ABV Chicago Craft Beer Podcast · ABV Chicago

'Nati Lights

·1 hr 21 min·7 clips

Madtree's Queen City Pale Ale delivers hazy IPA-level hop flavor in a crisp, five-percent ABV package.

This episode features hosts Ryan and Craig exploring a selection of light craft beers from Cincinnati, provided by listener Ryan Lamb. The conversation quickly pivots to a detailed and humorous critique of the menu from Criss Angel's Breakfast, Lunch, and Pizza (CABLP), a real restaurant outside Las Vegas. They dissect the absurdly named menu items, from "Mind Freak" burgers and "Illusia's Buttermilk Pancakes" to a dessert called "Mr. Smiles." The hosts read aloud ridiculous menu descriptions and puns, like the "You're Getting Appetizers" section and the "Don't Wine, Drink Beer" alcohol list. They also share scathing one-star Google reviews from disappointed customers, with one calling it "disgusting" and another lamenting that "Prick Angel" ruined a formerly nice spot. A surprising insight is the hosts' speculation that Criss Angel himself might be personally responding to negative Google reviews with generic apologies. The beer discussion reveals that Cincinnati's Listermann Brewing, a foundational brewery for the local scene, surprisingly shuttered its doors in August 2025 despite its award-winning reputation. They taste Sonder Brewing's "Voss" Kölsch, a World Beer Cup gold medalist, which leads Craig to confess that Kölsch-style beers are generally "unoffensive" but don't excite him, comparing them to the band Phish. The episode has a conversational, comedic, and lightly critical tone, blending beer analysis with playful mockery of pop culture oddities. Listeners who enjoy craft beer exploration paired with witty, tangential riffs on bizarre real-world topics will love this episode. Those seeking a strictly serious, focused beer review might find the extended menu critique a distraction.

As heard by us

A Cincinnati beer detour that turns listener-supplied bottles and restaurant chatter into a loose, funny argument.

Episode 630 wanders through a Cincinnati beer run with bottles supplied by listener Ryan Lamb, and the conversation keeps drifting back to a restaurant obsession that never quite stays put.

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Why you'd press play

Cincinnati beer, a dumb restaurant obsession, and a real style fight.

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