wilconut

I just tasted a couple ounces of it. Very tasty, but the carbonation is still low. Another 3 or 4 days on CO2 should fix that. 

 

I like IPAs, but it's tough to drink them all night long, so lately I've been buying/brewing 5% session IPAs when I want a hoppy beer that won't crack my skull. And speaking of skull crackers, my neighbor is a neurosurgeon and I'll probably give him a 5-gallon keg of the clone. It would take me a long time to go through 10 gallons of an 8.1% imperial IPA.

 

I tend to brew a lot of 4.5% English bitters. It's probably my favorite style and they go down very easy.

 

What was the difference? One is an imperial and the other is a regular IPA, but they're both good beers. Fresh Squeezed is one of the hundreds of Mosaic-heavy beers that are flooding the market. I make a really tasty Mosaic-hopped pale ale that is popular with the neighbors. Mosaic hops are practically Skittles in plant form.

"Skittles in plant form." So true. 

By the way, it sure sounds like your neighbors are drinking pretty well...lucky folks. 

i should have tried the Blind Pig when i was at the Toronado.... i had the Elder, a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed, and a Moonlight Boat to Bombay.

 

the difference between the Pliny and the FS was shocking.

So geeked to hit up Toronado...

Shocking in what way?

I think the brewer pronounces it Ply-knee.

 

It's a good beer and I have a neighbor who returns with a case and a couple of growlers when he travels to the region, but I wouldn't have the stamina to return day after day. The brewer is fairly forthcoming with the recipe, so I brewed a 10-gallon batch of it a few weeks ago and just finished the dry hopping schedule. It's been on CO2 for a few days, so I guess I should sample it and see how it turned out.

Let us - or at least me - know how it turned out. 

I don't have the stamina to return to most IPAs day after day. Just not my glass of beer, as it were, no matter how wonderfully made they may be...

i finally got to try Pliny the Elder (btw is it pronounced like Plinny? or Pliney?) when i was in SF two weeks ago. Coit Liquors had some but you had to ask, they didn't have it in the display case. on my third trip there (limit of 2 per person per day), there were two women from Boston in front of me, buying some for friends back home.

 

woman - "I'd like to buy six Plinys, please."

 

store clerk - "Sorry, I can only sell you one or two bottles."

 

woman - "Is it that good?"

 

 

store clerk - "It's that popular"

Ha! Good to know. The wife and I are San Francisco-bound later this week for our first ever vacation together. Pliney the Elder and Blind Pig are definitely on my list of beers to try and hunt down. 

Yeah, it's quite tasty!

 

I was so happy when Surly started distributing to Illinois. I lived near Minneapolis for awhile and when I moved back here I needed my Furious and Coffee Bender fix!

Ditto. Pretty geeked to see 21st Amendment and Sweetwater have landed here as well - super excited to try the former.  

You're blaming the wrong thing, though. I don't think limited release beers are ruining the craft beer scene. If anything, they add a sense of excitement and novelty to craft beer while allowing specific brewers to demonstrate their abilities.

 

An unfortunate byproduct of these beers is that they tap into the hoarding mentality of the few who feel entitled to collect and trade as much as they can get their hands on. That's what creates the problems around these releases.

Well said - although, as much as I love 3 Floyds (seriously, Gumballhead may be the perfect beer), I find some of their Dark Lord Day practices quite dubious...

Very nice!  Love me some craft beer and really love a good barrel aged.  Are you just focusing on Chicago beers or will you be looking at other areas?  Some great ones here in Colorado (Avery, Boulder, Vindication, Bootstrap...).

Thanks for the kind words, man! Very cool of you. 

No, I'm looking to feature beers from all regions. Of course, availability does become an issue...

Thankfully, we've just started getting some Avery beers in Illinois. If only Odell would grace our borders...

Cool review!

 

No disrespect to your review, or anything of the sort, but I absolutely hate limited release beers and think they are ruining the craft beer scene. That's a rant I'll try not to go on but scarce marketing and such which has been perfected by breweries like Three Floyds is an absolute joke and makes me hate the craft beer scene.

 

 

That being said, I love good beer! One of my recent favorites is the Ballast Point Victory at Sea. Have you tried that one?

Hey man, no worries. And I feel you. Completely. This beer was donated to the show though and I love anything BCBS, so it had to be done. 

Victory at Sea is amazing and is slated to appear on the show soon, actually. Love that beer. My go-to porter as of late. 

Hiya, VCers - 

I recently started a craft beer review and discussion video podcast called One Guy, One Beer, and we just posted our second episode this morning featuring Chicago's own Goose Island Beer Company: https://oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/episode-2-goose-island-brewing-company-bourbon-county-coffee-stout/

Thought some of you might be interested. Take a look, spread the word, and thanks so much for watching! 

Howdy, folks~

Wondering if anyone has an MP3 link/video/some kind of audio of Let's Fight, an SBS-era tune that never made the actually record or any subsequent special releases? Not sure if the band ever finished a recorded version or if it was only played live a handful of times, but I've always loved it and would be thrilled to hear it again. 

Thanks!

http://wxrt.cbslocal.com/2014/04/21/mayor-emanuel-announces-xrt-taste-of-chicago-concert-headliner-listen/

Releasing a solo album? Say what?

Afternoon, VCers~

Real quick: Has there been some mention from Jeff, Jim or Glen about a new Loose Fur record forthcoming at some point this year? I was listening to Born Again in the USA this morning on the way to the office and it struck me I thought I read something about that semi-recently? Am I making this up? Hope not. Thanks!

Hey there, VC'ers—

So I've been a member here for ages. I'm a copywriter by day and fiction writer by night and I'm editing an anthology of short stories based on/inspired by hair metal songs of the 1980's and 1990's. It's being published by Chicago-based indie press Orange Alert Press this fall, and right now we're running a Kickstarter campaign to help fund part of the project.

Not only is the press a local press, but some of the contributors are Chicago-based as well. There are some really fine writers in this collection, folks, writers who have multiple books on various national presses, and each one has written a new, original short story based on the music of Poison, Warrant, Twisted Sister, Vixen, and others. All the stuff you loved about this music is paid tribute in these stories.

If you're so inclined, check out the Kickstarter page below. We much appreciate your support. And if you decide to pre-order a copy, share the word, if you don't mind, via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thanks much!

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    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/380643048/hair-lit-vol-1

    
    

Whole Love in Starbucks on the Southern Illinois University campus.

http://www.billboard...005384552.story

 

Wilco's new "The Whole Love" takes a bow at No. 5 with 82,000, marking the fourth top 10 effort for the band. Its last release, "Wilco (The Album)," debuted and peaked at No. 4 off a 99,000 start in 2009.

Anyone else really surprised by this? What with all the great press, reviews, and buzz the record has gotten? Plus it's just a fantastic record, one of their best. I was taken aback. Really thought this one would crack the 100K mark...

Art of Almost: 9/10

I Might: 9/10

Sunloathe: 6/10

Dawned On Me: 8/10

Black Moon: 8/10

Born Alone: 9/10

Open Mind: 5/10

Capitol City: 7/10

Standing O: 9/10

Rising Red Lung: 9/10

Whole Love: 10/10

One Sunday Morning: 10/10

Forgot the tally: Overall, TWL comes in at an 8-8.5/10 for me, which makes it one of my favs. It's definitely right in there with what I consider Wilco classics--BT, YHF, and AGIB. An outstanding offering, without doubt. Thank you, Wilco, for again proving why I look for solace in rock music.

Hey all,

So pretty basic request: I wasn't able to nab a pair of tickets for the St. Louis show because I'm a grad student and long story short, my school really botched up my financial aid package this semester, delaying the disbursement of my student loan money. So if anyone has two tickets to give up, good or bad seats, my wife and I would be stoked as hell, as long as the seats are together. Wilco is kinda 'our' band, you know, so sitting together is crucial. I live in Carbondale, Illinois, only about two hours from St. Louis, so some kind of meeting at the show and exchanging money for tickets would be totally cool with me. PM if you've got something. Thank you so much!

Whole Love, hands down.

The best straight-up pop song the band has done since Hummingbird.

Does anyone else feel like The Whole Love borrows a lot from, or at the very least sounds similar to, Loose Fur's sound? It would make sense, obviously, but some of the tracks on TWL, specifically Sunloathe, Born Alone, Rising Red Lung, and OSM remind me very much of Born Again in The USA. Just putting that out there...

Misunderstood

Art of Almost

I Might

Why Would You Wanna Live

Pieholden Suite

Summerteeth

Kamera

You Never Know

Impossible Germany

Via Chicago

IATTBYH

Dawned On Me

Born Alone

She's A Jar

What's the World Got In Store

Ashes of American Flags

Jesus, Etc

Walken

Casino Queen

Standing O

I'm Always in Love

Rising Red Lung

Pot Kettle Black

The Jolly Banker

Whole Love

ELT

Could someone PM me these extra tracks? Is that possible? I'd love to hear 'em and I don't plan on buying the vinyl LP because, well, I don't have the capacity to play it. Thanks!

Didn't see this until now, did they move Whole Love up on the vinyl tracklist to avoid starting side 3 with Capitol City?

 

Side 3

Whole Love

Capitol City

Standing O

Rising Red Lung

Side 4

One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

Sometimes It Happens

 

 

Another song? Yes, OK, One Sunday Monday is a perfect ending, but another new song! Sweet.

I agree--The Whole Love has some of the bands finest moments: Art of Almost, I Might, Whole Love, One Sunday Morning. And the record at large is really damn good, on par with AGIB or Summerteeth. Yes, Jeff might not be writing songs that are driven by addiction, pain, existential whatevers, etc, but the songs--at least this time around--are just as strong.

 

Please no. I do not think it makes the guys look so good. Jeff in particular.

No good? Looks fine to me.

Really. From a couple listens this is a really good album from a really good band, which shows a modicum of originality, plays to the bands strengths, and has enough enough to keep us interested and not pissed off. For a band approaching 20 years in business what else can you expect? Everyone in the band sounds great (particularly John, although Nels particular style seems submerged), the songs are good, the singing is great, there is enough pathos to keep people moved, there is plenty to keep the Radiohead fans on board, plenty for the dads, nice effects and keyboards (the ghost of Jay Bennett), etc. Its going to sell great, inject some new songs into the set lists and keep both new and old fans talking for a year or so. Good job all around.

 

LouieB

I've been wondering about this, about sales and commercial performance of The Whole Love, just because it's dBpM's first release and Jeff struck an odd, slightly anxious tone regarding commercial success in the Chicago Mag article. At least that's how I read. Will it sell well? You think? Of course the die-hards and perhaps casual fans will run out on release day, but will it be a commercial success? Will it at least build on WTA's numbers?

What downward trend? I get that SBS wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I don't see it as less good or inferior in quality than the others. Sure, WTA, in my humble opinion, isn't a very good album in the sense of a cohesive statement. Some of the songs are catchy and fun, but that's about it. However, SBS really hangs together as a record--a motiff, a statement, a message, whatever you want to call it.

I just sometimes find it funny that folks are willing to listen to and praise a seven minute guitar/noise jam, but something like Walken or Hate It Here, smart and wonderfully arranged rock songs, are dragged through the gutter.