This Brewery Made The Best Beer in the Country: Inside Kishwaukee Brewing Co's Brown Ale

How did a brown ale score 97 out of 100 to become the best beer in the country? Plus: learn exactly what its brewer put into it.

Kishwaukee Brewing Co-Owner and Head Brewer Dan Payson and Co-Owner Cara Payson (marketing, customer service,and self-described “Jill of all trades”) share how a laid-off Seattle architect turned homebrewing into a pro career, thanks in part to a hockey challenge against legendary brewer Skip Madsen. Dan explains what separates a Kolsch from a Pilsner, why a hybrid yeast gives Kestrel Kolsch its citrus-rind finish, and what makes Bufflehead, an American-style brown ale, different from its English cousin. Plus: how Bufflehead went from a single pilot keg to World Beer Cupsilver and a 97-point rating as The Beer Connoisseur's 2025 Best Beer of the Year, why opening during the pandemic made Kishwaukee a bottles-only brewery, and Cara's case that “hazy is lazy.”

0:00 Inside Kishwaukee Brewing in Woodstock, Illinois

3:20 The Seattle Craft Beer Scene in the Early 2000s

5:48 Did Beer Bring Dan and Cara Together?

7:23 Why an Architect Started Homebrewing During the Recession

10:24 Learning Beer at Bottleworks and Fremont Brewing

12:08 Dan's First Homebrew: A West Coast IPA

13:43 Remember 22-Ounce Bomber Bottles?

14:39 Deciding to Go Pro (and a Hockey Story Tease)

17:29 Scoring on Skip Madsen: The Hockey Challenge That Built a Brewery

22:36 Brian Noonan vs. Brian Noonan: A Blackhawks Mix-Up

25:40 Beer break

25:47 Brewer's Choice: Kestrel Kolsch From a Mug Club Brew Day

27:47 Kolsch vs Pilsner: What's the Difference?

28:10 What Is a Kestrel? The Story Behind the Bird-Themed Beers

30:17 Why the "Original Six" Beers Don't Get Names

33:37 Why Kolsch Has a Citrus Finish (Hybrid Yeast Explained)

34:43 How a Pilot Beer Earns a Permanent Spot

35:54 How to Pick a Beer When You Want "Beer-Flavored Beer"

37:15 Sandhill Lager: A Dry-Hopped Lager

38:08 Traditional German Pilsner With Soft Bitterness

38:38 Bufflehead: The Beer Connoisseur's 2025 Beer of the Year

39:35 American Brown Ale vs English Brown Ale

41:20 Why the Hops Hit at the End

42:04 What "Fully Attenuated" Means and Why Brewers Are Yeast Herders

43:58 What Sets Bufflehead Apart?

44:54 From One Pilot Keg to World Beer Cup Silver

47:08 Rated 97: Learning Bufflehead Was the Best Beer of 2025

50:17 Why Kishwaukee Only Packages Beer in Bottles

51:04 Building and Opening a Brewery During the Pandemic

52:17 Bottling Line vs Canning Line: The Cost Decision

53:07 The Short Pour: Rapid-Fire Questions

54:54 The Biggest Mistake People Make When Judging Beer

55:30 A Hoppy Red Ale for People Who Don't Like Hoppy Beer

57:46 The Weirdest Ingredient Ever Added to a Tank

58:34 Are Pumpkin Beers Fading Out?

59:50 "Hazy Is Lazy": Why Kishwaukee Rarely Brews Hazy IPAs

1:05:39 The Final Toast

About Kishwaukee Brewing Co: Located in Woodstock, Illinois, Kishwaukee Brewing Co. brews award-winning takes on traditional German, English, and West Coast styles in a taproom built for meeting friends and making new ones, located in Woodstock, Illinois. Learn more on their website athttps://www.kishwaukeebrewing.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: Breakaway IPA, AmericanBrewing Company, Seattle Craft Beer Week, Elysian Brewing, Köln German beer styles, cold fermentation, Canadian two-row pale malt, Munich malt, caramel malt, Newcastle Brown Ale, kettle hop additions, yeast viability, India Pale Lager, Imperial Red Ale, pumpkin spice beer, green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, New England IPA, The Alchemist, Kishwaukee River Valley, and McHenry County craft beer.