Hops At Home: Ep.18 – Chris x 2, Black and Gray Brewing

One of the youngest breweries in the Chicago suburbs is located in East Dundee IL, and is Black and Gray Brewing. We are happy to have owner/brewer Chris Kennedy on this videocast, as his full-time job is with Elgin Fire Department and is very much on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic. Supporting Chris K. with brewing duties, is Chris Contesso, who helps split the workload at B&G. Affectionately these guys are known as No-hair Chris and Long-hair Chris, and they are brewing some fine beers on their small 2-bbl system, plus beginning to can as a response to the pandemic tap room limitations.

We recorded this episode on May 4, the day before the release of their Mexican-style lager, Caesar Chavez, coinciding with Cinco de Mayo. We hear from a first responder how to stay Covid safe, and how to get a mobile canning run going in an otherwise un-populated taproom. If you are supporting our local breweries, we recommend heading out to their location and picking up some 4-packs and a couple of oil-cans, which we find out is the substitute size for the hard-to-get crowler.

Cheers to Chris for his service, and to both of them for their brews

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