Out of the 5 breweries in St. Charles IL (some yet to open their doors), D&G was the first, and remains the most ‘local’. That said, brewer Alex Drayer (the ‘D’ in the name) produces some classic style that are exceptionally drinkable. The HAH crew had a socially-distanced conference with him as he opened for another week of pick-up/curbside-only sales. His regulars seem to be staying loyal to his brews, and he is planning on brewing more next week. Visit with Alex as he tells his tale, in his own ‘Lee Marvin-like’ voice, complete with his signature durag! Cheers!

It’s our longest video so far, as in this edition we are treated to a tour of a breweriana collector’s treasure trove, as Don Hardy shows us his bar. Don is the group administrator for a 8500+ strong Facebook group, Chicago-area Microbreweries, and is well-known in the area as a craft beer supporter. Each month for group m,embers, there is a drawing for gift cards and brewery swag donated by local breweries. To qualify, group members must post 7 or more times to the group.
This time we are doing the drawing ‘live’ as part of this virtual happy hour. All this and the video-cast crew see how a true beer can collector displays his collection, including a can that has a $10K price tag! Stay tuned to see if you are a winner!

We’ve renamed our series of Virtual Happy Hours to ‘Hops At Home’, just so you guys are encouraged to Stay Home, Stay Safe, and do your brewery drinking via carry-out or delivery!
In this episode, we head to the farmland of Illinois and visit with Lincoln Slagel, brewmaster at Emancipation Brewing, located in a farm field outside Fairbury. We actually catch up with Lincoln at his home, enjoying a brew in his garage on a day when temperatures reached 70 in some places. He tells us how his community taproom and brew-house is managing in these restricted times, and he is the first brewer to play, ‘Show Us Your Fridge, Please’. And of course, we let you know what brews everyone is drinking this happy hour. Cheers!

This is the first video Happy Hour we have had with a man who is completely green! We visit with Steve Kamp who is sitting in his brewery and for some reason, the picture has a green tinge to it…you can hear the tale Steve spins in this episode.  Evil Horse is one of the Dixie Highway Beer Trail locations, and Steve talks to the crew about his current experience under lock-down, and of deep,dark stouts with unpronounceable names, which will be coming in the future. Cheers!