Behind the Hops: How Midwest Coast Mastered Extra Special Bitters, Pale Ales, and Their Award-Winning English Sporting Beer (Plus: What’s a “Girly” Beer?)

Explore bitter beers with Midwest Coast, including ESBs, English Pale Ales, and IPAs that cater to evolving palates.

01:48 Beer Myth: What’s a “girly drink” when it comes to beers? Katherine and Brian and their guests shatter the myth that some beers are “manly” and others are not. 

07:32 Midwest Coast Brewing: Cameron Compton, founder of Midwest Coast, and Timothy Ficken, brewery manager, talk about what brought them together to Midwest Coast. They share the different beer trends that were emerging in their very different parts of the country, with hops being a central part of one brewer’s background and almost completely absent from the other’s. Cameron also discusses his time in the military and in the tech world and what compelled him to move with his wife to Chicago, where he had never lived before, and open a brewery with his sister. Cameron also explains how hop contracts work and why they’re so brutal for brewers to work with.

What is an English IPA and what is an ESB? Timothy explains the concept behind the “Extra Special Bitter” and how they developed an English Pale Ale in order to make a certain style more palatable – and marketable – for customers. Katherine brings up a conversation about whether the Western palate really is designed to handle hops (is it?) and Brian explores the idea of a person’s palate changing as they grow older. What is hoppy and what is earthy? An EXTENSIVE debate ensues, including a confused Cody who doesn’t know how to explain what he’s drinking.

54:20 Beer Behavior: When is it okay for brewers to chase trends and when is it not? Katherine gives props to Cameron and Timothy for sticking to the styles they like to brew, which evolves into a discussion of the benefits of trend-chasing – as long as someone else is doing it.

1:01:48 Today’s Featured Merchandise: Our amazing baseball hats, available in multiple styles and colors! Every purchase you make directly supports the show's production and hosting costs.

Dad hat: https://3b8877-3.myshopify.com/products/cbp-dad-hat 

Distressed dad hat: https://3b8877-3.myshopify.com/products/cbp-distressed-dad-hat 

Richardson 112 trucker cap: https://3b8877-3.myshopify.com/products/cbp-richardson-112-trucker-cap 

You can find other amazing merchandise and learn more about Crafty Brewers on our official website, https://craftybrewerspod.com 

About Midwest Coast Brewing: Located in West Town, Chicago, Midwest Coast’s family-friendly and dog-friendly taproom welcomes everyone. Learn more on their website at https://www.midwestcoastbrewing.com/ 

—

If you enjoyed this episode, then please tell at least one friend about the show! And if you’re a brewer or know any brewers who would like to share their story on the podcast, then email [e-mail]. We’re always happy to hear from you!

You can also follow Crafty Brewers on Instagram at https://instagram.com/crafty_brewers_pod 

Crafty Brewers is produced by award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: extra special bitter, English sporting beer, English IPA, English Pale Ales, craft beer, Chicago brewery, beer myths, fruit-infused beer, beer culture, beer trends, sustainability in brewing, dog-friendly breweries, beer styles, homebrewing, W