Category Archives: Pale Ale

Pubcast 221 – A Little Irish, A Little Illinois

American Brown Ale, Craft Beer, Golden Ale, IPA, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Pale Ale

We always know that the pub is a place where friends drop in for a chat and a pint, and in this episode we have a couple of friends drop by to sample some brews with us. Mark is away traveling out West, so I’ve brought in assistant brewer from Church Street Brewing, Chuck Fort to help me try a few Irish brews, and a few Illinois brews.
As we recorded this at John’s Tavern in Winfield, owner John K. joins us later, and then my physiotherapist Matt drops by after a hard day of therapy.

This show tries the latest Guinness variety pack, a left-over from St. Patrick’s Day when we couldn’t record due to Phil getting the flu.

And then back home to Illinois, we try 3 new brews from our local breweries and we figure out if they are worth spending your hard earned dollars on.

Guinness Brewmaster Collection Variety Pack:
Golden Ale, ABV 4.5%
Rye Pale Ale, ABV 5.0%
Milk Stout, ABV 5.0%

Illinois Brews:
Brickstone Brewery, Bourbonnais
Galaxy Down Under, IPA, ABV 6.5%

Werk Force Brewing, Plainfield
Axis: As Bold As Beer, American Brown Ale, ABV 5.9%

Cademon Brewing, Genoa
Second Wind, Oatmeal Stout with Toasted Coconut Flakes, ABV 7.4%

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Pubcast 207 – Illinois 6-Pack

Craft Beer, IPA, Marzen, Pale Ale, Rye Session, Witbier

​Recently a local liquor chain sent out a coupon for a couple of bucks off their pick-your-own 6-pack, so we stopped by and selected 6 cans from local suburban and beyond, Illinois breweries. We reviewed them a mind to introducing the breweries to folks who may not have tried them yet, and all are readily available.

In addition, at mid-point in our 6-pack review, we’ll take a break and visit with Brian Pawola, head brewer from Pollyanna Brewing in Lemont, and we chatted with him at the brewery’s recent 2nd Anniversary party. We talk about his recent GABF bronze medal for his Fruhof Oktoberfest, and his 2nd Anniversary releases, including his smoked lager and several editions of Personal Chain Letter (PCL), Imperial Stout. Head to 37:00 minutes in to the podcast if you want to skip our chatter.
The 6-pack we try is:

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Crystal Lake Brewing, Lakesider, American Marzen Ale, 5.6%, 22 IBU – Crystal Lake, IL
​Brickstone, Forbidden Wheat, Blood Orange Wit, 5.4% – Bourbonnais, IL
Temperance Brewing. Restless Years, Pale Ale with Rye, 5.8%
​Miskatonic Brewing, Catchpenny, Session Rye, 4.5%
​Wild Onion Pub & Brewery, Misfit IPA, 6.5%, 75 IBU – ​Lake Barrington, IL

​Destihl Brewery, Vertex IPA, American IPA, 6.3%, 76.0 IBU – Bloomington, IL

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Pubcast 206 – Yeeha! Cowboy Beers!

Craft Beer, Imperial Stout, Lager, Pale Ale, Porter

Following GABF, Mark took a road trip out to the West, and visited Laramie Wyoming and Boise Idaho, and discovered that those cowboys have pretty good breweries and beers! He brings back samples from 4 breweries on this show, and we get a good sampling across the styles.  Guest John Karwoski joins us as we record live from John’s Tavern in Winfield.

First stop in Laramie, is Altitude Brewing, or to give them their full title, Altitude Chophouse and Brewery.  We have a crowler of their Imperial Stout, 7200′ Stout, clocking in at 7%.  Three weeks old, Mark wasn’t sure it would stand up but boy, it sure did!

Next we head to Boise, for the first of three brewery stops.  We sample the opposite end of the beer spectrum, an American lager called North Fork, from Payette Brewing.  This one is a great lager, and probably sells pretty well as a transition craft beer, and a light 4.4%.

Next, the oldest brewery in Boise, we sample Highlands Hollow Brewhouse, and a growler of a mystery beer.  Why mystery?  Mark forgot what he ordered and the cap wasn’t marked! We think it is either the Fiegwild English pale ale, or the Thunder Monkey Best Bitter.  Apologies to brewer Chris Compton, but we liked it a lot.

Finally, 2 cans of brewing goodness from the Sockeye Grill & Brewery, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.  Our first can is Hell-Diver Pale Ale, 5.5%. Lastly, a brown porter called Powerhouse, 6.0%, which proved to be very drinkable and John’s favorite.

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Pubcast 198 – HMQ90 Collaboration

Brewery, Craft Beer, Pale Ale

What defines a collaboration brew?  And what occasion could spark such an effort?
Phil Clark, ex-pat Englishman, wanted to brew a traditional English Pale ale to commemorate the 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, that took place this past June in the UK.

We asked our good friends at Hopvine Brewing in Aurora, IL if they might like to participate.  Ken McMullen, head brewer, said sure and so the project was born.  Using a recipe from co-host Mark Naski, this beer used English ingredients – Maris Otter malt and East Kent Golding hops.  Phil went down to the brewery and spent the day with Ken, understanding the process in detail and providing labor as needed.
The result is a beer that has all the maltiness required, and with a lovely mild hoppiness.

This edition of the pubcast records the brew day, the pre-release tasting, and the release day of July 8.  We hope you were there, and hope you liked the beer.
Here’s to you Your Majesty, Happy Birthday!

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