Monthly Archives: June 2018

Pubcast 276 – Illinois World Beer Cup Winners

This week, The Brit headed down to Nevin’s Brewing in Plainfield to meet up with several of Illinois star brewers who won medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup. Held in Nashville this past May as part of the Craft Brewers Conference, this biennial event produced 6 medals, comprising 3 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 1 or 2 Bronze medals, depending on if you include Hamms from Chicago.

We chat first to Marty Nachel who organized the event, and get his perspective on why he decided to get everyone together.

Up next is Half Acre, and beer engineer Matt Gallagher, who tells us about their extra pale ale winner, Tuna.

Nevin’s brewers, Eric Dante Plata and Cory Davidson are the new guard, but Marc Wilson (now Oswego Brewing), is also on hand as it was his original recipe for Hook And Hatchet, but brewed by the lads, got a gold medal.

Craft beer podcaster, Joe Bobbe, presenter of Average Joe’s Above Average Beer Podcast, is also hanging out and we chat about putting together a craft beer podcast.

Finally we talk with Brandon Wright, the head honcho behind Werk Force Brewing, and he tells us about his historical beer, and silver medal winner. What’s a historical beer? Brandon reveals the story behind this unusual style, and then tells us how we can get this brew!

Gold Medals
Hook & Hatchet
Brewery: Nevin’s Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL.
Category43: Vienna-Style Lager

Biere de Voleur
Brewery: Horse Thief Hollow, Chicago, IL
Category 62: Belgian- and French-Style Ale

Draíocht
Brewery: Galena Brewing Co., Galena, IL
Category 88: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout
Silver Medals
Subtilus
Brewery: Werk Force Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Category 21: Historical Beer
Domaine DuPage
Brewery: Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Category 62: Belgian- and French-Style Ale
Bronze Medal
Tuna Extra Pale Ale
Brewery:
 Half Acre Beer Co., Chicago
Category 17: Session India Pale Ale

Play the show from the Podbean player, or our player below…


Music credits:
Barilicious by Dan Lebowitz
The Hunter and Heavy Hunter by Audionautix are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Good for Nothing Safety by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Turkey in the Straw by Shake That Foot

Pubcast 275 – Flesk Brewing 2.0+1

We’ve had this thing with the O’Brian lads where they keep brewing, and we keep up-to-speed on their progress. It started in Lombard at the location that is now AfterThought, and then they moved up north and the Flesk Brewing brewpub was born. Our last visit was back at the end of June 2017, and Will gave the Brit as special bottle of their 1st Anniversary Imperial Porter. The Brit said let’s crack it open on your 1st anniversary of the brewpub. And so that’s what we did.

The Brit is joined on this edition by ex-tavern owner John Karwoski, and they headed up to Barrington, where among the hub-bub of the FleskFest, we chatted with Will and James O’Brian about their first year, and sampled the three collaborations they have on tap for this event and ongoing until they’re gone!

We celebrate with them by opening a bottle of Flesk 1.0, !st Anniversary Imperial Porter from 2013, which turned out to have mellowed into a VERY tasty brew.  Our photos below also show our two pre-show brews, left Moro Blood Orange IPA, and right Patio Party Raspberry Sour…both tasty!

Beers Sampled:

You’re Larping Wrong – Farmhouse IPA – 5.5% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with Werk Force Brewing.
Heir Apparent – Dreamsicle wheat ale – 7% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with Rock Bottom Warrenville.
Awesome Brownie – Stout – 5.6% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with Hailstorm Brewing.
Flesk 2013 1st Anniversary Imperial Porter, 9.5% ABV

The Bruery, Rueuze (Retired), Sour Blonde Ale, 6.0% ABV
Now brewed under Bruery Terreaux

Play the show from the Podbean player, or our player below…


Music from Slainte.

Pubcast 274 – We say Zumbier!

This week we head up north to Waukegan, and discover that up there is a nice, cozy brewpub with a lot of heart! Larry and Talea Bloom are the force behind this addition to the Chicago-land brewing scene, and traditional styles meet new styles here.

As we stepped through the doors we saw something different to the usual brewery taprooms, and it turned into a a really nice experience, where the beers, the people and the ambiance just exudes ‘old school’, and we mean that as a compliment.

Zumbier has a small system, and they are constantly trying to keep up with the demand of their regulars. We discovers how they got into this venture, and the background to how they like to brew their beers. We also go to taste Talea’s cooking, and their generosity and welcoming approach to their brewpub just says this is the friendly confines of nano-brewing….we love it!

Play the show from the Podbean player, or our player below…


Pubcast 273 – Corridor 55 Special Release #5 – Black Horizon Brewing

It’s a different version of our Corridor 55 Special Release series, as we aren’t recording in front a live audience, but rather due to everyone’s busy schedules, we are in the brewery on a brew day so the taproom is closed. However co-owner Charles St. Clair and head brewer Alex Stankus are on-hand to talk with us, and it turns into a bumper edition.

Corridor 55 Special Release focuses on the breweries who have opened along the Heritage Corridor, I-55 interstate between Lyons and Plainfield.  We ask each of our interviewees to select some of their brews that they feel fit into 3 categories, plus we all taste a fourth one from the next brewery in our trip down I-55.

Join us for this inside chat when we find out about the brewery, their brewing styles, and a little bit about the guys behind the brewery. It’s the Brit, the Yankee, and series producer Kevin Herbst, barging in on a brew day, and enjoying some good beers and conversation. Plus we get to add hops and stir a batch of ESB that Alex is brewing, so odes that make it an official collaboration?

And although they couldn’t make the recording we managed to head over to Skeleton Key and get Paul Slayton’s take on the Chain Beer, so stay tuned for the end of the podcast!

Flagship Beer: 
Shame on You, Double-Dry-Hopped IPA, ABV 6.5%, IBU 60
Weird Dynamic “Milkshake”, IPA with lactose and vanilla, ABV 6.8%, IBU 50
Showcase Beer:
Hivemind, Hoppy Belgian Biere de Garde, ABV 5.4%, IBU 30
Inspiration Beer:
Charles  – Chimay varieties
Alex – Fat Tire, New Belgium
Chain Beer:
Skeleton Key Brewery, Petal Pusher, Rose Wheal Ale with Rose Petals,

Play the show from the Podbean player, or our player below…