Chicago Beer Pass

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White open a beer that I don't think you'd really see either of them drinking, the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Pipeworks Brewing. This beer is an oat ale with pumpkin puree, coffee, milk sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spices. It was surprisingly good and not overly sweet, but yeah, if you like PSLs, this is a beer for you. As the guys slide into fall, Nik shares his Kolosh adventure he recently went on, and Brad talks about his trip to the SOX game and Marz Community Brewing.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are getting into the Oktoberfest beers! Honestly, it still feels relatively early to bust out the steins since it's still 80 degrees in Chicago, but the guys do what they need to do. Kicking off the season, they open a couple cans of Oktoberfest from Bubblehouse Brewing. Brad recently stopped there and couldn't resist picking up these cans. Brad and Nik also decided to open a can of Deep Woods from Revolution to pair with the malty Oktoberfest. Prost!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White open cans of a new beer from Old Irving, their Kentucky Common called Long Forgotten. Old Irving says this is one of only two or three beer styles considered indigenous to the United States, which was an unknown fact to the guys. As the guys crush a couple of these cans, they talk about a few stops they have made and go over the latest Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts hitting the market in a few months.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are in full-on summer mode with a Mexican-Style Lager from the fine folks at Goldfinger. Although this may not have been the best beer the guys have had from Goldfinger, it was great to try something else from them. As the guys crush a couple 16 oz cans, they go over a few stops they made, including them both hitting up Suncatcher Brewing. Honestly, if you're looking for a killer spot with a fantastic patio for the summer, you can't go wrong with Suncatcher.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are back after taking a little break… though don’t worry, there was still plenty of drinking during that time. They kick things off with cans of Half Acre’s Slow Melt, which is simply fantastic! As they crush a few, they recap stops around the city and suburbs, including Maplewood Brewing, Goose Island, Crust, Bubblehouse, Skeleton Key Brewing, and more. The guys should be back with another episode soon, so be sure to subscribe and stay updated.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are easing into the summer with a lighter show and some fresh local brews. They crack open Sub4, a hazy DIPA from Blind Corner Brewery that Brad picked up during a recent visit to Naperville. While Solemn Oath Brewery was just steps away, this stop was all about Blind Corner. As they sip this easy-drinking double IPA, the guys chat about a few other beer stops and share their excitement for the return of warm weather… finally.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are playing catch-up. With summer's arrival, you can expect more episodes coming your way. For this one, the guys found a leftover from Brad's St. Patrick's Day party: Story Horse, an Irish-style stout from More Brewing.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White still have some Irish Red Ales that they are drinking to clear out of the fridge. Although St. Patrick's Day is long gone you can't go wrong with one of these beers, especially this one from Hailstorm Brewing. As the guys knock back a couple of cans they also have a bottle of 2017 Bourbon County Stout. It is surprising how good this pairing is, these beers go well together.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are keeping things short... it's been a hectic couple of weeks. Although the guys have been drinking a lot of Irish Red Ales lately they figured they should mix it up with a Dry Irish Stout, this one comes from the fine folks at Sketchbook Brewing. As they knock back a couple of cans Nik shares a few of the spots he's made it to because Brad's been slacking on the brewery hopping lately.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are seeing green! The guys decide to dive into a few different cans of Irish Red Ales; one from Phase Three and another from Pollyanna, unfortunately these taste much more like Oktoberfest beers. As the guys try to figure out if these are Irish Red Ales or Oktoberfest beers, they chat about a few different spots that Nik visited over the last couple weeks.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are making up for lost time and have two beers to try on this episode, Lezak By Day and Lezak By Night both from Alarmist Brewing. These are a couple of the newest beers from Alarmist and it's awesome to see them knock out lagers that are this great. For right now, expect the podcast to come out every couple of weeks, this gives Brad and Nik a bit more time to visit some places and deal with whatever life serves up.

As the guys drink these beers from Alarmist they talk about Pilot Project and a few other changes that seem to be happening in the beer scene.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are back behind the microphones to kick off 2025. On this episode, the guys have a Taylor Swift-inspired collaboration from the folks at Forbidden Root. Although Forbidden Root has a brewpub in Chicago, these were canned in Ohio, so they are somewhat local. As the guys knock back a couple of cans, they talk about the places they checked out recently and get up to speed with some rumors of who is closing and who might be opening.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

This episode of Chicago Beer Pass was recorded around Christmas and got a bit lost in the shuffle. Brad Chmielewski and Nik White also had some audio issues so unfortunately this isn't the best-sounding episode. To go along with this holiday episode of the podcast the guys have cans of Revolution Brewing's Fistmas.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are having a great Christmas with some cans of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. As the guys spread some Christmas joy they recap Friday night at FoBAB. There were some great beers and some even better stories from that evening. Happy Holidays!

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White have finally finished their Oktoberfest journey for the year and are now ready to ring in the new year. Although there is snow on the ground, they are enjoying a grapefruit pale ale for Horse Theif Hollow. As the guys knock back a few cans of Boogie Chillen', they talk about Goose Island and Deep Woods and get hyped for FoBAB.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are joined by Sergio Salgado to close out their Oktoberfest journey. The three guys open over a dozen beers and do their best to choose their favorite. When all these Chicagoland breweries are making some great beers, it's hard to decide who makes the best because you can't go wrong most of the time.

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White have cans of Hopewell Brewing's Oktoberfest. In a previous year's showdown, the Hopewell Oktoberfest was one of the guy's favorites. Also, the guys have a Pliny The Edler on the table because they need a bit of an Oktoberfest break. As the guys knock back a few, they talk about Brad's visit to Temperance before they closed on October 27th, and Nik shares some info about the newest brewery in Homewood.