Category Archives: Craft Beer

192 – CCBW, Bittermann, and New Brews!

Craft Beer, Mild, Saison, Smoked Ale

Join the pub staff and guests, plus a full house of patrons as we closeout Chicago Craft Beer Week.  Our show is recorded from the The Brit and Yankee Pub studios and Mark and Phil welcome guests John Karwoski, and Mr. Illinois Beer, John Bittermann.
Reviewed brews segue from the last episode where we sample Brew Werks Farmhouse Contra, and then try beers that are from breweries in the Chicago suburbs and Illinois that we have not yet tried.

Our line-up looks like this:

Brew Werks, Plainfield Il – Farmhouse Contra, Saison, 6.4%, 24 IBUs, also available in a brew-your-own kit.  Special!

Hailstorm Brewing, Tinley Park, IL – 2nd Anniversary Brett Saison, 8% ABV, a Brett Saison with Black Currants  fermented in Oak wine casks.

​Crystal Lake Brewing, Crystal Lake, IL – Beach Blonde, Golden Lager,ABV: 5.3%, 18 IBUs.  A bronze medal winner in the “Muenchner-Style Helles” category at the 2016 World Beer Cup.

​White Oak Brewing, Normal IL – Me Llama Llama, English Mild Ale with Coffee, Vanilla, Cinnamon & Cocoa, ABV: 4.0%, IBU: 20

Scorched Earth Brewing, Algonquin, IL – Foraging Swine, Smoked Ale, 7.7% ABV, IBU 12, malty sweet and smoky ale.

It cheers from the crew to the great brews we are producing in this state!

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Pubcast 191 – Werk Force Brewing

Craft Beer

The Pubcast staff head south down Route 59 and head to Plainfield, IL to visit with brewer Brandon Wright at Werk Force Brewing.
We taste some of their brews, and Brandon heads to the back and hooks up a keg of one of his Otters series.  Of course we sample some of his range of brews on tap on that day, starting with Steve’s Going To Helles…, Helles Lager at 5.5%.
Next up is Apricot Farmhouse, 7.0%,  followed by Galactic IPA, Dry Hopped Pale Ale, 6.4%.
We have a surprise visit from one of Brandon’s neighbors, Chris ‘Unpronounceable’ from Ten Drops Coffee.
Finally, one of Brandon’s very popular Otter series, Wild Otters, fermented for 18 months in gin barrels.

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Pubcast 189 – Beer and a Curry 2: Leather Chair Beers

Barrel Aged, Craft Beer, Sour Ale

Phil revisits with Sean Curry from Sketchbook Brewing, and this time Sean brings out some special brews from his extensive cellar.  All of these brews can be considered ‘Leather Chair’ beers, in other words those that require you to sit down, relax, and sip them at the end of a great evening.  Together with Tom Ryan, the three forego the leather chairs and relax on wooden chairs up at Sketchbook’s new tap room in Evanston.

First up is Asheville, NC’s Wicked Weed Chocolate Covered Black Angel, the light-weight in the collection. It’s a sour dark ale with cherries and chocolate and comes in at 7.2%.
Second LC&C brew is a 2013 Imperial Oatmeal Stout called Dark Star Bourbon Barrel Aged, from Fremont Brewing Co., Seattle, WA.
And the last comes from The Bruery, and is an Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels with Hazelnut called Grey Monday.  This beer gets solid 100 ratings in Beer Advocate and Rate Beer, and comes in at a whopping 18.6%.

This edition also features a couple of Instant Brew Reviews, featuring Tinley Park’s Hailstorm Brewing Prairie Madness IPA, and 4 Hands Alter Ego, Black IPA.

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Pubcast 188 – Beer and a Curry: IPA Challenge

Craft Beer, DIPA, IPA, Pubcasts, TIPA

This week we are joined by Sketchbook Brewing co-founder, outdoors man, urban farmer, brewer, Untappd moderator, and cool dude, Sean Curry. Well, at least that’s what his Facebook page says!  Also joining us is beer aficionado and Sean’s buddy, Tom Ryan.
Together, we talk IPA and conduct a small East vs Midwest challenge. Sean obtained a couple of cans of Alchemist Heady Topper so that Phil could taste this legendary brew, usually found on many Top USA IPA lists.
Along with this, we try All Orange Everything (collaboration with Other Half Brewing), and Boat Beer from Carton Brewing, and match those up with Sketchbook’s very own IPA, Orange Door.
Join us for a great tasting session, and hear Sean’s beer knowledge overflow…luckily none of the beer did!

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