This past Sunday we headed out to Huntley IL and a brewery that has only been open for just over 2 months, Sew Hop’d. The Yankee, Mike ‘Lingo’ Lingafelter and  The Brit, Phil Clark visited with the Sew Hop’d team of Tap Room Manager Katie Hofman, Brand Manager Scott Busam, and brewer Doug Vandewalker and on a hot, sultry Sunday morning discovered what makes this brewery somewhat unique, at least in terms of the building it is located in.

Situated in half of the Union Sewing Machine factory, and the old Borden Dairy factory, these guys are taking small steps to build a very local and well-patronized tap room, producing some classic and solid brews. And behind the operations side, the owners love of good, fresh beer has provided the foundation for a great addition to the Illinois brewing scene.

It’s a sultry Sunday morning chat, and just another great brewery to visit. Here’s the beers we sampled…

• Sonne Hefeweizen, 5.5% ABV
• Raspberry Wit’s End Witbier, 4.2% ABV
• SMaSH 101 Pale Ale – American, 5.8% ABV
• Stan’s Amber Red Ale – American Amber / Red, 5.9% ABV
• S’more Borden Street Milk Stout Stout – Milk / Sweet, 4.2% ABV
• Borden Street Chocolate Milk Stout Stout – Milk / Sweet, 4.2% ABV

Play the show from our player or the PodBean player below…

This edition can be considered a’lost’ edition of the podcast as it was recorded back in March when beer consultant and ex-host Mark Naski, came into town bearing beer gifts, and we didn’t release it then.

Mark lives in Boise ID, and often returns to the Chicago-land area, and on his journey he will stop at various breweries and pick up samples, as well as bringing us the latest offerings from the burgeoning craft beer scene in the Boise area. Joining us on this show were co-host Chuck Fort, head brewer at Church Street TJ Bachorz, and friends of the show Tom Ryan and John Karwoski.

First up, is a brew from Rock Springs WY, and a brewpub called Bitter Creek Brewing.  Alas, the crowler had suffered in the journey out here and we detected some type of off-flavor. With all due respect to the folks at Bitter Creek, we’re taking this one  out of the mix, and we will look forward to tasting something else from them in the future.

However, the remaining brews were varied and interesting, and our second beer produces a chorus from the panel…they won’t quit their day jobs! We chat on ‘best by’ dates and find out what TJ thinks on these and how they are handled in stores. We also discuss cross-contamination in sour production while we sip on the wonderful BA Peach Creek sour from Sockeye. Mark also reveals his life of crime with Abbey yeasts, and dispels the myth that Fins are the happiest people in the world, and how they ‘hate’ the Swedes!

Beers Sampled / Timings:

• 15:00 Coal Creek Tap, Laramie WY, Nowhere Man UK IPA,  5.5%
• 29:58  Western Collective, Garden City ID, Gartenstadt, Märzen, 5.7%
• 40:23  Sockeye Brewing, Boise ID, Peach Creek Fruited Sour, BA Fruited Sour, 8.5%
• 52:32  Backpocket Brewing, Iowa City IA, Banana Bread Sour, kettle sour, 8.5%
• 64:57  Mad Swede Brewing, Boise ID, The First King of Kiev, Imperial Stout, 9.0%

Play the show from our player or the PodBean player below…

This edition of the podcast is a little different as we are interviewing the interviewers, and talking beer with Tom White and Jack Muldowney who are 2/3rds of The Hop Review, one of the predominant online beer websites based in Chicago. Nick Costa was MIA, and makes up the trio of beer enthusiasts who are responsible for bringing outstanding interviews with all the stars from the brewing world. As their home page states, The Hop Review  “…gathers the best stories & perspectives of craft beer through interviews, photography & travel.”

Tom lives in the brewing capital of Michigan, Grand Rapids and is an ex-pat Brit and Certified Cicerone. Jack is a Certified Beer Server and runs a design business over on the north side of Chicago, Ken McMullen is my co-host and reports in from darkest Naperville, so The Brit, Phil Clark, connected everybody up via phone lines and the cloud for a conversation recorded in the Brit and Yankee pub studio.

We find out how The Hop Review was started, how they manage to get interviews with some of the brewing world’s best, what some of their favorite interviews were, what they are drinking now, a short debate on the hazy trend, and Tom tells us what it takes to become a Certified Cicerone. Also, Tom works for Collective Arts Brewery out of Canada and we hear what they have to offer here in the States, and that leads to opinions on ‘best by’ dates, which segues to a chat on the beer festival they sponsor, Ultra Fresh, to be held on June 25. Then the lads provide us with their view on the UK craft beer scene as they have published a couple of interviews with brewers from across the pond.

It’s a fascinating chat with the talent behind one of the best craft beer websites, and we encourage you to head over and sign up for their weekly newsletter and check out some of their interviews.

Our interview brews:
Tom White – Collective Arts, Hamilton ON, Jam Up The Mash, Dry Hop Sour, 5.2%
Jack Muldowney – Grist House, Pittsburgh PA, Outrun Cowboy, Pilsener, 5.0%
The Brit – Lindemans Faro, Belgian lambic, 4.5%
Ken McMullen – Avery Brewing, Boulder CO, The Reverend, Belgian-style Quad, 10%

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

Within the past three months, East Dundee has become home to one of the newest breweries in Illinois, Black and Gray Brewing. Owners Chris and Theresa Kennedy, have given the north-western suburbs a little gem, as The Brit found out recently when he headed out to talk with Chris, aka ‘No Hair Chris’. Joining them was Chris’s brewing partner, Chris Contesso, aka “Long Hair Chris’.

The evening was sunny and warm, following a rather tempestuous band of weather that had swept across the area, and we decided it was too nice to be inside so we set up the mics on the beautiful outside patio. Despite a few passing cars, we found out about their story, and more importantly, we sampled the brews on offer.

Each one sampled was found to be classic, brewed correctly, and just plain delicious; how they achieved this on the small system they have lends testament to some brewing expertise that these guys possess. Chris and Chris talk to The Brit about why they brew the beers they do, their background, and what lies in the future for Black and Gray, plus The Brit gets a lesson in Revolutionary history.

We recommend a road trip out there, or maybe a bike ride on the Fox Valley bike trail. The downtown area has plenty of great restaurants to get food from, and then head over to enjoy it with a flight or a couple of pints from Black and Gray. Thumbs up!

Beers Sampled:

• Farmhouse, Cream Ale, 4.7% ABV 17 IBU
• Das Kolsch, Kölsch, 4.9% 25 IBU
• Zephyr, California Common,
• Minuteman, NEIPA, 6.6%

Full Tap list here.

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