Category Archives: Kolsch

Pubcast 367 – The Curious Case of Banging Gavel Brews

It was beautiful Fall weather when we headed down to Tinley Park to record our latest episode outside in a beer garden. We’re at Banging Gavel Brews who have been brewing since the end of 2014 but still have not been able to brew or serve at their chosen location, the historic Vogt House, for a variety of reasons. Instead, they have opened up a fantastic beer garden, complete with their version of a ‘jumbotron’ so their patrons can enjoy the outside, drink their great brews, and watch their favorite college and pro sports.

Owner Jim Richert and head brewer J.T. Rea welcome The Brit and co-host Ken McMullen with samples of their current tap list, and relate the tale of their historic house that will eventually become their brewpub. We hear about the buildings’ origins and the problems encountered during the reconstruction, but the end is hopefully in sight!

Join us to hear about the brews, the beer name origins and the the theme of their brewery, plus we find out about J.T’s background and how he started in brewing and the path life took him to  be at BGB.  We recommend a visit before the beer garden closes on Oct 31st. After that it is back to cans only as the way of obtaining some of their very drinkable beer

Brews Sampled:

  • Civil Code, Märzen, 5.7% ABV
  • Amicus Curiae, Kölsch, 4.5% ABV
  • Offshore Trust, Tropical IPA, 5.1% ABV

Play the audio podcast on our players above…or your favorite smartphone podcast app…we have a direct link to iTunes for iPhone users below…and lots of other links on the sidebar, including Spotify!

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Pubcast 310 – Dan Rosenberg from MyGrain Brewing

Joliet has a long and rich brewing history, but until recently it died away and most of the classic German-style breweries closed. Now, the industry is starting to creep back into the city center with not one, but two locations opening over the last 12 months. Ken McMullen from Hopvine accompanied me as we visited with MyGrain Brewing, located right by the Joliet Amtrak station. Head brewer there is Dan Rosenburg, and we sat down with him to hear about the brewery and sample some of his many offerings on tap.

It’s an impressive building, and a big space, and owners Vince and Greg have filled it with an impressive tap room and restaurant serving a wide range of food offerings. But it is the beer that we focus on and Dan does not disappoint, with up to 18 or 19 options on tap at any one time. We try to sample a range of them from his light and crisp Kolsch, to the signature stout which usually has a couple of variants available for comparison.

We also got a sneak preview of their first anniversary brew, the details of which we can’t reveal here, but suffice it to say it will be amazing, so keep and eye and an ear out for the announcement!

It’s worth the drive down here, and make sure your route takes you down 171 and past the Old Joliet Prison, and then head to the city center and MyGrain. You won’t be disappointed!

Brews sampled:

  • From PALE They Came, Collaboration with P.A.L.E. Home Brew club, IPA, 7.2%
  • FNL Kolsch, Kolsch, 5.7%
  • Ze Vorld’s Greatest Doppelbock, Doppelbock, 9.2%
  • City of Stone, Saison, 6.5%
  • Stateville Stout, Milk Stout, 7.4%

Play the episode from one of the players below, or subscribe on iTunes!

Pubcast 223 – Illinois vs Idaho

With March Madness behind us we thought it might be fun to match up a couple of breweries from two states beginning with the letter ‘I’ – Illinois and Idaho.  So with a complete arbitrary approach to balance and fairness we select Solemn Oath brewing to stand up against 2 Idaho breweries, Edge Brewing and Sockeye Brewing.  The Landlord stands by our Illinois brews, but will the all the taster’s agree? Chuck Fort, assistant brewer at Church Street, once again joins Mark and Phil for this episode, recorded at John’s Tavern in Winfield.

Phil has supplied the following from Solemn Oath:
Lü, Kölsch-style Ale, 4.7% ABV
Old Faithorn, American Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV
Funsponge, Belgo-American Blonde Ale, ABV: 4.8% IBU: 24


Mark has returned from his trip up to the North west and brought back the following:
Edge Brewing Co.
Odelay, Vienna Lager, 5.5% ABV, 23 IBU
Obligatory DIPA, 9.2% ABV, 88 IBU
Sockeye Brewing
Sour Puss, American Sour, 5.5% ABV, 6 IBU (why bother!)

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

Pubcast 200 – Bicentennial Show

It is our 200th pubcast, and we are celebrating in the Brit and Yankee studios with many of our friends from over the years.  Our guests include tavern owners, beer servers, beer historians, brewers, and beer experts…oh, and beer consumers!
Joining Mark Naski and Phil Clark are Chuck Fort (Church Street), Ken McMullen (Hopvine Brewing), John Bittermann, Jon Harlson, John Karwoski, and live by Skype, the original Yankee, Mike Lingafelter.  Plus we have a couple of congratulatory messages from Sketchbook, Cademon, and Miskatonic breweries.

The Landlord has selected 8 beers that are examples of the range of brews from Illinois suburban breweries (with the exception of one from downtown), and we have a marathon tasting session. Opinions vary, and what we do find out is that there is a style for everyone.
Thanks to all who have listened over the years, we hope that we have educated, informed and entertained.  Here’s to the next 200 shows!  Cheers!

NOTE: this is a bumper edition, which we preface with our PSA, so listen carefully and don’t exceed your intake…spread it over a couple days!

Brews we taste:
Cahoots Brewing, Krule Summer, Kolsch Style Ale   5.2%, 20 IBU
Noon Whistle Brewing, Guave Gose Smack  3.8%
Cademon Brewing, Tropical Kingpin, Hefeweizen with Pineapple 5.5%
Lena Brewing, Scrap Iron, Black IPA ​7% 60 IBU
Hubbards Cave, Fresh IPA v1, Double/Imperial IPA 9.0%
Galena Brewing, Cortes, Barrel-aged Brown Ale 11%
Noon Whistle Brewing, Bob Ross Did It, Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale 10.1%, 1 year later
Flesk Brewing, 2nd Anniversary Ale, Belgian Strong Ale 9.8%, 2 years later

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