In episode 220 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder venture away from American craft beer for a moment and open two Bière de Gardes; one from France and the other from Belgium. First up is the Cuvée Des Jonquilles from Brasserie Bailleux in France. This 7.0 % ABV Bière de Garde is fantastic and […]

Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are joined by Sergio Salgado in episode 219 of the Hop Cast. In this episode the three guys open a couple funky beers. Not funky bad, but funky good. First up is the Fantasia from Upright Brewing in Portland Oregon. This 5.7% ABV America Wile Ale is in the vein of a Lambic […]

You better get your beer goggles on for this Hop Cast. In episode 218, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder open two fantastic beers from one of the staple midwest breweries, Bell’s. Bell’s Brewery has been around for 28 years and they continue to make new and fantastic beers every year. You’d be hard to find a craft beer […]

Local beers with hibiscus? Yep! In episode 217 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder crack open two great local beers. First up is the Chloe from one of the newest breweries to find themselves in the Chicago craft beer scene, 18th Street Brewery. This 7% ABV beer has subtle tartness and citrus notes […]

In episode 216 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder reach into the cellar and pull out a couple big stouts to enjoy on this warm summer day. First up is the 10.2% ABV 2011 Imperial Russian Stout from Southampton. With such a low bottle count, this was likely hand bottled and with […]

Rick Wildt joins Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski in episode 215 of the Hop Cast. The guys crack open a couple of funky beers in this episode. The first being the Rodenbach 2010 Vintage Oak Aged Ale. This Flanders Red Ale comes in at 7.0% ABV and is light with an effervescent carbonation that’s tart […]

In episode 214 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder are joined by Rick Wildt for a couple brett Saisons. If you haven’t had a brett Saison, well you’re missing out; get to the store and find yourself a bottle. Brett Saisons are great on some of these warmer summer days, they are […]

In episode 213 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are joined by Michal Thiel for a couple tasty Anniversary brews from two great midwest breweries. It’s hard to believe both these brewers have been around for so long… First up is the 20th anniversary Strong Ale from New Glarus. Whenever you see […]

In episode 212 of the Hop Cast, Brad Chmielewski and Ken Hunnemeder double down on a couple triples. They’ve got the Tripel Threat from Cambridge Brewing Company and the Tropical Tripel from De Proefbrouwerij / Cigar City. Brad and Ken decide to jump first into the Tripel Threat, leaving the Tropical Tripel on deck. The […]

In episode 211 of the Hop Cast, Ken Hunnemeder and Brad Chmielewski are kickin it outside, sipping on a couple big IPAs and enjoying the Chicago summer. The first beer they open is the Gigantic IPA from Gigantic Brewing Company. Gigantic Brewing is from Oregon and just started distributing to Chicago. The Gigantic IPA is a 7.3 % ABV American […]