The Brit and Yankee Craft Beer Podcast The Brit And Yankee Pub Staff

For our St. Patrick's Day show, we are at the newest addition to the Chicago brewing scene, 206 Brewing Company and we talk with owner/brewer/retired firefighter Bill King. When we showed up, the nano brewpub had just opened for the day, so you may get a little background noise, but hey, it's all pub ambiance! We hear from Bill about why he wanted to embark on this project and how he plans to make it THE craft beer place where First Responders and Veterans can come by for a chat and a brew! This podcast is published the day before their Grand Opening on March 18th, 2023, so you may want to head over there that weekend and check them out...tell them The Brit sent you! Cheers!

We return to the pub for this show and welcome an illustrious panel of FOBAB volunteers and brewers, who all bring past FOBAB winner beers. This show was suggested by long-time volunteer, Kevin Herbst, and he is joined by Ken McMullen from Hopvine Brewing, John Bittermann, and co-owner of Art History Brewing, Tom Rau, plus your host Phil 'The Brit' Clark. We find out why the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild relies heavily on volunteer help to ensure the festival is a success, plus how you can sign up and help out in the future, and of course a dollop of the usual pub chat. There are 6 brews to sample, and we find out which one is the preference of each of the panel. This is a bumper edition so it's a 'travel to work' and a 'travel home' listen. Cheers!

We have been waiting a long time to chat with this brewer, and recently David Files from Energy City Brewing entertained The Brit and co-host Chuck Fort at his Batavia taproom. We found out that ECB is not all about fruit beers and that there are many more great styles available! Listen in to find out how David and his wife Heidi have taken their brewery from a small location, open once a month, to flexible business model that has a taproom and international distro. Plus, The Brit keeps an open mind on the fruit beers, and finds out they are pretty darn good! Cheers!

This week we visit with an old chum of the podcast, Erik Pizer, who has opened Flipside Brewing in Tinley Park. This brewpub is fast becoming the local to hang out at, and we talk about his beers, his great food, and why he decided to go with this business model. The Brit and co-host Ken McMullen are treated to some very good and balanced brews, plus some of the best fried cheese curds around. Comfort food, good beer, and a good time...what more do you need! Cheers!

A couple of weeks after celebrating their 7th Anniversary, brewers/owners Dan Camp and Jason Janes talk with the podcast team in a retrospective episode. We have been tracking them since their opening, which incidentally saw some 1100 people attend, checked in with them 1 year later in show 215, and featured them in our series of 'live' recordings featuring breweries along the I-55 corridor. Most recently, albeit March of 2020, we 'zoomed' with Dan during the pandemic. So, it just made sense that we should sit down and find out how this journey is progressing. We are pleased to say that the beers and their prospects are still great! But don't take our word for it. Listen to this podcast where Dan and Jason provide some stories from their history, including how their 'original' pickle sour, Rick, came into being. Plus an insight into the future, all to the background of construction noises. Construction for what? Tune in to find out! Cheers!

Join the podcast team as they chat with co-owner and brewer, Frank Mercadante along with his wife Diane, and General Manager Oliver Bulley, recorded at the newest brewery to open in Batavia IL. We find out how the name of the Italian Pilsner came about, the history of the building, and plans for the future. Plus we sample a few of their brews and discover why this taproom and brewery has become an important meeting place in the Batavia community. Cheers!