Average Joe's Above Average Beer Podcast

An event 1 year in the making.  Great things come to those who wait.  Jude and Justin were an outstanding time.  We covered so much in a short 4 hour time span.  We talked hops, business, movies, nonsense, life, the beginnings and the current state of Hop Butcher.  We also got to drink some of their newest offerings hitting shelves today.  Double Grid, Elder Secrets of an Ancient Past, and a new run of Milkstachio.  Cheers to one year and the "Hop Gods of Chicago"!   Hop Butcher For the World Social Media Website Instagram Facebook

During FOBAB week I got a chance to do an episode with Bottle Logic while they did a collaboration beer at More Brewing.  Well, while doing that, Mike Pallen from Mikerphone happen to walk into the More taproom, so I asked for a minute of his time as well.  What happened was an awesome 1 hour conversation between Shaun Berns (More Brewing), Mike Pallen (Mikerphone Brewing), and Brandon Buckner (Bottle Logic Brewing).  

Thanks to Shaun at More Brewing, I got to piggy back on his collab with Bottle Logic and get a conversation in with Wes, Dylan, Brandon, and Steve from BL! Their beers are legendary in the secondary and trade market, so talking to them during FOBAB week just seemed to make sense.  Just an awesome group of humble guys who are still having fun after 5 years!

Crafted 1979 Bottleshop in Mokena brewed their first collaboration beer for their one year anniversary with Hubbard's Cave.  I got to accompany them for brew day along with a bunch of Crafted regulars they call Hoperatives.  I set up the podcast gear and pitched in to help can V6 and dump some grain into this big ass dessert stout.  Bananas Foster ingredients make breweries smell amazing by the way.

I set up some Mics at the Bolingbrook Brewfest October 13th and talked to whoever I could grab in the middle of chaos underneath the McQs Golf dome.  Got to hear from some people at the fest like Mike Layhew and Dave Benes.  And talk to some brewers like John Newton at Woggly Square and Dan Rosenberg at MyGrain brewing.  The famous Chet Brett joined me and Co-Owner of Elder Brewing in Joliet, Melissa Polykandriotis.  Good times were had by all!

 THE CREEEEAAAAMMMM RIIIIIISES TO THE TOP!  What a crazy day this one was.  This episode was originally going to be centered around the group texts between brewers Brandon Banbury, Steve Miller (Hailstorm), Chris Betts (Transient), Alex Lovinggood (Brickstone), Brando Wright (Werk Force), Shaun Berns (More), Erik Pizer (Rock Bottom Warrenville), and James and Will O'Brian (Flesk).  It turned into a giant Imperial Stout Collab called Surrounded by idiots.  So Alex reached out and asked if I could spend the day with them and just record some of the nonsense that ensues.  It was an amazing day, hopefully the audio reflects that.

I travelled way on down past Champaign, IL to visit Triptych Brewing for their.  Sausage (And Beer) Party.  But before the party I got to spend 2+ hours with Anthony, Luke, and Mike from Triptych and find out a little bit about their story.  We honestly could have gone 4 hours if need be, but the sausages were calling.  What a great group making some outstanding beer. Triptych Social Media: Website Facebook Instagram SPONSOR: J & B Music Lessons: Website

Nice monday morning trip up to Lyons to visit Sean and Ike over at Buckledown Brewing.  This is the brewery you need to convince your wife to stop at before or after trips to the zoo with the kids.  It is located perfectly to pair with a Brookfield Zoo trip.  They were coming off their huge Oktoberfest party and they were there bright and early canning up some fresh Fritzticuffs.  The guys are the real deal, blue color all day!

Afterthought Brewing was introduced to me by Ryan Jacobs of Saint Errant Brewing, in Episode 17 he referred to their beer as "HILL FARMSTEAD Level".. Saisons are not always thought of as the "Sexy" Style.  But god damn is Afterthought making some beautiful beers.  It is a small operation, but Mike and now his two brewers are just killing it.  You can only get his beer in Glen Ellyn at the OG suburban bottleshop The Beer Cellar.  Dave Hawley, owner of the Beer Cellar, has supported Mike's beer from the jump and helped get it into more people hands.  If you have not tried his beers I recommend driving there immediately.  We had a great conversation about the Past Present and future of Aftethought, including the great story of how it got it's name.  The world should look forward to more from this brewery.

After an almost 3 week Podcastless streak I ventured west to Oswego Brewing to sit down with Marc Wilson and Chris H.  Marc is the headbrewer at OBC, and just so happens to a World Beer Cup Gold Medal under his belt.  Chris is one of the founders and owners of Oswego Brewing, and I would say the 3 of us had a great time.  We talked about everything from first brew mishaps to industry trends, and water chemistry.  It is an amazing spot and everyone should head out that way and try these really techinically sound and tasty beers.  Also a special thanks to Eric, on instagram, @TheBrewtog for taking pictures during the episode.  Dude is talented!  Oswego Brewing Social: Website Facebook Instagram

Adjunct stout talk with "The Avengers" of the Chicagoland Stout game.  I was very honored to lead this conversation with 3 guys who make such amazing beer.  It was a stellar night for the audience and myself.  We got to listen to some great discussion and drink some incredible beer.  All 3 brewers spent time with the audience after the recording and appeared to have an absolute blast.  The next one of these will be a highly sought after event.  I can not wait to do this again. Follow Chicago Brew Werks, Werk Force, Hailstorm, and More on social media!

When you get a shot to talk to the "Master of Barrels" at Pipeworks, you talk to the "Master of Barrels" at Pipeworks!  Otherwise known as the "Oaken Nap Coordinator". This was an amazing experience from the conversation to the tasting of different barrels of Murderous and Jones Dog out of random barrels, and even a couple custom blends on the spot.  Pipeworks is a true Chicago pioneer and they continue to pump out great products after revolutionizing IPA's in the area!  It was an honor to have this conversation.  Also thanks to Brian Pautsch for hooking this up! Pipeworks Social Media: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter

Joined by a couple of brilliant minds, I got an above average education in beer and particularly YEAST!  So much fun hearing about all the things that go into Omega Yeast labs and having one of my favorite brewers there to help further the conversation was not bad either.  Learn about these Nordic yeasts the lab is putting out.  They seem awesome.

Finally sat down with my friend and Beer Historian John Bitterman!  We used the monkey house as our studio to talk a bit about beer history and beer collectibles.  John has an immense collection of Beer history and you can see a large chunk of that on display at the Joiet Historical Society through the end of the year.  It is a beautifully done exhibit, and I encourage anyone who has a slight interest in beer to go check it out!   Follow John on Facebook: Facebook

What do you do the day after you throw an engagement rager in your brewing space?  A nice Sunday Nooner podcast.  At least that is what you do when you are Jim and Nate of Aleman.  These dudes opened up their space to me at noon on a Sunday and they powered through.  Loved hearing their story and drinking their beer.  Keep your eye out for these guys.  Legit humans.   Aleman Social media: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter