Abv Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

We can't overstate the importance of the Amber beer on early craft beer culture, as just about any brewpub worth its malt back then would have a shaker pint of a rusty red-ish ale or lager ready to pour at all times. But is it possible that ambers are back? Either way, they're back in our glasses in a major way with this downright impressive lineup that teaches us how to love again. Also, we are wondering why so many comedy sequels are forgettable; Craig has been holding out on his impressive flavor descriptors until now; and Ryan would've been insufferable if he'd discovered barleywines in high school. Call the Amber-lance - there's no dim, red floppers to be found here. Beers Reviewed Phase Three Brewing Company - P3 Amber (Amber Ale) Pollyanna Brewing Company - Amber Pines (Amber Ale) New Glarus Brewing Company - Tailwagger Amber (Amber Ale) Hopewell Brewing Co. - Shaker (Amber Ale) Supermoon Beer Company - Commonbier (Amber "Steam"-style Lager)

Knoxville's Xul Beer Company first opened their taproom in 2020, and in under six years they've made a big name for themselves mostly on the back of their PB&J sour beer series. Craig had a chance to visit the taproom on PB&J Mixtape Day, and managed to catch co-founders Brad West and Seth Thacker for a quick interview. Then we sample a lineup of their most-loved beers, including a lineup of PB&J variants that lead to Ryan's atomic dream cuvée. Also, Craig faces down a food-based disappointment, Ryan shouldn't be huffing toys, and we both are brought back to a time when beer was fun. Brad West & Seth Thacker Interview (0:08:50 - 0:18:41) Beers Reviewed Toro y Oso (Mexican-style Lager) Paper Crowns (Hazy IPA) PB&J Mixtape (Gluten-free Sour w/ peanut butter & Concord grape) PB&J Mixtape: Strawberry (Gluten-free Sour w/ peanut butter & strawberry) Fit For A King (Gluten-free Sour w/ peanut butter & banana)

When a batch of out-of-state breweries start showing up on local shelves, it doesn't get us as "hot" as it used to - but there's no shortage of warm and happy feelings with this lineup of five that'll make your next trip to the bottle shop hit different. We drink a variety of styles from some mostly familiar non-local names, and at least one of us is struggling not to put every single beer at the top of their rankings. Also, Craig needs to know more about the struggle of refried beans (or really anything that'll increase his food I.Q.); Ryan's throwing down those youth pastor vibes; and we are both ready for the Extreme Mild.  Beers Reviewed Forest + Main Brewing Company & Human Robot - Fellow (Mild) Outer Range Brewing Co. - Cool Cool (American Lager) Bottle Logic Brewing - Recursion (West Coast IPA) Supermoon Beer Company - Yesteryiers (Red Rye IPA) New Image Brewing - Penjamin Danklin (Double Red IPA)

A proper British Bitter actually exists on a spectrum of Ordinary, Best, and Strong - or as we mostly know them in the U.S., Extra Special. We try to make sense of this moving target of a style by trying five pretty varied examples - and yes, some are very special. Also, we appeal to the Girl Scout Cookie subreddit by testing out a Thin Mint theory; we're only a little worried about boat rot; and we wait a full 20 minutes before bringing up Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Beers Reviewed Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen Goose Island Beer Co. - Honkers Ale Noon Whistle Brewing - NWB ESB Off Color Brewing - Beer For Bowling 3 Floyds Brewing - Lord Rear Admiral  

When you spend any amount of time in Wisconsin, you'd better leave room in your trunk for a whole lot of delicious beer - and that's exactly what Craig did on a recent stop in Madison. We throw caution and care to the WI-nd, as we open five beers from New Glarus and Madison's Working Draft with a range of styles that all do what we'd hope for - and better. Also, Craig accidentally stumbles into some stolen valor thanks to some brewery apparel; Ryan's ready to whip up that Matzo Ball Soup Sorachi Ace beer; some beers get poked that should never have been poked; and one host discovers that his jowls are not where he thought they were. Beers Reviewed New Glarus Brewing Company - Coffee Stout New Glarus Brewing Company - Back 40 (Bock) Working Draft Beer Company - Serpent's Blood (Irish Dry Stout) Working Draft Beer Company - Hello, My Name Is: Simcoe (IPA) Working Draft Beer Company - Defrostinator (Maibock)  

Though beer has long lived in wine's shadow as a prestige drink, it can do an impressive job of borrowing flavors or even mimicking them from the grape-based beverage. We open four very different takes on wine-inspired beers, some that have aged gracefully, and some that go places with styles in a way we haven't experienced. Also, Craig discovers a new innovation in frozen pizza technology; we re-examine the arch of sour programs in the U.S. over the last decade; Ryan's trying his hand at being a Zoom-based magician; and we try to avoid the crash of flabby sweetness. Beers Reviewed Maplewood Brewing Company - Softcore Mutation: Foeder Pinot Noir 2022 (Mixed culture sour aged in oak foeders w/ Pinot Noir grapes) Mikerphone Brewing Company - Red Grape Supernova (Italian Red Wine Sangria-inspired fruited sour w/ Italian Sangiovese grape juice, Sicilian lemon puree, and tangerine puree) New Glarus Brewing Company - Champ Du Blanc 2023 (Bière de Champagne spontaneously aged in oak on white grapes) Half Acre Beer C

In a time before hazy, there once was the Double IPA: malty, boozy, bold, and bitter. While some trends suggest the days of haze are a bit behind us, will we see a resurgence of the old school DIPAs of yesteryear? Or will it just be more of the same pale and fruity modern "West Coast" versions? We drink five classic examples that we hope separate themselves from the current trends, and find that some hit that nostalgic target just right. Also, Craig faces a hospital TV dilemma; we remember when breweries kept hop recipes a secret; and Ryan needs a big train beer just for himself.  Double IPAs Reviewed Dogfish Head Brewery - 90 Minute IPA Bell's Brewery - HopSlam Pipeworks Brewing - Ninja vs. Unicorn 3 Floyds Brewing - Arctic Panzer Wolf Great Lakes Brewing Company - Chillwave  

We know from various beer festivals that Ohio has a pretty incredible craft beer scene, and this show courtesy of listener Ryan Lamb focuses on Cincinnati beers that take it easy on the ABV. We try six beers from three different breweries - including one now-closed legend - and find ourselves mapping out a road trip by the end of the episode. We also get our minds (and appetites) freaked by the Criss Angel Breakfast Lunch and Pizza (CABLP) menu, comment on those Arnold Palmer rumors, appreciate the art of the subtle pastry, and try not to lose that grain feeling.  Beers Reviewed Listermann Brewing Company - Losantiville Pre-Prohibition Lager Sonder Brewing - Voss (Kölsch) Sonder Brewing - Divot (Lemonade & Iced Tea Ale) MadTree Brewing Company - Legendary Lager MadTree Brewing Company - Queen City Pale Ale MadTree Brewing Company - Dreamsicle (Orange & Vanilla Ale)  

Being stuck in the winter that will never end isn't so bad when you've got some dark and roasty beers, so for this show we get five different dark styles from some of our local favorites to warm us up. This set of nourishing beers has us wishing for a hot pokin' while considering our blanket fort construction tactics. Also, we try to decide on two arcade cabinets for our own imaginary pizza joints; Ryan's not afraid to throw some things during playground basketball; and Craig imagines a glass girthier than has ever been.  Beers Reviewed Brother Chimp Brewing - Novia (Schwarzbier) Goldfinger Brewing Company - Chela Negra (Dark Mexican Lager) Flipside Brewing - Blanket Fort (Oatmeal Stout) Dovetail Brewery - Czech-Style Dark Lager Blind Corner Brewery - Boreal Dawn (Black IPA)  

The painful reality of 2026 craft beer is seeing great breweries make the decision to close, and this episode is a tribute to two of those that we admired greatly: Miskatonic and Alarmist. We drink up three beers from each brewery as a way to show appreciation to their contributions to Illinois craft beer - and for making all those weird styles that helped us plan many a podcast episode. In addition to sharing some nostalgia to help us reckon with these huge losses, we also talk about why the roller rink is so dangerous; we briefly join the Lace Gang; and Craig's looking for lactose and cosplaying a milkman. Cheers to over a decade of great beers courtesy of the fine folks at Miskatonic and Alarmist - your beers (and taprooms) will be sincerely missed.  Miskatonic Brewing - Vox Pilsner (German-Style Pilsner) Miskatonic Brewing - West Coast Wizard (West Coast-Style IPA) Miskatonic Brewing - Goblin Couch (Smoked Porter) Alarmist Brewing - Crispy Boy (German-Style Pilsner) Alarmist Brewing - Le Jus (Hazy IPA) Al

The West Coast is still best when it comes to hoppy beers, and this episode provided to us by listener, Patreon supporter, and Californian Dave Adams has us considering the past and future of hops through a variety of IPA styles. Recorded back on Halloween in 2025, the only thing spooky about these five breweries' beers is just how quickly they decimate our sobriety. Also, Ryan's found a new hill to die on that involves Bruce Springsteen and jorts; Craig tries (and fails) to guess the number of locations each of these breweries operate; and we are inspired to establish Pellets & Cones Brewing (a subsidiary of Schwimmer Vintage Ales) - now hiring. Beers Reviewed Societe Brewing Company - The Coachman (Session IPA) Pure Project Brewing - Noc-Turtle (Murky IPA) North Park Beer Company - Stratacadabra (West Coast IPA) Pizza Port Brewing Company - Mongo (Double IPA) Duck Foot Brewing - Duckzilla (White Double IPA)  

To close out the most recent season of Revolution's Deep Wood series, we have quite an array of barrels in this foursome that - once again - has us smitten. With two 12-ounce cans and two big old pipes, we're staring down a blend for the ages once we can successfully reckon with our arbitrary rankings. Also, we're looking to get deep into the Bread Rave scene; Ryan's going to piss off a lot of folks in the cognac Facebook group; and Craig dons a new persona (and an old hat) to stir things up. We're going to need our moms to pick us up after this one. Beers Reviewed Dethurana (Imperial stout aged in bourbon and Amburana barrels) Mineshaft Gap (Barleywine aged in Cognac barrels) Sur Lie [collaboration with Surly Brewing] (Imperial stout aged in bourbon and red wine barrels) Barleywinery D.B.X.O.J. La Cerise (Barleywine aged in bourbon and French cherry liqueur barrels)  

We're celebrating a dozen years of providing our arbitrary craft beer opinions through a half-blind episode focused on six different styles (out of a possible twelve) that include both long-made stalwarts and brand-new (to us) Chicago brews. Craig and Ryan try to guess each other's blind beers while also attempting to solve some hidden themes - with some surprising results. Also, we hold our first ever Cheese Draft (vote in the comments of our social media posts, please!); we say hello to 10 Sack Craig; and we relive memories of infected beers we drank for the podcast. Thanks for listening and helping us get to 12 years. Beers Reviewed, Half-Blindly Crushed by Giants/DryHop Brewers - Patio Padre (Mexican-style Lager) Brasserie Dupont - Saison Dupont Adams Street Brewery - Open Czech (Czech-style Pilsner) Revolution Brewing - Eugene (Porter) Burning Bush Brewery - Broken Pillar w/ Raspberry (Imperial Chocoalte Milk Stout w/ raspberries) Central Water Brewing Co. - Brewers' Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout   

Compared to the pace at which Hop Butcher releases IPAs, their barrel-aged offerings might as well be Halley's Comet. But when they do release a big beer aged in barrels, it's absolutely worth tracking down, just like the four beers on this episode. We continue our Barrel-Aged Winter with these Hop Butcher for the World beers that saw limited release from their taproom over the last year or so and try not to get yelled at by bourbon Facebook groups in the process. Also, we consider walking a mile in condiment shoes; Craig somehow still has faith in ice cream beers; and Ryan's on the lookout for a Beefy Boy. Beers Reviewed Lincoln Anniversary Stout II (Applewood Rye & Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout) Lost In The Tropics (Rum, Banana Mead, & Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout w/ toasted coconut, Madagascar vanilla and pineapple soft serve) Resplendence (Barleywine aged in Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon barrels) Lincoln Anniversary Stout III (Double Barrel bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout)  

We settle for no less than the best when it comes to choosing beers for our semi-regular hop roundups, and these five locals more than rise to the occasion. With our white gloves on, we're sampling some of the finest hops known to man, and sometimes we're surprised where we find the bitterness (or don't). Also, Craig needs grocery store advice, we touch on a brewery location rumor, Ryan's got some hot tips on curds (and nugs), and we both know now that we should've gone thick cut. Beers Reviewed Saint Errant Brewing - Lonely Negatives (West Coast IPA) Maplewood Brewing Company & Breakside Brewing - Wave Pool (West Coast IPA) Foreign Exchange - Keeping Secrets (Hazy Double IPA) Hop Butcher for the World & Madame ZuZus - Twilight to Starlight (Hazy Double IPA w/ tea) Suncatcher Brewing - Suncatcher ONE (Double IPA)  

Aging beer or spirits in the wood from the Amburana cearensis tree native to South America can add noticeable cinnamon spice and vanilla - and brewers have been more than happy to experiment when they can find (and afford) a barrel. But FDA regulations keep Amburana-aged beers in some sort of weird limbo for competitions, so we tap our good friend and guest expert Neil Fisher from Colorado's WeldWerks to drop in and school us on this Amburana-factoid. Then for the rest of the show, we just get our socks completely blown through our shoes by this lineup of 4 beers of various ages. Plus, Craig reminds Ryan of his very few strengths, we pick sides in the train versus boat debate, we dig up an early podcast slogan for appropriate use, and Craig has an interesting relationship with his DreamCast that takes things off the rails a bit. Neil Fisher Interview (00:09:45 - 00:17:02) Beers Reviewed Foreign Exchange - Back to the Start (Amburana wood-aged English Brown Ale) Half Acre Beer Company - Uakari (Imperial stout

For the first time in Barrel-Aged December history, we have a whole show of gin barrel-aged beers - and we'll tell you why that's something of a rarity. With an all-star lineup of breweries, nothing here is a letdown - but there are still plenty of flavor surprises to be had. Also, we're drawing up some jukebox strategies given unforeseen circumstances; we're ready to bring back the horse blanket; and we're letting the gin make us more poetic. And then there's the introduction of GinBot 3000, the worst character we've ever created.  Beers Reviewed Afterthought Brewing - Bière de Pieces #50 (Blend of saisons aged in neutral oak and gin barrels) is/was brewing - Tree Tipper Aged in Gin Barrels [2024] (Saison w/ spruce tips & honey aged in gin barrels) Third Space Brewing - Gin Barrel-Aged Cranberry Gose Werk Force Brewing Company - Gin Barrel-Aged Farmhouse Vultures (Saison aged in gin barrels) Supermoon Beer Company - Gin Barrel Sensitive King (Belgian-style Tripel aged in gin barrels)  

We're hot on the case of the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers 2025's best medal recipients (that we have access to), and we'll solve the mystery of whether or not the gold medal winner in this bunch will actually top our rankings. For this year's roundup of decorated beers, we run the Specialty/Experimental category and throw in a bonus beefy adjunct stout for fun. But also, we're wondering what we can learn from the Lyric Opera Detectives to become Dicks at FoBAB; we run through all sorts of FoBAB By-The-Numbers breakdowns from this year' results; we recap some Fantasy FoBAB results; and we're angling hard for our chance to judge certain FoBAB categories next year.  Beers Reviewed Lakefront Brewery - Brandy Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Imperial Ale [Bronze in Specialty/Expermental] Cruz Blanca Brewery - La Dama Catrina (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels w/ Mexican cocoa, ancho chiles, Mexican vanilla, and canela) [Silver in Specialty/Experimenta] Black Horizon Brewing - From Earth to You (Gin barrel-aged Mexic

Taking a break from our usual Barrel-Aged December, we round up five festive beers that'll help make the holidays go down a lot easier. We span styles to appreciate the mostly-local lineup and their different seasonal inspirations while narrowing down our picks for what to bring to that work holiday party or extended family gathering. Also, we're learning language from musicians, we find a beer more rare than King Henry II, Ryan's inventing the next red hot beer gift, and Craig becomes a sometimes-seasonal Beer'd Al. Beers Reviewed Goldfinger Brewing - Winter Beer (Rye Lager) Art History Brewing - Wenceslas (Bohemian-Style Dark Lager) Hop Butcher for the World - Holiday Train (IPA w/ Rooibos tea, ginger, cinnamon, almonds, pistachios, and orange peel) Brouwerij St.Bernardus - Christmas Ale (Winter Ale) Pipeworks Brewing Company - Rudolph vs. Unicorn (Imperial Stout w/ peppermint, vanilla, cacao nibs, and lactose)  

Two things are absolutely certain when it comes to Revolution's yearly Deep Wood releases: one is that all the beers are going to be slightly varying levels of excellent, and the second is that we will find any excuse to drink them for the podcast. For this round of releases, a few old favorites return alongside the steadiest barleywine currently released, plus a new variant enters the fold as one of the best we've had yet. But also, we explore some surprising examples of the younger generation's borrowed nostalgia; we enter the fantasy factory for future Deep Wood releases; and our spirits ignorance is showing. My hat is like a shark's fin.  Beers Reviewed Gravedigger Billy (Scotch Ale aged in bourbon barrels) Apple Brandy Barrel Ryeway (Rye Ale aged in apple brandy barrels) Straight Jacket (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels) Rum V.S.O.J. (Barleywine aged in rum barrels)