Yes, Marz Community Brewing aged a mushroom stout in soy-sauce barrels, and I drank it

by Philip Montoro on December 15, 2014 at 2:00PM

Sometimes metal bands try strange combinations too, and in that vein I'm posting a new song from Stargazer, an Australian supergroup of sorts that includes members of Mournful Congregation and Cauldron Black Ram. A Merging to the Boundless came out two weeks ago on Nuclear War Now!, and it combines florid, eccentric blackened death metal with an approach to the electric bass that would sometimes sound more at home on a late-70s jazz fusion record.

Penrose Brewing achieves infinitely self-similar deliciousness with Fractal

by Philip Montoro on December 1, 2014 at 2:00PM

Bottles of Penrose's Devoir saison will follow Fractal and Desirous onto shelves beginning Mon 12/1, followed in a few weeks by the return of P-2 Belgian-style pale—at which point the brewery will have more than doubled the number of beers it's distributed at retail. (Full disclosure: Penrose delivered me a four-pack of Fractal for free.

Goose Island's 2014 Bourbon County beers, reviewed by six increasingly drunk people

by Philip Montoro on November 24, 2014 at 2:00PM

On Wednesday a few Chicagoland bars will pour Bourbon County beers ahead of the official release, though not every location will have every variant. The tappings I've heard about from Goose Island are at Jimmy's Bar in Naperville at 6 PM, at Sheffield's at 6 PM, at Fountainhead at 7:30 PM, and at the Beer Bistro in the West Loop at 9 PM.

Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer gold medalists include Pipeworks, Revolution, and Off Color

by Philip Montoro on November 17, 2014 at 2:00PM

CHAOS Brew Club celebrates Learn to Homebrew Day

by Philip Montoro on October 27, 2014 at 2:00PM

Philip Montoro writes about beer and metal, singly or in combination, on Mondays.

A GABF silver medalist for your fridge: Half Acre's Heyoka IPA

by Philip Montoro on October 13, 2014 at 2:00PM

In March a doom-metal band called Sioux from Portland, Oregon, released The One and the Many. I don't know if anyone in Sioux has Native American blood, but the album is pretty good.

Marz Community Brewing launches with a small space, a big crew, a great party, and a memorable lineup

by Philip Montoro on September 8, 2014 at 2:00PM

Philip Montoro writes about beer and metal, singly or in combination, on Mondays.

The debut of Uncommon Ground's Greenstar, the first organic brewery in Illinois

by Philip Montoro on August 18, 2014 at 2:00PM

Philip Montoro writes about beer and metal, singly or in combination, every Monday.

Empirical Brewery hits the market hard with its IBU Overload IPA

by Philip Montoro on August 4, 2014 at 2:00PM

Philip Montoro writes about beer and metal, singly or in combination, every Monday.

An early taste of Aquanaut Brewing's core lineup

by Philip Montoro on July 28, 2014 at 2:00PM

Philip Montoro writes about beer and metal, singly or in combination, every Monday.