This week’s episode is something a little different as we’re not at a brewery or down in the pub, but we are visiting with Joe Tota, owner and founder of the Red Arrow Taprooms. Ken McMullen from Hopvine joins The Brit at the Naperville location, where we sat down with Joe to find out how this self-serve taproom works, and what people can expect if they stop by to try it out. Apparently The Brit had some problems with his microphone, but Joe and Ken’s are fine, so that’s all that matters!

As we sit and chat, we cover a lot of topics, and how these establishments are impacting the craft beer scene, and making it easy for new breweries to self-distribute and get their beers to people outside of their own brewery taprooms. Check out our podcast and then take a trip to one of their locations and try it for yourself. Cheers!

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The week after FOBAB ended, and everyone was reeling from those high ABV barrel-aged beers, an event was held at Iron & Glass Tap Room and Bottle Shop in Romeoville, that provided beers at the other end of the spectrum. Travis Beard from Ugly Trucking teamed up with Ken McMullen and Kevin Herbst to invite 6 local breweries to provide a pin of their take on cask-conditioned real ale. Three hand pulls were put into service, two of which were donated to the cause by the Brit and Yankee podcast. The other three pins were simple gravity taps.

The breweries who participated were Hopvine, Oswego, Metal Monkey, Pollyanna, Miskatonic, and Werk Force. On hand to talk about their beers were Ken McMullen, Chris Heinen, Dan Camp and Jason Janes, Ed Malnar, TJ Hagen, and Brandon Wright from the above breweries respectively. And Brandon has a surprise about his scotch ale offering, where’s he’s thrown everyone a curve ball!

This podcast features interviews with them all, and we hear what they brought and why, and their thoughts on this new-to-the-US approach to craft beer. Also, some news on new beers to come at Roselare and Werk Force!

Brews On Tap:
Hopvine, Aurora IL, Strong Bitter – Extra Special, 6.0% ABV
Werk Force, Plainfield IL, Welcome to I-80 – Scottish Ale, 6.3% ABV
Metal Monkey, Romeoville IL, Fantasy Bowling League – Kolsch, 4.6% ABV
Oswego Brewing, Oswego IL, Frozen Fields – English Porter, 5.8% ABV
Pollyanna, Lemont IL, Cranberry Orange Allure – Berliner Weisse, 4.6% ABV
Miskatonic, Darien IL, Shield Maiden (Cask) – APA, 5.5% ABV

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Our Thanksgiving show takes The Brit out west of Chicago to the home of NIU, De Kalb. It’s there that the podcast sits down with John and Christen Sanderson who are the working crew behind Forge Brewhouse. Originally started in Sycamore, IL., just outside of town, they moved in to downtown Sycamore and opened a second location in downtown De Kalb.

John Karwoski joins The Brit on this trip and we find out what John is doing to make great beer, why the two locations, and hear about a Black Friday release that would make it worth heading out there for brew or two. We also sample some of their brews, and then head back via Sycamore for one of their wood-fired pizzas at the ‘restaurant’ brewhouse location.

Brews sampled:
Fallen Apple – Apple Ale w/ Jonamac Cider / 6.2% ABV
Teleporter – Chocolate Hazelnut Porter / 6.2% ABV
Diamond Dust – Imperial Black IPA / 7.9% ABV
Brutal Bubble- Brut IPA / 6.9% ABV

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We gather a panel of experts to review the other fall favorite, porters. Joining The Brit is Ken McMullen, head brewer at Hopvine, Chuck Fort brewer at Church Street, craft beer enthusiast Kevin Herbst, and national beer judge and font of beer knowledge, Mark Naski.

We find out about porters and their history, how to tell a porter from a stout, how the head helps determine the difference, and many other fun facts. Ken tells us how to add coffee to a brew, and why he likes to do it.  And we have an enormous amount of porters to get through, with one ringer that you might overlook on the shelf, and an extra from Chuck’s own brewery, which has a story behind it.  Then there’s the Wolfden Brewing beer that just didn’t get recorded…are they haunted?  It’s an extended show, but after this you’ll want to find a good porter for yourself!

Brews sampled:
Browar Zamkowy Cieszyn, Cieszyn, Poland, 1881, Baltic Porter, 9.5% ABV
Founders, Grand Rapids MI., Robust Porter, 6.5% ABV
Sockeye Brewing, Boise ID., Power House Porter, 6.0% ABV
Spiteful Brewing, Chicago IL., God Damn Pigeon Porter, 8.2% ABV
Crooked Fence Brewing, Boise ID., 3 Picket Porter, English Porter, 5.0% ABV
Miskatonic Brewing, Darien IL., Antsy Prole, Coffee Porter, 6.5% ABV
Barbarian Brewing, Boise ID., Persephone Porter, 5.5% ABV
Wolfden Brewing, Bloomingdale IL., Peanut Butter Nuzzle, baltic porter, 6.5% ABV
Church Street Brewing, Itasca IL., Cronenbier, BA imperial vanilla porter, 10.1% ABV

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