The Brit and Yankee Craft Beer Podcast

"Coinciding with their Grand Opening, this episode profiles Scallywag Brewing, the latest addition to the ever-growing population of Illinois breweries. This brewpub is located in downtown Westmont, and we sat down with the founding team a couple of weeks before the opening to find out what these scallywags were all about. When you visit, bring your parrot and eye patch...why? Listen in on your tr...

"This episode is a retrospective interview with Penrose head brewer and co-owner, Tom Korder. Following their recent sell-out 5th anniversary party, we wanted to find out what has changed over those 5 years, and what the future holds for this Geneva IL brewery. The Brit heads to their barrel room and chats one-on-one with Tom."

"It's a trip north to Glenview and brewery gem that seems to have slipped under most people's radar, Macushla Brewing. Head brewer David Kelley talks about his passion for the place, the beer, and especially yeast. Ken McMullen joins me on this podcast as guest co-host, and even he learned a few tips on adding honey to a brew. Tune in to hear exactly what Macushla means, and we definitely say you...

"This episode coincides with Riverland Brewing's opening weekend, and we sit down with brewer co-owners Eric Bramwell and Dave Marks to chat about the journey to opening day. The brewery is a great addition to the growing Fox River corridor and in our view, is a great taproom space to enjoy their brews, which we get to sample and provide our thoughts on the flavors and styles. It's also a media co...

"We've done our share of testing chain store beers, and it seems this time we did it in parallel with the Chicago Tribune, who got their article out before this show...great minds and all that! In this podcast we take the Costco variety pack of 4 styles, add a couple of Trader Joe bombers, and pull in Chuck Fort, Ken McMullen and TJ Bachorz for their views on the quality and taste. Who the base br...

"It's our Valentine to all you wonderful listeners, and we pull in a couple of romantics to talk V-Day celebrations, and pairings of special dinners and craft beers. We've got Chuck from Church, Ed from Pollyanna, and Tom Ryan from Lemont in the pub studios, making eyes at the Landlord, and supping downs a few Valentine brews. Dan from Metal Monkey and Oliver from Dry City send us a couple of word...

"We've made it! 300 podcasts under our belt and we've still only scraped the surface of the craft beer world. In this edition, we take the opportunity to round up some of our regular brewers and consumers for a tasting of Big Barleywines. It's a great evening with Ken McMullen, TJ Bachorz, Chuck Fort, Steve Kamp, Travis Beard, John Karwoski. Tom Ryan and the Pub Staff! Thanks for everyones support...

"Wibby Brewing is fast becoming the place to go for classic lager styles, and we call up owner/brewmaster Ryan Wibby to chat with him about his brewery and beers. As we chat, we sample one of their special offerings, a Russian Imperial Lager with 4 variants, called 9-toed Nihilist, the name paying homage to The Big Lebowski. Chuck Fort and Ken McMullen join The Brit for a great conversation!"

"It's the first podcast of the New Year, and we are reporting from a cask ale event from The Firkery, and hosted at Skeleton Key. It's a cavalcade of craft brewing celebrities and friends of the show, all being corned by The Brit. And the tables are turned at the end of the show as the lads from Midwest Brew Review turn their camera on him. Happy New Year folks!"

"Part 2 of our Central Illinois beer show, plus we hear about FOBAB winning Holy Moly, and raise our glasses for our traditional Christmas toast. Finally, we play the Pub's rendition of The Night Before Christmas which we hope will bring the spirit of the season to the entire family. We will see you again after the holidays, so until then Happy Holidays and Cheers!"

"We have a different episode this week where we visit the Naperville Red Arrow Taproom, and learn about self-serve craft beer. Owner and founder Joe Tota is our host and with my co-host, Ken McMullen, we learn about how it all works and how they embrace independence and support local brweries. Candied bacon strips make a welcome appearance and a great pairing for our samples, while we chat about c...