This episode marks a change to our lock-down status as of Friday, May 29, Illinois has opened up for outside dining, including service in brewery patios and beer gardens. So, the crew at the Brit and Yankee decided we should change our name from Hops At Home to Hops Outside in celebration of better times to come! We also made this edition a video-cast AND extended out our interview for an audio podcast…the first one since the beginning of March. And to celebrate this, what better than to make a visit to the newest brewery in the Fox River valley area, Art History Brewing in Geneva, IL.

Opened only 2 weeks ago at the time of recording, we checked in with owner Tom Rau, and head brewer Greg Browne to find out what you can expect if head out to pay them a visit. What we found was that they really like the classic styles and are going to be trying to show the Western suburbs how a great Czech-style brew is made, and served. It’s all about wet foam folks!

Brewer Greg has a great  pedigree and has been part of the Midwest craft beer scene since the early nineties. An ex-pat Aussie, he seems to know his way around a mash tun! Tom Rau takes us on a tour of AHB which is included in the video version of our show, and then we continue the conversation in our audio podcast.

Brews Sampled:

• Good Morning Munich, Bavarian-style Helles, 5.2% ABV
• Avenue of Giants, West Coast IPA, 7.3% ABV
• Lincoln Highway, APA, 5.8% ABV

Our YouTube video…

Play the audio podcast on our player below…or your favorite smartphone podcast app…we have a direct link to iTunes for iPhone users, and GooglePlay for Android users:

We couldn’t let our lock-down video series go by without talking to our friends over at Pollyanna Brewing, and in this edition we check in with VP of Operations, Ed Malnar at the end of a busy day in the brewery. Pollyanna opened over 5 years ago, so can be considered one of the ‘senior’ craft breweries in the Chicago area, and has now expanded to two additional locations. With the shutdown in March, they had to resort to curbside pickup and a reliance on their can distribution to ensure that they maintained a supply of beer to their fans.

Ed talks to us about how they did this, the stories behind a couple of their  beers, and how each location can accommodate the new outside opening rules set to implement on May 29. Also, he shows us his technical expertise with a hotspot as he shows us the beer fridge at the Lemont taproom.

Florida released their restaurants and breweries from lock-down last week, allowing at least 25% capacity initially, and now up to 50% as we recorded. How did this work out, and did the people actually go out, or were they cautious? The video-cast team decided to call on a friend of the show from a brewery in Boca Raton, and find out.

In this episode, ex-brewer and now Operations VP, Kevin Abbott from Barrel of Monks Brewing, enjoys a Happy Hour brew in his leather chair at the brewery, and tells the lads what happened, and potentially what we can expect here in Illinois, given the announcement by the governor regarding patio openings in June.

You may remember that Kevin came to Church Street Brewing last year for a collaboration brew and a couple of podcasts (Ep. 329–330). BOM brews Belgian-style beers, and produces some of the best in the country, with special editions for their Reserve Society and an annual Grand Cru release, and when we ask Kevin to show us his beer fridge, he opens up the ‘Cadillac’ of fridges containing aging brews from the time they opened.

Thanks to Kevin for taking his time to talk to us, and we highly recommend visiting or obtaining their beers! Cheers to drinking again!

It’s a Saturday Special today as we check out how business is doing at another brewery who had to postpone their anniversary celebrations because of the pandemic. This time it’s Huntley’s ‘Hometown Brewery’, Sew Hop’d, and the crew visit with taproom manager Katie Hofmann, and head brewer, Doug Van de Walker. McHenry county has a growing number of noted breweries and SHB opened their doors just over a year ago, and it snowed that day. For their first anniversary it was going to be a delayed celebration to avoid this happening, but little did they think that chance would play another hand to delay their plans.

Situated in a part of the historic Union Sewing Machine building, Doug has worked there for 35 years, and through his home brewing expertise, he persuaded the owners of USM to transform part of the building into a craft brewery, and then took the reins as head brewer. Katie Hofmann has been involved in the craft beer industry for several years and jumped at the opportunity to manage the front of house operations.

Together they have created a unique brewery experience, and Sew Hop’d is producing excellent brews, these days only available via curbside pickup. With summer approaching, it’s worth an expedition to McHenry and a visit to Sew Hop’d – they’ll have plenty of beer waiting for you in cans and bottles!