Pints And Provisions

Lots of fun stuff here with Evan, Ryan, and Kyle talking first about the now defunct Valiant Brewing Co. and their Russian mega stout, Marshmallow Quantarium.  Seemed like a successful brewery but closed its doors and left a big wake behind it with this white whale which delivered a big vanilla bomb of a stout with a fullness and sweetness like many of the best out there.  So why do some good breweries fail?  We also discuss the reasons collaboration can build a brewery.  Shout outs to New Glarus Brewing and keeping it nostalgic when we travel to Wisconsin, the soon to open Hop Station in Mishawaka, IN, and Mook Meadery, whom we still are looking for samples from.  Ryan also touches on his brief trip up to this years Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds Brewery in Munster, IN.  Cheers from P+P!!

The Fox Pub in Peoria celebrated its 6th annual brewfest where Ryan and Evan headed to enjoy some brews on a cool and rainy midwest day.  We ran down the list of some of our favorites of the day including beers from Lil' Beaver Brewery, Wake Brewing, Triptych Brewing, Pollyanna Brewing Company, and Bent River Brewing Co.  Nick of Bearded Owl Brewing shared some of his highlights of the day and we also spoke with Matt Rixner who continues his pursuit to bringing a great draft beer festival to Peoria.  It was a fun and loud time (pardon the background noise, but we were at a festival!!) with many great local and regional brews and fantastic people to enjoy them with, cheers!!

Ryan, Evan, and Mark head down to Pour Bros Taproom in the Heights to challenge each other with some more blind tastings.  Each submitted an interesting entry to put our palates to the test.  Our table beer today was Marionberry Table by Holy Mountain Brewing and various offerings from the Pour Bros Tapwall.  We also got to discuss the drama with the big beer brands and why corn is so important to the Midwest.  Tune in and enjoy, cheers from P+P!!

Hey Provisionists, new episode is ready and its a fun one!  Mark, Evan, and Ryan sat down to educate our palates on bourbon.  We each brought a bottle and taste tested them against each other.  Three very different bourbons with we do our best to describe how they taste against each other.  Lots of fun so tune in to hear us go through them and what we each brought.  Also enjoyed was a great beer from Fonta Flora Brewery called Local Snacks.  Cheers!!

Evan and Ryan team up to taste some cherry wild ales, one from OEC Brewing and the other from Fonta Flora Brewery.  Similar style but very different beers, tune in to see how they stack up.  Also tasted was Honolulu from Asling Brewing Co., a barrel aged stout with coconut and coffee.  We did get a chance to go over our favorite match ups and games for the upcoming basketball tournament so see how we are doing with our picks!  Cheers from P+P!!

Here we go!  Mark and Evan were joined by Kyle to sit down and talk to Rob, co-owner of Pour Bros Craft Taproom in Peoria Heights.  Rob has been hard at work booking music for the upcoming season of Saturday night concerts at Pour Bros.  We got to hear what bands are coming and some exciting events on the schedule.  St. Patrick's Day festivities were on the docket as well in the Heights!  Kyle brought a blind tasting beer for the rest of us and we also popped our first barleywine on the podcast, Perennial's barrel aged Vermillion.  Cheers from P+P!!

Mark and Evan welcome Bryan back to the podcast to share his experiences at the Southern Grist Brewing 3rd Anniversary.  We sample some beers he and our friend Spartan enjoyed from the festivities and how Nashville represents "the new South" with its elevated cuisine.  Our big props go out to Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.'s lagers and we highlight how their customer service shines when confronted with a cooler full of craft beers.  They graciously provided the amazing lagers we sampled on the recording and we get to tell you why they are the go-to German beer style brewers in the region.  Cheers from P+P!!

What a topic Mark, Ryan, and Evan discussed surrounding the issue of limited quantities of released beers and how breweries handle it.  Central to this is Floodland Brewing and how they handle keeping their beers out of the secondary market.  You may side with the brewer or with the consumer on this but we find this a great example of the controversy of the secondary market.  We did enjoy a Holy Mountain sour (where the Floodland brewer was before he started his own brewery), 4 Hands Brewing Madagascar Uganda variant, and some blind pours which challenged our palates.  Don't miss this one!  Cheers Provisionists!!

Daniel and Evan discuss the recent release of RateBeer's Top 50 Brewers.  It's a fun list to go through but there is a lot more, especially with big beers full acquisition of RateBeer, to discuss about the rating sites methods and results.  We both sip on a beer from a top 50 brewery including ones from Half Acre Beer Co. and Maine Beer Co. and dive into the pros and cons of RateBeer and what it tells us about craft beer.  Cheers from P+P!!

Ryan and Evan discuss their first craft beer introductions and the breweries that first influenced their passion for craft beer.  We also discuss the beers we drink during these bleak winter months and sip on some of the beers we are most excited about which include some sours, lambics, and spontaneous fermented country beers.  Cheers from P+P!!

Part 2 of our first anniversary episode explores the "provisions" side of our passions.  First up are our favorite dishes or foods and how they are prepared from sous vide to reverse searing alongside our best sides enjoyed.  Then we debate our best non-beer drinks of the year with great bourbons such as the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bourbons and the Jefferson's Reserve 16 Year but not forgetting wines and cocktails.  Enjoy this all provisions episode sharing our best of 2018!!

We celebrated our birthday in this episode by reviewing our favorite beers and breweries of 2018.  While sipping on some Framboise Du Fermier by Side Project Brewing and Mornin' Delight by Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. we see how each of us ranks the best beers we had in 2018.  Then we move on to discuss those breweries and brewers who made waves and impressed us in 2018.  It was great to be back recording at Pour Bros Craft Tap Room and sharing pints with friends while we celebrated the last year of recording!  Stay tuned for part 2 to be released soon!!

Mark, Evan, and Ryan are joined by Andy (and other friends!) to dig in to the Abbott Annual Christmas Share.  We start off by a couple of vanilla bombs by 3 Floyds Brewing and Forager Brewery.  We are sure to test our palates with a couple of blind tastings but also wreck our palates on one of the more interesting beers of the night.  Lots of other big beers from Perennial Artisian Ales, Toppling Goliath Brewery, Side Project Brewing, Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, J Wakefield Brewing, Funk Factory Geuzeria, and Shared Brewing.  No great beer was left untested as we enjoyed this special holiday gathering to share our best beers, cheers!!!

Midwest beers and specifically Chicago beers are getting a lot of buzz lately so we asked fellow Chicago beer enthusiast Rick to join us.  We dive in head first on some Side Project Brewing Beer:Barrel:Time, one of the best non-adjunct stouts we have all ever tasted.  Then we get into how and why Chicago is THE destination for craft beer; offerings tasted come from Hop Butcher For The World and Hailstorm Brewing Co.  It was great to have Rick join us for this all out love affair for Midwest and Chicago beers.  Cheers from P+P!!

Ryan and Evan are joined by lambic fanatic Bryan for some talk about the traditional Belgian style of Lambics.  Like tart, dry, funky, and rustic beers?  What's a coolship and spontaneous fermentation?  Some of the traditional Lambic breweries have been around since before the First World War and their techniques are steeped in tradition.  We discuss what makes these beers unique and why you can't call it a Lambic unless brewed under specific guidelines.  On the docket are beers from Cantillon, Side Project, and Boon Brewery.  Cheers!!

Happy Black Friday everyone!  Ryan, Evan, Brett, and Michael share thoughts on the annual Thanksgiving share hosted by Ryan.  We blind taste different years of WeldWerks Brewing's Medianoche barrel aged stout, enjoy some Open Spaces by Side Project Brewing, and discuss how we are out to get our allotments of Bourbon County Brand Stout from Goose Island Beer Co.  Chicago's FOBAB (Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers) also just finished and we review winners and how great it is for the city.  Cheers!!

Daniel and Evan talk Thanksgiving and how best to enjoy the day, especially if you are a craft beer enthusiast.  We discuss our favorite dishes and how we best enjoy the day with libations whether it wine, cocktails, or beer.  Thanksgiving is about getting together and enjoying great food, drink with a little fun with the family.  Cheers from P+P!!

Ryan, Evan, and Mark sit down with Brian Buss, head brewer of Industry Brewing Co. located in Peoria, IL.  We learned more about his transition from seasoned home brewer to his position at Industry where he crafts his own twists on classic styles.  His crushable beers are a reflection of his approach to craft beer which focuses as much on the beer as the conversations and people he drinks them with.  This was highlighted by the beers we sampled including his saison, double IPA, red ale, and porter.  Tune in for our time with Brian and hear him construct his "Ideal 4-pack"!  Cheers!!

Evan, Mark, and Daniel are joined by guests Tim and Phil for a fun filled episode of beer trivia!  We recorded at Daniel's house in Lombard where we may have successfully indoctrinated Phil into the depths of craft beer geek-dom.  Although we strayed way off topic at times to discuss the economics of big beer and how growing craft breweries are able to deliver a consistent product, we still managed to stay humbled by our trivia questions.  Did we mention we cracked some really awesome beers?  Tune in wherever you get your podcasts!!

Ryan and Evan, along with guest host Luke, talk to the brewers of Bearded Owl Brewing, Nick and PJ, about our collaboration brew "Did We Just Become Best Friends?"  This tasty NEIPA turned out to be a melon forward, full bodied, hazy IPA so go get some before it's gone!  We also talked about Bearded Owl's experience at the Great American Beer Festival.  Finally, we sample some great beers from Henry and Fran Brewing and Weldwerks to celebrate stout season.  Cheers from P+P!!