Learn why Kentucky Commons nearly vanished, how to brew a smoked beer that isn’t too smoky, and why decoction still matters.

Adams Street Brewery Master Brewer Jim Riggs explains how he pieced together a nearly lost American beer style from scraps of history, then won World Beer Cup silver with it. He breaks down his Steam Engine Kentucky Common and Der Reisende Export Stout beers and explains how he keeps his 1871 Rauchbier drinkable despite the smoke that’s characteristic to the style. Plus: the triple decoction Czech Pilsner that launched his career, why a touch of diacetyl belongs in Czech Pils, koji and sake beers with brewing partner Mark Duchow, a Japanese rice lager for the White Sox, and the history of the Berghoff Restaurant, home of Chicago’s first post-Prohibition liquor license.

0:00 Coming Up
0:35 Inside Adams Street Brewery at the Historic Berghoff
1:43 Cody’s Most Memorable Berghoff Visit
2:18 The Berghoff’s History and Chicago Liquor License No. 1
3:25 Why the Berghoff Brought Brewing Back In-House
3:49 Why Women Couldn’t Drink at the Berghoff Bar Until 1969
5:39 Jim’s Shortest Brewing Job Ever
6:29 From College Hooch to Homebrewed Cider
7:40 Why a German Mother Doesn’t Hand Out Participation Medals
8:09 The Triple Decoction Czech Pilsner That Won a Homebrew Medal
8:50 What Is Triple Decoction Mashing?
10:29 Why Most Brewers Don’t Decoction Mash Anymore
11:09 Czech vs German vs American Pilsner
12:01 Why a Little Diacetyl Belongs in Czech Pilsner
13:05 German Roots and a Nun-Run Brewery in Ulm
15:06 From East Coast Hazy IPAs to “Beer-Flavored Beer”
16:25 Rice, Corn, and Classic American Lagers
17:40 Steam Engine Wins World Beer Cup Silver
18:13 What Is a Kentucky Common? (Six-Row Barley and Corn)
21:55 Der Reisende: What Is an Export Stout?
24:33 The True Story Behind IPA Hops (and Stronger Stouts)
26:45 Beer Break
27:48 Brewer’s Choice: Tasting Steam Engine
28:49 Chocolate Rye and Crystal Malt in a Kentucky Common
29:40 Why Almost No One Brews Kentucky Commons
31:25 The Yeast Swap That Made Steam Engine Click
35:21 Cluster: America’s Original Hop
36:20 Koji Rice, Sake Beers, and Crazy Ideas with Mark Duchow
37:58 Lager or Ale? Planning a Wild Rice Beer
40:12 The Dreaded One-Star Untappd Review
41:01 Pairing Beer with the Berghoff Menu
43:52 1871 Rauchbier and the Great Chicago Fire
44:32 How to Brew a Smoked Beer That Isn’t Too Smoky
48:39 How to Explain Rauchbier to Someone Who’s Never Had It
51:47 The White Sox, Pope Leo, and Southside Sama
53:01 Southside Sama: A Japanese Rice Lager for Opening Day
57:07 Short Pour: How to Spot a Great Brewery
58:41 Why the Berghoff Is Still the Place to Send Visitors
1:01:17 Five-Cent Beer and a Free Sandwich in 1898
1:02:06 The Berghoff’s One-Piece Bar
1:02:57 Brian’s Childhood Berghoff Memories
1:07:34 The Final Toast (and the Craigslist Missed Connection)

About Adams Street Brewery: Adams Street Brewery crafts authentic lagers, IPAs, stouts, and more inside the historic Berghoff Restaurant, located at 17 W. Adams St. in the Chicago Loop. Learn more on their website at https://www.adamsstreetbrewery.com/

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Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Weyermann Bohemian floor malt, melanoidin malt, Maillard reaction in brewing, Saaz hops, Budvar, corn adjunct beer, California Common, Anchor Steam yeast, Challenger hops, Fuggle hops, East Kent Goldings, Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Märzen, Festbier, Oktoberfest food pairings, Prohibition history, and Chicago Loop restaurants.