Chicago Beer Pass

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are dressed in red and green for the holidays. With that holiday spirit in mind the guys dive into a gift from their friends at Black Lung Brewing. They open up two beers from Black Lung Brewing including a collaboration with Sew Hop’d. As the guys knock back a couple beers they talk about Black Lung Brewing’s expansion and the closure of a few other breweries in Illinois.  Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (63.9MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are doubling down with two different IPAs in December. Both of the IPAs the guys are drinking come from Penrose Brewing Company in Geneva. Brad got these cans a few months ago when he was out in the suburbs on his Oktoberfest crawl, so they have been hanging out in the fridge for a couple months. At a time of the year when stouts and big winter beers have taken over the shelves, it’s nice to have a great IPA. As the guys crush these cans, they talk about Nik’s trip to Bixi Beer in Logan Square. For years both Nik and Brad haven’t been the biggest fans of Bixi, but that may have changed. Not only was Nik’s recent trip there delicious, he also learned that Pipeworks will be taking over as guest brewer there. The idea that Pipeworks is taking over the space is very, very interesting. However, this news raises many questions about what that means for Bixi and Pipeworks going forward. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (55.2MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are recording on Black Friday. Instead of going with a big stout… even if that’s what the season calls for, the guys are cracking open a Pilsner from Half Acre.  Last week on the podcast Nik ran down his adventures while Brad was in Italy, this week the tables turn. Although Nik wasn’t in Italy he took a break this week and let Brad explore the city. Brad shares about his week hitting up Half Acre, Cruz Blanca, Begyle, Dovetail, and Hop Butcher. Things are getting busy this holiday season, so be sure to keep an eye out for some fun episodes and videos on YouTube. Cheers! Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (50.7MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White crack open two cans of Cuppa from Maplewood Brewing. Over the years the guys have been a bit off the cuppa bandwagon, but these two are tasting great. Nik originally got to dive into these at FOBAB so it was nice to revisit and see if he has the same feelings. As the guys sip on these two big stouts, Nik shares everything that Brad missed while he was in Italy, including FOBAB, a Temperance tasting, Hop Butcher For The World opening, Cruz Blanca release, and a ton of other things that made for a busy week. Stout season is here! Get ready for more beer releases coming, especially Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout release on Black Friday. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (72.0MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White  finally bring their epic run of Oktoberfest beers to a close. If you have been listening or watching over the last couple months you may have noticed an Oktoberfest trend. While the guys were not able to try each and every Oktoberfest in Chicago they did manage to try a good number. This episode is a recap of all those beers and a ranking of their favorite Oktoberfest. If you didn’t see your favorite leave a comment and the guys will try and add it to next years lineup. Prost! Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (72.3MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are still on the Oktoberfest bandwagon as they have one from Marz Brewing. As they knock back a couple of steins they recap the Bourbon County Stout tasting they went to and let you know the ones you should try to get your hands on for Black Friday. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (72.9MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are on location in Wheeling, Illinois at the newest District Brew Yards location. This location features five breweries and one of those is Twisted Hippo who also recently joined the Chicago location. The guys were able to catchup with Twisted Hippo’s owners Marilee and Karl Rutherford on the patio during the first week of the soft launch. Recording outside comes with some traffic noise, so sorry for those audio listeners.  They all spoke a bit about the fire at the brewery earlier this year as well as future plans for Twisted Hippo beyond District Brew Yards. The official opening date for the Wheeling District Brew Yards is October 28th and the space is fantastic! Brad and Nik highly recommend making the trip out to the burbs to check it out. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (41.4MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are drinking a couple Oktoberfest beers from the western suburbs. The guys have an Oktoberfest from Penrose Brewing and Riverlands, both were picked up by Brad on a recent brewery crawl. As these get poured into their barrel mugs they talk about Art History Brewing, Penrose, Riverlands, Pollyanna Brewing, and Soleman Oath. They also go over the list of recent Illinois winners at the Great American Beer Festival. If you are getting tired of the guys obsession with Oktoberfest, well, don’t worry the month is almost over and Brad and Nik will be ranking their favorites in an upcoming episode. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (61.9MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are cracking open cans of Oktoberfest Festbier from Pipeworks Brewing. It’s been a little while since the guys had a Pipeworks beer on the show so it’s nice to get them into this showdown for Chicago Oktoberfest beers. As they crush this Festbier they talk about Illuminated Brew Works, Cruz Blanca, and breakdown the latest Deep Woods release from Revolution Brewing. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (45.4MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White have two Oktoberfest beers from breweries that soon will be neighbors. If you’re watching the video you’ll notice that the lineup of Oktoberfest beers on the table is getting pretty large so look for a recap of the guys favorites later this month. As Brad and Nik knock back beers from On Tour Brewing & Old Irving they recap their 312 Block Party Adventure. The biking bar crawl takes the guys from Metropolitan, to Ravinia Brewing, then Pilot Project, and finally making their way to 312 Block Party. It was quite an adventure and not something the guys would recommend doing… especially with how hard they went. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (54.7MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White crack open a Marzen from Hopewell Brewing. As the guys knock back a few steins, they chat about Friday Night Flights, Werk Force Brewing and the Art History Oktoberfest that is available at the brewery only. Brad and Nik also mention 312 Days and get ready for a rundown of how that adventure went in the next episode. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (51.6MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White continue their way across the glorious section of Oktoberfest beers in the Illinois beer market. Brad and Nik are doing their best to cover as many as possible this season but they are only gonna scratch the surface it seems. For this episode the guys have an Oktoberfest from Buckledown hitting their steins. As they knock back a few cans they talk about getting after the boot at Phase Three as well as some stops at Metropolitan Brewing and Burning Bush. The guys also have a preview of Revolution Brewing’s latest collaboration with Garrett’s popcorn. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (52.9MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are diving face first into this seasons Oktoberfest beers as they open cans of Oktöberface from Solemn Oath Brewery. Oktöberface is An American take on a German classic Märzen Lager. Honestly, it’s a perfect beer for the season. As the guys crush these cans they chat about this years Bourbon County Stout lineup, the 312 Block Party happening September 23rd and 24th and a handful of other events happening as we venture into Autumn. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (55.1MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are reviewing their Oak Park Microbrew Review experience. As they share the details of this great event, they crack open cans of Beer #116 from Obscurity Brewing. Both the guys don’t know much about this brewery beyond them being in Elburn but it’s nice to get to see what they have to offer. At Oak Park Microbrew Review there were some great beers and even more rumors heard about what’s happening in the Chicago beer scene including who is taking over Finch’s space in the Brewing District. Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (52.5MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago. On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are on location in Oak Park at Boulevard Studio. The guys are at this really cool space to talk about Oak Park Microbrew Review & Seven Generations Ahead. Get your tickets now because Oak Park Microbrew Review is happening this Saturday, August 20th. Hopefully, Brad & Nik will see you there as this is one of their favorite beer festivals! Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (55.2MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!