Crafty Brewers: Tales Behind Craft Beer

Brewers preview FOBAB 2026, the Festival of Wood &Barrel-Aged Beer, with first-timer tips and gold-medal stories. Reserve Artisan Ales Owner/Brewer and Illinois Craft BrewersGuild Vice President Blake Benedict and Bubblehouse Brewing Owner/Brewer and Guild Board Member Jon Miller preview FOBAB 2026. Jon, a two-time FOBAB gold medalist, explains his chardonnay-barrel Belgian Golden Strong, Blake reveals his Japanese-oak lager, and Jon shares a barleywine blended from bourbon and peach brandy barrels. Plus: how to pace yourself at the festival, what happens in the Brewers Lounge, why the Lager Lounge exists, and what the Guild does for Illinois craft beer. 0:00 Welcome to a Special FOBAB Preview 1:11 Meet Reserve Artisan Ales & Bubblehouse 2:53 What Is FOBAB? Dates, Venue & Tickets 3:58 What It's Like to Win Gold at FOBAB 5:42 How to Describe FOBAB to First-Timers 9:40 Does Every Brewery Need Barrel Aging? 13:57 Wood Spirals vs. Barrels: Aging Time 15:00 Chardonnay Barrels & a Belgian Golden Strong 16:56 Japanese Oak & Sourcing Barrels 19:18 Bourbon & Peach Brandy Barleywine Blend 21:25 How Brewers Pick Competition Categories 25:13 Which Beer Styles Don't Work on Wood? 34:02 FOBAB Tips: Pacing & Pouring Out Samples 38:38 Behind the Scenes in the Brewers Lounge 42:13 Why FOBAB Added the Lager Lounge 46:02 What the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild Does 51:02 Future of Barrel Aging & What's Next About FOBAB 2026: The 24th annual Festival of Wood &Barrel-Aged Beer, North America's largest barrel-aged beer festival and competition, returns to Chicago's Credit Union 1 Arena (525 S. Racine Ave.) Fri., Nov. 13 (6-10 p.m.) and Sat., Nov. 14 (1-5 p.m.). Sample 250+ beers, ciders, meads, and perrys from 130+ breweries in 13 style categories, many madejust for the festival. General admission is $85 (plus fees) and includes the Lager Lounge; the new VIP Green Room Experience is $250 (limited) and adds a private Green Room, fire pit area, exclusive glass, bag, and koozie. Raffles offer Skip the Line badges ($5) and the Ultimate FoBAB Upgrade with early entry ($10); winners announced Nov. 5. Gold, silver, bronze, and Best in Show medals are awarded Saturday (livestreamed on Facebook and the ICBG YouTube channel), and attendees vote for Fan Favorite. Tickets: FoBAB.com. Proceeds support the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. More about Reserve Artisan Ales: Opened in January 2022 inGalesburg, IL, Reserve brews on a 5-barrel system and pours about 15 of its own beers, plus regional guest taps, mead, wine, and soda, in a pour-your-own taproom. It is also home to The Vault event venue and the Galesburg Beer Fest (April 10, 2027). https://www.reserveartisanales.com/home More about Bubblehouse Brewing Company: Jon and April Miller left 18+ years in corporate America to open Bubblehouse in Lisle, IL, in 2021. Nearly 100 recipes and a handful of awards later, including FOBAB gold, they'restill going strong. https://www.bubblehousebrewing.com/ — Learn more about Crafty Brewers athttps://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC.Grow your brand with podcasting at https://quantum-podcasts.com/ Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: bourbon barrel-aged stout, wood-aged lager, mead and cider on wood, Miller High Life, craft beer festival tips, Chicago beer events, Illinois craft beer, brewery taproom events, homebrewing to pro brewing, and beer competition judging trends.

How did a brown ale score 97 out of 100 to become the best beer in the country? Plus: learn exactly what its brewer put into it. Kishwaukee Brewing Co-Owner and Head Brewer Dan Payson and Co-Owner Cara Payson (marketing, customer service,and self-described “Jill of all trades”) share how a laid-off Seattle architect turned homebrewing into a pro career, thanks in part to a hockey challenge against legendary brewer Skip Madsen. Dan explains what separates a Kolsch from a Pilsner, why a hybrid yeast gives Kestrel Kolsch its citrus-rind finish, and what makes Bufflehead, an American-style brown ale, different from its English cousin. Plus: how Bufflehead went from a single pilot keg to World Beer Cupsilver and a 97-point rating as The Beer Connoisseur's 2025 Best Beer of the Year, why opening during the pandemic made Kishwaukee a bottles-only brewery, and Cara's case that “hazy is lazy.” 0:00 Inside Kishwaukee Brewing in Woodstock, Illinois 3:20 The Seattle Craft Beer Scene in the Early 2000s 5:48 Did Beer Bring Dan and Cara Together? 7:23 Why an Architect Started Homebrewing During the Recession 10:24 Learning Beer at Bottleworks and Fremont Brewing 12:08 Dan's First Homebrew: A West Coast IPA 13:43 Remember 22-Ounce Bomber Bottles? 14:39 Deciding to Go Pro (and a Hockey Story Tease) 17:29 Scoring on Skip Madsen: The Hockey Challenge That Built a Brewery 22:36 Brian Noonan vs. Brian Noonan: A Blackhawks Mix-Up 25:40 Beer break 25:47 Brewer's Choice: Kestrel Kolsch From a Mug Club Brew Day 27:47 Kolsch vs Pilsner: What's the Difference? 28:10 What Is a Kestrel? The Story Behind the Bird-Themed Beers 30:17 Why the "Original Six" Beers Don't Get Names 33:37 Why Kolsch Has a Citrus Finish (Hybrid Yeast Explained) 34:43 How a Pilot Beer Earns a Permanent Spot 35:54 How to Pick a Beer When You Want "Beer-Flavored Beer" 37:15 Sandhill Lager: A Dry-Hopped Lager 38:08 Traditional German Pilsner With Soft Bitterness 38:38 Bufflehead: The Beer Connoisseur's 2025 Beer of the Year 39:35 American Brown Ale vs English Brown Ale 41:20 Why the Hops Hit at the End 42:04 What "Fully Attenuated" Means and Why Brewers Are Yeast Herders 43:58 What Sets Bufflehead Apart? 44:54 From One Pilot Keg to World Beer Cup Silver 47:08 Rated 97: Learning Bufflehead Was the Best Beer of 2025 50:17 Why Kishwaukee Only Packages Beer in Bottles 51:04 Building and Opening a Brewery During the Pandemic 52:17 Bottling Line vs Canning Line: The Cost Decision 53:07 The Short Pour: Rapid-Fire Questions 54:54 The Biggest Mistake People Make When Judging Beer 55:30 A Hoppy Red Ale for People Who Don't Like Hoppy Beer 57:46 The Weirdest Ingredient Ever Added to a Tank 58:34 Are Pumpkin Beers Fading Out? 59:50 "Hazy Is Lazy": Why Kishwaukee Rarely Brews Hazy IPAs 1:05:39 The Final Toast About Kishwaukee Brewing Co: Located in Woodstock, Illinois, Kishwaukee Brewing Co. brews award-winning takes on traditional German, English, and West Coast styles in a taproom built for meeting friends and making new ones, located in Woodstock, Illinois. Learn more on their website athttps://www.kishwaukeebrewing.com/ — Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth and attribution consultancy. Learn more at https://quantum-podcasts.com/ Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Breakaway IPA, AmericanBrewing Company, Seattle Craft Beer Week, Elysian Brewing, Köln German beer styles, cold fermentation, Canadian two-row pale malt, Munich malt, caramel malt, Newcastle Brown Ale, kettle hop additions, yeast viability, India Pale Lager, Imperial Red Ale, pumpkin spice beer, green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, New England IPA, The Alchemist, Kishwaukee River Valley, and McHenry County craft beer.

Explore double-barrel bourbon-and-rye stouts and the science behind a perfectly balanced hazy IPA. Brothership Brewing Co-Owner Tom Soltis and Head Brewer David Basile break down why their signature stouts go through two barrels instead of one, the vanillin compound that ties barrel-aged beer together, and what turbidity has to do with a well-balanced hazy IPA. Plus: New Zealand Peacherine hops, a hot take on THC seltzers, and a blueberry beer brew day gone hilariously wrong. 0:00 Intro 1:00 Meet Brothership Brewing's Tom Soltis and David Basile 1:46 Is the Taproom UFO Real? 2:53 Celebrating Six Years in Mokena 4:40 Why They Picked Mokena, Illinois 5:37 Is Chicago Water Really the Best for Brewing? 6:45 How Brothership Got Its Name 8:29 From Chicago Kitchens to Head Brewer: David's Origin Story 9:47 The First Beer David Ever Brewed 10:25 Cooking vs. Brewing: The Biggest Difference 12:56 Who's the Boss, You or the Yeast? 13:53 David's First Brewing Job at Mad Hatchet 14:42 The Sour Beer David Won't Recreate 15:46 From Werk Force Brewing to Head Brewer at Brothership 17:47 How Tom Decided to Hire David 20:10 Tasting the Experimental 008 Hazy IPA 20:32 What Happened to the Orbit 6 Anniversary Beer 21:16 Bright Lights, a 4.5% Light Lager 23:02 Why Lagers Are Harder to Brew Than Hazies 24:56 Brewer's Break 25:47 Brothership's Full Beer Lineup (Sours, Lagers, Oktoberfest) 26:48 Inside Brothership's Award Case 28:05 Tasting Anti-Matter Hazy IPA with Peacherine Hops 28:58 What Makes a Truly Balanced Beer 30:50 What Is Turbidity in a Hazy IPA? 31:56 Anti-Matter vs. Experimental 008: What's the Difference? 32:58 Wait, Is Alcohol Actually Sweet? 34:19 Introducing the Double Barrel Space Debris Stout Series 36:50 What Sets Brothership's Barrel Program Apart 38:02 Why These Stouts Take Nearly Three Years 39:44 David's Approach to Blending Barrels Like a Chef 41:47 How the Barrel “Speaks” to a Brewer 42:52 The Rum Barrel Secret: Pina Colada Seltzer 44:11 DBVR: A Stout Made With Vanilla From Three Countries 47:25 The Science Behind Vanilla in Barrel-Aged Beer 47:29 Why the Messier Series Is On Hold 50:58 A Shoutout to the Launch Sequence Anniversary Stout 51:12 Key Lime Pie Sneak Peek 53:03 Short Pour: Tom's Most Overrated Beer Trend 55:23 Short Pour: David's Craziest Brew Day Mishap 56:42 Outro and How to Support Crafty Brewers 58:28 Final Toast About Brothership Brewing: Brothership Brewing is a craft brewery and taproom in Mokena, Illinois, brewing IPAs, DIPAs, sours, stouts, pilsners, and barrel-aged beers under the motto “Believe in Beer.” Learn more on their website at https://www.brothershipbrewing.com/ — Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth and attribution consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: New England IPA, hazy IPA brewing science, bourbon barrel aging, rye barrel aging, barrel-aged imperial stout, vanillin flavor compound, beer turbidity, American light lager brewing, Peacherine hops, New Zealand hops, homebrew to professional brewer, craft beer competition medals, Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer (FOBAB), Mexican lager craft beer, kettle sour beer, Chicago craft beer scene, Mokena Illinois brewery, coconut stout, craft beer yeast pitching, small-batch experimental beer series.

Brian and Cody preview all six 2026 Goose Island BourbonCounty Brand Stout variants just as they are announced. On this special preview episode of Crafty Brewers, Brian andCody break down the entire 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout lineup. They cover all six bourbon barrel-aged beers in this year's release: the Original Stout, Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, Apple Crisp Stout, Triple Oak Barleywine, Toasted Barrel Rye Stout, and Proprietor's Stout (Pineapple Upside-Down Cake), discussing tasting notes, barrel programs, and what makes each variant in this year's Bourbon County Brand Stout release worth seeking out. 0:00 Intro 0:53 2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout 3:27 2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout 5:31 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout 7:13 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine 9:15 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout 10:53 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor's Stout(Pineapple Upside-Down Cake) 14:43 Recapping the Full 2026 Bourbon County Lineup 15:20 Why You Should Still Support Your Local Brewery 17:33 Oak Park Micro Brew Review Preview (Aug 22, 2026) About Goose Island Beer Co.: Founded in Chicago in1988, Goose Island created the original bourbon barrel-aged stout for the brewery's 1,000th batch in 1992. Learn more on their website at https://www.gooseisland.com/ — Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, anenterprise podcast growth and attribution consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: Bourbon County BrandStout, bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, Goose Island barrel program, Black Friday beer release, Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, rum barrel finished beer, Apple Crisp Stout, Triple Oak Barleywine, Angel's Envy Triple Oak Bourbon, Chinkapin oak beer aging, Toasted Barrel Rye Stout, Elijah Craig rye whiskey barrels, Proprietor's Stout Chicago-only release, pineapple upside-down cake beer, panela sugar beer, Montmorency cherry beer, Buffalo Trace barrel beer,Heaven Hill barrel beer, Four Roses barrel beer, Wild Turkey barrel beer, and craft beer barrel aging.

A mission-driven brewer explains why "beer alone isn't enough" — and how a 45-year-old wedding invite, an accidental World Beer Cup medal, and a legendary Czech dark lager came together in Batavia, Illinois. Sturdy Shelter Brewing Owner and Head Brewer Frank Mercadante shares the personal story of a brewery built on a Catholic scripture — one that was unknowingly already on his 45-year-old wedding invitation. He discusses the community-first mission that drives every decision at Sturdy Shelter, the international brewery trips that led Frank to the legendary U Fleků in Prague, the science behind why Hefeweizen is the hardest style to brew, and why his phone started flooding with congratulatory messages when he least expected it. 0:00 Intro 2:15 The Historic Building and Mark Twain 2:47 Introducing Frank Mercadante 3:17 How Every Beer Tells a Story 4:32 The Francesco Italian Pilsner 9:22 The Scripture Behind "Sturdy Shelter" 11:10 The 45-Year-Old Wedding Invitation 12:38 From Youth Minister to Brewer 14:33 Getting Serious About Homebrewing 16:36 Entering Homebrew Competitions 17:54 What Youth Ministry Taught Frank About Running a Brewery 19:10 Why Frank Needed More Than Beer 20:45 The Food Pantry and Giving Back 23:36 Brewer's Choice: Dancing House Dark Czech Lager 24:15 What Is a Dark Czech Lager? 25:12 Sturdy Shelter's International Brewery Trips 26:55 How U Fleků in Prague Inspired the Dancing House 29:14 Two Years to Perfect the Czech Dark Lager 31:11 Why Dancing House Became Their #1 Beer 35:17 Why Hefeweizen Is So Hard to Brew 36:45 Sweaty Yeast, Circus Peanuts, and Hefeweizen 39:08 Winning a World Beer Cup Medal by Accident 42:03 What Makes a Great Dunkel? 44:26 Why Frank Chose Batavia 45:27 Batavia's Inferiority Complex 46:10 "This Is All Ours" 46:37 Why All Their Merch Says "Batavia" 47:10 How Frank Found (and Afforded) This Building 50:56 What's Next: A Riverfront Deck 53:05 The #1 Mistake People Make Judging Beer 54:03 Frank's Most Emotional Moment 55:37 Final Toast: Cheers to Community About Sturdy Shelter Brewing: Sturdy Shelter Brewing is a community-driven craft brewery and taproom in a historic mid-1800s building on the Fox River in Batavia, Illinois, where the mission is to create a "treasured and genial" gathering space one person, one conversation, and one highly crafted beer at a time. Learn more on their website at https://sturdyshelterbrewing.com/ — Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/ Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Italian Pilsner brewing, dark Czech lager, Czech dark lager history, decoction mashing, Bohemian lager ingredients, Saaz hops, ferulic acid rest, step mashing Hefeweizen, Munich Dunkel brewing, World Beer Cup 2024, spirituality of hospitality, homebrewing competitions, community-focused brewery, brewery international trips, Iroclia Weyermann malt, Zuppersaser hops, Italian Pilsner malt profile, Carobohemian malt, homebrew to commercial brewing, barrel aged stout, and Klüber IPA.