ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

ABV Chicago
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A Chicago-based craft beer podcast with beer and events reviews. Visit our website at www.abvchicago.com!

  1. 1D AGO

    FoBAB Winners 2025

    We're hot on the case of the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers 2025's best medal recipients (that we have access to), and we'll solve the mystery of whether or not the gold medal winner in this bunch will actually top our rankings. For this year's roundup of decorated beers, we run the Specialty/Experimental category and throw in a bonus beefy adjunct stout for fun. But also, we're wondering what we can learn from the Lyric Opera Detectives to become Dicks at FoBAB; we run through all sorts of FoBAB By-The-Numbers breakdowns from this year' results; we recap some Fantasy FoBAB results; and we're angling hard for our chance to judge certain FoBAB categories next year.  Beers Reviewed Lakefront Brewery - Brandy Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Imperial Ale [Bronze in Specialty/Expermental] Cruz Blanca Brewery - La Dama Catrina (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels w/ Mexican cocoa, ancho chiles, Mexican vanilla, and canela) [Silver in Specialty/Experimenta] Black Horizon Brewing - From Earth to You (Gin barrel-aged Mexican lager w/ hibiscus, rosehips, and orange peel) [Gold in Specialty/Experimental] Old Irving Brewing - Barrel-Aged Champurrado Coffee Krampus (Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial stout w/ vanilla, cocoa nibs, Saigon cinnamon, Hexe coffee, and chilis) [Bronze in Specialty Strong Porter/Stout]

    1h 30m

  2. DEC 17

    Decembeers

    Taking a break from our usual Barrel-Aged December, we round up five festive beers that'll help make the holidays go down a lot easier. We span styles to appreciate the mostly-local lineup and their different seasonal inspirations while narrowing down our picks for what to bring to that work holiday party or extended family gathering. Also, we're learning language from musicians, we find a beer more rare than King Henry II, Ryan's inventing the next red hot beer gift, and Craig becomes a sometimes-seasonal Beer'd Al. Beers Reviewed Goldfinger Brewing - Winter Beer (Rye Lager) Art History Brewing - Wenceslas (Bohemian-Style Dark Lager) Hop Butcher for the World - Holiday Train (IPA w/ Rooibos tea, ginger, cinnamon, almonds, pistachios, and orange peel) Brouwerij St.Bernardus - Christmas Ale (Winter Ale) Pipeworks Brewing Company - Rudolph vs. Unicorn (Imperial Stout w/ peppermint, vanilla, cacao nibs, and lactose)

    1h 28m

  3. DEC 10

    Deepest Woodest

    Two things are absolutely certain when it comes to Revolution's yearly Deep Wood releases: one is that all the beers are going to be slightly varying levels of excellent, and the second is that we will find any excuse to drink them for the podcast. For this round of releases, a few old favorites return alongside the steadiest barleywine currently released, plus a new variant enters the fold as one of the best we've had yet. But also, we explore some surprising examples of the younger generation's borrowed nostalgia; we enter the fantasy factory for future Deep Wood releases; and our spirits ignorance is showing. My hat is like a shark's fin.  Beers Reviewed Gravedigger Billy (Scotch Ale aged in bourbon barrels) Apple Brandy Barrel Ryeway (Rye Ale aged in apple brandy barrels) Straight Jacket (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels) Rum V.S.O.J. (Barleywine aged in rum barrels)

    1h 19m

  4. NOV 27

    Bourbon County 2025

    Just in time for another Black Friday, we sat down with our good friend Ryan Tracy at his Beer on the Wall shop out in Elmhurst to sample through this year's somewhat uninspiring (but very well made) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout lineup. We ponder what's missing this year while also recognizing where the barrels are doing the heavy lifting, the impressive use of nuts (now that we're fully in the NutZone), and a surprising lean towards more subtlety than expected. Also, Craig is almost literally exuding Red Vines, we finally are pandering to the 10 year olds, Ryan is a surprising defender of a much-maligned Prop, and we take a little time to address the bear in the room. This is premium boxed content - and it all leads to our inevitable trip to Bourbon Country.  2025 Beers Reviewed Bourbon County Brand Original Stout Bourbon County Brand Reserve Stout Bourbon County Brand Double Barrel Stout Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Stout Bourbon County Brand Chocolate Praline Stout Bourbon County Brand Proprietor's Stout

    1h 54m

  5. NOV 26

    1840 'Til Infinity

    This episode is a tribute to the great 1840 Brewing out of Milwaukee and a celebration of the beers and memories they made during their years of operation.  If you can help the Vetter family during this period of unimaginable grief, please consider donating to the GoFundMe that has been established in Stephanie's memory: https://gofund.me/b54fb2f25 Beers Tasted Saaziwaka (Table Beer w/ Saaz and Riwaka hops) TBD (Dry-hopped Saison) Muumuu (Milk Stout) Sea Foam [2020] (Sour Ale w/ pineapple, passion fruit, blue spirulina, and lactose)

    59 min

  6. NOV 19

    IPA All-Stars Blind Rd. 5

    The latest installment in our journey to discover America's best IPA, we're going coast-to-coast for a pretty special lineup that'll help us further define what makes an IPA both an "all star" and, uh, "very good." We're getting pretty good at this guessing thing, and we might have the first IPA in this series that loses points in the appearance category. Also, we are pushing hard for an all Pure Moods stage at Riot Fest, we are haunted by that ridiculous thumb, and we want to know if a slice from Sbarro will fit in a Jnco jean pocket.   Beers Reviewed Blindly   Russian River Brewing - Blind Pig Goose Island Beer Co. - IPA The Alchemist - Focal Banger Lawson's Finest Liquids - Sip of Sunshine Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Celebration

    1h 16m

  7. NOV 12

    Pitt Fall

    At the tail end of summer, we recorded this little gem when we knew we'd need it most to help keep us thinking warm thoughts as the temperature falls faster than the leaves. When our friend Aaron Keefner was in town, he dropped a heavy case of Pittsburgh goodies on us, and we use this episode to sip through an exciting lineup of lagers and hops. Also, Craig has found the perfect exclusive club for a first date (and bulk goods), Ryan wants to see a brewery who is dedicated to kicking ass, and we'll take that time machine straight back to a Wendy's SuperBar. Beers Reviewed Coven Brewing - River Knight (Lager) Coven Brewing - Honed Blade (Pale Ale) Dancing Gnome - West Coast Lustra (IPA) Grist House Craft Brewery - Technicolor Treetops (New England IPA) Lolev Beer - Prismatic (IPA)

    1h 19m

  8. NOV 5

    Deth Proof

    The barrel storm that is Revolution's Deep Wood series rages on throughout the Fall and Winter months, so we're catching up on the last release of their Deth's Tar stout and its variants - and this year's batch is better than they've ever been. We try to place these in the context of past years' releases and try not to overanalyze the calculated magic that comes out of Rev's barrels. But also, we are living for Dumpkin Spice season, we try to name a Skele-Boy, and we're sorry for all the talk about…well, you'll figure it out.  Beers Reviewed Deth's Tar (Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged in bourbon barrels) Café Deth (Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged in bourbon barrels and steeped with fresh coffee beans) Vanilla Deth (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ vanilla) Cocoa Vanilla Deth (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ cocoa and vanilla)

    1h 8m
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A Chicago-based craft beer podcast with beer and events reviews. Visit our website at www.abvchicago.com!

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