ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast

As a brewery whose name acknowledges their wandering ways, Saint Errant has finally laid some roots in a familiar spot in Evanston - and we are excited to sit down with our old friends (and co-owners) Brent Banks and Roger Cuzelis to talk about their new taproom and expanded production. We dip a little into some shared nostalgia - and their reintroduction of some Temperance beers into the market -...

With the impending 250th anniversary of this country of ours (AMERICA), we celebrate the only way we know how: by drinking three IPAs and three Belgian Trappist beers that are only united by three common colors. We sample the Reds, Whites, and Blues of Lombard, Illinois' Noon Whistle Brewing and Chimay, Belgium's Brasserie de Chimay in a side-by-side that frankly makes no other sense (and creates...

You can thank the lager renaissance for allowing this nerdy and delicious mixed 12-pack to exist, and Revolution absolutely knocks it out of the park with this one. Along with the four different lagers under the "Cold Time" brand, we add in a throwback Wit just for kicks - and we can anticipate many coolers full of Rev this summer. But also, we debrief on the first ever tornado delay on the podcas...

While more and more craft breweries streamline their releases to reflect what's popular and marketable, we're happy to see when others make weirdo quick sours that include unconventional ingredients - and we're here to celebrate four of those types of beers. For this one, we try to abandon our fears and embrace the tart while learning a bit about what we prefer off of these quickly-made abnormal s...

Bare knees and tight tees on patio dads call for some hopped-up brews to pair with that carefully-curated summer vibes playlist, and we're here sampling a half dozen interesting locals. We're also considering what makes warm weather food vs. cold weather food; we're having a hell of a time ranking our favorite hops; and we are admittedly a little biased against gazpacho. Four out of five dentists...

It takes a certain level of trust in a brewery to join a membership program - and we have full faith in everything Milwaukee's Supermoon does, so Craig's re-upping every year he can. We get to sample the four quarterly, limited releases for members of Supermoon's Cellar Society from last year, and it's downright spooky how good they all are. Also, Ryan just might have to fight a bird, Craig is unc...

While American craft breweries are cycling back to showing English appreciation, what's going on with craft beer from England? Thanks to friend & listener Ryan Lamb, we get to sample beers from five London breweries that prove that there's no loss of quality across the pond. We get the stories behind each of these producers while appreciating the subtle differences in their presentation that make...

It's been a long while since we've celebrated some of the great breweries of Tennessee, but thanks to Craig's Dollywood trip we have a lineup of solid and surprising options here from The Gulch and beyond. We study up on the breweries, which includes a "World's First…", and then we learn more about chestnuts than we expected. Also, we wonder if the music industry is de-valuing the album anniversar...

Some might say that using lactose is antithetical to good beer, but there's some distinct purpose in using milk sugar in certain beers despite it causing all us 40-and-ups some real tummy troubles. For this episode, we try four lactose-enhanced beers to see how it impacts mouthfeel and sweetness, and we are a little surprised by the all-bangers lineup that results. But also, Craig's got a new dog-...

Back from a brief IPA supply-based hiatus, we resume our quest to review and rank as many long-tenured and well-regarded flagship IPAs as possible - and this ragtag bunch is adding some unexpected twists to the results. Acquired while in Wisconsin, these five IPAs span the map and keep us guessing long past the end of the episode. Also, we continue our secondary purpose of being a CostCo podcast b...

After a few months of recovery from Barrel-Aged December, we're back in the wood groove with four big beers from a Mt. Rushmore of Chicago's best breweries. Two stouts and two barleywines make the lineup here, and we're going to get a little extra sticky for the end-of-show cuvée. Also, Craig is ready to help someone discover the wonders of magnets; Ryan is angling for a little promotion bonus fro...

We can't overstate the importance of the Amber beer on early craft beer culture, as just about any brewpub worth its malt back then would have a shaker pint of a rusty red-ish ale or lager ready to pour at all times. But is it possible that ambers are back? Either way, they're back in our glasses in a major way with this downright impressive lineup that teaches us how to love again. Also, we are w...

Knoxville's Xul Beer Company first opened their taproom in 2020, and in under six years they've made a big name for themselves mostly on the back of their PB&J sour beer series. Craig had a chance to visit the taproom on PB&J Mixtape Day, and managed to catch co-founders Brad West and Seth Thacker for a quick interview. Then we sample a lineup of their most-loved beers, including a lineup of PB&J...

When a batch of out-of-state breweries start showing up on local shelves, it doesn't get us as "hot" as it used to - but there's no shortage of warm and happy feelings with this lineup of five that'll make your next trip to the bottle shop hit different. We drink a variety of styles from some mostly familiar non-local names, and at least one of us is struggling not to put every single beer at the...

A proper British Bitter actually exists on a spectrum of Ordinary, Best, and Strong - or as we mostly know them in the U.S., Extra Special. We try to make sense of this moving target of a style by trying five pretty varied examples - and yes, some are very special. Also, we appeal to the Girl Scout Cookie subreddit by testing out a Thin Mint theory; we're only a little worried about boat rot; and...

When you spend any amount of time in Wisconsin, you'd better leave room in your trunk for a whole lot of delicious beer - and that's exactly what Craig did on a recent stop in Madison. We throw caution and care to the WI-nd, as we open five beers from New Glarus and Madison's Working Draft with a range of styles that all do what we'd hope for - and better. Also, Craig accidentally stumbles into so...

Though beer has long lived in wine's shadow as a prestige drink, it can do an impressive job of borrowing flavors or even mimicking them from the grape-based beverage. We open four very different takes on wine-inspired beers, some that have aged gracefully, and some that go places with styles in a way we haven't experienced. Also, Craig discovers a new innovation in frozen pizza technology; we re-...

In a time before hazy, there once was the Double IPA: malty, boozy, bold, and bitter. While some trends suggest the days of haze are a bit behind us, will we see a resurgence of the old school DIPAs of yesteryear? Or will it just be more of the same pale and fruity modern "West Coast" versions? We drink five classic examples that we hope separate themselves from the current trends, and find that s...

We know from various beer festivals that Ohio has a pretty incredible craft beer scene, and this show courtesy of listener Ryan Lamb focuses on Cincinnati beers that take it easy on the ABV. We try six beers from three different breweries - including one now-closed legend - and find ourselves mapping out a road trip by the end of the episode. We also get our minds (and appetites) freaked by the Cr...

Being stuck in the winter that will never end isn't so bad when you've got some dark and roasty beers, so for this show we get five different dark styles from some of our local favorites to warm us up. This set of nourishing beers has us wishing for a hot pokin' while considering our blanket fort construction tactics. Also, we try to decide on two arcade cabinets for our own imaginary pizza joints...

The painful reality of 2026 craft beer is seeing great breweries make the decision to close, and this episode is a tribute to two of those that we admired greatly: Miskatonic and Alarmist. We drink up three beers from each brewery as a way to show appreciation to their contributions to Illinois craft beer - and for making all those weird styles that helped us plan many a podcast episode. In additi...

The West Coast is still best when it comes to hoppy beers, and this episode provided to us by listener, Patreon supporter, and Californian Dave Adams has us considering the past and future of hops through a variety of IPA styles. Recorded back on Halloween in 2025, the only thing spooky about these five breweries' beers is just how quickly they decimate our sobriety. Also, Ryan's found a new hill...

To close out the most recent season of Revolution's Deep Wood series, we have quite an array of barrels in this foursome that - once again - has us smitten. With two 12-ounce cans and two big old pipes, we're staring down a blend for the ages once we can successfully reckon with our arbitrary rankings. Also, we're looking to get deep into the Bread Rave scene; Ryan's going to piss off a lot of fol...

We're celebrating a dozen years of providing our arbitrary craft beer opinions through a half-blind episode focused on six different styles (out of a possible twelve) that include both long-made stalwarts and brand-new (to us) Chicago brews. Craig and Ryan try to guess each other's blind beers while also attempting to solve some hidden themes - with some surprising results. Also, we hold our first...

Compared to the pace at which Hop Butcher releases IPAs, their barrel-aged offerings might as well be Halley's Comet. But when they do release a big beer aged in barrels, it's absolutely worth tracking down, just like the four beers on this episode. We continue our Barrel-Aged Winter with these Hop Butcher for the World beers that saw limited release from their taproom over the last year or so and...