Glen Ellyn IL is home to The Beer Cellar, one of the first craft beer bottle shops in the area, and a couple of blocks away is Glen Ellyn's intriguingly-named craft brewpub, Two Hound Red. Steve Woertendyke has been the head brewer there for 3 years and has managed to provide a well-balanced variety of brews that will be sure to suit everyone's palate.

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

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This weekend is Labor Day and there's going to be plenty of barbecues and parties held across the state. Why not offer your guests something that won't leave them with a headache the next day, or perhaps you have guests who don't drink, but want to be part of the craft crowd.

In this edition we visit with what we believe is the only non-alcoholic craft beer brewery in the state, Go Brewing Company, located in Naperville IL. Joe Chura is one of the co-founders and the President of GBC, and James Bigler is their head brewer. The Brit and co-host Ken McMullen (Fox Republic Brewing) sat down in their brewery taproom and talked with them about their 'meteoric' rise as one of the premier NA breweries in the country.

By the time this episode has published, their Oktoberfest Märzen will have been released, but we get a pre-taste of it, and a look at the awesome can art. This brew will be a hit at Oktoberfest celebrations for those who don't drink alcohol, but want to raise their glass for a Prost toast!

We think they are going to only grow more, and The Brit has certainly been converted! We think you will be as well once you try them...cheers!

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

In our conversation we talk about how they came to start this venture, their approach to the styles they are producing, and the challenges they will face in storing and stacking their barrels. As we continue chatting it becomes more apparent that these guys really know how to produce the beers, using their experiences from home-brewing, and in the restaurant industry to understand what flavors can be obtained using a variety of different adjuncts. For example, their wit has the addition of coriander but also is changed up by using a citrus tea, making the result a wonderfully refreshing beer.

We are excited about Sundial, and highly recommend a visit to sample their brews. Tell them The Brit sent you! Cheers!

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

McHenry County in northern Illinois, is home to several great craft breweries, all of which you can check out on the McHenry Co. Craft Beverage Trail. This week we are visiting one of the two located in Woodstock IL, Kishwaukee Brewing who recently won a silver medal for their Bufflehead Brown Ale at the 2023 World Beer Cup.

Kishwaukee Brewing Co., is the pride of founders and owners, Dan and Cara Payson, and we visited with Dan and his head brewer, Mark Gres, to find out a little more about their success. Joining me for this interview was my co-host, Ken McMullen from Fox Republic Brewing, who may have assisted in starting the career of one of Kishwaukee's  future employees...more on that in the interview.

We talk with Dan and Mark about how their brewing careers started, and how they came to join forces at Kishwaukee to produce classic, award-winning beers. Dan's approach has got them through building the brewery at the start of the pandemic, then opening after the first shutdown, only to be closed a week later with the second one. All that being in the past, they have emerged from those dark days, and are moving into a strong position as a producer of great beers in the Illinois craft beer scene. Their tap room is a wonderful space, as is the outdoor patio, and you won't be disappointed when you make a visit!

We must offer our apologies to Mark, who apparently had a mic which had 'technical difficulties' and caused him to sound like he was at the other end of the brewery. We've done our best to improve his sound in post-production, so hopefully it won't detract too much from the conversation!

Beers Sampled:

Bufflehead Brown Ale, American Brown Ale, 6.8% ABV

Sandhill Lager, India Pale Lager, 5.5% ABV

Tart Peach Saison, Wild Saison, 5.5% ABV

Pollinator, Doppelbock, 7.7% ABV

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

Recently, our friends over at Broken Brix, Ed and Sue Seaman, took a trip out to Iceland. Aside from traveling the country and going to see Chicago's legendary band Wilco for their 3-night tour in Reykjavik, Ed was on a quest to find what the Icelandic nation drank during all those long winter days! He brought back (or was it 'smuggled' back?) a suitcase of goodies, including craft beer, and who did he think of sharing them with but of course the Brit and Yankee team!

So listen in while we hear tales of thermal pools, great food, and struggle with the Icelandic language, but are rescued by Google Translate! This is a fun episode, and many thanks to Ed and Sue for sharing the beers with us! Cheers or as they say in Iceland, Skál (pronounced “sk owl”)!

PS - sorry about the sound quality for Ed's mic...he sounds a little distant!

Beers Sampled:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ... for pictures and more!

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

Check out other episodes at our YouTube Channel...

We're having some fun with owner/brewer Alex Drayer over in St. Charles, IL. Alex produces a very drinkable Kolsch and he was up for the Blind Taste Challenge! The Brit paired his brew against one of the world's best examples of this style and asked Alex to see if he knew his beer. We're finding that the blindfold challenge is more difficult than it seems, so did Alex choose wisely...check out the video and find out!

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM

This week we are releasing a video episode, also available on our YouTube channel.

Art History Brewing has opened a production brewery, hidden away in Geneva IL, and we get to take a tour of the new facility. As of this video, it is not open to the public, but it is brewing all your favorite beers. The day we visited, Greg Browne was brewing up a batch of APA Lincoln Highway. Join us to take a peek in all the corners and get a flavor for life in a production brewery. Thanks to Greg, brewer Matt Johnson, and owner Tom Rau for letting The Brit poke around and get in the way!! Cheers!

Website: ⁠⁠⁠www.thebritandyankee.com⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BritAndYankeePodcast⁠⁠⁠

YouTube channel - ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/6QreGGD2CrM