| Guys Drinking Beer We have taken a few days to read and re-read John Conlin’s “guest post,” which we posted to this site a few days ago, and was posted on some others as well. To Ryan, his tune rang familiar after hearing John speak to the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois in January. To the rest of us – it was a fairly new perspective. Well, that is to say that his opinions and outlook was new, but not the history behind the three-tiered system. You see, John, we craft beer drinkers aren’t only intrigued by the different beers we see on store shelves but we also have a general desire to know other stuff. Some of this stuff is useful and some of it isn’t. The three-tier system falls under that “useful” category of stuff. We get how things were pre-prohibition, during prohibition and present day. We get why tied-houses were bad. Speaking of, the next time you’re in the city you should swing by Schuba’s or Southport Lanes in Lakeview. Those two bars were tied to Schlitz and still have the brewery’s globe displayed inside and outside of the bars. (At least one, and maybe both, also still serve Schlitz.)  The Schlitz globe at Southport Lanes, photo courtesy Forgotten Chicago As for your thoughts about us and what we do and don’t know, well, you probably shouldn’t paint us all with the same brush. Are there craft beer drinkers who could care less about the three-tier system and would love to see it demolished? You betcha. Are there also craft beer drinkers who understand why the system is in place and feel it is a necessity? Yes, indeed. So why then pen a “guest post” making us all out to be privileged crybabies who don’t recognize a good thing when we have it? Continue reading Deconstructing The Consultant: Our Take On John Conlin’s Open Letter To Craft Beer Brewers & Drinkers  New Glarus says:
“This decadent Chocolate Abbey Ale is a lovely trifle for your senses. Brewed with a proprietary Belgian yeast and English Maris Otter Malt it is smooth and rich. Inspired by a recent tour of Europe and brewed with chocolate we enjoyed there. Subtle Segal Ranch hops promote the rich dark chocolate flavors of this rather strong Dubbel.”
New Glarus Thumbprint Chocolate Abbey
Dubbel, ? ABV Sayeth the Guys: KARL: We poured this when I was still fresh from my inaugural trip to Short’s Brewpub, where I fell in love with their Chocolate Wheat. I feel sorta the same way about this brew, in a different way, if that makes sense. Pouring thin with a tall head, the foam fades fast to leave behind a surprisingly fruity beer for one with such a dark color. Dark fruits, raisins, a little mint and definitely a ton of bubblegum flavor, interestingly enough. Not any chocolate showed up for me, should you think that the name defines the taste. Continue reading Review: New Glarus Thumbprint Chocolate Abbey 2011 RYAN: This is a guest post, of sorts, from John Conlin. John runs Conlin Beverage Consulting. We wrote about him – and a few other things beer and distributor related – a couple of weeks ago after he and I were among a handful of presenters at the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois’ annual meeting in Chicago. I say it’s a guest post of sorts because John emailed it me yesterday and told me I could post it to the site – unedited. It seems he made the rounds with it. He is also a “guest poster” on beernews and our good friends over at Aleheads. We’ll bite on this as well and post it – allowing his thoughts a day or so to marinade before we post some thoughts of our own. Until then… Tough Love For Craft Brewers  photo courtesy Conlin Beverage Consulting Inc Since I have a knack for stating the obvious, let me state that craft beers/brewers are the prettiest girl at the dance… and they know it. My blog has recently been discovered by a number of craft beer and craft brewer web sites… places like the Craft Brewers Association (http://brewersassociation.org )… And BeerNews (http://beernews.org)… And Guys Drinking Beer (www.guysdrinkingbeer.com), got to love that name, says it all… and then there is Aleheads (http://aleheads.com )… Continue reading A Distribution Consultants Take On You, Me & The People Who Brew The Beer We Love
RYAN: What is being dubbed the “3 Floyds Amendment” – by 3 Floyds, rightfully so – unanimously passed an Indiana Senate Committee Thursday. The bill, HB 1054 for those keeping score at home, increases the production cap for craft brewers in the state. Currently it stands at 30,000 barrels. The new limit would be increased to MORE THAN 30,000 barrels and adds the caveat that it be for sale or distribution within the state. Continue reading Beer Politics: “3 Floyds Amendment” Passes Committee  Sprecher says:
“Once brewed in Britain for the Russian Czars, this tremendously rich and thick ale uses a profusion of burnt and caramel malts. A massive mouthful of dark roasted malt and coffee flavors finishes with hints of chocolate, caramel & licorice.”
Specher Brewmaster’s Premium Reserve Russian Imperial Stout
Russian Imperial Stout, 8.5% ABV Sayeth the Guys: Editors Note: This review and several of the ones that follow it are part of a stockpile of tasting notes that have been siting in our notebooks for months that we just haven’t had time to get to. Sure, some of these reviews may not be as timely as we had originally hoped but they are still – somewhat – deserving of a spot in the annals of GDB. RYAN: This is the third installment in what has become a gold mine of Sprecher limited release beers that I wandered in to and am finally getting around to telling you about. Previously, I wrote about the IPA2 and Maibock. This time around it’s the Russian Imperial Stout. The Russian Imperial Stout may be one of my favorite styles of beer. It’s big, it’s bold – sometimes it’s boozy and other times more restrained. What I have found, more often than not though, is that the style can sometimes be a one or two note beer. Don’t get more wrong; I love bold coffee and dark chocolate flavors – but sometimes I need something more. Sprecher’s Russian Imperial Stout is most certainly more. Continue reading Review: Sprecher Russian Imperial Stout Just posted to Twitter by the AV Club: 
“Snazzy new case of @gooseisland 312 cans. In stores 3/12, our mouths later today.” Continue reading Sparging the News: Check Out Goose Island’s Cans 
New Glarus says: “Flemish monks brewed the first Abt. A voluptuous temptress they named for their Monastery Abbot. Belgian Dark Candi Sugar encourages the decadence of rum, raisin dark chocolate and sherry like fruit tones to conspire happily in almost 20° Plato. Rich and full bodied this is one to lie down or if you are bold enjoy now, but take your time – linger. This beer cries to be sipped and enjoyed.”
New Glarus Unplugged abt
Dubbel, 9.75% ABV
Sayeth the Guys: FRESH
Karl: Last time we reviewed a New Glarus in the Unplugged series, I mentioned that it seems that we do fawn all over everything that NG puts out with red foil wrapping the neck. Without giving too much away, we’ll break that streak here. The Abt is not a terrible beer, it just suffers from the weight of raised expectations and isn’t quite as spot-on as other Unplugged efforts like the recently-reviewed Enigma (which we…well, fawned over). Continue reading From The Cellar: New Glarus Unplugged Abt 2010 
21st Amendment says: “21st Amendment founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveled to Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small, traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the famous Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Monk’s Blood is designed to pair beautifully with rich winter stews, creamy cheeses, unctuous desserts or just by itself, in a Belgian tulip glass, with a good book by the fire.”
21st Amendment Monk’s Blood
Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 8.3% ABV Sayeth the Guys: Editors Note: This review and several of the ones that follow it are part of a stockpile of tasting notes that have been siting in our notebooks for months that we just haven’t had time to get to. Sure, some of these reviews may not be as timely as we had originally hoped but they are still – somewhat – deserving of a spot in the annals of GDB. RYAN: This…THIS is the beer that helped me turn the corner on canned craft beer. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of IPA’s in a can before but nothing as complex as Monk’s Blood. I mean, just look at the special ingredients; dark Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried black mission figs – all aged on oak. “There is no way all of these ingredients could shine in a beer coming out of a can,” I thought to myself. Oh but they can (no pun intended) – and they did. Continue reading Review: 21st Amendment Monk’s Blood 
RYAN: “You sure do have some gumption…walking in to that room, saying the things you said.” I wheeled around to see an unnamed distributor wearing a black pullover with a grey Bud logo over his heart grinning at me. He found me pacing the hallway outside of the Picasso Ballroom at the Omni Hotel on Michigan Avenue. I was coming down from my presentation before twenty-or-so members of the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois. My time behind the podium was only supposed to last 30 minutes, including 5 minutes set aside for Q & A. I wound up spending an hour standing before a roomful of distributors talking up locally brewed craft beer and answering their questions. Before I get in to the meat and potatoes of what I said, and what they asked, there were two distinct impressions that roomful of distributors left me with. (1) They’re not as hell-bent on destroying craft beer as some of us think and (2) there are some pretty sizable misconceptions that the craft beer community has about distributors and that distributors have about craft beer and craft brewers. If you read my post last week, then you know the game plan I had going in to the presentation. I essentially wanted to give the distributors present a snapshot of the current state of craft beer in Illinois and where it was headed; with an emphasis on small batch brewing. While I didn’t stray too far from my original message I did find myself veering off course a little thanks in part to some conversations I had with distributors before my presentation and the presenter who spoke before me. “Right now, craft beer is the prettiest girl at the dance,” bellowed John Conlin – who runs Conlin Beverage Consulting. Well, he certainly had my attention. Continue reading A Day With The ABDI; Bridging The Gap Between Brewer & Distributor 
Short’s says:
“Anniversary 2009 is a wheat wine with multicolor peppercorns, corriander, orange peel, blood orange zest and 225 lbs of blood oranges.”
Short’s Anniversary Ale 2009
Wheatwine, 11.7% ABV
Sayeth the Guys: FRESH
Karl: I have a pretty firm grasp on the different distinctions between beer styles thus far, but I still confuse the concept of “wheat wine” versus “barleywine.” Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s good, right? While I don’t think I adored this the way Ryan did – I think he’s planning on naming a child Annie “Shorty” Versary – it’s still a solid offering. This blood orange beer packs in a surprising amount of alcohol, at about 11%. You can really smell the orange (they apparently used 225 pounds in the brew), but while blood oranges are generally pretty sharp, tart and grapefruit-esque, here the nose and taste was pleasantly nice and round. Continue reading Summer’s Getting Shorts-er Cellar Review: Short’s Anniversary Ale 2009 | Join The Ranks Of Our "Insiders." Send Us Anonymous News Tips HERE. The Green Lady & Guys Drinking Beer Present A Celebration of Downstate Brewers |
