Episode 259 – Cruz Blanca Brewery
In almost three years, Cruz Blanca has quietly become one of the city’s best breweries, churning out everything from lagers that pair perfectly with a smokey tlayuda to wild ales that will captivate even the nerdiest bottle share. Now with 6-pack cans of three crowd-pleasing beers out in the market, Cruz is poised to build a bigger fanbase than ever. We sat down with brewers Jacob Sembrano and Todd White to sample a broad array of their beers while exploring why they’re ok with being the sleeping giant that they’ve become. The discussion ranges from brewing technique, craft maltsters, Brut IPAs, and barrel blends to the history of Mexican lager, the surprising origin of Cruz Blanca, and the inspiration behind their distinctive artwork. There’s also some truly unfortunate nicknames, freestyle Tetris, crunchy water, a little P.F. Chang’s inspiration, and just a little yelling about bière de gardes. Don’t tell your friends!
ABV Chicago Episode 259 – Cruz Blanca Brewery
Beers Enjoyed
Corn Grisette (100% corn malt mixed culture grisette)
Blood of the Flamingo (Black raspberry Brett Berliner)
Amigovio (Oak-aged wild ale w/ peaches)
Crushada (Wine barrel-aged Flemish Red Ale)
Brut Suit Riot (Brut IPA)
Three Kings (Hazy DIPA w/ guava and tamarind)
Loco Dinero (Imperial coffee blonde ale w/ lactose, aged in rye whiskey and Barbados rum barrels)
Rey Gordo (Imperial stout aged in Barbados rum barrels)
Senor Incognito – (Imperial stout w/ toasted coconut, pecans and Mexican cinnamon, aged in rye whiskey barrels)
