Our hearts are wide open and ready to embrace the funk, but will it embrace us back? Yazoo Brewing out of Nashville, Tennessee has been brewing since 2003, but their obsession with making complex sour works of art started in 2012. We have four beers from Yazoo’s funky side thanks to listener Matt Milam, and we can’t help but wonder why they haven’t taken over the world yet. We also are very confused about this year’s Pitchfork lineup and the sudden soaking swell of Wet Daves. Oh...hold on. BRB. Craig’s back from his Taco Bell run. Beers Reviewed  Saison de Bois (Saison aged in 20 year old French Oak Bordeaux Red Wine Puncheon casks with mixed cultures of lactobacillus, pediococcus and brettanomyces) State of Funk 2017 Release 3: What’cha Want (A sour blonde ale aged 15 months in a Cabernet barrel with a Passion Fruit secondary fermentation and Pineapples and Cherries for a tertiary fermentation) State of Funk 2017 Release 4: No Fakin’ the Funk (15 month Chardonnay barrel aged mixed culture Saison brewed with Tennessee Oats, Tennessee Wheat and secondary fermentation with Pink Guava) State of Funk 2017 Release 5: Cuff And A Crease (13 month High West Bourbon barrel aged sour brown ale conditioned on Pluots)

What would you do if you were a brewer at a one barrel brewery with a family and full time job with only a handful of brew days each month? Well if you’re Energy City Brewing, you’d probably open one Saturday a month and drop some exceptional beers on the unsuspecting public of greater Batavia. Thanks to our daddy Ross O’Neill, we have five offerings from homebrewer-turned-pro (and human sentence) David Files that are released in an extremely limited quality to an increasing fanbase. Hear us experience the wonderful and weird that this new-ish outfit has to offer before they scale up to reach a larger audience. We’re cool like that. But then we destroy that façade by talking about flagshops, chocolate IPAs, New England-style beer tiers/tears, and the angel love that is “Swella.” Seriously though, how do you talk to an angel? Beers Reviewed Hop Waka (New England-style IPA) Green to Brown (Imperial American Brown Ale) Hop Nawi (New England-style IPA) Hop Revenge - Anomaly (New England Wild Tropical Stout) Poputchik (Russian Imperial Stout)

About two years after a buyout from a private equity firm that joined them with crafty canning giants Oskar Blues, Cigar City Brewing is poised to make 2018 a year of expansion. Now that their world-class beers are being faithfully reproduced on a larger scale, it’s due time they entered the crowded - yet thirsty - Chicagoland market. We try four of the canned beers they’re bringing to town and one bottle (that won’t see our shelves) just for the fun of it. You’ll hear about the best brown ale we’ve had in forever, the possible progenitor of pastry stouts, and why no one should consider Jai Alai as “just another IPA.” We also improve the CiceroneⓇ exam, have a break down over beer freshness, trash some bouncy houses, and get nostalgic for five years ago. Plus there’s a great “Florida man…” game that is fun for the whole family (over the age of 21). It’s straight CANarchy on this one. (*slide whistle*) Thanks to Beer on the Wall for providing the four canned beers and for their continued sponsorship! Check them out at wehavegreatbeer.com! Beers Reviewed Guayabera Citra Pale Ale Invasion Pale Ale Maduro Brown Ale Jai Alai IPA Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2017)

Four years ago, no one wanted to hear us drink German styles coming out of Chicago. Now that more local breweries are paying homage to the biers from Deutschland, we reboot the concept with a grittier lineup and go for that hard PG-13 rating. We dive into these styles by reading from a few dusty tomes, and those that are excited by the word “decoction” should take notice. We also plan for our messy divorce, sing a bad song, author some bock beer puns, call for beer copulation, and feel unnatural things about bacon. (And thanks to our first-ever actual sponsor, Beer on the Wall, for providing the doppelbock.)   Beers Reviewed Baderbräu - Five Star Lager (Helles Lager) Piece Brewery & Pizzeria - Dark-N-Curvy (Dunkelweizen) Great Central Brewing Company - Weizenbock Dovetail Brewery - Rauchbier Tighthead Brewing Company - Reformator (Doppelbock)

Although Arkansas is known for many important things, brewing beer isn’t exactly one of them, as it ranks near the bottom in the nation for breweries per capita. But of course a passionate few are looking to change that reputation as we sample beer from about 1/7th of the breweries in The Natural State. Thanks to listener Chris Butler, we check off our fifteenth state show, and somehow manage to avoid hazy IPAs, sours, or barrel-aged adjunct stouts - it’s an Ozark miracle! We also give you white-hot takes on the new Timberlake record, corny adjuncts, valuable printing errors, and night showering. There’s also two name games around John Grisham and the Duggar family, and we acknowledge the odd juxtaposition of significant Arkansas historical achievements. And we only make one attempt at a pirate joke, thank god.  Beers Reviewed Bike Rack Brewing - Urban Trail Golden Ale Bike Rack Brewing - Slaughter Pen IPA New Province Brewing - Fallen Queen Witbier Ozark Beer - Double IPA Lost Forty Brewing - Forest Queen Milk Stout

Each week for the past two years, we’ve released special mini-episodes for our Patreon supporters that we call Low ABVs. It’s our small way of saying thanks to those who commit even a small amount of money to us each month. To say thank you to everyone else, we’ve compiled some of our favorites that feature both hoppy beers and our irreverent brand of games into a slightly massive release this week. Sure, there are beer reviews. But there’s also all of these tantalizing topics: Ryan’s new career in drums, the world’s most precious prank, playing games with pseudo-celebs, the problem with mass-produced NEIPAs, Craig’s prison future, traumatic childhood movies, a sudden spike in toilet talk, our two degrees of 311, Robitussin lambics, and the absolute best beer label. Thanks to everyone who has listened over these four years, and if you want to support us and gain access to over 26 hours of Low ABVs (with some full “lost” episodes never widely released to the public), go to www.patreon.com/abvchicago and become a valued member of our….uh….Passionate Plenty aka The Cream Team. (The name’s still a work in progress.) Low ABV 78 - Revolution Heroes Issue 3 + Hops on Urban Dictionary Game (starts at 6:59) Low ABV 44 - Hoof Hearted ....Best Fwendz + Race Horse Name Game (starts at 32:26) Low ABV 61 - Narrow Gauge DDH OJ Run + 90’s Timeline Game (starts at 49:30) Low ABV 68 - Goose Island Juicy Double + “One Week” Lyrics Game (starts at 1:12:05)

This Seattle brewery’s been on our wishlist for quite some time, and listener Raj Shah sent us a heavenly array of Holy Mountain beers to review. Big hops, barrels, and Brett make for some pretty flavorful beer - and almost all of it is impressive and unique. We encounter the ugliest beer we’ve seen in a long time, try to rhyme things with yuzu, share the secret to erudite beer reviews, get mistaken for famous wizard Brian Potion, and express concern over our future beer-related ailments. Put away that copy of EsophaGigli, get the #craigarmy together, and let us be your sherpas on this ascension to Holy Mountain. Beers Reviewed Lesser Ritual (Hoppy Pilsner) Sunroom (Mixed culture saison brewed with Nelson Sauvin and fermented in oak barrels) Astral Projection (Double IPA) Wraith (American wild ale aged in oak with blackberries and raspberries) Midnight Still (2016) (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels)

Unknown to most of us Midwesterners but regarded highly in their native Arkansas, Lost Forty Brewing is canning up some stellar takes on a wide variety of styles. We taste five beers from this Little Rock-based brewery thanks to listener Chris Butler. These extremely tasty beers quickly chuck us over the hill and into one of the most far-fetched game ideas Ryan has ever had, in addition to a real rogue’s gallery of diversions: the worst way to ruin your phone, the problem with Spencer’s Gifts, weird sleepovers, the California Raisins, a controversial statement on convertible pants, and a Brazilian butt mystery. #BossBabyisLife Beers Reviewed Logger Rita (Mexican-Style Vienna Lager) Trash Panda (New England Style IPA) Baltic Porter Snake Party (Double IPA) Nighty Night (Imperial Stout aged in cabernet, bourbon, and rye whiskey barrels)

Our 14th state show is with beers from all over the Hawkeye state, thanks to listener TJ Osborn. We review five beers from five different Iowa breweries and run into our first-ever CrowlerFreak.Ⓡ  Ryan gets to relive a little of his college days in Iowa City by drinking too much and wearing an adult-sized onesie; Craig just tries to figure out what the hell we’re drinking. There’s two games on this one that Ryan uses to torture Craig: Name that Slipknot Tune and Dan Gable: Fact or Fiction? And it won’t even cost you a single cheddar cube. Beers Reviewed Barn Town Brewing - Hop Skewer IPA (maybe….) SingleSpeed Brewing Co. - Cocoanut Oat Porter Franklin Street Brewing - Drugstore Cowboy (New England IPA) Lake Time Brewery - Peanut Butter Cup Porter Iowa Brewing Company - Moray (Barrel-aged Scotch Ale)

In the last six months, four hotly anticipated taprooms threw open their doors for thirsty Chicagoans, and we took a day to visit them. We brought back beers from each spot to review while sharing our early impressions of the new establishments. There’s also some necessary Podcasting 101 (for Kidz), Craig’s melty-face fears, the search for Snackwell’s, and a toilet Ghoulie sighting. So pop open a growler, and have yourself a scoop of The Country’s Second Best Yogurt, in audio form.   Beers Reviewed Half Acre Beer Co. Balmoral Tap Room (2050 W Balmoral Ave) - Wallonia (Saison) Spiteful Brewing Taproom (2024 W Balmoral Ave) - Spiteful IPA Off Color Brewing, The Mouse Trap (1460 N Kingsbury St) - Myshka (Russian Serf Stout) Maplewood Brewery & Distillery Lounge (2717 N Maplewood) - Fluffy Bottoms (Lactose Pale Ale)

The pfabulous brewery with the pfunny name, pFriem Family Brewers out of Hood River, Oregon has been perfecting styles and racking up medals since 2012. We get to try a variety of styles here thanks to head brewer Gavin Lord who sent us a generous package for our reviewing pleasure. And it’s a pleasure, indeed. But we also talk a lot about what Ja Rule has been up to these days, explain both “dankness” and centrifuges with immaculate precision, get the dill out, and receive a terrible nickname from a toddler. Grab your own fish and sit down for a pristine evening with one of the best breweries in the world. Beers Reviewed Pilsner Super Saison Dank IPA Frambozen Oud Bruin

The perfect soundtrack to setting your 2017 calendars ablaze over your electric stove, this episode features five beers that are, like, sooooo 2017. We kiss off this s***ty year with a combination of hazy IPAs and sweet/pastry stouts before the World Premiere of our brand new parody song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire (2017 Beer Edition)”. Other topics include Trader Joe’s mysterious Island calligraphy, desecration of a sacred Ullgump, “Pimp My Vape Rig”, and how CBS is Independence Day.  Van Damme Milkshake! Anchor Brewing/Trader Joe’s - Joe Joe’s Cookie Stout  (Milk Stout) Trinity Brewing - Hype Forager (East Coast Super Juicy Turbid IPA) Sierra Nevada Brewing - Hazy Little Thing IPA Marz Community Brewing - Pastry Boy (Double Milk Stout w/ graham crackers, lactose, cinnamon, and vanilla) Founders Brewing - Canadian Breakfast Stout (2017) (Imperial coffee stout with chocolate aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels)

A shining star led many wise men and women to our place of recording, with each bearing wondrous homages of beer as we give audio birth to this blessed baby podcast. Actually, it’s just our holiday party with a bunch of great guests and stellar beer. Between handfuls of snacks, we manage to record ourselves drinking five beers (with so, so many more off-mic) and persuade a few brewers and loyal listeners to join in the fun. It’s a grab bag of topics featuring waffles with Santana, international brewpubs, exquisite hop rubbings, the new Maplewood Lounge, Craig’s lubricant secret, dank Chicago food, Three Penis Wine, and the Rapsittie Street Kids. Happy holidays to everyone listening! Segment #1: Jon Naghski (Goose Island Brewhouse) and listener Ross O’Neill drink Goose Island Clybourn’s Night Fights, a “ghost whale” version of their barrel-aged Impervious Stout, with raspberries added. Segment #2: Jude La Rose (Hop Butcher for the World) and listener Neal taste two collaborations with Colorado’s WeldWerks Brewing: Mikerphone’s Juicy Hits, a double IPA with pink guava and blood orange, and Hop Butcher’s Render the Phat, a double IPA with passionfruit. Segment #3: Listeners Beck (@a.girl.rates.beer) and Josh try this year’s Coffee Abraxas from Perennial (courtesy of Don Kasak) and Saint Errant Brewing’s newest IPA, Chapter 1: Citra.

Few things pair with falling temperatures, snow flurries, and holiday stress as well as big roasty and nutty stouts, so we get cracking on five beers that feature unique nut additions. We learn about the awfulness of black walnuts, give credit to the brewery that started pastry stouts, talk strategy for TMNT II: The Arcade Game, and discover some fascinating facts about nuts through the magic of listicles. There’s also a long bit at the beginning about miniature horses, and we end it with Craig trying to get Ryan to understand fecundity. Love this ugly baby.   Hop Butcher for the World/DryHop Brewers - Milkstachio (Milk Stout w/ cacao nibs and natural pistachio flavor) Pollyanna Brewing - Fun Size (Milk Stout w/ peanut, cacao nib, vanilla beans and sea salt) Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery - Oil of Aphrodite (Imperial Stout w/ black walnuts and dark Belgian candi sugar) Prairie Artisan Ales - Pe-Kan (Imperial Stout w/ vanilla and pecans) Odd Side Ales - Hazel’s Nuts (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ coffee and natural hazelnut flavor)

Recorded after our return from this year’s GABF in October, we add to our State Show Series by sampling five beers from five Denver-area breweries, completely neglecting the rest of this beer-rich state. We recap our visits to four of the breweries and take our riffing to new above sea-level heights by talking about cask ales, dubstep pedicabs, a bathroom clown, terrible houseguests, Weird Sal, and your grandma’s unsettling Twitter handle. There’s also a little game of “Weed Strain or Colorado Beer Name?” for which Craig is woefully unprepared. (And don’t forget to look out for Schwimmer Vintage Ales in 2019!) Beers Reviewed Little Machine Beer - Razz Against the Machine (Tart Raspberry Beer) Hogshead Brewery - Lake Lightning (English Pale Ale) Amalgam Brewing - Ascension (Golden Sour Ale) 4 Noses Brewing - ‘Bout Damn Time (American IPA) Cerebral Brewing - Cheat Code (Double IPA)

Did you strike out on BCBS this year? Is your Black Friday haul picture too pitiful to boastpost to that one Facebook group? Be not dismayed weary barrel-aged beer seekers - we have a whole show of beers that required waiting in no lines to obtain! We found five barrel-aged beers that were both more affordable and available than any Bourbon County variant - and guess what - some of them might be better than that beer that launched a thousand pitched tents. We start this one by reviewing the grisly details of this year’s Black Friday chaos while desperately searching for our roommate Derek. Last we saw him was by the port-o-potties with a paper Dixie cup full of some guy’s warm pour of Bramble, so if you’ve seen him please hit us up. He sometimes answers to DerBear. Beers Reviewed  Oskar Blues Brewery - Barrel-Aged Ten Fidy Revolution Brewing - Deth by Cherries Nickel Brook Brewing - Cafe Del Bastardo Moody Tongue - Bourbon Barrel-Aged 12 Layer Cake Dogfish Head Brewery - Oak-aged Vanilla World Wide Stout

To commemorate our big 200, we ditched all of our high concept ideas to bring it back to the podcast’s origins by having a bottle share of random beers that interested us. But we couldn’t stop there, as this star-studded episode also features a ridiculous number of brewers and industry folks as we shout trivia questions at them during FoBAB. Some of the beers we drink are stellar, one is downright terrible, and the episode-long 90’s trivia game of us versus the brewers is a belligerent cabaret of fun and follies. We also talk about our new podcast project, rolled ice cream, the bomber curse, a little show history, and getting extreme. Whether you’ve been there for 2 episodes or 200, we sincerely thank you for tuning in to our show and hope we can continue to delight your beer-loving ears. And thanks to all of the brewers and industry friends for embarrassing themselves for our twisted pleasure on this show. #CARSTAB Beers Reviewed August Schell Brewing - North Star Collection: Tidal Disruption (Berliner Weisse w/ blackberries) Hubbard’s Cave - Fresh IIPA V8 (w/ Citra & Simcoe) Middle Brow Beer Co. - The Milk-Eyed Mender Oat Whiskey Aged (Imperial spiced milk stout with peppers, orange zest, vanilla beans, and cacao nibs, aged in Koval oat whiskey barrels) Casey Brewing & Blending/Side Project Brewing - Jammy (Barrel-aged saison w/ blackberries) Epic Brewing - Triple Barrel Big Bad Baptist (Imperial stout aged in whiskey and rum barrels with cacao nibs, barrel-aged coffee, and barrel-aged coconut) 90’s Trivia Game Subjects (in order of appearance) Jacob Sembrano (Cruz Blanca Brewery & Taqueria) Dave Dahl (Lo Rez Brewing) Brian Krajack (Forbidden Root Brewing) Chris Betts (Transient Artisan Ales) Matt Johnsen (Horse Thief Hollow) Matt LaFleur (@DoodleMatt) Claudia Jendron (Pipeworks Brewing) & Karina Shimkos (Blue Island Beer Co.) Chris Kingston (Metropolis Coffee) Peter Anderson & Doug Hurst (Metropolitan Brewing) Roger Cuzelis & Brent Banks (Corridor Brewery & Provisions) Neil Fisher (WeldWerks Brewing) Mike Pallen (Mikerphone Brewing) Shaun Berns (More Brewing) Josh Noel (Chicago Tribune) Brad Pulver (Smylie Brothers Brewing) Ryan Jacobs & Brent Banks (Saint Errant Brewing)

As Metal Monkey Brewing in Romeoville gears up for the largest release in their almost two-year history, they decided that we should spread the word on the four barrel-aged versions of their huge Asmodeus stout. Was it a wise idea? For us, it certainly was as the beers are damn enjoyable and lead us to the worst game we’ve ever played on this show. There’s also a 15-minute chat with brewers Dan Camp and Jason Janes about the history of Metal Monkey and how the base stout for this beer was almost deemed completely cursed. Within the rest of this audio word cuvée, you’ll hear some talk of kids shows, Ray Romano, lip smacking, coffee roasting, IHOP, and the wall of Mexican chocolate. Also, screw Bon Jovi.   Beers Reviewed   Barrel Aged Asmodeus (2017) Barrel Aged Asmodeus - Coffee Barrel Aged Asmodeus - Maple Barrel Aged Asmodeus - Mexican Chocolate

Each fall, Chicago holds one of the best beer fests in the country, so don’t blame us for getting all giddy about it. We talk a lot about what we’re excited for at the 15th Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers and review beers from some of the better breweries set to pour. Yes, a lot of the FoBAB talk has a bit of a relevancy expiration date, but there’s a lot more general beer and festival discussion as we sip five impressive barrel-aged beers. But also, we answer humanity’s best question, take sides on two late 90s teen movies, reveal Craig’s jelly aversion, and get ready for some hot Jeff-on-Jeff action. Beers Reviewed // FoBABlin’ Segments pFriem Family Brewers - Pruim (Lambic-inspired ale w/ plums aged in French Oak) // Festival Tips Atom Brewing Company - Raspberry Harvest (Oak barrel-aged raspberry ale) // Little known breweries to try Fremont Brewing - Bourbon Barrel Dark Star Coffee Edition (Imperial oatmeal stout) // Known breweries not to miss Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery - Wooden Hell 2017 (Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine) // Locals & potpourri Off Color Brewing - Papillon (Gin barrel-aged wild ale) // Festiquette

Be cautious beer audio traveler, there’s a dense fog advisory covering this episode as we blindly taste through six New England-style hoppy beers. We pit murky IPAs and DIPAs from Illinois against the opaque juice bombs from other states in a blind faceoff-matchup-tasting thing, because we’ve run out of original ideas. Despite our presumptuous hazy expertise, we are still shocked by a few of the results. Beyond that, we talk about around-the-house jeans, beard tips, prospective beer names, Rummikub, and papayneapples. Now I just kind of want some Jamba Juice.   Beers Tasted Blindly (in order tasted)  Old Nation Brewing - M-43 (IPA) Forbidden Root - Night Moth (IPA w/ oak spirals) Mikerphone Brewing - Super Special Sauce (DIPA) Weldwerks Brewing - Extra Extra Juicy Bits (DIPA) Tree House Brewing - Doppelgänger (DIPA) Corridor Brewery & Provisions - SqueezIt (DIPA)

In what will surely become a Hellish yearly tradition, we get gruesome on this show by trying to break each other by pouring the worst beers we could find. It’s a contest of depravity as we each selected three beers for the other to experience blind, and the results are horrifying. There’s a game aspect to the whole show, wherein punishment points are gathered for a final rankings drinking of The Punishment Cuvée™ (aka The Cuvée of Doom™). If you don’t like two guys being disgusted by a diverse range of terrible beers, then proceed with caution. But if you want to hear us suffer at each other’s hands (kinky!), this will be your favorite episode of this show. Either way, I’m pretty sure we have violated the Geneva Conventions and will be going to forever prison. The Tortuous Collection Craig’s Choices Half Acre Beer Co. - Beer Hates Astronauts (IPA - 2013) Pipeworks Brewing - A Couple Two Tree (Scotch Ale w/ spruce tips and oak spirals) Bell’s Brewery - Eccentric Ale (Herb/Spice Beer - 2011) Ryan’s Choices Founder Brewing Co. - Mango Magnifico (Fruit Beer - 2013) Camo Beer Co. - Camo Black Extra (Malt Liquor) Rinkuškiai - Hell on High (Quad Bock)

For many years now, vanilla has been the adjunct that takes a beer’s status from gold to platinum, instantly raising its secondary value to ridiculous levels. Not wanting to waste a drop, we invited a bunch of our friends - who brought a whole lot more beer - to taste 15 (!!) vanilla adjunct beers that are mostly stouts. We are joined by MC Johnsen (Worth a Thousand Beers), Matt Johnsen (Horse Thief Hollow), Brent Banks (Saint Errant Brewing), and two loyal listeners and friends - Randy and Daniel. Although some of the beers aren’t solely enhanced by vanilla, we do learn from real brewers how to extract the best vanilla flavor in a brew. But in our long quest to find the best vanilla adjunct beer, we take some diversions to discuss micropancakeries, Craig stink, ice cream safe zones, Tootsie Roll songs, Wafflehouses, sad fruits, and whether or not Ryan should trade a “Prop” for a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye. (He should.) #VSBS Beers Sampled Avery Brewing - Vanilla Bean Stout 4 Hands Brewing - Madagascar (2015) FiftyFifty Brewing - Eclipse - Vanilla (2016) Hill Farmstead Brewery - Twilight of the Idols (2015) Saint Errant Brewing - Tepoztecatl Transient Artisan Ales - Bark Lord (2017) Mikerphone Brewing - Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit Vanilla Pipeworks Brewing - The Hyper Dog (Elijah Craig barrels) Transient Artisan Ales - Neckbeard Nectar (2016) Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery - Bourbon Barrel Vanilla and Coffee Bean Dark Apparition (2017) Pipeworks Brewing - The Jones Dog (Bourbon barrel aged) The Bruery - White Chocolate Cycle Brewing - Rare Dos Double Barrel (Vanilla) Goose Island Brewery - Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout (2010) Bottle Logic Brewing - Fundamental Observation (2017)

Our Fourth Annual GABF Recap Spectacular is bursting with content, as we gathered more interviews and drank more beer than ever before! Recorded from our Denver hotel room, this show - featuring MC Johnsen - serves as our recap of the 36th Great American Beer Festival, as we share our overall highlights, favorite beers, and many interviews from the floor. We also drink two area beers - one from Cerebral and the other from Wiley Roots - to help us hold on to the glory days a little longer. We also recap a few of the related events, with focus on the weekend-long Melvin bacchanalia that penetrated the whole city. Also, hear about the Illinois medal winners while hearing from two of them, including Matt Johnsen, who stayed awake for part of this one. Relive the greatest weekend in beer and get mile high with us.   Beers Reviewed   Cerebral Brewing - DDH Rare Trait (New England IPA) Wiley Roots Brewing & Outer Range Brewing - Neature Walk (Double IPA)   Interviews   Great Notion Brewing (Portland, OR) - Paul Reiter & James Dugan (00:08:39 - 00:11:30) pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River, OR) - Gavin Lord (00:17:00 - 00:24:07) Hi-Wire Brewing (Asheville, NC) - Chris Frosaker (00:33:19 - 00:37:55) Green Cheek Beer Co. (Orange, CA) - Evan Price (00:43:08 - 00:52:41) Prison City Pub and Brewery (Auburn, NY) - Marc Schulz & Ben Maeso (00:57:57 - 01:03:53) Randy Mosher (01:10:43 - 01:22:46) Forager Brewery (Rochester, MN) - Zack Dunbar (01:27:36 - 01:33:20) On Tour Brewing (Chicago, IL) - Mark Legenza & Mark Poffenberger (01:39:14 - 0:1:41:32) Wolf’s Ridge Brewing (Columbus, OH) - Chris Davison (01:45:11 - 01:50:20)

We broke our self-imposed hop hiatus in spectacular fashion, thanks to listener Mike Rousseau. Five super sexy hoppy cans from the Golden State don’t even stand a chance here, as no drop is left undrank. Thus begins a journey of pure inebriation, as we explore Craig’s doppelgangers, draw up some sick face tattoos, get largely aromatic, and perseverate on label fonts and kerning. There’s a game called “Rap Songs All White Guys Know the Lyrics To”, and we try to hold on to the memory of Pudgy Craig. Long live Pudgy Craig.   Beers Reviewed   Fieldwork Brewing - Sea Farmer (IPA with sea salt and grapefruit) Fieldwork Brewing - Pulp (IPA) Fieldwork Brewing - King Citra (Double IPA) Monkish Brewing/The Answer - Red Beans and Rice Didn’t Miss Her (Double IPA) Bottle Logic Brewing - START: Konami Code (Double IPA)

There is a ridiculous amount of options for the Chicagoland beer buyer, but that won’t stop five more established breweries from carving out some shelf space! We try five beers from these new arrivals to try and determine how they will play to the Chicagoland consumer - and some are going to be hard to overlook. We also try to be a beaming light of beer positivity despite our cynical proclivities, talk at length about the proper definition of a New England IPA, discuss the power of the mixed six pack advantage, and play a game called Know Your SKUs! There’s some prognostication about Twenty Kuitteen (and Twenty Schwarty), Craig’s problem with yogurt, and Ryan’s joy-diverting beer-clickbait article rant. Grab a new beer, and let us eat that slime ham for you. Beers Reviewed Alaskan Brewing Amber Sun King Wee Mac Scottish Ale Trinity Brewing Seven Day Sour Epic Brewing Citralush New England Style IPA Perrin Brewing Unfinished Business (Barrel-Aged Japanese Emperor Stout)

The third show in our own Jersey Trilogy (thanks to listener Mike Bobal), we finally get to try more from a brewery that’s blown us away at festivals in the past - Kane Brewing. We have three hoppy cans, two potent bottles, and two irreverent trivia games on this episode as we spiral towards a drunken blackout. Craig extols the majesty of bunting, Ryan works on his interview technique, and we both do a little ghost hop hunting. And don’t listen to this one alone in a room with your vacuum because it could be pretty awkward. Beers Reviewed Sneakbox (American Pale Ale) Head High (IPA) Overhead (Double IPA) Morning Bell (Imperial Coffee Porter) Vengeful Heart (American Barleywine)

We’ve been smitten with The Mitten for as long as we’ve loved beer, because Michigan just might be the best beer state in the Midwest. We stick to the western coast of MI as Craig gathered four interviews and five beers for this 11th stop in our ongoing State Show series. You’ll hear from John Lustina from Beer Church about how sometimes a good concept needs to be rushed; David Coyle from Arclight on their hopes for Chicago distribution; David Cockell from Watermark on how his biochemistry degree helps him keep yeast happy; and Mitch Ermatinger from Speciation on deriving character from patience. We also do our best to review these beers before Ryan succumbs to death by heartburn and before the new Pudgy Craig gets audibly winded. There’s also talk of communion wafer smells, cheesecake love, and an update on Ryan’s brewery concept. If you seek a pleasant state show, listen about you. Beers Reviewed Beer Church Brewing - Crooked Cross (Cream Ale) Arclight Brewing - Soursmith Strawberry (Sour Ale aged w/ strawberries) Watermark Brewing - Wild Vibes (Sour Imperial Stout) Speciation Artisan Ales - Incipient (Tequila barrel-aged American Wild Ale w/ blood orange, guava, limes, and salt) Perrin Brewing - No Rules Vietnamese Porter (Imperial Porter aged in bourbon barrels w/ coconut and turbinado sugar) Interview Segments Beer Church’s John Lustina (00:09:08 - 00:23:37) Arclight’s David Coyle (00:30:46 - 00:38:00) Watermark’s David Cockell (00:47:16 - 00:57:00) Speciation’s Mitch Ermatinger (01:10:38 - 01:23:23)

This episode will, once and for all, determine which state is the greatest on Earth: Wisconsin or Illinois? We find sort-of equivalent beers in pretty specific styles from each state to vie for our arbitrary love. This episode is soft dystopia for soft adults, with mentions of FroBAB, the ReinheitsgeBot, and drunken Cinnabon. One beer leaves us almost completely speechless, and another blurs style lines unlike any we’ve ever experienced. We also drop some advice on must-hit beer stops on a Chicago visit, and get confused over popular songs from like 4 years ago. It’s brats vs. Polish sausages; cheese curds vs. deep dish; cheese heads vs. ....Ditka mustaches? Whatever it is, it’ll be interesting. Beers Faced Buckledown Fritzicuffs vs. New Glarus Hometown Blonde Hubbard’s Cave El Zacatón vs. Untitled Art/3 Sons Oaxacan Stout Goose Island Brasserie Blanc vs. Funk Factory Cervino

Taking a much-needed vacation from hops, we let our taste buds travel to five different continents to sample beers from around the world. In addition to an interview with Pete from Garage Project, this episode contains a valuable lesson about getting out of America every once in awhile. How long can we keep up a shaky plane metaphor? What do we have to say about esophageal displeasure, hotshipping with a volcano, and carbonated gravy? Well, grab your passport, hop on the Turbulence, and find out with us! Beers Reviewed Garage Project [New Zealand] - Bastard Rye (Imperial Rye Blond aged in bourbon barrels) Ölvisholt Brewery [Iceland] - Lava (Smoked Imperial Stout) Kiuchi Brewery [Japan] - Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale (Belgian Strong Pale Ale) Way Beer [Brazil] - Sour Me Not Caju (Sour Ale) Tusker [Africa] - Lager

While many of their friends were starting breweries and gaining notoriety, Brent Banks and Ryan Jacobs were honing their craft as home brewers while juggling jobs in finance and the medical field. At the urging of their comrades, the pair finally decided to go pro and start Saint Errant Brewing. Currently, they contract brew out of the Mikerphone space in Elk Grove Village, and as of mid-August, they released their first (solo) offering, Strange Loops, in bottles and kegs. We sat down with Brent and Ryan to taste through several recent brews and test batches to discover that starting a brewery in 2017 isn’t so crazy when the beers taste this excellent. We cover a lot here including the difficulties of beer names, the significance of yeast variables, Chicago’s perplexing lack of love for sours, where to shop for the best peaches, and how those Vermont trips with Fitz helped them dial in their New England style IPA recipes. (Shout out to Julio Rosenstein!) Beers Sampled Get It Together (Double IPA with mangos/collaboration with Mikerphone) Strange Loops (Double IPA) Mr. Hanalei (Berliner-style sour ale with guava, passionfruit, and naranjilla) Pitseleh (Sour saison with peaches) Between Waves (Milkshake IPA with apricot, lactose, and vanilla)

From the tip of New Jersey’s elbow, Carton Brewing makes beers sometimes born of unusual inspiration that combine culinary artistry with just the right amount of whimsy. Listener Mike Bobal sent us six Carton beers for this one, and the flavors are as big as the alcohol content. We talk about Carton’s namesake leader Augie and his prolific internet presence while tasting through beers that steeply rise in ABV pretty early in the show. Naturally, this leads to asides about drunken oaring, Chupa Chups, sex stuff with oranges, proper nachos, and Craig’s monogamous cereal life. We also hop on the CanniBus to Weed Church before everything goes all orange on us. Don’t put this one in a box! (Because that would be physically impossible as this is a digital medium.) Beers Reviewed Wit Whale (Hoppy Wit Beer) 077XX (East Coast Double IPA) Cosmonaut (Russian Imperial Stout with Freeze-Dried Ice Cream and Spices) All Orange Everything (Triple IPA - Collaboration with Other Half Brewing) Regular Coffee (Imperial Cream Ale with Coffee) Café Y' Churro (Imperial Cream Ale with Coffee, Vanilla, and Cinnamon)

Ignoring the fact that there are plenty of beers out there that relegate hops to a simple supporting ingredient, we again indulge our insatiable appetites for chronic hop-led tonics by tasting out five super fresh local IPAs and DIPAs. Are we getting too old for this sh*t? Not likely! We do have a hell of a time trying to find critical points that separate these all-hazy all-juicy hop cocktails before they disappear from our glasses. And because our usually-rich lexicon of descriptors (ha!) is limited to a few keywords again and again, we bring back the fan-favorite episode-spanning game Beers Against Humanity to force us to shoehorn dirty and terrible phrases into our normally pristine and knowledgeable beer analysis (HA!) Give in to your temptations, and let the hops take over. (And tell ‘em Bruce Candles sent you.) Beers Reviewed Forbidden Root - Radio Swan (Rye IPA) Hop Butcher for the World - Skrap Metal (DIPA) Pipeworks/Run the Jewels/Interboro - Stay G-O-L-D (IPA) More Brewing - Loose Candies (DIPA) Corridor Brewery & Provisions - SqueezeIt OG (DIPA)

We love hops - and more importantly, our listening audience loves hops too. So to keep pushing those download numbers higher, we take our palates to the limit with six random hoppy beers. We talk about the wacky world of beer pricing, the shelf life of hazy beers, and the best brewery that Chicagoans aren’t talking about. If those hot takes aren’t enough to get your download fingers twitching with anticipation, then we also tackle the important issues like which deli meat is the stickiest, and why Joey Pants is the best, and what are the most lethal Slip N’ Slides? Plus, Craig trademarks his beer gym idea, and we set straight something very important about Gushy. Thanks for the clicks! #hazybeer #hazyipa #KregTightjacket #LilTeashat #BobUecker Beers Reviewed Marz Community Brewing Co. - Jungle Boogie (pale wheat ale w/ rooibos tea) Haymarket Brewery - Oscar’s Pardon (Dry-hopped Belgian pale ale) Sun King Brewing - Fistful of Hops (IPA) Triptych Brewing - Wake Up Neo (New England-style DIPA) Transient Artisan Ales - Mind to Devour (DIPA) Untitled Art - Hazy IIPA

It’s been a year and some months since Chris Betts made Transient Artisan Ales not-so transient by opening up a brewery and taproom in Bridgman, Michigan. We take the short jaunt around the tip of Lake Michigan to catch up with Chris over some of his world-class beers and talk about some of the big things coming for the brewery. We learn about the brewery’s expansion plans, the truth about the shelf life of hazy IPAs, what he’s doing with a barleywine, why people criticising some of his prices are dead wrong, and how being surrounded by wineries has helped his transition into Michigan. There’s also talk of the future of contract brewing, the odd parameters people use to evaluate beer, the secret to conditioning hazy hoppy beers, the way he avoids lambic faux pas, the odd charm of the Norway beer scene, the influence of local flora on his Michigan Wild Ales, and the possibility of more Transient meads. And stay until the very end for some exciting news about the future of Transient in Chicago. Just don’t mind all the bungholes. Beers Sampled Czech Yourself (Czech-style Pilsner) Big Rip (IPA with Michigan-grown hops) Ardent (wine barrel-fermented mixed grain and mixed culture saison) Anachronism (Michigan Wild Ale) Foeder #2 w/ Black Currants (Michigan Wild Ale) Purest Expression (Mead made with blueberries in collaboration with Four Fires Meadery)

Two Illinois brewing traditionalists inspired us to dig deeper into lagers and hefeweizens, so we pitted a bunch against each other in a goofy Crossfire showdown. Riggs Beer Co. out of Urbana and Dovetail Brewery out of Chicago know the German way and have expertly paid homage to tradition at their year-old breweries. But that wasn’t enough as we brought in other examples of each style, either American or Bavarian. We get caught up in the crossfire as we also lagerjam our way into another potpourri of pop culture word association that you would expect from a typical episode of this show. Tradition, y’all.   Beer Combatants //   Lagergeddon:   Riggs Beer Co. - American Lager Surly Brewing Co. - #Merica! Dovetail Brewery - Lager Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan - Weihenstephaner Original   Hefeweight Championship/HefeRock:   Riggs Beer Co. - Hefeweizen New Glarus Brewing Co. - Bubbler Dovetail Brewery - Hefeweizen Ayinger Privatbrauerei - Ayinger Bräuweisse

From the basement of an Italian restaurant just outside of St. Louis, Narrow Gauge has started to gain a name in the Midwest and beyond as purveyors of great hazy IPAs - and other outstanding beers, as we find on this episode. We review four crowlers of beer that Craig schlepped back from a recent trip to Missouri, and the mix of quantity and quality has us hurtling towards shambling inebriation. We try to find Narrow Gauge’s place in the current hazy beer wars, and wax philosophical about the Perception of Aqueosity and the Arbitrarity of Rankings. Ryan introduces two new segments, and Craig will just put anything in his mouth. Beers Reviewed FloMO Pils Fallen Flag IPA Cloud City IPA Old Town Porter

Mike Pallen opened the doors on the tasting room for his new Elk Grove Village brewery back in March, and the rarest thing - besides some of his beers - is finding an open seat at the bar. We sat down with Mike at the new location to dive deep into what makes Mikerphone Brewing something like a phenomenon. And you’ll find out why opening a tasting room was the best thing Mikerphone has ever done. Over many bottles, we discuss the New England styles that have helped make a name for the brand, how he intends to try and fill the demand for Smells Like Bean Spirit (while creating more demand for some upcoming, crazy barrel-aged versions), the future of packaging for Mikerphone, how he uses Untappd for QC, his plans on establishing a flagship beer or two, what’s to come with distribution of his highly-coveted beers, and much more. At some point, we lose sight of the whole “interview” part of the show, and Mike just slides right into the 3rd host chair by joining us on diversions about New Glarus, Easter eggs on labels, music references, Skittles, and the local “gentleman’s club.” So, open up a few hazy ones because we hope you enjoy this longplayer even a fraction as much as we enjoyed recording it. Beers Featured Beautiful Oblivion (Imperial Stout w/ almonds, cocoa nibs, & vanilla) DDH IPA ABC BBD (Double Dry-Hopped IPA with Mosaic and Motueka Hops) Spacebar (Galaxy-Hopped DIPA) Educated Fool (Double Dry-Hopped Double IPA with Ekuanot Hops) Vinyl Frontier (Lactose Double IPA w/ El Dorado Hops Creamsicle IPA (collaboration with Untitled Art)

Whether it’s for a barbecue or a beach, choosing the right refreshing beer for your summer outing is more daunting than ever with so many choices. So, for your benefit, we drink eight Chicago-area beers that are built to pulled from ice and crushed. (For safety purposes, we must advise against you literally crushing beers, unless you own a CraigBot.) We also spend a lot of time with Summer Craig, get ball-punched by Peanut Tillman, conceptualize some mayo beers, bring down the PunGate, push for #NoMoLoMaNoMa, put out a can date mandate, talk about bad Untappd reviews, and slingshot some hams. So, it’s basically par for the course on an eight beer episode. Grab your longboard! Beers C-C-C-C-CRUSHED Middle Brow Beer Co. - Copacetic (cream ale with popcorn, lime, and peppers) Temperance Beer Co. - Greenwood Beach (blonde ale with pineapple) Pollyanna Brewing - Summerly (wheat ale with raspberries) 5 Rabbit Cervecería - Paletas Guava (wheat ale with guava and pink peppercorns and tarragon) Hailstorm Brewing Co./The Open Bottle - Boing! (NE-style pale ale w/ pineapple, lactose, and vanilla) Hop Butcher for the World - AleMerica the Beautiful (pale ale) Moody Tongue - Peeled Grapefruit Pilsner BuckleDown Brewing - Grapefruit Belt & Suspenders (IPA w/ grapefruit)

Thanks to listener Mike Bobal, we are able to drop another pin in our map as we tackle the Garden State. We review five beers from five different New Jersey breweries while trying not to offend every single person in that state. Also on the agenda, we try to refresh our tired review language, experience extreme visibility, meet Professor Nosebody, and talk about cat food with cheese in it. There’s a trivia game comparing one of Jersey’s favorite sons to a lunatic cult leader, but we also talk a little Springsteen. And the beers are tasty enough to send this boat hurtling towards the Jersey Shore. Beers Reviewed Magnify Brewing - Low Visibility Pale Ale Jersey Girl Brewing - Rake Breaker IPA Carton Brewing - Shinshu (cream ale with miso) Double Nickel Brewing - Marbled Buffalo (bourbon barrel-aged rye beer) Kane Brewing - Christian Patrick (imperial stout)

Starting back in 2005, Jackie O’s has grown from a brewpub to include a production brewery, bakeshop, and farm. Recently, Craig went down to Athens, Ohio and recorded about 20 minutes with the head brewer of the production brewery, Seth Morton, before bringing back a stash of beer for us to review. We try six of their excellent beers, three of which are barrel-aged, and we get completely SlamJammed. There’s also some kettle sour crankery, Dope Ass Doilies, piney beers, and a barleywine intervention. Come on and get SlamJammed.   Beers Reviewed   Berliner Weisse Oro Negro (imperial stout w/ cacao, habanero, oak, cinnamon, and vanilla) Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition (Russian imperial stout) Pockets of Sunlight (mixed culture saison w/ honey, coriander, and lemon verbena) Bourbon Barrel Black Maple (imperial porter with maple syrup) Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln Nuts! (English-style barleywine w/ six different nut varieties)

Over the course of a decade, DESTIHL Brewery has been extending their reach from their home in Central Illinois to sending their cans and bottles to nineteen different states. On this show, we sample an array of what they do: common styles, canned sours, and award-winning stouts. Craig sets us on a path of maximum distraction from the start, but we still manage to spin out some beer reviews before getting just surprisingly snockered. There’s also talk of Summer Craig’s return, banana perfection, new Greek yogurt flavors, and naughty 90’s HBO memories. Spin spin spin spin spin spin.   Beers Reviewed   Weissenheimer Hefeweizen Wild Sour Series: Blueberry Gose Wild Sour Series: Synchopathic (dry-hopped sour) Amra Mango IPA Dosvidanya (Bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout) Dosvidanya Rye Barrel (Rye whiskey barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout)   Thanks to DESTIHL for sending us the Amra, Weissenheimer, and Blueberry Gose!

We add another pin on our map with a Pennsylvania show that rings our damn Liberty bells so hard that rankings have rarely been drunker. We have five beers to review from Craig’s travels, and a brief interview with East End Brewing’s Brendan Benson. The vibes are good, as we goof on podcast names, Nic Cage, and the Friends timeline. Also, Craig does poorly in two PA-centric trivia games, and Ryan reveals his greatest invention idea. (For the dedicated listeners, play a game of “find all the continuity errors” as we recorded this one back in mid-April, yet have referenced it in many already-released episodes!)   Beers Reviewed   Brew Gentlemen - General Braddock’s IPA Forest & Main Brewing - Solaire (Saison) Lavery Brewing - 1847 Rye Stout East End Brewing - Gratitude (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine) Bullfrog Brewery - Le Roar Grrrz Aardbei (Gueuze-style with strawberry)

We’re not quite ready to let another Chicago Craft Beer Week go, so we grabbed five new-ish canned beers from Chicago breweries to review. This show also serves as our Beer Under Glass festival recap - at least, what we can remember about it. Five highly-drinkable beers and two slightly hungover hosts - what else can we say?   Beers Reviewed   Hopewell Brewing - First Lager Around the Bend Beer Co. - Vera (Pistachio cream ale) Hop Butcher for the World - Grid (APA) Finch Beer Co. - Plumage (IPA) Whiner Beer Co. - Miaou (Blended barrel-aged Belgian wheat)

Bring your raincoat and galoshes as there’s bound to be some moisture as we sip six DrippyIPAs© on this episode. We’re simply sodden with delicious hoppy ales, but one beer is the biggest shocker we’ve had in a long time. We also revisit our odd time at the Chicago Beer Classic on Soldier Field, long for a visit to St. Louis, relive Craig’s car accident, pray to Pope Meltivus IV, get horses to talk, and discuss all the 90s commercials that matter. (Sorry to Matt Pinfield on this one.) Beers Reviewed Shared - J Dub Fan Club (dry-hopped pale ale w/ passion fruit) Perennial Artisan Ales - Cave Torch (dry-hopped IPA w/ oranges) Mikerphone Brewing - I Want My IPA Tired Hands Brewing - Drippy Church (oat IPA w/ orange) Bearded Iris Brewing - Double Scatterbrain (double IPA) Transient Artisan Ales - Honeystone (double IPA w/ honey)

Sweet creamy delights fill our mouths on this engagement as we savor five adjunct-heavy milk stouts, and most are true to their intentions. It’s a roguish gallery of dessert flavors featuring coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, peppers, and orange zest. We announce our big buyout, Craig’s bad creamer decision, proper jelly application, ice cream strategies, and a disturbingly erotic beer label. Bite the Bubble Tape. (BT2) Beers Consumed The Brew Kettle - Kitka (Chocolate Coconut Milk Stout) TailGate Beer - PB&J Milk Stout Saugatuck Brewing - Neapolitan Milk Stout 4 Hands Brewing - Horchata Chocolate Milk Stout Middle Brow Beer - The Milk-eyed Mender (imperial milk stout made with oranges, peppers, cacao nibs, cinnamon & vanilla)

For many, wheat beers are summer. So we get tired of waiting for the weather to turn and initiate summer on this episode with five wheat beers from five Midwestern states. Which summer wheat should be on your grocery list? Hear our arbitrary opinions! We find renewed love with some of these wheats, and at least one surprising disappointment along the way. HAKAS! Beers Reviewed Bell’s Brewery - Oberon New Glarus Brewing - Dancing Man Wheat Boulevard Brewing - 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat 3 Floyds Brewing - Gumballhead Revolution Brewing - Sun Crusher

Hot and ready at your ear doors, this episode is all about the Pizza Boy - Brewing, that is. Craig delivers another tasty lineup with five beers from his visit to this Enola, PA brewery. Of course this brewery awakens our appetites and we talk a bit about pizza and breakfast, with a serious diversion into ska. Also, find out Craig’s signature beer-transforming review trick before we get sneak-up drunk on this one. Put it on the pizza! Beer Slices Citra Pils Moonstomp (Berliner weisse) Sunny Side Up (Bourbon barrel aged stout w/ coffee) Arck Angel - Peaches (Double IPA w/ peaches) FLEMboyant (Flanders inspired wild ale aged in oak)

Continuing our intermittent liquid tour of the nation, the Buckeye State is the focus of this one with five beers from five Ohio breweries. Craig regales us with tales of his recent travels through Ohio, and he nailed the lineup here with five damn tasty brews. We also share a chat Craig had with Black Cloister Brewing founder (and Lutheran pastor) Tom Schaeffer to learn more about the divine inspirations that led to the opening of his rising Toledo brewery. Also, there’s an odd dual game of trivia, a plea for malt in IPAs, Craig’s two tongues, and Ryan’s conflicted barleywine feelings. We’re monking our asses off over here! Beers Reviewed Yellow Springs Brewery - Captain Stardust (Saison) Hoof Hearted Brewing - Hot Probz (Double dry-hopped pale ale) Rhinegeist Brewery - Penguin (Blonde stout) The Brew Kettle - White Rajah (IPA) Black Cloister Brewing - Chained Dog (Belgian strong golden ale) (Black Cloister/Tom Schaeffer interview starts at 57:29)