The Imaginative Founders of Rabid Brewing (Ep. 29)
“The satyr is the fun-bringer, and that is really what we wanted the spirit of this place to be. A poetic hub of fun.” - Tobias Cichon, Rabid Brewing co-founder
The large, hand-painted mural above the Rabid Brewing taproom in Homewood, Illinois, depicts a mythical origin story for beer in which fantastical creatures pour the golden elixir out for the denizens of this imaginary world.
Fantasy and mythology drive much of what husband and wife team Tobias Cichon and Raiye Rosado do at Rabid Brewing. As the brewery celebrates their 4th anniversary, I sat down with the pair to talk about the passion behind their brewery, the mythological backstories behind their beers, and the sense of adventure the keeps them pursuing their dream.
I also spoke with Annabelle Popa, the artist behind the taproom mural and many other accents around the brewery.
Episode Timeline:
:00-5:45 - Introduction
5:45-13:17 - Raiye & Tobias - Rabid background and taproom artwork
13:17-20:40 - Annabelle Popa - Creating art for Rabid Brewing
20:40-27:10 - Raiye & Tobias - Rabid’s cohesive mythology and the Feast of the Goat Queen
27:10-34:11 - Raiye & Tobias - Dwarves of Doom and Rabid’s use of single origin cacao from bean to bar chocolate maker Ethereal Confections
34:11-38:29 - Raiye & Tobias - The significance of the Halloween season and the story Rabid Brewing is telling
38:29-39:12 - Conclusion
Episode Notes:
Beers discussed in this episode include Rabid Brewing Horus Imperial IPA, Dwarves of Doom Imperial Stout with Smugglers Coffee and Ethereal Confections cacao, and Shadowstepper Milk Stout with lactose and Ethereal Confections cacao.
Other beers mentioned include Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow and Alpha King.
Chocolate and cacao discussed in this episode included Ethereal Confections Ecuador and Dominican Republic.
You can find examples of Annabelle Popa’s artwork and get in touch about working with her at her website.
You can read more about Raiye’s dinosaur beer deliveries in my article for The Reporter’s Notebook here.
The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Umbrella” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps from her 2016 album of the same name. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website.
Guests:
Raiye Rosado & Tobias Cichon are the husband and wife co-founders of Rabid Brewing. They began dating in 2010, and Raiye promptly introduced Tobias to good beer. Their wedding was a Halloween costume party. The pair began homebrewing, and decided to open a brewery together after getting married. Rabid Brewing opened on October 13, 2017.
Annabelle Popa
Annabelle Popa is a freelance Illustrator and Muralist living in the Hudson Valley. Growing up in Queens and having a lack of the natural world instilled an incessant longing for magic, nature, and tall tales. Creating comics, murals, paintings, and costumes are her outlet to weave personal mythologies together and reach undiscovered worlds. Gaze long into the work but take care - they gaze back.