Earlier in November, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild put on the 21st Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers to recognize some of the breweries making the finest wood-aged beers around. We got our hands on five (out of the eleven) Illinois medal winners - and our first-ever Best of Show beer - to help us audition to become FoBAB judges some year. We share some FoBAB "by the numbers" and recap the awards with a slight angle towards our Fantasy FoBAB league interests. Also, Craig is opening up to the possibility of tinsel, Ryan is destroying himself for pleasure (as usual), and we point out which beer is the Warren Zevon of barrel-aged beers.

Medal Winners Reviewed

Off Color Brewing - Mezcal Barrel-Aged Beer for Tacos (Gold in Specialty/Experimental)

Sketchbook Brewing Co. - Red Wine Barrel-Aged Tripel G (Gold in Other Pale Beer)

Half Acre Beer Company - Orin (Silver in Other Dark Beer)

Mikerphone Brewing - Slappa Da Base (Silver in Strong Porter/Stout)

Hidden Hand/Solemn Oath Brewery - Oaked Val D'or (Gold in Wild Beer/Brett & Best of Show)