults. This episode also contains notes of emotional wort, whipped leather, root beer, chocolate IPA, and Cadbury mini-eggs.  Get yourself to Beermiscuous on Saturday, February 8th for our anniversary party. Beers Reviewed Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Barrel Aged Turbulence Vanilla Bean (Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans) Temperance Beer Company - 2019 Hot Cocoa Barrel-aged Might Meets Right (Imperial stout aged in Heaven Hill barrels w/ cacao and vanilla beans) Half Acre Beer Company - Orin (Bourbon barrel-aged strong ale) Brickstone Brewery - Dark Secret: Double Barrel 2019 (Imperial stout aged 10 mo. in Buffalo Trace barrels and 10 mo. in Four Roses barrels) More Brewing Company - Barrel-aged Imperial Falling Colors: Karmic (Imperial porter aged in four bourbon barrels w/ cinnamon, cocoa nibs, and coconut)

The complex story of Goose Island extends far beyond their innovations and acquisition, because throughout their history, they’ve cultivated a truly impressive brewing team. This appropriately-numbered episode is a tribute to all the brewers who developed under Goose’s tutelage and moved on to start or brew at other impactful breweries. (Somebody should write a book about this stuff.) It’s a Goose Island show with no Goose Island beer! Craig tries to get a gritty reboot going that results in an ongoing discussion of grizzled actors, Ryan discovers the secret SRM scale, and we scream out the subtext. Come to Beermiscuous on Saturday, February 8th because we told you to! Beers Reviewed Perennial Artisan Ales - Foeder Coupage Blend 1 (Foeder-aged saison and fresh blond ale blend) Firestone Walker Brewing Company - Old Man Hattan (Barrel-aged blended strong ale) Southern Tier Brewing Company - Nitro Hot Cocoa (Imperial milk stout) Penrose Brewing Company - Spontaneous 2019: Strawberry (Blended spontaneous ale aged in oak w/ strawberries) Fremont Brewing - B-Bomb 2019 (Barrel-aged winter ale)

The start of legalized marijuana in Illinois has been a real mixed bag with massive lines and product shortages dominating the headlines. So rather than feeling empty-handed, why not head to the beer aisle for a taste of the dank? We sample six IPAs that are united under the simple idea of “heh heh, weed” to see if we can get lifted in another totally legal way. And of course, we talk just a whole bunch about 311 through trivia, personal experiences, inspired lyric readings, and the most 90’s quote we could find. We also weigh in on some recently announced reboots, Ryan apologizes to a high school friend, and we make the lazy river even lazier.  Don’t miss our 6th anniversary party at Beermiscuous on February 8th! Beers Reviewed Burnt City Brewing - Kveik Minded III: The Dankening (New England IPA) SweetWater Brewing Co. - 420 Strain G13 IPA Oskar Blues Brewery - Can-O-Bliss Citrus IPA Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Hazy Memory (New England IPA) Odd Side Ales - Dank Frank Juice (Double IPA) Revolution Brewing Co. - Legal-Hero (Double New England IPA)

It’s flavorful yet restrained. It’s refreshing and sessionable. And it’s loosely bound by any real style designation. It’s the table beer! We explore five Chicago-area takes on this non-style that seems to borrow a little magic from Belgian farmhouses before going in a variety of flavorful directions, all while staying under 5% ABV. With this light-weight lineup, we do some heavy lifting by developing two new musical concepts; Ryan works on his verbal plating; Craig doesn’t want to tip the toilet sherpa; and we have our refreshnodes massaged.  Remember to mark Saturday, February 8th in your calendar for our 6th Anniversary party at Beermiscuous! Beers reviewed Off Color Brewing - House Lion Une Année Brewery - Table Is/Was Brewing - Bourgeois Daydream Casa Humilde - Mesita Keeping Together - The Art of Holding Space

We’re quite transparent about two things on this podcast: we genuinely enjoy supporting our sole long-time sponsor, and we love getting free beer to review. So when Beer on the Wall had their 3rd Anniversary party featuring a wide array of interesting collaborations with great local breweries, they saved us five to review. We also wrap up the year in music with our top albums, open some new flavor doors, pitch some cookie hefeweizens and cake bocks, and further demonstrate why no one really wants us to collaborate on a beer.  (Also, keep the night of Saturday, February 8th open to come celebrate our 6th Anniversary at Beermiscuous!) Beers reviewed (all collaborations with Beer on the Wall) Around the Bend Beer Company - Biscoff the Wall (Cream ale w/ cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice) Pipeworks Brewing Company - TreESB (Red IPA dry-hopped w/ cedar chips) Miskatonic Brewing Company - Second Breakfast (Coffee hazy IPA) Illuminated Brew Works - The Ballad of the Peanut Butter Pony (Stout w/ peanut butter and cocoa) Mikerphone Brewing - Eat to the Beat (Imperial blond stout w/ white chocolate, cocoa nibs, and vanilla)

Following the story of middle brow has been a privilege for us, as their generosity and selflessness has been pretty well-documented during years of limited production and no actual brewery to call home. But within the last year or so, middle brow has won a gold at FoBAB, bought a few foeders, and opened their cozy brewpub “bungalow,” which recently won the designation of best pizza in the city by Chicago Magazine. And their status as a brewer of elegant and inspired wild ales - like their signature bread - is on the rise. So handsome Pete from middle brow dropped us off a box of beer (and bread!) to catch up on what our old friends have been up to, and we are objectively impressed. Also, we talk about dumb Chicago food traditions, dream up a GueuZero, conduct a Challenge Butter Cultural Butter Challenge, plead for that Chocolate IPA, and envision vengeful beer ghosts.  beers reviewed. For You (Wild lager blend) Bloom (Co-fermented wine beer hybrid brewed w/ 40% frontenac gris grape juice) Solarium (Mixed-culture solera saison) Other People (Co-fermented wine beer hybrid w/ negroamaro wine juice) Neighborhood (Farmhouse w/ locally-captured yeast and Midwestern grains)

Wherein we consume over a gallon of Bourbon County, this episode attempts to balance detailed reviews with what is basically stunt drinking. We enlist the help of Beer on the Wall’s Ryan Tracy to try all eight variations under Goose Island’s 2019 Bourbon County brand. We spend a lot of time dissecting the annually most-argued-over beer release while also planning our 311 heist, uncovering box-related conspiracies, checking to see if our wort is fully worted, and tearing away our pleather pants. Absolute. Fudgebomb. 2019 Bourbon County Beers Reviewed Bourbon County Brand Stout Bourbon County Brand Wheatwine Reserve Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout 2-Year Reserve Bourbon County Brand Stout Bourbon County Brand Mon Chéri Stout (w/ cherries, oats, granola, and brown sugar) Bourbon County Brand Café de Olla Stout (w/ Intelligentsia coffee, cassia bark, orange peel, and panela sugar) Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout (w/ toasted pecans, coconut, cocoa, and vanilla) Bourbon County Brand Double Barrel Stout

To continue Barrel-Aged December, we track down five beers that brought home medals from this year’s Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers. (We swear this isn’t a month-old FoBAB recap show.) We put on our judges’ hats and try to find the secret to what makes a beer medal-worthy at Chicago’s premier beer competition. Craig lazily tries to shoehorn Baby Yoda into the show, Ryan just wants to be recognized for his cake, and we act like a couple of drinking cockswains. Pour it on your ham! Beers Reviewed Church Street Brewing Company - Holy Moly (Barrel-aged milk stout) - Bronze in Classic Styles Hacienda Beer Co. - L’hiver (Foeder-aged Brett. saison w/ ginger, orange peel, and green cardamom) - Silver in Wild Beer/Brett Crystal Lake Brewing - Boathouse Reserve Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout - Silver in Strong Porter/Stout Pollyanna Brewing Company - Orenda Volume 02 (Belgian-style quadrupel aged in grape brandy barrels) - Silver in Other Strong Beer Cerebral Brewing - Vanilla Rye Here Be Monsters (Rye barrel-aged stout w/ vanilla beans) - Gold in Specialty Strong Porter/Stout

At some point, these guys can’t stay “underrated” or “under the radar” with the ridiculous blends and adjunct-enhanced beers from barrels they release every year. Cruz Blanca’s Luchador series may still be young in the Chicago specialty release annual tradition, but the resulting beers are outpacing their seasoned competitors in quality and accessibility. In what is likely an ill-advised move, we sit down and drink through all six of these high-ABV barrel-aged beers to review and rank them. The episode is also an extended tribute to Challenge Butter, Your Intimidating Kitchen FriendⓇ. We also get on about noseburns, flowereaters, The Simpsons arcade game strategy, and Bourbon County sharkjumping. Listen to us wrestle with sobriety! Beers Reviewed Rey Gordo (Imperial stout aged in Basil Hayden bourbon barrels) Santa Cruz (Oatwine aged in rye whiskey & red wine barrels) Tarzan Boy (Imperial stout aged in rum barrels with banana, coffee, & vanilla) Señor Incognito (Imperial stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with toasted coconut, pecans, & cinnamon) Loco Dinero (Imperial blonde ale aged in rum & rye whiskey barrels with Sparrow coffee) Lady Luminada (Imperial blonde ale aged in rum & rye whiskey barrels with chocolate, strawberry, cherry, & blackberry)

The best yearly barrel-aged release series has hit its halfway point, so we’re using that as an excuse to drink through the five newest releases in Revolution’s Deep Wood series. It takes some real nitpicking to find flaws in any of these beers, so we mostly just talk about why they are all awesome in their own way. Plus, Craig schemes to be the next Everyday Hero, Ryan reveals he’s a real PlumBum, and we order out for some CrunchWraps. We also plan out our social media wall-of-fame and wonder what it would take to convert Craig to drinking actual coffee. There’s plenty of room on our tongue futon. Beers Reviewed Deth’s Tar (Barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout) Deth By Plums (Barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout w/ plums) Café Deth (Barrel-aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout w/ coffee) Straight Jacket (Barrel-aged Barleywine) V.S.O.R. (Rye ale aged in Rye barrels) Special thanks to Revolution Brewing for providing the beers for this show!

When a beer festival with national interest comes through Chicago, beer consumers are met with a whole new array of options at their favorite bottle shops, even if only for a short time. For this episode, we take advantage of some FoBAB-influenced “hot drops” of out-of-distribution breweries ending up on local beer store shelves. Is it better for the local beer drinker than it is worse for the local beer producer? The five beers on this show certainly make our response to that complicated. Also, Ryan tries to start the new hot coffee mug phrase, Craig just wants to listen to “Fields of Gold” by Sting, and we struggle through maybe the drunkest rankings ever. Beers Reviewed Pure Project Brewing - Fingers of Gold (Murky IPA) Listermann Brewing Company - Barrel-Aged Chickow! (Hazelnut Double Brown Ale aged in Heaven Hill barrels) Beachwood Blendery - Funk Yeah (Gueuze-inspired Sour Ale) Other Half Brewing Co. - Triple Nelson Daydream (Imperial Oat Cream IPA) Jackie O’s Brewery - Bourbon Barrel Oil Of Aphrodite (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout w/ Black Walnuts and Belgian Candi Syrup)

We took last week to recover from FoBAB, so this week we dip into our short-storage vault for this episode we recorded back in May with five listener-donated beers. This beer lineup features both minor misses and absolute hits, but we’re feeling genuinely warmed by the listener love. Impending summer makes us looser than ever as we cover the positives and negatives of non-craft beer bars; we imagine Playdoh-aged beers; Ryan draws the line at Baudoinia or Bust; and Craig breaks the podcast through one simple simile. Cream those beans! Beers Reviewed Southern Grist Brewing Company - Lemon Meringue Pie Gose (Provided by Matt Milam) Ale Asylum - Bock’d & Loaded (Maibock aged in Tequila and Chardonnay barrels, provided by Gary Nidetz) Lo Rez Brewing - Apricot Knockout (Farmhouse Ale w/ apricots, provided by Sarah Rehmer) Perennial Artisan Ales - Sump Coffee Stout 2018 w/ Ethiopian Roba (Provided by Don Kasak) Ozark Beer Company - BDCS (Imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels, provided by Chris Butler)

With winter approaching, one might feel it necessary to lament the passing of lager season. But dear listener, never fret! Brewers from all over the world have got your back! On this show, we salute our schwarz as we drink seven different dark lagers, with four coming from our own backyard of Chicago. We learn a bit about the schwarzbier by soaking up the words of the experts, and we’re pleasantly surprised to find variation all throughout this lineup. Also, Ryan’s age is showing, we mourn the brief life of windbreaker season, we try not to throw away any ghosts, and we take a hard stance on beer made with human ingredients. Touch of molasses! Beers Reviewed  Metropolitan Brewing - Magnetron (Schwarzbier) Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei - Köstritzer Schwarzbier Argus Brewery - Cygnus X-1 (Dark lager) Budějovický Budvar - Czechvar/Budweiser Budvar B:Dark (Euro dark lager) Spiteful Brewing - Dark Lager Krombacher Gruppe - Krombacher Dark (Schwarzbier) Maplewood Brewing Company - The Shade (Schwarzbier)

We’re celebrating our big 300 by treating ourselves to the exquisite (and expensive) beers from one of Belgium’s longest-running gueuze producers, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. Despite the occasion, we just do it like we have for the last 300 by reviewing carefully crafted beers as sloppily as possible, only diverting to mini-tangents about Craig’s assassin dog, horse accoutrements, Goozzwords, vacation mouth, forced floors, nighttime TinglersⓇ, and Mosher’s leveled-up skill set. Thanks for listening at any point during our 300 episodes - we hope it’s been entertaining (and just a little informative).  Beers Reviewed Oude Geuze  Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston Oude Kriek Framboos (2014) Hommage

The most terrible tradition returns with our third annual gauntlet of gore as we try and outdo each other with the absolute worst-tasting beers we can find. Throw in some Zombie Skittles, and you have a profane exhibition of freakishly-bad flavors. We also try to avoid adding ounces to our Cuveé of Doom by guessing details on our brutal blind pours. We share some Halloween party conversation starters, recreate the general mood of The Deer Hunter, dine at UmamiBloodMeat, and fight against our Pavlovian smelling instincts. Malignant Beers Reacted To Mikkeller - Spontanbeetroot (Lambic-style ale w/ beets) 3 Floyds Brewing - Barrel-aged Chevalier 2013 (Barrel-aged Biere de Garde w/ brett) Stone Brewing - 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung (Double IPA from 2013) Rinkuškiai - Crazy Brewski (Imperial Pilsner) Brewery Vivant - Tart Side of the Moon (Dark Farmhouse Ale) Goose Island Clybourn - Silver Jubilee (Double Pale Ale from 2013)

In our yearly tribute to Chicago’s biggest and best beer fest, we continue our tradition of giving our recommendations for the Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beers while drinking from a distinguished lineup of attendees - but that’s not all. We introduce the FoBAB Fantasy Draft into the world, give you instructions on how to run your own league, and hold a mock draft between ourselves (before our real league draft). But we don’t forget to hurl some major superlatives at the barrel-aged beers on the show, and talk about sad dinosaur stories. (Keep your eyes peeled on our website for the next week to get more info on running your own FoBAB Fantasy Draft. And buy tickets to FoBAB, if you haven’t already.) Beers Reviewed Revolution Brewing - Strawberry Jacket (BA Barleywine w/ strawberries) Revolution Brewing - Honey Jacket (BA Barleywine w/ honey) Around the Bend Beer Co. - Proximal (BA Barleywine) Begyle Brewing - Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas (BA Imperial Oatmeal Stout) WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Medianoche Premier Vol. 1 (BA Imperial Stout blend)

It’s a joyous time in the ABV bunker as we celebrate Craig’s engagement by letting him pick a lineup of seemingly incongruous beers that are as significant as they are interesting. With a mix of cellar dives and recent finds, Craig imbues this episode with a certain personal resonance while also napalming Ryan’s esophagus. Craig shares his creative and beer-related proposal story, but we also expound upon our fat voices, weird produce, Craigaoke, misheard Beyonce lyrics, Zach Afrin, and the worst beer collaboration ever imagined. Congratulations to Craig and Liz! Beers Reviewed Hill Farmstead Brewery - Civil Disobedience #6 (Blended wine barrel-aged saison) de Garde Brewing - Imperial Apricot Bu (Berliner Weisse aged in oak w/ apricots) Triptych Brewing - And I Think My Spaceship Knows Which Way To Go (Hazy Double IPA w/ Galaxy & Ella hops) Funk Factory Geuzeria - Framquartet (Méthode Traditionnelle blend aged w/ red, purple, black, and golden raspberries) The Bruery - Black Tuesday Reserve (Double barrel-aged imperial stout)

For three whole days, we are the masters of our domain - which is the expansive festival hall in Denver, Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival. We’re double dipping on this episode as we combine interviews from the festival floor with beer reviews and a weekend recap from the comforts of our hotel room. We stop short of two hours on this one, but it’s filled with takes on our favorite beers from the fest, a recap of Illinois medal winners, and highlights from drinking around Denver all weekend. Also, hear about a few surprise breweries coming to FoBAB, a beer that was literally aged on grunge, how the guy who wrote the book on IPAs feels about the haze craze, the actual best chili in Cincinnati, what it means to win it all at Hunaphu’s Day, and which brewery makes the most Seinfeld references. It’s gold, listener! Gold! Here’s to feeling good all the time. Beers Reviewed Bierstadt Lagerhaus - Slow Pour Pils Baere Brewing Co./Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits - The Baeres And the B’s (Sour ale w/ Gewurztraminer grapes and Nelson Sauvin hops) Great Divide Brewing Company - S’mores Yeti (Imperial Stout brewed with Chocolate, Marshmallow and Spices) Interviews from GABF Matt Johnson and Jason Green of IMBĪB Custom Brews (Reno, NV) - [00:14:26 - 00:18:26] Nick Walker and Max Arndt of Ology Brewing Co. (Tallahassee, FL) - [00:21:23 - 00:25:04] Kelly Montgomery and John McGarry of Brink Brewing Co. (Cincinnati, OH) - [00:30:34 - 00:35:43] Mike Czech and Kurt of Pure Project Brewing (San Diego, CA) - [00:44:46 - 00:53:03] Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA & VIrginia Beach, VA) - [01:00:47 - 01:11:00] Andy Maben of New Sarum Brewing (Salisbury, NC) - [01:20:37 - 01:29:44] Steve Pominski of Barrage Brewing Company (Farmingdale, NY) - [01:36:18 - 01:43:51]

Already an established force in IPAs, Revolution was curiously slow to embrace the hazier varieties. Not rushing in has afforded them the ability to learn from others and perfect their approach, starting over the last year through wildly popular test batches at the brewpub. But since this summer, Revolution has jumped in head first by releasing two murky Hero varieties and collaborating with a few of the hottest local haze producers. We sample five beers that represent this new side of Rev, hoping for a new hero to come along. We also recorded this after being at a beer fest all day, so you’ll get a few diversions on odd t-shirts, a pocket full of George, 311 inspiration in the produce aisle, a new solo podcast venture, and what it’ll take to unleash Milkshake Hero. Time for a game wavy. Beers Reviewed Northeast Hero (NE IPA) Base (West Coast-style Pale Ale) - Collaboration with Hop Butcher for the World  Superstructure (Imperial Hazy IPA)  - Collaboration with Hop Butcher for the World  Reverrant (DDH NE IPA)  - Collaboration with Saint Errant Brewing Hazy Hero (NE IPA)

In this long-awaited sequel, we are filling our meters with GABF excitement as we talk about the upcoming fest while drinking some local medal winners. We sample four Chicagoland beers that have previously earned medals - and deservedly so. There’s also a lot of tips for the Great American Beer Festival for 2019, including our Illinois brewery picks, which new-to-us breweries we’re most excited about, and all the other breweries that can’t be missed. Also, we develop an emergency plan in the case of a skitching, plead for more care in pug diets, resist feeling the Mitch Steele, and seek the weirdest weird beers. #rebootALF Illinois Medal Winners Reviewed Maplewood Brewing Co. - Fat Pug (Oatmeal Milk Stout) - 2017 Bronze in Oatmeal Stout Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. - Purple Line (Wheat w/ hibiscus, blueberry, and blackberry) - 3-time medal winner  Piece Brewery & Pizzeria - It’s Your Fault Alt (Altbier) - 2017 Silver in German-style Altbier Eris Brewery and Cider House - Foiken Haze (New England-style IPA) - 2018 Bronze in Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale

The number of breweries in or around Chicago has surpassed 200 at this point, deflating the opinions of those that speculated about a major bubble bursting in the last few years. But that market density means that breweries must start strong to gain their footing with consumers. On this episode, we’re sampling five beers from five Chicagoland breweries that have opened or begun releasing beers in the last few months, and this show gives us a lot to be excited about. We also write a tubular eulogy for the 90s, anger a few breweries on the moon, beg for more cask beers, become proud brew daddies, and live out Summer Craig’s dying wish. This one’ll leave you feeling like a head human with the lungs.  Beers Reviewed Casa Humilde - Maizal (Mexican Lager) Is/Was Brewing  - Will Be (Saison w/spelt and triticale) Midwest Coast Brewing Co. - The Colonies (ESB) Black Lung Brewing Company - Mr. Willy Sub For A Day (Maltshake Hazy Double IPA) Riverlands Brewing Company - First Catch of the Day (Imperial Stout w/ coffee, maple, and vanilla)

Like hooded sweatshirts and nutmeg-dusted coffee drinks, Oktoberfests make the impending colder temperatures much more bearable. Is it beer’s most popular seasonal? Probably! We had no problem finding nine different Oktoberfest/Märzen beers, most of which were brewed right here in Chicagoland. So we put them into a big blind tasting to determine which malty lager rises to the top, and we are desperately seeking jumbo pretzels by the end. Craig has a chicken-wing experiment, Ryan is a BelVita Biscuit Boy, and we do a little urban foraging. If this episode is making you thirsty, you should check out Beer On The Wall’s TRUCKTOBERFEST on Saturday, September 14th! Tell them Craig and Ryan sent you to receive one (1) complimentary quizzical look! Beers Reviewed Blindly (in order of appearance) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (w/ Bitburger Braugruppe) - Oktoberfest Half Acre Beer Co. - Lager Town Miskatonic Brewing - Oktoberfest Werk Force Brewing Co. - Werktoberfest BuckleDown Brewing - Oktoberfest Banging Gavel Brews - Civil Code Goose Island Beer Co. - Oktoberfest Pollyanna Brewing Co. - Fruhauf Burnt City Brewing - Oktoberfest Lager

Our state show journey reaches New Hampshire, courtesy of listener and friend David Leshinski, who sent us a state sampler box with *record scratch* no hazy IPAs?!? We enjoy this welcome and scenic diversion from our usual (lactose) fare with five different beers from five different New Hampshire breweries, and we’re livin’ free. Also, Craig Pokémons his dog and relives his time at Riverdance U, Ryan has a parenting and superhero dilemma, and we aspire to live like famous treasure hunter Nicolas Cage. But back on the beer side, we get into the complicated story of Smuttynose, remember goses, yearn for more gruits, and get enthusiastic over another new sour program. And shield your Tekus, because Craig’s hitting the high notes. Beers Reviewed Schilling Beer Co. [Littleton, NH] - Hanse (Keller Pils) Liars Bench Beer Co. [North Conway, NH] - Private I (India Pale Lager) Moat Mountain Brewing Co. [North Conway, NH] - Bone Shaker Brown (English-style Brown Ale) Earth Eagle Brewings [Portsmouth, NH] - Indian Summer (Gose w/ plum) Smuttynose Brewing Co. [Hampton, NH] - Baltic Porter

The *ahem* hot new yeast on the scene for both homebrewers and professionals alike is actually an ancient and pastoral tradition, propagated by Norwegian farmers and evolved by necessity. Kveik yeast offers undeniable positives for brewers: it ferments fast and clean at unusually hot temperatures, often infusing the resulting beer with a welcome fruitiness that seems to match most styles. To learn more about Kveik, we drink five beers made with different strains of the Norwegeian yeast, and we talk with Ben and John Saller of Burnt City Brewing, hosts of Chicago’s first ever Kveik Fest. It’s refreshingly educational for our brand, as we lean on many different experts to learn about how Kveik differs from other well-known farmhouse yeasts, what brewers can do to prevent bastardizing ancient tradition, and why some Norwegians scream into their fermenters. Also, Craig shares some well-aged Great Taste of the Midwest highlights, we explore some strange fjords, and we consider the end of the Brut IPA. Check it out - we think you’ll kveik it.  Beers Reviewed Burnt City Brewing - Li’l Sparky (Meyer Lemon Grisette) Strange Days Brewing Co. - Two Fjords (Double IPA) Working Draft Beer Co. w/ Third Space Brewing and Omega Yeast - SMÖRGÅSBORD VOSS (IPA) Bold Dog Beer Co. - Covered In Fur (Peach and Kiwi Berliner Weisse) Solemn Oath Brewery w/ Adler Planetarium, Binny’s, Omega Yeast, Et Al. - Project Apollo (IPA)

Though it’s been three years since their last feature on the podcast, Triptych has remained one of our favorite downstate breweries while continuing to grow into fine purveyors of all things hazy and beyond. For this one, we sample six different beers from the Savoy-based brewery (and “Memery”) to try and make an arbitrary case for which super flavorful beer is better than the others. It’s a tough job. Also, Craig attempts to fill in some gaps in his 80s movie watching quest; we marvel at the most words ever printed on the bottom of a can; Ryan gives a waffle pep talk; Craig makes a bonkers Taco Bell analogy; and we bring the noise, bring the skunk. The end of this one gets a little sloppy. Beers Reviewed Czech, Czech, & Czech (Czech pilsner) Tarnt: Cherry Bomb (Kettle-soured ale w/ cherry juice and Saigon cinnamon) The Way Is Shut (Triple Dry-Hopped Mosaic Double IPA) A Wizard Is Never Late (Hazy DDH IPA) Once, But Never Again (Blueberry ale w/ vanilla) Imperial Hawaiian Shirt Day (Imperial IPA w/ mango and passionfruit)

In the three years since we last drank five Georgia beers on the show, there have been significant law changes allowing breweries to sell directly to consumers, resulting in another wave of craft beer growth in the Peach State. Listener Brandon Ramirez sent us a box of tasty treats for our review, and none are short on flavor. We also mark a historic event before it happens, fire up the Aquafier, gain some sympathy weight, and smell some warm hugs. Beers Reviewed Arches Brewing - Lloyd’s Light (American Light Lager) Pontoon Brewing - The Most Humble Pie (Berliner-style w/ strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, and lactose) Wild Leap Brewing/TrimTab Brewing - Coco Flamingo (Double IPA w/ tangerine, coconut, and lime) New Realm Brewing Company - Transcendental IPA (Double IPA) Monday Night Brewing - Sympathy Weight (Maple Bourbon Barrel Wee Heavy/Scotch Ale)

Milwaukee’s great reputation as the home of brewers (and The Brewers) was long built on cheap adjunct lagers. But in three years time, the Brew City has been reborn as a craft beer destination. Ryan and Craig had a torrid affair with Milwaukee’s beer scene in 24 hours, gathering beers and interviews along the way to provide a whole episode that is basically beer tourism propaganda. Listen as we welcome Andy from Third Space to hazetown, and he guides us through a speed-tasting while explaining how they sold their beer to Miller Park and won three GABF medals in two years. Kyle Vetter from 1840 shares a green beer with us while talking about his sometimes unconventional methods of achieving liquid perfection and where he sees the brewery growing in the near future. We also pop open four beers to review while reliving our experiences at Vennture, Good City, Hacienda, Lakefront, and the locally infamous Wolski’s. And you learn the totally relatable ways we manage to stay so fit, and admire Leather David. Remember - there’s more to life than lactose. Interviews Featured Andy Gehl of Third Space Brewing (00:08:58 - 00:30:03) Kyle Vetter of 1840 Brewing Company (00:37:38 - 00:58:36) Beers Reviewed Third Space Brewing - Happy Place (Midwestern pale ale) 1840 Brewing Company - Rickety Elevator (Mixed culture saison) Hacienda Beer Co. - Time Is An Illusion (New England DIPA) Good City Brewing - Lord Lyon - Rye Barrel Aged (Scotch ale)

Even though they’re not even three years old, Eagle Park Brewing Company has already acquired its third location to brew their top-tier beers to serve the Milwaukee area. We chat with co-owners Max Borgardt and Jake Schinker about their explosive growth while sipping through a taproom lineup of flavorful show-stoppers. Everything about the business’ past, present, and future is explored, from how a band of brothers practicing in their parents’ basement and brewing in their garage led to lengthy lines at their Milwaukee taproom releases - and ultimately to their $3 million new facility in their hometown of Muskego. We discuss their first speakeasy taproom, how they are scrambling to meet demand, the rapid acceleration of the Milwaukee craft beer scene, and the dream collaborations that still leave them awestruck. There’s talk of driving albums, what beers not to drink on stage during a concert, the influence (and non-influence) of Untappd reviews, and how Martha Stewart inspired a milkshake IPA.  Beers Sampled DDH Goon Juice (Hazy IPA) DDH Set List (IPA) Feet Don’t Fail Me (Milkshake IPA w/ lactose sugar, aged on plums, pineapple, and vanilla) Apricot Peach Sour (w/ apricot and peach) Booze For Breakfast: French Toast  (Imperial breakfast stout with Vermont Maple Syrup, Cascara Cinnamon, and Madagascar Vanilla) Bourbon Barrel-Aged Booze For Breakfast (Imperial breakfast stout with Vermont Maple Syrup, Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Beans)

The two great local conquests of the haze-chasers in Chicagoland for 2019, Phase Three and Hop Butcher have built a hype train of hops that has no signs of slowing down. So we do some blatant pandering to the beer geeks by having three double IPAs from each brewery in a blind tasting to finally determine...well, very little, actually. Taste is subjective, our opinions are arbitrary, and we have weird palates. It’s really just a fun experiment diving into these hazy monsters while doing just a sh*t job of guessing what they are, so enjoy the ride! Also, Craig went to an anime convention and has some predictably odd cosplay thoughts; Ryan confuses a beer with some late-night cinema; and we work out our cross-promotion with Trolls World Tour. There’s also font talk, gradient love, topical fruits, a terrible survival plan, and untrue life hacks for getting rid of Bud Light Orange.  Beers Tasted Blindly (in order of appearance) Hop Butcher for the World - Green Moss Phase Three Brewing - Energetic Mind Phase Three Brewing - Rule of Thirds Phase Three Brewing - Discipline for Passion Hop Butcher for the World - Normalize the Signal Hop Butcher for the World - The Jewels

Founded in 2017 as the first brewery in Homewood, Rabid Brewing combines mythical lore with artistic passion to bring a diverse and delicious beer menu to their taproom. We sit down with co-owners and co-founders Raiye Rosado and Tobias Cichon, along with brewer Max Sterbenc, to taste through the whole taplist while talking about how Rabid came to be and where things are headed. In the process, we learn what Rabid does to provide a unique experience for their customers while embracing art and music to make an environment welcoming to everyone. But we also go on about goatskin chaps, hop acquisition, The Feast of the Goat Queen, bathroom chalk art, 3 Floyds inspirations, beer cocktails, the Omega Yeast difference, their milkshake IPA resistance, and a long-dead beer style that should probably stay dead. And Max’s dad Joe steps in to talk about how his 35 years of homebrewing inspired some of the recipes at Rabid, and why his head is plastered all over the taproom.  Beers Sampled Shadowstepper (Chocolate milk stout) Dripping Teats (Lactose IPA)Hexed (Blackberry apricot ale) Singularity 007 (SMaSH IPA) Lycan Pils (Dry-hopped American pilsner) Battle Monk (Belgian Dubbel) Zuul (DDH Juicy IPA) Apollyon (DDH Juicy DIPA) Dwarves of Doom (Chocolate coffee imperial stout) Horus (Triple IPA)

We’re taking a liquid voyage to the great state of Tennessee for our 21st state show, thanks to listener Matt Milam. There are five beers from four breweries for us to sample, and at least one of us gets injured in the process. We learn a bit about these great breweries, even if one of us refuses to learn how to properly pronounce their names. Craig reports on his scooter experience, Ryan takes a big bite out of the BubbleTape, and we have a sour program. There’s also Corporal Nut, Steven Moist, the canning demon, Alcohol Rich, and Betty White’s eyes. Tennesseein’ is Tennebelievin’!  Beers Reviewed Alliance Brewing Company [Knoxville] - Cubano Coffee Brown (Brown ale w/ lactose, turbinado sugar, and cold brew coffee) Tailgate Brewery [Nashville] - Southeast IPA Smith & Lentz [Nashville] - German Pils Yazoo Brewing Company [Nashville] - Funk Fest 2019 (Tripel w/ brett. aged in peach brandy and vanilla bean bourbon barrels) Alliance Brewing Company - Imperial Centennial IPA

Born from a union of Funk Factory’s Levi Funk and Octopi Brewing’s Isaac Showaki, Untitled Art was launched in late 2016 to bring exciting new styles to Wisconsin before everyone was doing them. Now that everyone is doing them, how has Untitled Art grown to establish itself? Well, it certainly helps to have really cool friends. On this show, we gallery walk through five flavorful collaborations and discover we have yet another reason to drive to Wisconsin. Also, we train for our sick scooter tricks, suss out who smuggled the African hops, suffer Untappd-related brain damage, bravely draw the line at congealed beers, and birth Fardar into existence.  Art Consumed Pilsner w/ South African Hops (collaboration with TRVE Brewing Company) Terpene IPA (collaboration with American Solera) Spritzer Weisse (collaboration with J. Wakefield Brewing) Hazy IIPA (Version 5) (collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing Company) Espresso Marshmallow Stout (collaboration with Equilibrium Brewery)

Though we’d all like to pretend Hazy IPAs or pastry stouts represent the most significant trends in beer over the last decade or so, the real big money game-changer is the astronomical growth of Michelob Ultra. So how does craft (or “craft”) beer respond? We find out by drinking a lineup of low-calorie, low-carb beers that will help counter our lactose-enhanced waistlines. We pitch some fitness innovations for beer (and beyond), classify common dad problems as genres of music, master our asses, and put some pressure on our exotic fruit dealer. It’s an episode made for DOING! Beers Reviewed Anheuser-Busch - Michelob Ultra Pure Gold (American light lager) Ballast Point Brewing - Lager (American light lager) Lagunitas Brewing - DayTime IPA Deschutes Brewery - Da Shootz! (Pilsner) Boulevard Brewing - Easy Sport (Blonde ale w/ tangerine peel & sea salt) Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Slightly Mighty (Session IPA) Marathon Brewing Company [Boston Beer Co.] - 26.2 Brew (Golden ale w/ sea salt & coriander)

For decades, brewers have been harvesting the funk from brettanomyces yeast strains for a variety of purposes. Whether it’s to add some phenolic funk to a sour beer or some fruity depth to an IPA, brett has become a household name in brewing. Chicago’s Lake Effect Brewing and Omega Yeast Labs collaborated on a mixed 4-pack, titled School of Brett, by dosing a wine barrel-aged base saison with three different strains of brettanomyces to help educate about the differences between the strains. For this episode, we have Lake Effect’s founder and owner Clint Bautz along with Omega’s co-founder and co-owner Lance Shaner to talk about the collaboration and what makes these brett strains unique. We also talk a lot about what’s new with both businesses, Craig mines for some yeast puns, Ryan just had to dig up that Brett Trois story again, and we literally bathe in tropical light. Join us and learn more about brett - it’s the yeast you can do. Beers Tasted Lake Effect Brewing/Omega Yeast Labs -  “School of Brett” Base Saison Claussenii Bruxellensis Lambicus

More sustainable and definitely more rustic than your city brewery, these five beer producers also operate in conjunction with a farm, using ingredients grown on their lands for a uniquely artisanal experience. We have a range of styles from Illinois, Tennessee, and Vermont that teach us a lot about ingredients and just basic vocabulary, to be honest. Ryan subjects Craig to a game of Two Truths and a Lie: Farm Animal Edition, Craig clears up confusion about his America’s Next Top Model history, and we get real psyched about gruits. It’s a premium farm to our mouths to your ears experience. Beers Reviewed Scratch Brewing Company (Ava, IL)  - Turmeric Tonic (Gruit-style ale with turmeric and nettle) Big Thorn Farm & Brewery (Georgetown, IL) - Wood Thyme Tart (Kettle-soured gruit w/ farm-grown thyme and aged on charred hickory logs) Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro, VT) - E. (2014; Dry-hopped barrel-aged saison) Rolling Meadows Brewery (Cantrall, IL) - Coffee Break (Brown ale w/ coffee) Blackberry Farm Brewery (Maryville, TN) - Abbey Quad

For our 20th State Show, listener and friend Jim Plachy offered to round up five Oklahoma beers, and we said that’d be alright with us. And with a lineup this flavorful, we wish we would’ve done this state sooner. Fill your ears with some word jazz as we talk about movie tropes, melty faces, weird tongue stuff, Chris Elliott, and whipping jerseys at babies. Mmm, Zangy! Beers Reviewed Prairie Artisan Ales Brewpub (Tulsa) - Rockets and Dreams (Saison w/ chamomile and plums) Stonecloud Brewing Company (Oklahoma City) - Chug Norris (Mosaic pale ale) Heirloom Rustic Ales (Tulsa) - Chapel Visitor (Blended barrel-aged wild ale) American Solera (Tulsa) - BK...OK (DIPA, collaboration with Other Half) Cabin Boys Brewery (Tulsa) - The Bearded Theologian (Belgian Quad)

What’s better than hanging with your buds and sipping on some murky hop suds? We don’t know because everyone’s preferences are subjective! On this episode, we drink five hazy IPAs that happen to be collaborations between local breweries and their cool friends. We start this Sweeps Week out right with the three P’s; we try to make two half-Phase Threes into a whole; Ryan peels back the layers on the punion; Craig enters a meditative tasting state; and we fill everything up with a little zazz. Beers Reviewed Brickstone Brewery (w/ Phase Three Brewing) - Brick Phas’d (NEIPA w/ lactose) Corridor Brewery & Provisions (w/ Phase Three Brewing) - Set Phazers to Stun! (NEIPA) Pipeworks Brewing (w/ Hop Butcher for the World) - Seismic Positvity (Oat IPA) Maplewood Brewing Company (w/ Saint Errant Brewing) - Steamless in Chicago (No-boil DDH DIPA) WeldWerks Brewing (w/ Mikerphone Brewing) - Auto Tune (Hazy DIPA)

For the third straight year - and our first at Forbidden Root - we celebrated Illinois Craft Beer Week by bringing together some of the area’s best saisons and saison brewers. On this episode recorded (mostly) live at Forbidden Root, we sample a wide variety of the style with some of our best friends in beer. There’s a lot of great technical talk for saison nerds, but we also explore the Power of Oak, new shower curtain smells, an odd revelation about Minecraft, and ghost pigs. Also, Randy Mosher takes us to style school as he discusses the beauty of saison, finding synergy in unusual ingredients, and what the hell a kvass and a kuit beer are. Segments 00:07:57-00:26:48 - Mike Thorpe (Afterthought Brewing) & Jacob Sembrano (Cruz Blanca Brewery) tasting Afterthought’s Batch 100 and Cruz Blanca’s Todo Uno 00:26:53-00:40:41 - Adam Cieslak and Adam Smith (Maplewood Brewing) tasting Maplewood’s Cool August Moon and Transient’s O’tay 00:40:50-00:59:03 - Randy Mosher (Forbidden Root) tasting Forbidden Root’s Urban Farmstead II and Middle Brow’s May 4th, 2019 00:59:08-01:11:52 - Kevin Lilly (Lo Rez Brewing) and Brian Taylor (Whiner Beer Co.) tasting Lo Rez’s Voxel and Whiner’s Bumbo

The folks from Angry Chair are not shy to admit that non-locals are likely most familiar with their heavily-hyped stouts. We try and do right by this Tampa brewery by sampling a few other styles from Craig’s recent visit - but of course we didn’t forget about the stouts. We propose a more weather-appropriate spinoff brewery, Craig recaps meeting a famous dog at the taproom, and we are a little awestruck by the oddity that is the dessert Florida Weisse. We also really cram in the verbal adjuncts through a shocking discovery about Tetris, the oddest 90s “it” couple, how to Lawnmower-Man yourself with a Game Shark and a Game Genie, and a whole trivia game about celebrities featured in old video games. Beers Reviewed Vodnik (Czech Pilsner) Evan And Dolly (New England IPA) On Second Thought [Omnipollo collaboration] (Berliner with pineapple, bananas, coconuts, & tahitian vanilla) Fudge Bucket w/ Bolivian Cacao (Imperial sweet stout) Popinski (Rye barrel-aged Russian imperial stout w/ vanilla)

When Craig vacations, we all win. This show is the result of Craig’s recent trip to Florida for a week of Harry Pottering and beer hopping on the Bay as we drink five different beers from five breweries local to the Tampa & St. Petersburg areas. There are many questions addressed on this show: Why do Floridians love such big, boozy beers? Can you use a coolship in Florida? Which taproom is a front for the Illuminati? Why is the grass so crunchy? Where’s my lactose? We also get another fantastic Dog Tale, feel like old narcs for not understanding CBD, hold a word measuring contest, and have high carb hopes. Beers Reviewed Green Bench Brewing - Sauvage Miel (Wild w/ orange blossom honey) Hidden Springs Ale Works - Zero Fucks Given (Dry-hopped-only pale ale w/ Citra, Mosaic, and Motueka) Late Start Brewing - Colorbars (Mint coffee chocolate imperial stout) 7venth Sun Brewery - Vultures From the Past (Whiskey barrel-aged barleywine) Cycle Brewing Company - Roadtrip Series: Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do (Barrel-aged stout w/ barrel-aged coffee, cocoa nibs, and cinnamon)

For more than three years, we’ve been releasing weekly one-shot episodes - Low ABVs - exclusively for our Patreon Patrons. In addition to interesting beers reviewed, these short shows are home to some of our goofiest asides, weirdest games, and hysterical disasters. This week we’ve compiled four of our very favorites from the last year with beers that span the country while representing the diverse range of styles from adjunct stout to hazy IPA to adjunct stout to hazy IPAs. They’re not all good. There’s also a very timely Game of Thrones-based trivia game, LARPing for Pizza, misquoted Eleanor Roosevelt, the answer to an important 311-based question, a little too much about Sonic the Hedgehog, our favorite goth sushi place, the unwanted return of the Bathroom Boys, and the most niche Calvin Peeing sticker ever made. And that’s just about half of it. For more content like this every single week, plus annual holiday gifts, bottle share invites, a special offer (as mentioned in the intro), and early access to each week’s episode - support what we do and sign up on our Patreon today! Lows Compiled Low ABV 142 - Dancing Gnome Dead Sleep (starts at 7:51) Low ABV 130 - Abnormal Hazy Dreams (starts at 23:19) Low ABV 135 - Dragon Banana (starts at 42:43) Low ABV 122 - SciPAs (starts at 1:03:45) Beers Reviewed Dancing Gnome - Dead Sleep - Chocolate (stout w/ chocolate) Abnormal Beer Co. - Hazy Dreams (IPA)New Holland Brewing - Dragon’s Milk Reserve: Banana Coconut (BBA stout w/ real banana and natural flavors) Pipeworks Brewing Company - Unicorn Vs. Science (NE IPA) Hop Butcher For The World - Traveling Scientist (NE Pale Ale)

It’s that magical time of year again where the warm weather and budding flowers necessitate the enjoyment of saisons - and it’s also when we have our annual Saisonathon event during Illinois Craft Beer Week on Tuesday, May 14th at Forbidden Root! Outside of a few other shameless plugs for the event, this show is one we’ve always wanted to do. We take seven saisons, mostly representing more “classic” interpretations, and we review and rank them in a blind tasting. As usual with our blind shows, the results are a total surprise, and our guessing abilities are....limited. We also talk about Spring Break Craig’s wardrobe, Big League Chew, ultimate buffet pairings, That Beer Craig Had In Germany, and Saison Detectives. (Pssst….go to that thing we mentioned.) Saison Reviewed Blindly (in order of appearance) Brasserie Dupont - Saison Dupont Brasserie St. Fuellien - Saison Funkwerks - Saison Off Color Brewing - Apex Predator Allagash Brewing Company - Saison Boulevard Brewing Co. - Tank 7 Forbidden Root - Saison

It’s a high concept week in the bunker as we gamify our cellars by letting a roll of the dice determine the show’s lineup. Both Craig and Ryan dug deep into their closets to offer up a range of twelve interesting offerings that go from forgotten oddity to valuable rarity. Each host rolls a six-sided die three times to determine the six beers for the show, and the tension is more than could’ve ever been imagined. This was a crazy fun time to record, and we hope you enjoy the results - you’ll have to listen to find out the final lineup. There’s also some stuff about Doomsday Preppers, perpetually wet floors, Pappy Kong, and a cuvee of dolphins. (Also, mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 14th as we bring Saisonathon to Forbidden Root!) Our Twelve Cellar Offerings, in order of dice value Craig Transient Artisan Ales - Sporadic #2 (Wine barrels) Hoppin’ Frog Brewery - Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. Van Wink Oatmeal Imperial Stout Evil Twin Brewing - Imperial Biscotti Break Bourbon Barrel-Aged Hill Farmstead Brewery - E. Cycle Brewing Company/Mikkeller - DOS Brunch Cigar City Brewing - Double Barrel Hunahpu’s Ryan Avery Brewing Co. - Mephistopheles (2011) Draai Laag Brewing Co. - R2 Koelschip Paradox Beer Co. - End of the Beginning Vol. II De Struise Brouwers - Cuvée Delphine (2013) Firestone Walker Brewing Co. - Double DBA (2013) Goose Island Beer Co. - Proprietor’s Bourbon County Stout (2013)

Though the name suggests a more rustic approach, Forager Brewery out of Rochester, Minnesota is finding an audience with their adjunct-laden stouts and mixed-culture sours. We get our hands on four dark beers and one barrel-aged sour to learn more about this brewery that wowed us at GABF in 2017. Succumbing to the fudge giggles, we also find ourselves considering cereal smells, questioning our broken palates, and getting stickier than ever before. (Also, we share the big news about Saisonathon 2019, so tune in to this one for some details - or keep an eye on our website for more!) Beers Reviewed Sherpa’s Survival Kit (Imperial stout) Pudding Goggles (Imperial porter w/ coconut, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and cacao nibs) Obscurely Referenced (Sour blonde ale aged in gin barrels - collaboration with Fair State Brewing) Happiness Layer (Imperial milk stout w/ roasted pecans, toasted coconut, vanilla beans, and cacao nibs) Mexican Mocha (Imperial stout w/ vanilla beans, cacao nibs, habanero, guajillo, ancho, and mulato peppers, ceylon cinnamon, and coffee)

A sequel almost five years in the making, this episode reunites us with the beers of Sante Adairius Rustic Ales thanks to listener Mike Rousseau. Recognized by RateBeer as the 10th best brewery in the world, SARA may have built its legacy on oak-aged saisons, but here we get to sample some of their recent forays into IPA. Craig seeks out some dog walking advice, Ryan shares the smartest snack, we practice a little tantric sipping, and we explore themes of the next films in the Expendables franchise. Decanting suggested! Beers Reviewed Woven (Oak-aged blonde ale - collaboration with Half Acre) Tomorrow, Today (IPA) Then Again (Blend of 1-, 2-, and 3-year old barrel-aged saisons) Of This World (Triple IPA) Cask 200: Batch 2 (Solera-style saison)

An ancient prophecy foretold of a legacy brewery that would make a baffling number of IPAs to be available all at the same time, and that those IPAs would remind two lowly podcasters about why they fell in love with beer in the first place. Yeah, the Sierra Nevada love is strong on this one, especially from Ryan, whose CostCo shopping made this show possible. But we do find a lot of interesting variation in the seven IPAs in this lineup. Craig tries not to lean too hard into the “tastes like a beer” angle, we explore the next frontier in cooking shows, and there’s a bunch of bizarre stuff about dinosaurs. Dig those whiffs! Sierra Nevada Beers Reviewed Resilience IPA Torpedo Extra IPA Tropical Torpedo IPA Brut IPA Hop Solo IPA Sidecar Orange IPA Ruthless Rye IPA