ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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 aged in bourbon, apple brandy, and Amburana barrels with Madagascar vanilla)

Revolution Brewing - 15 Year Beer Cherry Amburana (Barleywine aged in bourbon and Amburana barrels with cherries)

Mikerphone Brewing - One Hit Wonder #3 (Double barrel-aged triple mash imperial stout aged in bourbon and Amburana barrels)

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)

Unnecessarily crammed with junk, this year's spooky six-pack is an adjunct party that no one ever wanted to be invited to, as we're on to our ninth iteration of the infamous Torture Test. We both try to outdo one another by attacking our flavor weaknesses - or just finding straight-up old catastrophes of beers that were probably never good in the first place. The goal is to avoid the Cuvée of Doom, but we can't avoid descriptors like "rancid piña colada," "wet basement cardboard," dirty old pennies," "liquified grandma's candy," and "diet medicine." But also, you can find out what keeps Ryan awake at night, and Craig realizes he can't coast on last year's domination anymore. (Thanks to Joe for helping wreck our night by providing one of the beers!)

Beers Endured

450 North Brewing Company - Jellied Pumpkin Swirl (Sour DIPA w/ pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pralines, vanilla & vanilla soft serve)

Stone Brewing/Bear Republic/Fat Head's - TBA [2012] (Extra hoppy brown ale w/ molasses and brown sugar)

Energy City Brewing - Mango'Rine Sorbet IPA (Sour NEIPA w/ mango & tangerine puree)

DESTIHL Brewery - Spicy Pickle Sour Beer (Gose with spicy pickle brine)

O'Fallon Brewery - Salted Caramel Pumpkin Beer (Pumpkin beer w/ lactose, Himalayan sea salt, and pumpkin puree)

Rogue Ales - Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerilla [2016] (Fruit beer w/ grape flavors)

Donning our heavenly jackets for this one, we drink the final set of Revolution's Deep Wood lineup for the 2023-2024 season. Three 'wines and a stout make up this unsurprisingly spectacular four pack, and even through all of our nit-picking we can't deny who is making the best barrel-aged beers in the city and state. Plus, we're doing our part to stop the TV game show idea shortage; Craig shares his Deep Wood release party recaps (with some glaring consequences); and Ryan gets to test out his Doug Veliky impression. 

Deep Wood 2023-2024 Beers Reviewed

Straight Jacket (Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine)

Ryeway to Heaven (Ryewine aged in bourbon and rye barrels)

V.S.O.R. Select (Ryewine aged in bourbon and rye barrels)

On & On Part 3 [collaboration w/ Half Acre Beer Co.] (Blended double barrel-aged stout)

Our 34th state show is just as sweet as it is sour, as we tackle five beers from South Carolina courtesy of listeners Benji & Suzanne. Even though it's a bit heavy on the tart beers, we learn about five breweries that represent a pretty good cross section of the South Carolina brewing scene. Also, Craig needs to bail someone out of the hellscape that is a community Facebook group, Ryan has stern words of warning about ranch delivery methods, and we're attempting to flex our marketing muscles again. 

Beers Reviewed

Munkle Brewing Co. [Charleston,SC] - Saison

Holy City Brewing [North Charleston, SC] - Sparkly Princess (Sour IPA)

Westbrook Brewing Co. [Mt. Pleasant, SC] - Ranch Water Gose (Gose aged in tequila barrels w/ lime & salt)

Edmund's Oast Brewing Company [Charleston, SC] - Sour Mango Papaya (Sour ale w/ mango & papaya)

Ghost Monkey Brewery [Mt. Pleasant, SC] - Jojo Coffee Stout

Ever since January 22nd of 2014, the ABV Chicago podcast has released a new episode every single week - and nobody could be more stunned about this fact than us. To commemorate a decade of arbitrary beer reviews, brewer interviews, and tipsy shenanigans, we open ten beers from ten breweries that all also got their start in 2014. The twist is that Craig and Ryan both present their five beers to the other as a blind tasting, forcing some surprising brewery, style, and "secret theme" guesses. Also, we spend a little time on memory lane, rank some celebrity hunks, and do what we do best: talk about candy, mostly. Thanks for checking us out at any point over these ten years, and expect a lot more to come because we literally don't know how to stop doing this podcast.

Beers Reviewed, In Half-Blind Order

Middle Brow Beer Co. - Yard Work (Kölsch)

Illuminated Brew Works - Clurichaun Trap (Session Stout)

Imperial Oak Brewing - Roundabout (Pale Ale)

Werk Force Brewing Company - Really Decent (Light Lager)

Penrose Brewing Company - Day Off IPA

Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Amistosa (Mexican-Style Lager)

Marz Community Brewing Co. - Boogie Nights (Dark Wheat Ale)

Pollyanna Brewing Company - In the Cards (Hazy American Pale Ale)

Maplewood Brewing Company - Barrel-Aged Cuppa Stuffff (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon & whiskey barrels w/ vanilla beans, cacao nibs, and coffee)

Noon Whistle Brewing - Good Piebrations: Banana Cream Pie (Hefeweizen w/ bananas & vanilla beans)

It's been almost three years since the announcement that Hop Butcher for the World would be taking over the original Half Acre brewery space, and it's been a year since the rebranded taproom opened. So we take time to sit down with co-founder and co-owner Jude La Rose for a long chat about the present and future of his brewery that was recently named Craft Beer & Brewing magazine's top Small Regional brewery in the country. We dive into formulating recipes, developing a lager program, releasing periodic barrel-aged stouts, and giving a defined purpose to every hazy beer they release. We also reminisce about the early days and what it means to take over such a legendary Chicago beer location. In addition, we also review four Hop Butcher beers of different styles, get curious about that kief, and somehow fall into old sitcoms. All that and a shout out to the late Stas Bulanda. #BringBackFirkinFridays

(Hit the GoFundMe for Nick Segura if you can help in any way.)

Jude La Rose interview (00:07:34 - 0:1:18:56)

Beers Reviewed

The Origins of Polka (Saaz-hopped Czech-style Pilsner)

Symbols of Math (Vic Secret, Sabro, and Simcoe-hopped [clear] Double IPA)

The Adventures of Strata and Peacharine (Strata and Peacharine-hopped [hazy] Double IPA)

Lincoln Anniversary Stout (Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout)

You don't turn to us for advice on a balanced breakfast, but we're happy to spoon up five cereal-inspired beers so good that even Mikey likes it. Through clever use of ingredients (or just throwing the cereal right in the beer), these beers really test the nostalgia influence of sitting a foot from the TV in our PJs while watching Captain N: The Game Master. Also, we consider all the different ways to attack the mat, share our own cereal biases, establish our independence through Cocoa Puffs, and endorse Malt-O-Meal above all. I'd say this episode is pretty gr-r-r-eat!!!

Beers Reviewed

WeldWerks Brewing Co. - Bamm Bamm Rubble Rubble: Watermelon (Sour ale w/ fruity rice cereal, watermelon, milk sugar, vanilla, & marshmallow)

Tripping Animals Brewing Co. - YABADABADU (Sour ale w/ orange, lemon, cherry, tangerine, vanilla, F**ty P*bbles, and milk sugar)

Edmund's Oast Brewing Company Cereal For Dinner (Blonde ale w/ vanilla bean, toasted coconut, toasted almonds, and lactose)

Artesia Brewing - FrankenStan (Sour ale w/ strawberries, marshmallow, and honey)

Old Irving Brewing Co. - Cinnamon Prost (White stout w/ Saigon cinnamon, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk sugar)

We fetch another round of barrel-aged beers for this episode, but with a twist: all four beers are aged in different kinds of brandy barrels. We explore the world of sweet brandy barrels and how they work on different styles, and we are totally surprised by our takeaways. Also, we talk mixed drinks, New Year sugar fears, John Entwistle, cooked malt, surprising personal revelations, and Jolly Rancher complaints. (Such a fine barrel.)

Beers Reviewed

Third Space Brewing - Wisconsinator (Doppelbock aged in Wollersheim Distillery brandy barrels)

Central Waters Brewing Company - Peach Brandy & Maple Barrel-aged Barleywine (English-style barleywine with honey aged in peach brandy barrels & Bliss maple syrup barrels)

Maplewood Brewing Company - Black Seed (Wheated stout aged in apple brandy barrels)

Half Acre Beer Co. - Cherry Brandy Benthic 2022 (Cherry brandy barrel-aged stout with coconut and vanilla)

Recorded on Black Friday (and previously released a month ago for our Patreon subscribers), this episode is our return to the Bourbon County lineup - after managing to get ourselves uninvited from the Goose Island media tastings. Luckily, we have our own beer sherpa in Beer on the Wall owner Ryan Tracy as he joins us to sip through all six beers in the back of his Elmhurst tasting room. Also, we measure the tasting against seeing the third Trolls movie in theaters, make plans to eat some rice cakes and drink some Dr. Fongs, try to eat everything at the fancy restaurant, shout out our special tube guy, and identify which store is actually ruining the BCBS release. In terms of beer rankings, two reviewers reach a consensus, and one is way out in left adjunct field. It's a fun one, folks.

BCBS Beers Reviewed

Bourbon County Brand Stout 2023

Bourbon County Brand Eagle Rare 2-Year Reserve Stout

Bourbon County Brand Angel's Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout

Bourbon County Brand Backyard Stout

Bourbon County Brand Bananas Foster Stout

Bourbon County Brand Proprietor's Stout 2023