Hop Cast

In episode 206 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are in Washington D.C. for the Craft Brewers Conference. The city was hopping every night with some awesome events. One place that was busy every night with a number of events was Meridian Pint. Brad and Ken were able to meet up with... View Article

In episode 205 of the Hop Cast Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are joined by Tom Korder of Penrose Brewing to chat about Belgian beers. Since Tom is a Belgian beer lover, Ken and Brad thought he’d be a perfect guest to have on the show and there is no better place in Chicago to... View Article

In episode 204 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski crack open a couple IPAs. It’s been a while since they’ve featured an IPA on the Hop Cast which is a bit of a surprise. First up is the Heady Topper from The Alchemist. This 8 % ABV IPA is currently the number one beer on... View Article

In episode 203 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder sit down at the Hopleaf with Tom Korder and Eric Hobbs to talk about their new Chicagoland brewery, Penrose. Penrose Brewing will be brewing Belgian inspired beers in Geneva, Illinois. Both Tom and Eric were with Goose Island for a number of years and have... View Article

Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder were able to catch up with John Laffler and Dave Bleitner during the Off Color Brewing presents Mischief at Black Rock. This event was the debut for Off Color Brewing. On tap were 4 collaboration beers that they brewed with friends around Chicago. It’s an exciting time for craft beer... View Article

We can’t just focus on beers here in the United States, there are some great breweries across the world making some excellent brews. For episode 201, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are opening a couple beers from Porterhouse Brewing Company in Ireland. The beers from Porterhouse Brewing Company have a really fun pull top, making... View Article

We’re doing a bit of celebrating in this episode, we’ve reached 200 episodes! Thank you all for watching each and every episode. To celebrate Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are in the barrel warehouse at Goose Island sipping on a couple barrel aged beers. First up is the Firestone Walker Double DBA, this 12% ABV... View Article

In episode 199 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are joined by Sergio Salgado for a couple great beers from the west coast. First up is a bottle that Sergio brought back from Oregon. The Seizoen Bretta from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales. This 8% ABV Farmhouse Ale has been getting a lot of... View Article

We couldn’t be happier to see the entire Firestone Walker Brewing portfolio available in Chicago. For the last few months only the larger format or private reserve beers like Parabola and Wookey Jack had been available, but now everything from Pale 31, Velvet Merlin to Abacus are on the shelves in Chicago. To celebrate this,... View Article

In episode 197 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski warm up with a couple delicious Porters. With all the big IPAs and Russian Imperial Stouts the Porter sometimes flies under the radar. First up Ken and Brad open the 5.6% Anchor Porter from San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company. This is one solid... View Article

In episode 196 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder crack open a couple Russian Imperial Stouts that you have likely seen at your local beer store. Both of these beers are pretty common and are worth checking out because they are both great. Brad and Ken kick off the episode by diving... View Article

In episode 195, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are in the holiday spirit. This year Ken and Brad have gotten each other hand crafted ale as a gift, no surprise there. And what better way to celebrate the holidays then by drinking! Ken and Brad quickly open their gifts and give them a taste. First... View Article

When it’s chilly outside all we really want is a tasty stout to warm us up. That’s exactly what’s happening here in episode 194 of the Hop CastBrad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are joined by Erik Jensen for a couple Midwest Milk Stouts. First up is the Revolution Brewing Company, Mad Cow Milk Stout. This... View Article

In episode 193 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are joined by Sergio Salgado to taste a couple hoppy Red Ales. First up is Chicago’s very own Pipeworks Brewing with their Blood Of The Unicorn. This 8.5 % ABV Amber has a killer label that would lead you to expect something extreme... View Article

In episode 192 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are at The Tenth Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers. This festival is held once a year and if you’ve seen the last couple years episodes, you know how great it is. This year it was at a new location in... View Article