Ready to join  Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder in the hot tub for Hop Cast Time Machine? That’s right in episode 230 Brad and Ken are in the hot tub opening two Tripels. First up is the Une Année Tripel. Une Année is one of the newest Chicago breweries and is making some great beer; this 8.7 % ABV Tripel is […]

Lets get funky! In episode 229 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski & Ken Hunnemeder open a couple funky beers from the East coast. First up is the 4.8% ABV Flora from Hill Farmstead Brewery. Flora is a barrel aged Wheat Saison, brewed with Butterworks Farm Organic Vermont Winter Wheat and aged for 8 to 14 months in French Oak […]

In episode 228 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski & Ken Hunnemeder are seeing red… Red Ales that is. Red Ales are one of Brad’s favorite styles and if you were in Chicago you might of been able to taste the hoppy Red Ale Maeve and him brewed at Haymarket, Two Hoppy Hearts. If there is a Red Ale on the menu it’s usually gonna get ordered […]

Happy New Year! Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are kicking off the new year with episode 227. In this episode they open a couple Saisons. First up is the Saison Renaud from Mystic Brewery in Massachusetts. This 6.5% ABV Saison pours a cloudy pale straw with a huge frothy white head. Next is a Saison from the Midwest; […]

The holidays are here and Christmas is… well days away. In episode 226 Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder show you the true meaning of the season, sharing alcoholic beverages. Under the tree they sample a couple of big beers. First up is the 9.4% ABV Holiday Spice Lager Beer from Lakefront Brewery, yes.. a 9% lager!. This is […]

It’s time for the Hop Cast to dive into a couple IPAs. In episode 225, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder open a couple IPA’s that have been around for a while that you might have overlooked. The first one they open is the Long Hammer IPA, a 6.2% ABV beer from Redhook Ale Brewery. The generous addition of […]

  Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are at the Lacuna Artist Loft Studios for the fourth BeerHoptacular! In this episode Ken and Brad sample a ton of great beer and even find a few moments to talk with a few brewers / owners. Look for a quick interview with Drew Fox of 18th Street Brewery and Jason Klein Spiteful Brewing. If […]

We love seeing all the new breweries popping up in Chicago. The only thing better is getting a chance to sample some of their tasty offerings. In episode 223 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski crack open a couple bottles from Une Année. Une Année is a Chicago Brewery focused on making good beer with […]

It wouldn’t be the Hop Cast if we didn’t do some IPAs every now and then. In episode 222, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are joined by Nik White for two tasty IPAs. Nik White is the co-founder of Chicago Beer Geeks and also the co-host of Chicago Beer Pass, so he knows his way around a craft beer or […]

Halloween is just around the corner and that means fall and pumpkin beers are in full swing. Well, if you can still find them on the shelves… In episode 221 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder found a couple Imperial Pumpkin Ales from the east coast to sample. First up is the Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Long […]