June 6, 2025 • 58 mins
Dive into the dark, boozy world of barrel-aged beers as Mike welcomes his brother Brian, a professional brewer, to sample six high-octane offerings from 608 Brewing in La Crosse, Wisconsin. With ABVs ranging from 14.1% to a staggering 17.6%, this isn't your average beer tasting!
The brothers carefully work through each imperial stout and barleywine, sharing their expert insights on flavor profiles, brewing techniques, and the subtle art of barrel aging. From the coconut-infused opener to the cinnamon-forward "Nuclear Nightfall," a mysteriously peanut butter-less "Peanut Butter Face," and the complex birthday cake variants, each beer tells a story of 608's impressive barrel program. The tasting reaches its climax with "Kimmy Cakes" (their unanimous favorite) and the massive 17.6% "Shores of Hell" barleywine that drinks dangerously smooth despite its intimidating strength.
Beyond the tasting notes, Mike and Brian share valuable perspectives from both sides of the brewing world – as consumers and producers. They discuss the evolution of their palates from mainstream lagers to appreciating complex barrel-aged beers, reflect on the welcoming nature of the craft beer community compared to other scenes, and emphasize the importance of supporting local breweries. Whether you're a seasoned barrel-aged beer enthusiast or just craft-curious, their accessible conversation provides a perfect entry point into understanding what makes these special beers worth seeking out.
Follow the Northwoods Beer Guy on social media and Untappd to continue your craft beer journey, and remember – there's something out there for everyone, just keep an open mind and support your local brewers!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Grab a beer and pull up a chair.
Welcome to the Northwoods BeerGuy Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the
Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast.
This is Mike, the NorthwoodsBeer Guy, and again we are back
in the studio and I am joined bymy brother, the mad scientist
of brewing, Brian.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Hey everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
How's it going, dude?
Oh, pretty good, good, good.
Well, hey, thank you foragreeing to do this one with me.
I've been trying to get jim todo these and and he's got some
valid points, but I wanted totry these anyway.
Uh, we have, uh, a number.
We have six beers from 608brewing in lacros, wisconsin.
I didn't realize this when Iwas putting this group together,
(01:08):
but there's six beers.
The lowest ABV is 14.1, andthen we have four of them that
are 14.5, and the last one is17%.
Okay, so we're stepping it upjust a notch from our last two
episodes that you and I didtogether with the Beer of the
Month Club.
Just a little bit, just a littlebit, and hopefully that means
(01:32):
that the flavor is going to jumpup just a little bit as well as
what I'm hoping Correct, I meanyou know, yeah, they should.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, I mean, we'll keep an open mind, but yes, it
should be a drastic jump fromwhat we were doing.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Thanks, so I want to look up the name here so I can
get a description for us.
I'm sorry, Trying to typeholding the beer with one hand,
typing with another hand andit's not working, so let me do
this the right way.
All right, so here we go.
So we have the barrel agedcoconut rules everything around
(02:11):
me and it is 14.1 abv and itsays blend of 24 month aged
bourbon barrel stout andfinished with toasted coconut
and vanilla beans.
So I'm guessing oh yeah, youpoured out this is a little bit
darker than the ones that wetried for the Beer of the Month.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Club.
When it pours like used motoroil, you know it's going to be a
good beer.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That's typically when we say it's the nectar of the
gods, Except for some peoplethat we met a few weeks ago and
they said that Natty.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Light was the nectar of the guys.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, oh my gosh, yeah, yep.
So we said okay, whatever.
So now we're only probablyseven times higher ABV than
Natty Light.
So yeah, that's a good beer.
That's a good beer.
We've let them sit out for awhile to get a little bit more
closer to room temperature.
Yep, I do get a coconut flavor.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yeah, it's a slight.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It's a slight coconut flavor.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yeah, you get the burn from the bourbon when you
drink it.
Oh man, yeah, that's a goodbeer.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, Like I said, it's definitely.
You know, if somebody that'snever had a bourbon barrel beer
before they could drink it, youknow, but it's still.
I don't.
I wouldn't start with a 14percenter, no.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know what I mean.
14 is really high for thenon-experienced craft beer
drinkers.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
If they're used to just trying, you know drinking
your normal big beer brainsyou're going to think this is
extremely harsh.
You know, and I still say youknow I've said it on here before
where when I first got intotrying craft beers, you know
Limey's Creamy Dark was like ohmy gosh, that's so strong.
(04:02):
And now and I think that's sixor seven percent, whatever- it
is.
You drink it now, there'snothing you know, and this one
at 14 I mean for us, because,like I said again, our specialty
I, I would say, is barrel agedbeers, you know, bigger beers,
and this is good you know, yeah,that's a good beer, it's just
(04:24):
it.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I think, even at this one, it'd be tough for the
novice craft beer drinker todrink it, right?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
would agree, Because it's like I said, when I'm
tasting it, I'm not reallytasting.
I think it doesn't taste like a14.1%.
I think it tastes less thanthat.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
But somebody that's new would probably be like oh my
gosh, that's horrible.
You know, I think it's reallygood.
Yes, it, that is a good beer,you know, and it's got that, uh,
the, the coconut flavor to it.
Yeah, I, I think it's good, uh,personally.
Now on a score.
So you know, our scoring systemis zero to 5 by a tenth of a
(05:06):
point.
Two and a half is average.
So again, this is 608.
Coconut rules everything aroundme.
14.1%.
Stout Boy I think I'm going togo like a 3.7.
I think this is pretty good.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yep, I was thinking a 3.5.
Okay, it's definitely betterthan the last beers we tried
together.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
But I am so excited because we have six that are
this same style.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
So it's like oh, you don't want to go too high right
away.
We didn't want to go too high,but our lowest one is 14.1.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
And then there's four that are 14.5, and the last one
is 17.
Yeah, but like I said the lasttwo times that we record
together, they were a mixed bagof anything.
Anything.
You know that you got in theBeer of the Month Club and these
are all from Sixth WeightBrewing in La Crosse, wisconsin.
They're all Imperial styles,barrel-aged.
Yeah, it's going gonna bepretty crazy, yep, so yeah, that
(06:09):
was uh.
Now, have you?
You haven't tried done thebarrel aging at this point right
, no, not at the brewery.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
I haven't, and I I don't know if we ever will.
Um, just the way the everythingis laid out, okay, unless I can
get them to do it in thebasement where we can have like
a skid steer to pick them up,that gotcha.
But on the main floor I don'tsee us doing any bear lace beers
, which I I have been toyingaround with trying to do some
(06:37):
kind of mock ones where I soaksome oak spears, in bourbon, you
know, and putting them in likeyou would for home brewing.
Right, yeah, just to getsomething out there.
But, yeah, no, at the brewery.
Right now we're not set up tobe able to do any barrel aging,
(06:58):
which sucks, because I want todo it.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, I can understand that.
So the next one that we haveand they all of these, all of
these bottles had wax on them sowe tried to cut off as much as
we could to get where we canopen them and not hurt ourselves
.
So this next one that we haveis the nuclear nightfall, the
Nuclear Nightfall, and it's14.5%.
(07:26):
And let me see, I do see thatUntapped had a little bit of a
description and it says get lostin the darkness with this
bourbon barrel-aged journey of astout with brown sugar, pink
peppercorns, cinnamon and cacaonibs, cacao, cacao, 14.5%, ab 30
(07:52):
ibus.
Thank goodness, it probablyshouldn't be real hoppy.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No, so that's.
I'm just guessing 14.5.
It could be like 90 ibus andyou wouldn't notice it so I
wonder what?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
what does the peppercorn bring to it?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, it should give it a little bit of a spice.
Okay, but at that high of ABV Idon't know if we'll even notice
it.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I do get a little bit of the cinnamon.
I can taste the cinnamon I gotthe cinnamon, yep Peppercorn.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
No, I'm not getting that.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Like I said, I was just wondering, when you saw the
pink peppercorn, what that.
You know and you're probablyright.
It'd be a little bit of a heator a spice, but I get the barrel
.
You know the bourbon, yep.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
And I get the cinnamon for sure.
Yeah, and that's that and thecinnamon, the bourbon and the
cinnamon.
That's what all you're reallytasting, right.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
And that's, it's a good, it's a good beer.
It's a good beer.
Yes, you know so 14.5.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
This one could a new person.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
That has never had a barrel-aged beer, drink it.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Possibly, but I think I'm thinking from the brewery
with, like the Bush, lightdrinkers Right, they wouldn't
like it.
No no, it's way too strong forthem.
Novice craft beer drinkers,where they've been drinking
craft beer for a little whileyeah, I think they could, but
it's going to be really strongfor them right right and I agree
(09:14):
.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
I, like I said I I don't think a new person just
getting into craft beer or theyhaven't had barely beers before.
I wouldn't start them at a 14plus beer.
No, you know, we've had someother ones that are nine.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yeah 10, 11 yep I I'd start there.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Uh, you know, and again, one of the the well,
right now the highest rated beerthat I've ever had was the uh,
central waters agent pappybarrels, and you haven't had
that.
But I do have a bottle in thebasement that you'll try coming
up here shortly Not tonight, butit'll be coming up.
Even that one, it's like Iwouldn't if you're not into
(09:56):
barrel-aged beers or not,because that's another one
that's pretty high octane, yep,and people are going to think
that it's really boozy.
Oh yeah, I'm sure, sure, buteven like this one, I I think
it's good, yes, and I reallydon't get a huge boozy flavor,
no, but I'll guarantee somebodythat's not used to it would
think it's really strong andthat's that's the whole thing.
(10:18):
You got to kind of work yourway into it and, yep, like I
said I'm, I'll guarantee I haverated, probably probably going
on 800 different barrel ageddouble digit.
You know abv beers now, yep,and you know, like I said, it's,
you know we've we've talkedabout this before, jim and I
haven't, and you're not that farbehind.
I mean, this is really kind ofour specialty.
(10:39):
Or the barrel aged beers, yep,know, we can pick up those
nuances and the flavors and allthat, and it just came from
trying them.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
And then, all of a sudden, you get addicted you
know, and you want more and more.
So yeah, so this NuclearNightfall.
What do you think on that onefor a score?
I mean I think it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
It is really good.
I think it's a little.
I like it a little more thanthe last one.
Okay, so I'm thinking I'll do a3.6 on this one.
It's a little smoother than thelast one was, and gosh, it's
tough when you get up to thishigh of ABV.
But 608 is doing a darn goodjob on their Imperial.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Stoves.
One thing I like of this one isthe cinnamon.
Yes, their imperial stoves.
One thing I like of this one isthe cinnamon.
Yes, you get that.
You know, you do the initialswallow and you get that
cinnamon flavor kind of hangsaround.
I'm going, I'm going to do likea 3.8, same thing.
I like it a little bit betterthan the, the coconut one, yep,
uh, I'll just do a step up fromthat, but it's, I think it's
(11:42):
good you know.
Yes, that is a really good beerI believe I had said that 608 is
out of lacrosse wisconsin, andthey've been around for what?
Three, four years, five, noI'll say at least five because I
got, so it's probably five, sixyears now at least five, yeah
because we have a birthday stoutcoming up.
That was their fifthanniversary for fifth birthday
one, so it's six or seven yearsnow, uh, and they started where
(12:06):
it was some members of their,their homebrew club, and they've
they've come a long way sincethen, you know.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So the next one which I love, the local homebrew
clubs.
Don't get me wrong.
I just hate having to competeagainst them at the local things
.
Yes, I competed for 10 yearsagainst our local homebrew club
and surprise, surprise, I nevergot the grand champion until the
(12:38):
president and vice presidentdidn't enter.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Imagine that, yeah that was a little weird.
So yeah, I agree with you there.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
So sometimes it's kind of like and and the person
that was a president opened abrewery and we went and tried it
and I'm like I was so mad whichbrewery was that?
Uh, gravity storm in austin,minnesota, okay.
And uh, larry, and I went overthere and I did a flight and I
(13:08):
tried it and I looked at him Isaid I lost for 10 years to this
.
Yeah, I mean, it was not good.
I said that just goes to showyou that you can't beat the club
that's doing the judging Rightright.
I shouldn't even say that.
I'm sorry if I offended anybody, but it's just like oh my gosh,
(13:30):
yeah, there's politics involved.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
All right, so the next one that we have from 608
Brewing is their Peabudda Facebarrel-aged imperial stout,
14.5%5 abv.
And it says the candy man isback in town, but not before
spending some time in bourbonbarrels.
Get your fix with this peanutbutter and cacao miracle so we
(14:00):
will see what you know, becausepeanut butter is another one of
those things where it's eitheramazing or it's not so good.
You know, and and I know jimand I have talked about it on
here before, but you can alwaystell when they use, like that,
powdered peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
It's got a different like, almost like a grainy,
granular type of a flavor to it.
Yep, so we'll see what we canfind from the pea butter face.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
I'm not really picking up much peanut butter in
the aroma boy I am so far, I'mnot getting in the flavor, I'm
not getting any peanut butterout of that.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
That's kind of uh, are you?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I mean, I'm kind of disappointed in this one yeah, I
am not getting any peanutbutter out of it, and it's
almost got a like a tart or asour, I don't know how to
describe it.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
It's got.
The flavor is not very good.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I'm, I'm not getting the sour it uh.
But yeah, definitely does nothave a peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
No, I'm not getting any.
That's any peanut butter out ofthat and hopefully it's the
bottle.
Now we were at 608 for Betweenthe Bluffs about a month ago a
little over a month ago and Iknow now for their barrel-aged
beers they're actually notselling bottles to take home
(15:16):
because they've had some issueswith bottles going bad and
things like that.
All I can guess is this onewent bad.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Yeah, maybe it did, because it's just, it doesn't
taste like it's bad.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah, maybe it did, because it's just.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
It doesn't taste like it's bad.
No, but there's just notthere's no peanut butter in it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
There's not a peanut butter flavor to it, and I
really like peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Yes, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Yep, and yeah, that is not good and it's possible
that it went bad, but I'm notgetting an off flavor, I just
the peanut butter's not comingthrough at all.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I don't get that at all so like when you're talking
about you know, like if a beercan go bad in the bottle, what
could cause that, do you know?
I mean?
It could either be the bottlewasn't cleaned good enough, so
when they get bottles, they haveto clean all the bottles before
they yes put beer in it.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Typically they spray or sanitize all the bottles
before they get.
Typically that's through theline that yes, it'll do it, okay
.
So when it's, they put it onthe pallet of bottles on and it
goes through the conveyor, yeahand uh.
Before they filled, typicallythey spray sanitizer up in it.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
And it washes it out, kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Okay, yep, and then it flips it over and they have
another tube that comes down andsprays CO2 in it to push any
oxygen out.
So then they can fill it anddon't have to worry about it
going bad typically.
Okay, yeah, I just, but I don't.
This to me does not seem likeit going bad.
Typically, okay, yeah, I just,but I don't.
This to me does not seem likeit went bad.
This to me just seems like thepeanut butter's not coming
(16:51):
through because we're getting alot of chocolate, yes, and, but
there's just no peanut butter.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Peanut butter, that's my thought, is I was giving
them the benefit of the doubt,right, you know?
But it's like man.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
There's just no peanut butter no, in there at
all, I think.
I personally I think it'sprobably so high of alcohol it
just that is.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It's just not coming through, okay and that could be
yet, you don't know.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yep, score wise since the peanut butter does not come
through and it's supposed to bea peanut butter beer, I'm going
to have to do a 3-1.
It's still a damn good beer,but it's supposed to be a peanut
butter stout and you get nopeanut butter out of it.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
For me the name is Peanut Butter Face yes, with a
peanut butter jar on the labelYep, and I don't get it.
I'm going to two and a half.
Yeah, I can see that Justbecause again, like you said,
the chocolate and all that, Iget that, but I get absolutely
no peanut butter.
No, there's no peanut butterflavoring at all.
(17:57):
It kind of falls back to that.
If it's on the label, it shouldbe, and when that's the big
that's your label, you need tobe able to taste it, you have to
taste peanut butter, yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And I just don't get any peanut butter at all and,
like you said, we don't know ifit's just this bottle or if it's
all of them, that batch, butit's just this one in particular
.
We do not get anything.
Exactly, this is the birthdaycake, right?
Yes?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
It says a vanilla birthday cake flavored bourbon
barrel imperial stout brewedwith three barrel blend.
We made our special birthdaybrews, so they had 18-month wild
turkey oh geez, plus 18-monthold elk, plus 24-month willet
(18:45):
wild turkey Plus 24-month Willit Wild Turkey.
Here's to five years of greatbeer and to all the great folks
who drink it.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Cheers.
So this is an Imperial Stoutthat has been aged for five
years in different bourbonbarrels before they bottled it
to sell it.
Yeah, because it was, oh mygosh.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
So we'll see because because, like I said, if you
look on the label brian, yeahit's got, yeah, it's those three
different barrels that it wasin for 18 18 and 20 and I'm not
a big wild turkey lover.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
So we'll see if that comes through.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
So let's see what happens here.
So this is their fifthanniversary, or well, their
fifth birthday cake yeah, oh yesat least we're not getting the
wild turkey flavor.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
That is smooth.
It.
Uh, that is smooth to me I.
If anyone loves wild turkey,I'm sorry.
I just don't care for it myselfand I'm really happy that I'm
not getting it in this beer.
This is really smooth.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Yes, it's really good , it's almost got it almost has
a birthday cake flavor to ityeah, and like I said the, the
wild turkey is just too strongfor me.
Yeah yeah, I understand.
I understand that completely,because there's there's other
bourbons that people don't like,things like that.
But man, the fact that theythis was aged in three different
(20:10):
barrels for that long, I wish Ishould say this Was it aged in
that or was it a blend of those?
They?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
didn't really say.
They didn't say Just the way itsounded.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
it almost sounded like they aged it for two years
in one then transferred it toanother A year and a half, a
year and a half, and then almosttwo years in one, then a year
and a half, and then almost twoyears in the next one.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
yep, it could be, but whatever they did, this is,
this is good, yeah, that's theway I took it, as they
transferred it from the onebarrel to the next and then to
the next and then bottled it boythat's, this isn't a.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
it's 14 and a half percent that is a good beer.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I definitely get that like a birthday cake flavor,
yes, and I would say again ifyou're not used to drinking
barrel aged beers, don't startwith this.
No gosh, no, Because it.
I mean it's higher ABV, Yep,but wow, Flavor wise, this is
good.
Uh-huh, this is good.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Yeah, oh man, I'm trying to think of the score I'm
going to give it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Well, keep thinking.
You know, like I said, I givethem credit because I know when
they first started.
You know the first time theycame out with some barrel-aged
beers they were kind of ehstarted.
You know, the first time theycame out with some barrel aged
beers they were kind of.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
But boy, they've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
They have learned a lot the last five years, you
know and, like jim and I havetalked about on here countless
times, especially in wisconsin,central waters is the oh, I, yes
, I love central waters.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yeah, I mean, that's the number one, yeah, in
wisconsin, yep, chicago.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yet bourbon county, yep, you know, you've got.
Well.
Then there, yep, chicago,you've got Bourbon County.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Bourbon County.
Yep, you know, you've got.
Well and there's also the.
Well you've got Distal.
Distal yep In normal.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Illinois, yep, you've got who does the Big Bad
Baptist?
Epic Brewing.
They know what they're doing?
Yep, you know.
I mean, we've got all these,well, three sheeps with the wolf
and all that.
They know what they're doing?
Yep, you know, surly with darklips.
Surly, yes, I mean we're kindof spoiled up in this area.
(22:16):
We've got some breweries thatthey know what they're doing,
and 608, for the amount of timethey've been open.
Oh yeah, they've only been openfor probably eight years, seven,
eight, probably eight years,seven, eight years and and
they've come a long way and theyhave one of the top and in our
area probably one of the topfreaking uh barrel programs yes,
well, and, like I said, youknow, this year, when we were
(22:39):
there before, between the bluffs, they have a bourbon barrel
menu but you can't buy bottlesto take because something was
going on and they were gettingsome bottles that were not good.
And and when we bought bottlesthere, the bartenders like if
it's taste it, if it's bad,bring it back up here, I'll get
(23:00):
you another one and that's as ahome brewer.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
That is nor.
That happens normally, right.
It's.
You know, your, your beers arenot being pasteurized, so it's
not killing the yeast off, andthat.
So that that's normally fornormal for what you deal with,
right?
But uh, it sucks when you're a,when you're the consumer buying
(23:24):
it and they don't understandthat.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Um, I give them credit, though, for especially
because so you have to drinkthem there, yes, but if it's a
bad beer, they will give it,bring it back bring it up here,
we'll get you another one yeah,you know.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So they want to do, to have a good doing whatever
they can to get you to like itcorrect.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
You know they're, because yeah, it's standing
behind it, you know you're youknow you're a lot of these
smaller breweries.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
When you're filling bottles, you're filling one
bottle at a time, yeah, andyou're hand sterilizing one
bottle at a time, so maybe itdoesn't get cleaned.
Good enough, right, or?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
who knows?
You know, whatever it was, ittakes very little to infect a
beer.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, that's the only bad part about brewing beer.
I mean it's the funnest sideproject ever.
But when stuff starts going badit can be very frustrating, oh
sure.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Oh yeah, so, score-wise, what are you
thinking on the fifth?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
birthday cakes.
I'm going to give this one athree, eight.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Okay, I like this beer yeah, I, uh, I agree with
you.
I'm, I'm gonna go with 3.9, sowe don't have a tie, yep, but I
think, for being aged, if it's ablend or if it was actually
transferred from one barrel tothe other, it's really good and
it almost has a birthday cakekind of flavor to it yep, uh,
(24:52):
and, and the wax on the bottlehead sprinkles on it.
So you know it.
You got to give them credit forthat.
But yeah, like I said, this wasthis is good, this is really
good.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yep, you know they they know what they're doing.
Yep, Good job.
608.
This beer was really, reallygood.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes, so the next one that we have is their
barrel-aged and I've got to lookup the name here barrel-aged
Kimmy Cakes.
And it's kind of funny because,brian, if you remember, when we
were at 608 before Between theBluffs this year, bk bought a
bottle of this yep and it wasunbelievable.
(25:33):
And so now this bottle I've hadfor a couple of years and he
tried to get convince him tosell him a bottle to take home
and they wouldn't do it because,again, they don't know, they
want you to drink it they wantyou to drink it there, because
they've had issues with some oftheir bottles.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Yeah, I'm guessing some customers probably
complained about something right, and then so they're like all
right, you're just gonna drinkit here yep, so let me.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
It's 14 and a half percent, once again, 30 ibus,
and let's see what, on untapped,it says the only way to recite
the legend of Kimmy Cakes iswith the beer we brewed the tail
.
What I need to get new glassesbecause it's like.
(26:22):
Let me see here.
It says we brewed the tail withour three-barrel birthday blend
and brown sugar, chocolate,toffee, graham crackers, butter
cookies and salted caramelcheesecake, and then it's like
I-Y-K-Y-K and whatever.
(26:42):
The kids out there willprobably know what that means.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
If you know you know oh speaking of yeah.
Okay, if you know you know ohspeaking of yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Okay, if you know, you know.
So this is their barrel-agedkidney cakes.
Ooh, that smells good, oh mygosh, oh my gosh.
Oh, bk is going to be so mad.
Yep, he didn't know.
I had this bottle in thebasement, mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Yep.
I'm sorry, bk that is, oh mygosh, that is a good beer yeah,
this is over four for sure.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yep, this is yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm going to four.
Two on this right now.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
That's exactly exactly what I was thinking was
four two long that is, oh my god, that is a good beer.
That is crazy because, like Isaid, Like.
I said if you are new tobrewing, do not try it because,
it's going to be.
It is very strong.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
At the brewery I work at, we're trying to get one of
the bartenders that we're goodfriends with.
He wants to get into more ofthe bigger beers, so he started
hanging around with us beers.
So he started hanging aroundwith us.
So me and larry and uh and dad,will we get a hold of him if
we're going somewhere and see ifhe can come with?
(27:56):
And we started doing some beertastings at the brewery where
we'll bring some higher ones foreveryone to try.
And uh, he admits it.
He's like I am, he's, he's abeginner right because, uh,
right now he's still at thepoint where he just slams that
taste when we give it to him andwe're like you got to stop that
(28:17):
, you got to sip it, get theflavors.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So any like a bourbon barrel beer?
He slams it, yes, Okay.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yes, just because, which I give him credit, because
only a year ago he was a BushLight or not Bush Light, he was
a Mick Golden Light drinker Same, yeah, same thing, and then he
started coming to the brewery.
Maybe a year and a half ago hestarted coming to the brewery
and he was hanging out with uson like Sundays at the brewery
and he was taking some growlershome.
(28:44):
Then he started about a yearago he started working there.
So it was hilarious becausethis last winter during
Christmas he said he forgot toget some beers to bring with for
Christmas.
So he went with what he had inhis fridge and after he drank
(29:05):
all the craft beers, the onlybeer he had left in the fridge
was a McGolden Light, which iswhat he normally drank all the
time.
So he's like, oh okay, I'mgoing to drink this and if I
need more I'll figure somethingout.
Yeah Well, he opened it andhe's like this is horrible.
And it was so hilarious becausehe texted me that day and he
(29:31):
said you mother beep wrecked me.
He said he goes.
I used to drink cheap beer andnow it tastes horrible.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah, Well, you know, and it's funny because years
ago before, craft beer was evenreally a thing and we would go
to the big drag races inBrainerd, the big nationals and
all that NHRA, nhra.
And we always had oh my gosh,we'd bring 10 cases of either.
Mgd or MGD Light, Genuine draftgenuine draft light, We'd split
(30:05):
it up whatever.
And now, first off, you can'thardly find MGD light anymore.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
No, you can't period.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Oh, okay, this is 64.
They changed it to now.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Oh, okay, and that's even worse.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Well, and even MGD you can't find that much anymore
because they really got hurt bythe craft beer market.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Yeah, Hy-Vee still has it, but very limited
quantity.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Okay, but you know, it's just funny because you
think about it.
If they'd had this stuff backthen, we could have brought a
lot less beer.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Oh yeah, we wouldn't have needed 12 cases of beer.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
No, we didn't need 12 cases for four of us.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
We could have brought three.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, but boy, I tell you this Kimmy
Cakes beer.
This is really good.
Yeah, I like it.
Like I said, we both went 4.2on it.
That is a darn good beer.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
This is a very good beer.
So now well we've got to finishthese Well, the sad part is we
could have probably brought likea 12-pack of this beer and it
would have lasted us all weekend.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well, it would have lasted us two nights for sure,
with four weekend.
Well, it would have lasted ustwo nights for sure.
With four of us drinking, itwould have lasted two nights for
sure.
But that is something you know.
You think about it because, likeI said when I was in college,
and this was 1990 to 1994 uh,giving my age out there a little
bit but, I went to mankato andthey they were a test site or
(31:28):
whatever they called it for formick golden and I remember when
I I'd go home and I was talkingto dad and larry about this beer
, they never even heard of itbecause it wasn't available
there yeah and they were justtesting it in this college town
area and it was.
It was good for the time, butlike now, like now you drink it
and it's like it's water.
(31:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
There are so many people.
I don't want to offend anybody.
That's a make golden lightdrinker.
It's a good beer, it's justthere's not a lot there.
I mean we like it because wecan drink it all day long, all
day and all night.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Well, you know it is funny because I've been to
parties where everything theyhave is like Miller Lite.
Yeah, you know that kind ofbush light kind of stuff, and
you can drink a lot of it, yes,when you're used to drinking
this stuff, yep, you know, andit's like wow, that's what I
liked.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
In Four City, iowa, they had a big music festival.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
TreeTown town, they called it, and is that, is that
still?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
going on.
No, no, okay.
This is the second year now ithasn't okay.
And uh, what we always we endedup getting where we well, we
used to always get the generaladmission.
And then the one year we we gotgeneral admission, but we we
got there right when they openedand we went up and we put our
lawn chairs down right in frontof the fence, so we were up by
(32:54):
the VIP and that was the worstthing we ever did, really, for
anyone that's ever went tocountry concerts.
You have all the cowboys thatget drunk and mean you mean all
the wannabe cowboys yes, and thelast year we had general
admission, we had the peoplebehind us were almost getting in
(33:16):
fights with the, with theyounger kids that were trying to
push their way up to the frontoh sure and I got hit in the
head with a beer can becausepeople were mad that we weren't
getting out of their way.
Oh geez.
So after that we just startedbuying VIP after that, because
we're like, we're done.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
I mean we're either getting VIP or we're not coming
because this is a bunch of BS.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
And the funny part is my wife and I we go to heavy
metal concerts and rock concertsRockfest in Kadot, Wisconsin.
Metal concerts and rockconcerts rock fest in cadat,
wisconsin.
And you go there and you seeanything from five-year-old kids
to 90-year-old people andeverybody's getting along.
There are no fights.
(34:00):
I mean, yeah, you see somefreaky people with blue and
purple hair and piercing's allover the place well, it's like
you, but yes they're all outthere to have fun yeah and
nobody gets into a fight.
Right, it's crazy.
I'm like we the first time wewent there, like all right,
we're sitting way in the back,we're not getting in the middle
(34:21):
of nothing and it's likenothing's happening.
Yeah, we're like we were justshocked because of after going
to these country concerts.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Well, I gotta say it's like my best friend from
high school when he went to u ofm in the cities and he worked
security at the dome for a job,and I asked him one time about
about the same thing.
It's like, okay, what's theworst concerts they have to do
security?
He said, oh, by far, it'scountry concerts.
I go, really, he goes, oh, yeah, he goes.
You get all these guys.
(34:49):
I think they're cowboys thatget drunked up on beer and they
all want to fight.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Uh-huh, oh yeah, and he goes.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
That's tougher he's like that's the worst one you
know, and it's funny because,like you and I, we went to.
We saw, uh, judas, priest, yepand sabaton and there was no
issues whatsoever.
You know, nope.
And the same thing there it waskids, from young kids up the
way, older than us, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Well, and I've just seen videos, Two weeks ago one
of my favorite bands it's adeath metal band called arch
enemy they stopped their concertbecause uh somebody collapsed
in the in the out in the crowdand somebody pointed them out,
so they they shut the whole showdown until uh people got over
(35:42):
there to help the lady that thatuh collapsed from heat
exhaustion.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Okay, see that that's pretty crazy and they.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
They did not start the concert until that person
was with paramedics and theywere out getting help, and then
they restarted the concert andstarted going again.
See, that's crazy.
That's what I said.
We're all here to help, to lookout for one another yeah, so
let so, let's, yep.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
So basically, the story is all of the the wannabe
cowboys out there just have fun.
Exactly, you don't need to getangry, you don't need to fight
and show who's tougher.
Cause.
You know what?
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Have another, have another yellow jacket and I was
going to say we're.
We all like country music outthere and we all like drinking
and having fun and let we alllike country music out there and
we all like drinking and havingfun, and let's just do that.
And for those of you that don'tknow, yellow Jackets are Coors
oh I didn't know what that waseither.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I was going to try and pass that over.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Coors Banquet are the Yellow Jackets.
There you go, all right.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Well, hey, Brian, we got one beer left and this is
the big dog.
This is their 17 percent and Ihope I got enough wax off of
there, because that was likepretty thick oh yeah, just
barely perfect this is 608shores of hell.
Shores of hell 17 percent 17.6%.
(37:07):
I lied to you oh wow, 60 IBUs.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
I got to finish my first taster first.
All right, here's one.
Oh, it sounds wonderful.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
There's only one sentence description.
It says a barley wine aged inbourbon and cognac barrels.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
On cognac.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For 21 months Now, I've never had a cognacac, so I
don't know what it shouldactually taste like.
The label on here is pretty, uh, pretty cool.
It's got yes death metal, thatheavy metal kind of, look you'll
you will have to put a pictureof that on the oh yeah, I'll
take a picture of it and put itonline but uh, we're gonna try
(37:46):
this.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
It's almost like you got fire from the depths of hell
with with some uh demons youjust see.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Well, you see like shit, like the outline or you
know, kind of like person in thefire.
Yeah, you can't see the people,but you see the out, the, the.
Yeah, like a chat, you know,you see it.
I don't know how to describe it, but, boy, the aroma on that is
like really good.
17% 17.6.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
17.6, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Boy oh.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
You know in barley wines.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
It's funny because we know people that don't like
barley wines.
Yep, but boy, this smells good.
Wow, the initial taste goesdown really smooth.
Yes.
The aftertaste, all of a suddencomes back up and goes ha-cha,
you know.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yep Kind of gets you.
Yeah, the initial taste is not17%.
No, the aftertaste is yes, theinitial taste.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
when I first took that sip I was like whoa, that
is good.
And I was sitting there goinghang on All of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
It gets you.
It is a damn good beer.
It's still good.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
It's a very good beer , but it's like, hmm, we've got
to try some more of it.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
It is very smooth, Very smooth oh for 17.6?
.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
Very smooth.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
When I was home brewing I made a barley wine.
The one time it was 12.5% ABVand I aged it for a year and a
half in the carboys before Ibottled it.
So when you drank it there wasno booze flavor at all.
It was so smooth.
(39:33):
But you drank one bottle and itmessed you up.
Oh sure, so smooth, but youdrank one bottle and it messed
you up.
Oh sure, and I was so madbecause I entered it into a beer
contest I had.
We had two bottom.
Well, I got a hold of mike hereand he had two bottles in his
basement and I'm like I'm gonnaenter that in the bluffs
(39:53):
homebrew contest and I was somad at the end of that because
they took points off because youdidn't get enough of a booze
flavor.
Yeah, I'm like now, isn't thata good thing, right, if it's
12.5% and it's going to mess youup and you don't taste it,
right?
But See, and that's kind offunny, that gets to the home the
(40:18):
brew club stuff.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
It's more club because you know we, brian and I
, our dad and our uncle, we'remore.
We're also into old cars and wehave old cars and we'll show
them, you know, from time totime and all that cars and we'll
show them.
You know from time to time andall that.
(40:41):
And I still remember when wewent to a car show and their
club members won like all, butlike two trophies or whatever it
was yep, you know, and it waslike okay, you know, and it's
just like anything, when youhave a club putting it on,
they're gonna vote for their ownmembers, you know, and that's
the sad part, because itshouldn't be like that.
(41:01):
It should be whoever has thebest car, the best beer,
whatever doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Well, I brought it up to the one guy and when one
year, when I was mad, yeah, andhe's like well, it's a blind
tasting, so they don't know whoI'm like like bullshit.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
I'm like really.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Yeah, it's not a blind tasting.
They know exactly whose beer itis and what it is.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
That's why the president and vice president win
every year.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Yeah, exactly.
So what do you think of theShores?
Speaker 3 (41:32):
of Hell.
Oh no, I think I'm going tohave to do a 4-2.
That's what you gave the lastone.
Ah, a 4.3.
Okay, this one is better thanthe last one.
Actually, I'm going to 4.1.
And I apologize, I'm not goodat rating beers.
If I like it, I do a lot ofbeers that I rate the same.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Right, oh, no, no.
And again, like I said, jimjust doesn't like ties Yep.
But I'm going to do a 4.1.
But I agree with you, this isan extremely good barley wine.
Yep, very good.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
That is really good.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
We know people that don't like barley wines and they
think it's terrible Yep, butthis is a really good beer.
It is good, very good.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
You know so again, again.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
I think about the only one that I liked more the
same company.
Two years ago they made onethat they aged in apple brandy
barrels, Mm-hmm, and that wasamazing.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Well, I actually still have a bottle of that in
my basement.
I do, too in my fridge.
Yep, yes.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
So maybe within the next five years we'll sample
that one.
Yeah, we're going to have to dothat one again on the podcast
here at some point.
Yep.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Yeah, Like I said, they've had some stuff that's
really really good.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
I am really happy with.
I am so happy for them because608 started out as a brew club.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Yeah, well, they were , yeah, the two guys.
They were members of this brewclub.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
It was part of the La Crosse Lagers brew club.
Yes, and they decided to go proand open their own place and
they are doing just an amazingjob and, like I said, they've
got better every year.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Yes, and that's the thing that you hope, that for
everybody, yep.
So, yeah, it's cool, you know.
And so, brian, thank you forbeing a part of the 608.
Because, like I said, you know,I brought it up to Jim before
and I'm not going to lie.
Jim and I have had some cansand bottles that have not been
(43:30):
very good.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
These were all good.
These were all very good, yep.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Very good.
So, looking at our scores, Ithink we're in agreement.
We would say that the KimmyCakes was the winner, yes, and
then it was the Shores of Hell.
Shores of Hell, yep.
And after that then we'relooking at the fifth birthday,
stella.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
So we basically agreed on the top ones, which is
crazy because the last two wenever had nothing over a three
right and now we're arguing overa three between what we had.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
A six, yeah, we had the one.
The the peanut butter facewasn't very good, yes yep it, uh
it, it wasn't a bad no, itwasn't bad, but there was no
peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
But there's no peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 3 (44:19):
yes, If you say, if your logo, if the name of the
beer is peanut butter, youshould taste peanut butter
Exactly If it's on the label itshould be on the can, in the can
?
Speaker 2 (44:31):
Yes, and, like I said , I'm hoping that there was just
something wrong with thatbottle.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
Yeah, I'm hoping there was just something wrong
with that bottle.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Yeah, I'm hoping, yep , yep, because otherwise, if you
take that one out, our beers,our ratings went from a 3.5 to a
4.3.
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
That's not bad.
Those are good beers, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
So, yeah, it was very good.
Yep, yeah, and thank you somuch for agreeing to be a part
of it.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
Oh, yes, you know and we've got.
I don't get a whole lot ofweekends off because of brewing,
Right, but I said when theweekends I have off, I need to
come over here so we can do thiskind of stuff.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
And, like I said, we're going to be in northern
Wisconsin in a couple weeks.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
We're going to do some probably some different
resorts and bars to get someT-shirts and things like that
that they have up there.
So we're probably not going todo a whole lot of talking about
that?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
It'll be more that weekend will be more Bloody
Marys and whatever we need todrink to get that shirt, we're
more off the.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Whatever we need to drink to get that shirt, we're
more off the clock.
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
But no, these beers here from 608 were extremely
good.
But yes, we're going to have to, we'll get together, we've got.
I've got a number of GooseIsland, bourbon County, south
downstairs that are like I'vegot a bunch of them too.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
That are like they're .
Speaker 2 (45:57):
you know this barrel, this barrel, this barrel.
You know we can rate those I'vegot.
Well, you gave me one of theirbirthday ones that we still
haven't tried, yep.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
And that's from four five, five years ago, whatever
it is Yep.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
You know, so I'm really looking forward to that
one and I think it'll beextremely good so but, yeah, so
I'm really looking forward tothat one and I think it'll be
extremely good.
But yeah, we've got a lot ofbeers to try.
I've got Distal Dasvidaniya.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
I want to try some of them.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Yeah, we've got a number of them downstairs to try
.
So we're going to do that andkeep on chugging along and it'll
be interesting to see what yougot coming out.
You know, and try some of thosebeers and, uh, yeah, it's, it's
cool.
And, ladies and gentlemen, ifyou've got questions, um, you
know, for me or for for Brian,who is an actual craft beer
(46:52):
brewer, you know, email us and Iwill get him the questions.
We'll respond to you right away.
You know, and hopefully youknow everyone that's listening.
And if you're new, try craftbeer.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
You know, because it wasn't that long ago that we
never knew beer was supposed tohave flavor.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Yeah, like we said in Albert Leebert lee, minnesota,
over by where I live, the uhgreen mill was brewing their own
beer when they first opened up,but the problem was over in
that area.
They were ahead of their time,so the brewing part did not last
and it's like, oh, if theystarted now, oh, heck, yeah,
(47:37):
it'd probably be going crazy,right, and uh.
So yeah, just all we say is justgive craft beer a try support
local yes, you know again, ifyou like and if, if you go to a
brewery, try their beers.
If you don't like them, fine,great, but at least try them.
(48:00):
Every craft brewery will giveyou a sample of every beer they
have on tap.
Yep, so try them.
If there's nothing you like,okay, we understand, you know,
then we will they.
We have other stuff that youcan have, but don't go in there
and just not even try something.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Yeah, and you know it's like I said before.
It's like when there wasn'tcraft beer, you got used to a
certain yeah, you know everybodygot used to that.
Here's an American Pilsnerflavor you know, but do if,
especially like you said, ifyou've got local breweries, try
(48:38):
them, yep.
Go support them.
The money you spend there stayslocal.
Yes, you know.
Nine times out of ten, if it'sa national big beer brand, odds
are it's going overseas orwherever it's not staying local.
Speaker 3 (48:55):
If it's a local one.
It's going to the workers.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Right, exactly.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
Or it's keeping the brewery open at least.
So, yes, and you know, if youtry them and you don't like them
, nobody's going to say nothing.
Okay, so they'll have somethingelse that you will like.
Well and Whether it's a mixeddrink or a canned beer.
But yeah, at least trysomething.
(49:22):
That's all we say.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
Yep, and, like I said , the nice thing about the local
breweries are you can talk tothe brewer.
Speaker 3 (49:30):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
And if you're like, hey, do you got something like
this or you've ever thoughtabout that, they're going to be
willing to listen to you.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Yep, something like this or you've ever thought
about that.
Speaker 2 (49:39):
They're going to be willing to listen to you and
they'll probably be willing todo something that is going to
actually be what you're lookingfor.
Speaker 3 (49:43):
Yeah you don't know how many times I'm down at the
brewery just sitting there justtrying to relax having a beer.
And yeah, I'm I'm the oneanswering the questions for the
bartenders and they're like,well, this is our brewer over
here.
And they're like, oh hey, I'mlike when they first ask her a
(50:05):
question, they look at me.
I'm like, okay, what do younormally drink?
That's the first thing I askthem.
They tell me I said, okay, trythis beer or this beer or this
beer.
Yeah, this beer or this beer orthis beer, yeah, and nine times
out of ten.
There's one of them they like.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Well, that's the whole thing because typically,
like I said, whatever the bigbeer brand that they like,
there's going to be a version ofsomething that's similar but
has more flavor.
Yep, and that's what's alwaysbeen our thing.
Is we really like flavor?
Yep, so, like I said, any timethat somebody asks us it's like
hey, try this.
That's what's always been ourthing.
Is we really like flavor?
Yep, you know.
So, like I said, any time thatsomebody asks us, it's like, hey
(50:41):
, this is try this, Try that.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and we, our wholepurpose of this podcast is we
don't.
We're not trying to get peopleto go oh my gosh, it's horrible.
We're giving you our opinion onthese beers so you can go out
and say I'd like to try, yeah,if you see it out there, pick up
one, right.
(51:01):
But you know what I'm saying.
I mean giving you our honestopinion.
Yep, you know, and we hope thatour listeners are are listening
and saying you know what?
Maybe?
Yeah, I, I trust these guys,you know, you know, they know
what they're talking about.
So, yeah, and again, brian,thank you because, like like I
said, you're kind of an anomalybecause you're a brewer and
(51:24):
you're a consumer.
Yeah, you know what both sidesare looking for.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Oh yeah, even though I'm a brewer at Five Alarm every
weekend I have off we'relooking for a brewery to go to.
Right To try every beer theyhave on tap.
Oh yeah, you know, because Iwant to see what everyone else
is doing.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:44):
I just love beer.
Yeah, exactly, you know, that'sthe thing.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
We like flavor and we like different things and
honestly, that's the biggestthing for me as well is just
trying new stuff.
Yep, I mean, I really enjoytrying, and we've had some just
terrible beers, oh yeah, butwe've also had just some amazing
beers, because you just don'tknow.
(52:08):
Nope, and we've had both fromthe same breweries before.
Speaker 3 (52:12):
Yep, and that's the biggest thing.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
for me, the funnest part is that, because you don't
know.
You go to a new brewery,especially you know we've been
to brews we've never even heardof before there's a brewery here
, so we go there and you tasteour stuff and it's like, well,
that's this or that.
And then you get that one.
Speaker 3 (52:29):
You're like, oh my gosh, that is good, you know oh
yeah, the prime example of thatis the cozy yak that that is no
longer in business.
And we went there and they hada Well, the first time we went
they had that spruce tip.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Spruce tip IPA was amazing.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
Yes, and after that it sucked.
Speaker 2 (52:47):
But then the next, well, the next year they had
that, some kind of a.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
They had a Fourth of July thing, but it was like, uh,
it was like a chalada typething or it was like one of the
uh, what do you call it?
Speaker 2 (52:58):
the?
Um had like the the uh tomatojuice you know like a clamato
clamato yes and it wasn't verygood.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
And then the next time we went they had some more
of their spruce tip and itwasn't the same no, but that
first year oh oh my, that wasthe best beer we ever had and,
honestly, that is what inspiredus to do a spruce tip.
I think that was the year wewere when we went to.
Was that the same year or theyear after we went to the first
(53:26):
time we went to Point Brewing?
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Yeah, Was that the second year?
The second year, yes.
Speaker 3 (53:33):
So the first year we went to Point Brewing and we did
a In Stevens Point, wisconsin,in Stevens Point year yes, so
the the first year we went topoint brewing and we did a in
stevens point stevens, pointwisconsin.
We did a tour of the brewery and, uh, when we went because we
were over there for a big, giantcar show- yes, car show, and it
was hot as can be.
Oh, it was so hot.
So mike said why don't we leaveand go to a brewery and, uh,
(53:56):
try their beers, rather thanroasting out here?
Speaker 2 (53:59):
Right.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
And halfway through the day.
So we're like all right, thatsounds good.
So we left, we went to StevensPoint, wisconsin, to Point
Brewery, and we did the tourbecause we could still get on
the tour and none of us knewanything about brewing at the
time.
Right yeah.
And we were sitting in thehotel afterward and drinking
(54:20):
some more MGD, because that'sall we drank back then and I
looked at my brother and I'mlike I could do that, and Mike's
like do what?
And I'm like brew beer, yeah,whatever.
Speaker 1 (54:34):
And you went home and you ordered.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
Well, you were going to order, like the Mr Beer thing
I know I went home and youordered.
Well, you were gonna order,like the mr well thing, I know.
Speaker 3 (54:39):
Yep, I went home and talked to somebody and I went
home and I talked to the localbeer uh brew shop guy.
He told me what to buy and uh,so I I ordered uh a kit through
him, or bought a kit through him, or, or you know, bought a
couple of beer.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
Glass car carboys and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (54:57):
Yeah, he's got the kettle and the carboys and all
that, all the hydrometers andstuff, and started buying beer
kits from him, which ishilarious because, to think back
now, it's been 21 years that Istarted buying beer stuff from
Kevin at Collective Spirits inAlbert Lee.
That's just crazy from Kevin atCollective Spirits in Albert
(55:19):
Lee.
That's just crazy.
And now I'm brewing that fivealarm and he trusts me enough
where if he's not open.
He gave me a key to go into hisbrew shop to buy grain, if he's
not open.
Speaker 1 (55:30):
If he needs something , he can grab it and just write
down and then just come back andpay for it.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
I'm like you know you've spent too much money
there.
If they're giving you a key tothe business, yeah well that or
they trust you.
So yeah, so that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (55:46):
Yeah, well, awesome.
Hey, brian, thank you so muchfor being a part of the 608 Beer
Tasting this week yes.
Bill, thank you for inviting us.
Oh, yeah, exactly, and, ladiesand gentlemen, I hope that you
know some.
You found something this weekthat you you'll like.
Yeah, like I said again, trycraft beer.
Try a barrel age craft beer.
(56:07):
You know, just because if youtry one you don't like it,
there's so many more out therethere's something out there for
everyone yes, Just remember.
Speaker 3 (56:17):
It's going to be way stronger than you're used to,
but keep an open mind.
Speaker 2 (56:21):
Keep an open mind and , like I said, we've tried and
rated I mean, it's gettingprobably closer to 1,000 of
these beers that are barrel-aged, high-octane, and this is
really our specialty.
And, like I said, these beers,all of them, other than the
peanut butter face one, wereextremely good.
Yes, you know, and I'm hopingthat peanut butter one was just
(56:44):
a bad.
Speaker 3 (56:44):
You know, I'm really hoping is.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
The bad part is I don't know how we'll tell yeah,
we, yeah, we won't know now, butyeah, so this is, this was good
, so so awesome.
Well, hey, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening to us.
Go out, try some more craftbeers, try some bourbon barrel
beers.
Speaker 3 (57:04):
Now that it's getting nice out, take road trips.
Yes, go take road trips to yourlocal breweries.
Or if there's breweries youwanted to hit to try their beers
, come on down.
I'll say go on Google Maps,look what's close, just type in
breweries near to me and it'llbring up the closest ones.
Speaker 2 (57:23):
Go there, try them, spend your money there, Because
when you spend money at a localbrewery, it does way more than
when you're spending it on thesegiant breweries.
Yes, so yeah, awesome.
Well, hey, brian, thank you somuch.
Ladies and gentlemen, thanksfor listening and, like we
always say, I hope your campfireis always warm and your beer is
(57:43):
always cold.
Speaker 1 (57:45):
See ya.
Thank you for listening to theNorthwoods Beer Guy podcast.
If you have a question, acomment or a beer you'd like us
to review, please feel free tosend us a message at
northwoodsbeerguy at gmailcom.
You can also find us onFacebook, twitter and Instagram.
If you're on untapped, look upNorthwoods Beer Guy and send a
friend request.
(58:05):
Until next week, I hope allyour campfires are warm and all
your beer is cold.
Grab a beer and pull up a chair.
Welcome to the Northwoods BeerGuy Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Hey, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the
Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast.
This is Mike, the NorthwoodsBeer Guy, and again we are back
in the studio and I am joined bymy brother, the mad scientist
of brewing, Brian.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Hey everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
How's it going, dude?
Oh, pretty good, good, good.
Well, hey, thank you foragreeing to do this one with me.
I've been trying to get jim todo these and and he's got some
valid points, but I wanted totry these anyway.
Uh, we have, uh, a number.
We have six beers from 608brewing in lacros, wisconsin.
I didn't realize this when Iwas putting this group together,
(01:08):
but there's six beers.
The lowest ABV is 14.1, andthen we have four of them that
are 14.5, and the last one is17%.
Okay, so we're stepping it upjust a notch from our last two
episodes that you and I didtogether with the Beer of the
Month Club.
Just a little bit, just a littlebit, and hopefully that means
(01:32):
that the flavor is going to jumpup just a little bit as well as
what I'm hoping Correct, I meanyou know, yeah, they should.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, I mean, we'll keep an open mind, but yes, it
should be a drastic jump fromwhat we were doing.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Thanks, so I want to look up the name here so I can
get a description for us.
I'm sorry, Trying to typeholding the beer with one hand,
typing with another hand andit's not working, so let me do
this the right way.
All right, so here we go.
So we have the barrel agedcoconut rules everything around
(02:11):
me and it is 14.1 abv and itsays blend of 24 month aged
bourbon barrel stout andfinished with toasted coconut
and vanilla beans.
So I'm guessing oh yeah, youpoured out this is a little bit
darker than the ones that wetried for the Beer of the Month.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Club.
When it pours like used motoroil, you know it's going to be a
good beer.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That's typically when we say it's the nectar of the
gods, Except for some peoplethat we met a few weeks ago and
they said that Natty.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Light was the nectar of the guys.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, oh my gosh, yeah, yep.
So we said okay, whatever.
So now we're only probablyseven times higher ABV than
Natty Light.
So yeah, that's a good beer.
That's a good beer.
We've let them sit out for awhile to get a little bit more
closer to room temperature.
Yep, I do get a coconut flavor.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yeah, it's a slight.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
It's a slight coconut flavor.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yeah, you get the burn from the bourbon when you
drink it.
Oh man, yeah, that's a goodbeer.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, Like I said, it's definitely.
You know, if somebody that'snever had a bourbon barrel beer
before they could drink it, youknow, but it's still.
I don't.
I wouldn't start with a 14percenter, no.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know what I mean.
14 is really high for thenon-experienced craft beer
drinkers.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
If they're used to just trying, you know drinking
your normal big beer brainsyou're going to think this is
extremely harsh.
You know, and I still say youknow I've said it on here before
where when I first got intotrying craft beers, you know
Limey's Creamy Dark was like ohmy gosh, that's so strong.
(04:02):
And now and I think that's sixor seven percent, whatever- it
is.
You drink it now, there'snothing you know, and this one
at 14 I mean for us, because,like I said again, our specialty
I, I would say, is barrel agedbeers, you know, bigger beers,
and this is good you know, yeah,that's a good beer, it's just
(04:24):
it.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I think, even at this one, it'd be tough for the
novice craft beer drinker todrink it, right?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
would agree, Because it's like I said, when I'm
tasting it, I'm not reallytasting.
I think it doesn't taste like a14.1%.
I think it tastes less thanthat.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
But somebody that's new would probably be like oh my
gosh, that's horrible.
You know, I think it's reallygood.
Yes, it, that is a good beer,you know, and it's got that, uh,
the, the coconut flavor to it.
Yeah, I, I think it's good, uh,personally.
Now on a score.
So you know, our scoring systemis zero to 5 by a tenth of a
(05:06):
point.
Two and a half is average.
So again, this is 608.
Coconut rules everything aroundme.
14.1%.
Stout Boy I think I'm going togo like a 3.7.
I think this is pretty good.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yep, I was thinking a 3.5.
Okay, it's definitely betterthan the last beers we tried
together.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
But I am so excited because we have six that are
this same style.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
So it's like oh, you don't want to go too high right
away.
We didn't want to go too high,but our lowest one is 14.1.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
And then there's four that are 14.5, and the last one
is 17.
Yeah, but like I said the lasttwo times that we record
together, they were a mixed bagof anything.
Anything.
You know that you got in theBeer of the Month Club and these
are all from Sixth WeightBrewing in La Crosse, wisconsin.
They're all Imperial styles,barrel-aged.
Yeah, it's going gonna bepretty crazy, yep, so yeah, that
(06:09):
was uh.
Now, have you?
You haven't tried done thebarrel aging at this point right
, no, not at the brewery.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
I haven't, and I I don't know if we ever will.
Um, just the way the everythingis laid out, okay, unless I can
get them to do it in thebasement where we can have like
a skid steer to pick them up,that gotcha.
But on the main floor I don'tsee us doing any bear lace beers
, which I I have been toyingaround with trying to do some
(06:37):
kind of mock ones where I soaksome oak spears, in bourbon, you
know, and putting them in likeyou would for home brewing.
Right, yeah, just to getsomething out there.
But, yeah, no, at the brewery.
Right now we're not set up tobe able to do any barrel aging,
(06:58):
which sucks, because I want todo it.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, I can understand that.
So the next one that we haveand they all of these, all of
these bottles had wax on them sowe tried to cut off as much as
we could to get where we canopen them and not hurt ourselves
.
So this next one that we haveis the nuclear nightfall, the
Nuclear Nightfall, and it's14.5%.
(07:26):
And let me see, I do see thatUntapped had a little bit of a
description and it says get lostin the darkness with this
bourbon barrel-aged journey of astout with brown sugar, pink
peppercorns, cinnamon and cacaonibs, cacao, cacao, 14.5%, ab 30
(07:52):
ibus.
Thank goodness, it probablyshouldn't be real hoppy.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No, so that's.
I'm just guessing 14.5.
It could be like 90 ibus andyou wouldn't notice it so I
wonder what?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
what does the peppercorn bring to it?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, it should give it a little bit of a spice.
Okay, but at that high of ABV Idon't know if we'll even notice
it.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I do get a little bit of the cinnamon.
I can taste the cinnamon I gotthe cinnamon, yep Peppercorn.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
No, I'm not getting that.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Like I said, I was just wondering, when you saw the
pink peppercorn, what that.
You know and you're probablyright.
It'd be a little bit of a heator a spice, but I get the barrel
.
You know the bourbon, yep.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
And I get the cinnamon for sure.
Yeah, and that's that and thecinnamon, the bourbon and the
cinnamon.
That's what all you're reallytasting, right.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
And that's, it's a good, it's a good beer.
It's a good beer.
Yes, you know so 14.5.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
This one could a new person.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
That has never had a barrel-aged beer, drink it.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Possibly, but I think I'm thinking from the brewery
with, like the Bush, lightdrinkers Right, they wouldn't
like it.
No no, it's way too strong forthem.
Novice craft beer drinkers,where they've been drinking
craft beer for a little whileyeah, I think they could, but
it's going to be really strongfor them right right and I agree
(09:14):
.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
I, like I said I I don't think a new person just
getting into craft beer or theyhaven't had barely beers before.
I wouldn't start them at a 14plus beer.
No, you know, we've had someother ones that are nine.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yeah 10, 11 yep I I'd start there.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Uh, you know, and again, one of the the well,
right now the highest rated beerthat I've ever had was the uh,
central waters agent pappybarrels, and you haven't had
that.
But I do have a bottle in thebasement that you'll try coming
up here shortly Not tonight, butit'll be coming up.
Even that one, it's like Iwouldn't if you're not into
(09:56):
barrel-aged beers or not,because that's another one
that's pretty high octane, yep,and people are going to think
that it's really boozy.
Oh yeah, I'm sure, sure, buteven like this one, I I think
it's good, yes, and I reallydon't get a huge boozy flavor,
no, but I'll guarantee somebodythat's not used to it would
think it's really strong andthat's that's the whole thing.
(10:18):
You got to kind of work yourway into it and, yep, like I
said I'm, I'll guarantee I haverated, probably probably going
on 800 different barrel ageddouble digit.
You know abv beers now, yep,and you know, like I said, it's,
you know we've we've talkedabout this before, jim and I
haven't, and you're not that farbehind.
I mean, this is really kind ofour specialty.
(10:39):
Or the barrel aged beers, yep,know, we can pick up those
nuances and the flavors and allthat, and it just came from
trying them.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
And then, all of a sudden, you get addicted you
know, and you want more and more.
So yeah, so this NuclearNightfall.
What do you think on that onefor a score?
I mean I think it's pretty good.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
It is really good.
I think it's a little.
I like it a little more thanthe last one.
Okay, so I'm thinking I'll do a3.6 on this one.
It's a little smoother than thelast one was, and gosh, it's
tough when you get up to thishigh of ABV.
But 608 is doing a darn goodjob on their Imperial.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Stoves.
One thing I like of this one isthe cinnamon.
Yes, their imperial stoves.
One thing I like of this one isthe cinnamon.
Yes, you get that.
You know, you do the initialswallow and you get that
cinnamon flavor kind of hangsaround.
I'm going, I'm going to do likea 3.8, same thing.
I like it a little bit betterthan the, the coconut one, yep,
uh, I'll just do a step up fromthat, but it's, I think it's
(11:42):
good you know.
Yes, that is a really good beerI believe I had said that 608 is
out of lacrosse wisconsin, andthey've been around for what?
Three, four years, five, noI'll say at least five because I
got, so it's probably five, sixyears now at least five, yeah
because we have a birthday stoutcoming up.
That was their fifthanniversary for fifth birthday
one, so it's six or seven yearsnow, uh, and they started where
(12:06):
it was some members of their,their homebrew club, and they've
they've come a long way sincethen, you know.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So the next one which I love, the local homebrew
clubs.
Don't get me wrong.
I just hate having to competeagainst them at the local things
.
Yes, I competed for 10 yearsagainst our local homebrew club
and surprise, surprise, I nevergot the grand champion until the
(12:38):
president and vice presidentdidn't enter.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Imagine that, yeah that was a little weird.
So yeah, I agree with you there.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
So sometimes it's kind of like and and the person
that was a president opened abrewery and we went and tried it
and I'm like I was so mad whichbrewery was that?
Uh, gravity storm in austin,minnesota, okay.
And uh, larry, and I went overthere and I did a flight and I
(13:08):
tried it and I looked at him Isaid I lost for 10 years to this
.
Yeah, I mean, it was not good.
I said that just goes to showyou that you can't beat the club
that's doing the judging Rightright.
I shouldn't even say that.
I'm sorry if I offended anybody, but it's just like oh my gosh,
(13:30):
yeah, there's politics involved.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
All right, so the next one that we have from 608
Brewing is their Peabudda Facebarrel-aged imperial stout,
14.5%5 abv.
And it says the candy man isback in town, but not before
spending some time in bourbonbarrels.
Get your fix with this peanutbutter and cacao miracle so we
(14:00):
will see what you know, becausepeanut butter is another one of
those things where it's eitheramazing or it's not so good.
You know, and and I know jimand I have talked about it on
here before, but you can alwaystell when they use, like that,
powdered peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
It's got a different like, almost like a grainy,
granular type of a flavor to it.
Yep, so we'll see what we canfind from the pea butter face.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
I'm not really picking up much peanut butter in
the aroma boy I am so far, I'mnot getting in the flavor, I'm
not getting any peanut butterout of that.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
That's kind of uh, are you?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
I mean, I'm kind of disappointed in this one yeah, I
am not getting any peanutbutter out of it, and it's
almost got a like a tart or asour, I don't know how to
describe it.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
It's got.
The flavor is not very good.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I'm, I'm not getting the sour it uh.
But yeah, definitely does nothave a peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
No, I'm not getting any.
That's any peanut butter out ofthat and hopefully it's the
bottle.
Now we were at 608 for Betweenthe Bluffs about a month ago a
little over a month ago and Iknow now for their barrel-aged
beers they're actually notselling bottles to take home
(15:16):
because they've had some issueswith bottles going bad and
things like that.
All I can guess is this onewent bad.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Yeah, maybe it did, because it's just, it doesn't
taste like it's bad.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah, maybe it did, because it's just.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
It doesn't taste like it's bad.
No, but there's just notthere's no peanut butter in it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
There's not a peanut butter flavor to it, and I
really like peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Yes, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Yep, and yeah, that is not good and it's possible
that it went bad, but I'm notgetting an off flavor, I just
the peanut butter's not comingthrough at all.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
I don't get that at all so like when you're talking
about you know, like if a beercan go bad in the bottle, what
could cause that, do you know?
I mean?
It could either be the bottlewasn't cleaned good enough, so
when they get bottles, they haveto clean all the bottles before
they yes put beer in it.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Typically they spray or sanitize all the bottles
before they get.
Typically that's through theline that yes, it'll do it, okay
.
So when it's, they put it onthe pallet of bottles on and it
goes through the conveyor, yeahand uh.
Before they filled, typicallythey spray sanitizer up in it.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
And it washes it out, kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Okay, yep, and then it flips it over and they have
another tube that comes down andsprays CO2 in it to push any
oxygen out.
So then they can fill it anddon't have to worry about it
going bad typically.
Okay, yeah, I just, but I don't.
This to me does not seem likeit going bad.
Typically, okay, yeah, I just,but I don't.
This to me does not seem likeit went bad.
This to me just seems like thepeanut butter's not coming
(16:51):
through because we're getting alot of chocolate, yes, and, but
there's just no peanut butter.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Peanut butter, that's my thought, is I was giving
them the benefit of the doubt,right, you know?
But it's like man.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
There's just no peanut butter no, in there at
all, I think.
I personally I think it'sprobably so high of alcohol it
just that is.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It's just not coming through, okay and that could be
yet, you don't know.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yep, score wise since the peanut butter does not come
through and it's supposed to bea peanut butter beer, I'm going
to have to do a 3-1.
It's still a damn good beer,but it's supposed to be a peanut
butter stout and you get nopeanut butter out of it.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
For me the name is Peanut Butter Face yes, with a
peanut butter jar on the labelYep, and I don't get it.
I'm going to two and a half.
Yeah, I can see that Justbecause again, like you said,
the chocolate and all that, Iget that, but I get absolutely
no peanut butter.
No, there's no peanut butterflavoring at all.
(17:57):
It kind of falls back to that.
If it's on the label, it shouldbe, and when that's the big
that's your label, you need tobe able to taste it, you have to
taste peanut butter, yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And I just don't get any peanut butter at all and,
like you said, we don't know ifit's just this bottle or if it's
all of them, that batch, butit's just this one in particular
.
We do not get anything.
Exactly, this is the birthdaycake, right?
Yes?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
It says a vanilla birthday cake flavored bourbon
barrel imperial stout brewedwith three barrel blend.
We made our special birthdaybrews, so they had 18-month wild
turkey oh geez, plus 18-monthold elk, plus 24-month willet
(18:45):
wild turkey Plus 24-month Willit Wild Turkey.
Here's to five years of greatbeer and to all the great folks
who drink it.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Cheers.
So this is an Imperial Stoutthat has been aged for five
years in different bourbonbarrels before they bottled it
to sell it.
Yeah, because it was, oh mygosh.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
So we'll see because because, like I said, if you
look on the label brian, yeahit's got, yeah, it's those three
different barrels that it wasin for 18 18 and 20 and I'm not
a big wild turkey lover.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
So we'll see if that comes through.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
So let's see what happens here.
So this is their fifthanniversary, or well, their
fifth birthday cake yeah, oh yesat least we're not getting the
wild turkey flavor.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
That is smooth.
It.
Uh, that is smooth to me I.
If anyone loves wild turkey,I'm sorry.
I just don't care for it myselfand I'm really happy that I'm
not getting it in this beer.
This is really smooth.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Yes, it's really good , it's almost got it almost has
a birthday cake flavor to ityeah, and like I said the, the
wild turkey is just too strongfor me.
Yeah yeah, I understand.
I understand that completely,because there's there's other
bourbons that people don't like,things like that.
But man, the fact that theythis was aged in three different
(20:10):
barrels for that long, I wish Ishould say this Was it aged in
that or was it a blend of those?
They?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
didn't really say.
They didn't say Just the way itsounded.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
it almost sounded like they aged it for two years
in one then transferred it toanother A year and a half, a
year and a half, and then almosttwo years in one, then a year
and a half, and then almost twoyears in the next one.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
yep, it could be, but whatever they did, this is,
this is good, yeah, that's theway I took it, as they
transferred it from the onebarrel to the next and then to
the next and then bottled it boythat's, this isn't a.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
it's 14 and a half percent that is a good beer.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
I definitely get that like a birthday cake flavor,
yes, and I would say again ifyou're not used to drinking
barrel aged beers, don't startwith this.
No gosh, no, Because it.
I mean it's higher ABV, Yep,but wow, Flavor wise, this is
good.
Uh-huh, this is good.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Yeah, oh man, I'm trying to think of the score I'm
going to give it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Well, keep thinking.
You know, like I said, I givethem credit because I know when
they first started.
You know the first time theycame out with some barrel-aged
beers they were kind of ehstarted.
You know, the first time theycame out with some barrel aged
beers they were kind of.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
But boy, they've come a long way.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
They have learned a lot the last five years, you
know and, like jim and I havetalked about on here countless
times, especially in wisconsin,central waters is the oh, I, yes
, I love central waters.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Yeah, I mean, that's the number one, yeah, in
wisconsin, yep, chicago.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yet bourbon county, yep, you know, you've got.
Well.
Then there, yep, chicago,you've got Bourbon County.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Bourbon County.
Yep, you know, you've got.
Well and there's also the.
Well you've got Distal.
Distal yep In normal.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Illinois, yep, you've got who does the Big Bad
Baptist?
Epic Brewing.
They know what they're doing?
Yep, you know.
I mean, we've got all these,well, three sheeps with the wolf
and all that.
They know what they're doing?
Yep, you know, surly with darklips.
Surly, yes, I mean we're kindof spoiled up in this area.
(22:16):
We've got some breweries thatthey know what they're doing,
and 608, for the amount of timethey've been open.
Oh yeah, they've only been openfor probably eight years, seven,
eight, probably eight years,seven, eight years and and
they've come a long way and theyhave one of the top and in our
area probably one of the topfreaking uh barrel programs yes,
well, and, like I said, youknow, this year, when we were
(22:39):
there before, between the bluffs, they have a bourbon barrel
menu but you can't buy bottlesto take because something was
going on and they were gettingsome bottles that were not good.
And and when we bought bottlesthere, the bartenders like if
it's taste it, if it's bad,bring it back up here, I'll get
(23:00):
you another one and that's as ahome brewer.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
That is nor.
That happens normally, right.
It's.
You know, your, your beers arenot being pasteurized, so it's
not killing the yeast off, andthat.
So that that's normally fornormal for what you deal with,
right?
But uh, it sucks when you're a,when you're the consumer buying
(23:24):
it and they don't understandthat.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Um, I give them credit, though, for especially
because so you have to drinkthem there, yes, but if it's a
bad beer, they will give it,bring it back bring it up here,
we'll get you another one yeah,you know.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So they want to do, to have a good doing whatever
they can to get you to like itcorrect.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
You know they're, because yeah, it's standing
behind it, you know you're youknow you're a lot of these
smaller breweries.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
When you're filling bottles, you're filling one
bottle at a time, yeah, andyou're hand sterilizing one
bottle at a time, so maybe itdoesn't get cleaned.
Good enough, right, or?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
who knows?
You know, whatever it was, ittakes very little to infect a
beer.
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Yeah, that's the only bad part about brewing beer.
I mean it's the funnest sideproject ever.
But when stuff starts going badit can be very frustrating, oh
sure.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Oh yeah, so, score-wise, what are you
thinking on the fifth?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
birthday cakes.
I'm going to give this one athree, eight.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Okay, I like this beer yeah, I, uh, I agree with
you.
I'm, I'm gonna go with 3.9, sowe don't have a tie, yep, but I
think, for being aged, if it's ablend or if it was actually
transferred from one barrel tothe other, it's really good and
it almost has a birthday cakekind of flavor to it yep, uh,
(24:52):
and, and the wax on the bottlehead sprinkles on it.
So you know it.
You got to give them credit forthat.
But yeah, like I said, this wasthis is good, this is really
good.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yep, you know they they know what they're doing.
Yep, Good job.
608.
This beer was really, reallygood.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes, so the next one that we have is their
barrel-aged and I've got to lookup the name here barrel-aged
Kimmy Cakes.
And it's kind of funny because,brian, if you remember, when we
were at 608 before Between theBluffs this year, bk bought a
bottle of this yep and it wasunbelievable.
(25:33):
And so now this bottle I've hadfor a couple of years and he
tried to get convince him tosell him a bottle to take home
and they wouldn't do it because,again, they don't know, they
want you to drink it they wantyou to drink it there, because
they've had issues with some oftheir bottles.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
Yeah, I'm guessing some customers probably
complained about something right, and then so they're like all
right, you're just gonna drinkit here yep, so let me.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
It's 14 and a half percent, once again, 30 ibus,
and let's see what, on untapped,it says the only way to recite
the legend of Kimmy Cakes iswith the beer we brewed the tail
.
What I need to get new glassesbecause it's like.
(26:22):
Let me see here.
It says we brewed the tail withour three-barrel birthday blend
and brown sugar, chocolate,toffee, graham crackers, butter
cookies and salted caramelcheesecake, and then it's like
I-Y-K-Y-K and whatever.
(26:42):
The kids out there willprobably know what that means.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
If you know you know oh speaking of yeah.
Okay, if you know you know ohspeaking of yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Okay, if you know, you know.
So this is their barrel-agedkidney cakes.
Ooh, that smells good, oh mygosh, oh my gosh.
Oh, bk is going to be so mad.
Yep, he didn't know.
I had this bottle in thebasement, mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Yep.
I'm sorry, bk that is, oh mygosh, that is a good beer yeah,
this is over four for sure.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yep, this is yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm going to four.
Two on this right now.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
That's exactly exactly what I was thinking was
four two long that is, oh my god, that is a good beer.
That is crazy because, like Isaid, Like.
I said if you are new tobrewing, do not try it because,
it's going to be.
It is very strong.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
At the brewery I work at, we're trying to get one of
the bartenders that we're goodfriends with.
He wants to get into more ofthe bigger beers, so he started
hanging around with us beers.
So he started hanging aroundwith us.
So me and larry and uh and dad,will we get a hold of him if
we're going somewhere and see ifhe can come with?
(27:56):
And we started doing some beertastings at the brewery where
we'll bring some higher ones foreveryone to try.
And uh, he admits it.
He's like I am, he's, he's abeginner right because, uh,
right now he's still at thepoint where he just slams that
taste when we give it to him andwe're like you got to stop that
(28:17):
, you got to sip it, get theflavors.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So any like a bourbon barrel beer?
He slams it, yes, Okay.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yes, just because, which I give him credit, because
only a year ago he was a BushLight or not Bush Light, he was
a Mick Golden Light drinker Same, yeah, same thing, and then he
started coming to the brewery.
Maybe a year and a half ago hestarted coming to the brewery
and he was hanging out with uson like Sundays at the brewery
and he was taking some growlershome.
(28:44):
Then he started about a yearago he started working there.
So it was hilarious becausethis last winter during
Christmas he said he forgot toget some beers to bring with for
Christmas.
So he went with what he had inhis fridge and after he drank
(29:05):
all the craft beers, the onlybeer he had left in the fridge
was a McGolden Light, which iswhat he normally drank all the
time.
So he's like, oh okay, I'mgoing to drink this and if I
need more I'll figure somethingout.
Yeah Well, he opened it andhe's like this is horrible.
And it was so hilarious becausehe texted me that day and he
(29:31):
said you mother beep wrecked me.
He said he goes.
I used to drink cheap beer andnow it tastes horrible.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah, Well, you know, and it's funny because years
ago before, craft beer was evenreally a thing and we would go
to the big drag races inBrainerd, the big nationals and
all that NHRA, nhra.
And we always had oh my gosh,we'd bring 10 cases of either.
Mgd or MGD Light, Genuine draftgenuine draft light, We'd split
(30:05):
it up whatever.
And now, first off, you can'thardly find MGD light anymore.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
No, you can't period.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Oh, okay, this is 64.
They changed it to now.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Oh, okay, and that's even worse.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Well, and even MGD you can't find that much anymore
because they really got hurt bythe craft beer market.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
Yeah, Hy-Vee still has it, but very limited
quantity.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Okay, but you know, it's just funny because you
think about it.
If they'd had this stuff backthen, we could have brought a
lot less beer.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Oh yeah, we wouldn't have needed 12 cases of beer.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
No, we didn't need 12 cases for four of us.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
We could have brought three.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, but boy, I tell you this Kimmy
Cakes beer.
This is really good.
Yeah, I like it.
Like I said, we both went 4.2on it.
That is a darn good beer.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
This is a very good beer.
So now well we've got to finishthese Well, the sad part is we
could have probably brought likea 12-pack of this beer and it
would have lasted us all weekend.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well, it would have lasted us two nights for sure,
with four weekend.
Well, it would have lasted ustwo nights for sure.
With four of us drinking, itwould have lasted two nights for
sure.
But that is something you know.
You think about it because, likeI said when I was in college,
and this was 1990 to 1994 uh,giving my age out there a little
bit but, I went to mankato andthey they were a test site or
(31:28):
whatever they called it for formick golden and I remember when
I I'd go home and I was talkingto dad and larry about this beer
, they never even heard of itbecause it wasn't available
there yeah and they were justtesting it in this college town
area and it was.
It was good for the time, butlike now, like now you drink it
and it's like it's water.
(31:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
There are so many people.
I don't want to offend anybody.
That's a make golden lightdrinker.
It's a good beer, it's justthere's not a lot there.
I mean we like it because wecan drink it all day long, all
day and all night.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Well, you know it is funny because I've been to
parties where everything theyhave is like Miller Lite.
Yeah, you know that kind ofbush light kind of stuff, and
you can drink a lot of it, yes,when you're used to drinking
this stuff, yep, you know, andit's like wow, that's what I
liked.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
In Four City, iowa, they had a big music festival.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
TreeTown town, they called it, and is that, is that
still?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
going on.
No, no, okay.
This is the second year now ithasn't okay.
And uh, what we always we endedup getting where we well, we
used to always get the generaladmission.
And then the one year we we gotgeneral admission, but we we
got there right when they openedand we went up and we put our
lawn chairs down right in frontof the fence, so we were up by
(32:54):
the VIP and that was the worstthing we ever did, really, for
anyone that's ever went tocountry concerts.
You have all the cowboys thatget drunk and mean you mean all
the wannabe cowboys yes, and thelast year we had general
admission, we had the peoplebehind us were almost getting in
(33:16):
fights with the, with theyounger kids that were trying to
push their way up to the frontoh sure and I got hit in the
head with a beer can becausepeople were mad that we weren't
getting out of their way.
Oh geez.
So after that we just startedbuying VIP after that, because
we're like, we're done.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
I mean we're either getting VIP or we're not coming
because this is a bunch of BS.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:39):
And the funny part is my wife and I we go to heavy
metal concerts and rock concertsRockfest in Kadot, Wisconsin.
Metal concerts and rockconcerts rock fest in cadat,
wisconsin.
And you go there and you seeanything from five-year-old kids
to 90-year-old people andeverybody's getting along.
There are no fights.
(34:00):
I mean, yeah, you see somefreaky people with blue and
purple hair and piercing's allover the place well, it's like
you, but yes they're all outthere to have fun yeah and
nobody gets into a fight.
Right, it's crazy.
I'm like we the first time wewent there, like all right,
we're sitting way in the back,we're not getting in the middle
(34:21):
of nothing and it's likenothing's happening.
Yeah, we're like we were justshocked because of after going
to these country concerts.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Well, I gotta say it's like my best friend from
high school when he went to u ofm in the cities and he worked
security at the dome for a job,and I asked him one time about
about the same thing.
It's like, okay, what's theworst concerts they have to do
security?
He said, oh, by far, it'scountry concerts.
I go, really, he goes, oh, yeah, he goes.
You get all these guys.
(34:49):
I think they're cowboys thatget drunked up on beer and they
all want to fight.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Uh-huh, oh yeah, and he goes.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
That's tougher he's like that's the worst one you
know, and it's funny because,like you and I, we went to.
We saw, uh, judas, priest, yepand sabaton and there was no
issues whatsoever.
You know, nope.
And the same thing there it waskids, from young kids up the
way, older than us, oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Well, and I've just seen videos, Two weeks ago one
of my favorite bands it's adeath metal band called arch
enemy they stopped their concertbecause uh somebody collapsed
in the in the out in the crowdand somebody pointed them out,
so they they shut the whole showdown until uh people got over
(35:42):
there to help the lady that thatuh collapsed from heat
exhaustion.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Okay, see that that's pretty crazy and they.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
They did not start the concert until that person
was with paramedics and theywere out getting help, and then
they restarted the concert andstarted going again.
See, that's crazy.
That's what I said.
We're all here to help, to lookout for one another yeah, so
let so, let's, yep.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
So basically, the story is all of the the wannabe
cowboys out there just have fun.
Exactly, you don't need to getangry, you don't need to fight
and show who's tougher.
Cause.
You know what?
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Have another, have another yellow jacket and I was
going to say we're.
We all like country music outthere and we all like drinking
and having fun and let we alllike country music out there and
we all like drinking and havingfun, and let's just do that.
And for those of you that don'tknow, yellow Jackets are Coors
oh I didn't know what that waseither.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I was going to try and pass that over.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Coors Banquet are the Yellow Jackets.
There you go, all right.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Well, hey, Brian, we got one beer left and this is
the big dog.
This is their 17 percent and Ihope I got enough wax off of
there, because that was likepretty thick oh yeah, just
barely perfect this is 608shores of hell.
Shores of hell 17 percent 17.6%.
(37:07):
I lied to you oh wow, 60 IBUs.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
I got to finish my first taster first.
All right, here's one.
Oh, it sounds wonderful.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
There's only one sentence description.
It says a barley wine aged inbourbon and cognac barrels.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
On cognac.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For 21 months Now, I've never had a cognacac, so I
don't know what it shouldactually taste like.
The label on here is pretty, uh, pretty cool.
It's got yes death metal, thatheavy metal kind of, look you'll
you will have to put a pictureof that on the oh yeah, I'll
take a picture of it and put itonline but uh, we're gonna try
(37:46):
this.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
It's almost like you got fire from the depths of hell
with with some uh demons youjust see.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Well, you see like shit, like the outline or you
know, kind of like person in thefire.
Yeah, you can't see the people,but you see the out, the, the.
Yeah, like a chat, you know,you see it.
I don't know how to describe it, but, boy, the aroma on that is
like really good.
17% 17.6.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
17.6, yes.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Boy oh.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
You know in barley wines.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
It's funny because we know people that don't like
barley wines.
Yep, but boy, this smells good.
Wow, the initial taste goesdown really smooth.
Yes.
The aftertaste, all of a suddencomes back up and goes ha-cha,
you know.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
Yep Kind of gets you.
Yeah, the initial taste is not17%.
No, the aftertaste is yes, theinitial taste.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
when I first took that sip I was like whoa, that
is good.
And I was sitting there goinghang on All of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (38:54):
It gets you.
It is a damn good beer.
It's still good.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
It's a very good beer , but it's like, hmm, we've got
to try some more of it.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
It is very smooth, Very smooth oh for 17.6?
.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
Very smooth.
Speaker 3 (39:12):
When I was home brewing I made a barley wine.
The one time it was 12.5% ABVand I aged it for a year and a
half in the carboys before Ibottled it.
So when you drank it there wasno booze flavor at all.
It was so smooth.
(39:33):
But you drank one bottle and itmessed you up.
Oh sure, so smooth, but youdrank one bottle and it messed
you up.
Oh sure, and I was so madbecause I entered it into a beer
contest I had.
We had two bottom.
Well, I got a hold of mike hereand he had two bottles in his
basement and I'm like I'm gonnaenter that in the bluffs
(39:53):
homebrew contest and I was somad at the end of that because
they took points off because youdidn't get enough of a booze
flavor.
Yeah, I'm like now, isn't thata good thing, right, if it's
12.5% and it's going to mess youup and you don't taste it,
right?
But See, and that's kind offunny, that gets to the home the
(40:18):
brew club stuff.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
It's more club because you know we, brian and I
, our dad and our uncle, we'remore.
We're also into old cars and wehave old cars and we'll show
them, you know, from time totime and all that cars and we'll
show them.
You know from time to time andall that.
(40:41):
And I still remember when wewent to a car show and their
club members won like all, butlike two trophies or whatever it
was yep, you know, and it waslike okay, you know, and it's
just like anything, when youhave a club putting it on,
they're gonna vote for their ownmembers, you know, and that's
the sad part, because itshouldn't be like that.
(41:01):
It should be whoever has thebest car, the best beer,
whatever doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Well, I brought it up to the one guy and when one
year, when I was mad, yeah, andhe's like well, it's a blind
tasting, so they don't know whoI'm like like bullshit.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
I'm like really.
Speaker 2 (41:20):
Yeah, it's not a blind tasting.
They know exactly whose beer itis and what it is.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
That's why the president and vice president win
every year.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Yeah, exactly.
So what do you think of theShores?
Speaker 3 (41:32):
of Hell.
Oh no, I think I'm going tohave to do a 4-2.
That's what you gave the lastone.
Ah, a 4.3.
Okay, this one is better thanthe last one.
Actually, I'm going to 4.1.
And I apologize, I'm not goodat rating beers.
If I like it, I do a lot ofbeers that I rate the same.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Right, oh, no, no.
And again, like I said, jimjust doesn't like ties Yep.
But I'm going to do a 4.1.
But I agree with you, this isan extremely good barley wine.
Yep, very good.
Speaker 3 (42:04):
That is really good.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
We know people that don't like barley wines and they
think it's terrible Yep, butthis is a really good beer.
It is good, very good.
Speaker 3 (42:11):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
You know so again, again.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
I think about the only one that I liked more the
same company.
Two years ago they made onethat they aged in apple brandy
barrels, Mm-hmm, and that wasamazing.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Well, I actually still have a bottle of that in
my basement.
I do, too in my fridge.
Yep, yes.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
So maybe within the next five years we'll sample
that one.
Yeah, we're going to have to dothat one again on the podcast
here at some point.
Yep.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Yeah, Like I said, they've had some stuff that's
really really good.
Speaker 3 (42:45):
I am really happy with.
I am so happy for them because608 started out as a brew club.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Yeah, well, they were , yeah, the two guys.
They were members of this brewclub.
Speaker 3 (42:56):
It was part of the La Crosse Lagers brew club.
Yes, and they decided to go proand open their own place and
they are doing just an amazingjob and, like I said, they've
got better every year.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Yes, and that's the thing that you hope, that for
everybody, yep.
So, yeah, it's cool, you know.
And so, brian, thank you forbeing a part of the 608.
Because, like I said, you know,I brought it up to Jim before
and I'm not going to lie.
Jim and I have had some cansand bottles that have not been
(43:30):
very good.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
These were all good.
These were all very good, yep.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Very good.
So, looking at our scores, Ithink we're in agreement.
We would say that the KimmyCakes was the winner, yes, and
then it was the Shores of Hell.
Shores of Hell, yep.
And after that then we'relooking at the fifth birthday,
stella.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
So we basically agreed on the top ones, which is
crazy because the last two wenever had nothing over a three
right and now we're arguing overa three between what we had.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
A six, yeah, we had the one.
The the peanut butter facewasn't very good, yes yep it, uh
it, it wasn't a bad no, itwasn't bad, but there was no
peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
But there's no peanut butter flavor.
Speaker 3 (44:19):
yes, If you say, if your logo, if the name of the
beer is peanut butter, youshould taste peanut butter
Exactly If it's on the label itshould be on the can, in the can
?
Speaker 2 (44:31):
Yes, and, like I said , I'm hoping that there was just
something wrong with thatbottle.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
Yeah, I'm hoping there was just something wrong
with that bottle.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
Yeah, I'm hoping, yep , yep, because otherwise, if you
take that one out, our beers,our ratings went from a 3.5 to a
4.3.
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
That's not bad.
Those are good beers, you know.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
So, yeah, it was very good.
Yep, yeah, and thank you somuch for agreeing to be a part
of it.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
Oh, yes, you know and we've got.
I don't get a whole lot ofweekends off because of brewing,
Right, but I said when theweekends I have off, I need to
come over here so we can do thiskind of stuff.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
And, like I said, we're going to be in northern
Wisconsin in a couple weeks.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
We're going to do some probably some different
resorts and bars to get someT-shirts and things like that
that they have up there.
So we're probably not going todo a whole lot of talking about
that?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (45:29):
It'll be more that weekend will be more Bloody
Marys and whatever we need todrink to get that shirt, we're
more off the.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Whatever we need to drink to get that shirt, we're
more off the clock.
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (45:40):
But no, these beers here from 608 were extremely
good.
But yes, we're going to have to, we'll get together, we've got.
I've got a number of GooseIsland, bourbon County, south
downstairs that are like I'vegot a bunch of them too.
Speaker 3 (45:55):
That are like they're .
Speaker 2 (45:57):
you know this barrel, this barrel, this barrel.
You know we can rate those I'vegot.
Well, you gave me one of theirbirthday ones that we still
haven't tried, yep.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
And that's from four five, five years ago, whatever
it is Yep.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
You know, so I'm really looking forward to that
one and I think it'll beextremely good so but, yeah, so
I'm really looking forward tothat one and I think it'll be
extremely good.
But yeah, we've got a lot ofbeers to try.
I've got Distal Dasvidaniya.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
I want to try some of them.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
Yeah, we've got a number of them downstairs to try
.
So we're going to do that andkeep on chugging along and it'll
be interesting to see what yougot coming out.
You know, and try some of thosebeers and, uh, yeah, it's, it's
cool.
And, ladies and gentlemen, ifyou've got questions, um, you
know, for me or for for Brian,who is an actual craft beer
(46:52):
brewer, you know, email us and Iwill get him the questions.
We'll respond to you right away.
You know, and hopefully youknow everyone that's listening.
And if you're new, try craftbeer.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
You know, because it wasn't that long ago that we
never knew beer was supposed tohave flavor.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Yeah, like we said in Albert Leebert lee, minnesota,
over by where I live, the uhgreen mill was brewing their own
beer when they first opened up,but the problem was over in
that area.
They were ahead of their time,so the brewing part did not last
and it's like, oh, if theystarted now, oh, heck, yeah,
(47:37):
it'd probably be going crazy,right, and uh.
So yeah, just all we say is justgive craft beer a try support
local yes, you know again, ifyou like and if, if you go to a
brewery, try their beers.
If you don't like them, fine,great, but at least try them.
(48:00):
Every craft brewery will giveyou a sample of every beer they
have on tap.
Yep, so try them.
If there's nothing you like,okay, we understand, you know,
then we will they.
We have other stuff that youcan have, but don't go in there
and just not even try something.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Yeah, and you know it's like I said before.
It's like when there wasn'tcraft beer, you got used to a
certain yeah, you know everybodygot used to that.
Here's an American Pilsnerflavor you know, but do if,
especially like you said, ifyou've got local breweries, try
(48:38):
them, yep.
Go support them.
The money you spend there stayslocal.
Yes, you know.
Nine times out of ten, if it'sa national big beer brand, odds
are it's going overseas orwherever it's not staying local.
Speaker 3 (48:55):
If it's a local one.
It's going to the workers.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Right, exactly.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
Or it's keeping the brewery open at least.
So, yes, and you know, if youtry them and you don't like them
, nobody's going to say nothing.
Okay, so they'll have somethingelse that you will like.
Well and Whether it's a mixeddrink or a canned beer.
But yeah, at least trysomething.
(49:22):
That's all we say.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
Yep, and, like I said , the nice thing about the local
breweries are you can talk tothe brewer.
Speaker 3 (49:30):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
And if you're like, hey, do you got something like
this or you've ever thoughtabout that, they're going to be
willing to listen to you.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
Yep, something like this or you've ever thought
about that.
Speaker 2 (49:39):
They're going to be willing to listen to you and
they'll probably be willing todo something that is going to
actually be what you're lookingfor.
Speaker 3 (49:43):
Yeah you don't know how many times I'm down at the
brewery just sitting there justtrying to relax having a beer.
And yeah, I'm I'm the oneanswering the questions for the
bartenders and they're like,well, this is our brewer over
here.
And they're like, oh hey, I'mlike when they first ask her a
(50:05):
question, they look at me.
I'm like, okay, what do younormally drink?
That's the first thing I askthem.
They tell me I said, okay, trythis beer or this beer or this
beer.
Yeah, this beer or this beer orthis beer, yeah, and nine times
out of ten.
There's one of them they like.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Well, that's the whole thing because typically,
like I said, whatever the bigbeer brand that they like,
there's going to be a version ofsomething that's similar but
has more flavor.
Yep, and that's what's alwaysbeen our thing.
Is we really like flavor?
Yep, so, like I said, any timethat somebody asks us it's like
hey, try this.
That's what's always been ourthing.
Is we really like flavor?
Yep, you know.
So, like I said, any time thatsomebody asks us, it's like, hey
(50:41):
, this is try this, Try that.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and we, our wholepurpose of this podcast is we
don't.
We're not trying to get peopleto go oh my gosh, it's horrible.
We're giving you our opinion onthese beers so you can go out
and say I'd like to try, yeah,if you see it out there, pick up
one, right.
(51:01):
But you know what I'm saying.
I mean giving you our honestopinion.
Yep, you know, and we hope thatour listeners are are listening
and saying you know what?
Maybe?
Yeah, I, I trust these guys,you know, you know, they know
what they're talking about.
So, yeah, and again, brian,thank you because, like like I
said, you're kind of an anomalybecause you're a brewer and
(51:24):
you're a consumer.
Yeah, you know what both sidesare looking for.
Speaker 3 (51:29):
Oh yeah, even though I'm a brewer at Five Alarm every
weekend I have off we'relooking for a brewery to go to.
Right To try every beer theyhave on tap.
Oh yeah, you know, because Iwant to see what everyone else
is doing.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:44):
I just love beer.
Yeah, exactly, you know, that'sthe thing.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
We like flavor and we like different things and
honestly, that's the biggestthing for me as well is just
trying new stuff.
Yep, I mean, I really enjoytrying, and we've had some just
terrible beers, oh yeah, butwe've also had just some amazing
beers, because you just don'tknow.
(52:08):
Nope, and we've had both fromthe same breweries before.
Speaker 3 (52:12):
Yep, and that's the biggest thing.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
for me, the funnest part is that, because you don't
know.
You go to a new brewery,especially you know we've been
to brews we've never even heardof before there's a brewery here
, so we go there and you tasteour stuff and it's like, well,
that's this or that.
And then you get that one.
Speaker 3 (52:29):
You're like, oh my gosh, that is good, you know oh
yeah, the prime example of thatis the cozy yak that that is no
longer in business.
And we went there and they hada Well, the first time we went
they had that spruce tip.
Speaker 2 (52:43):
Spruce tip IPA was amazing.
Speaker 3 (52:45):
Yes, and after that it sucked.
Speaker 2 (52:47):
But then the next, well, the next year they had
that, some kind of a.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
They had a Fourth of July thing, but it was like, uh,
it was like a chalada typething or it was like one of the
uh, what do you call it?
Speaker 2 (52:58):
the?
Um had like the the uh tomatojuice you know like a clamato
clamato yes and it wasn't verygood.
Speaker 3 (53:06):
And then the next time we went they had some more
of their spruce tip and itwasn't the same no, but that
first year oh oh my, that wasthe best beer we ever had and,
honestly, that is what inspiredus to do a spruce tip.
I think that was the year wewere when we went to.
Was that the same year or theyear after we went to the first
(53:26):
time we went to Point Brewing?
Speaker 1 (53:30):
Yeah, Was that the second year?
The second year, yes.
Speaker 3 (53:33):
So the first year we went to Point Brewing and we did
a In Stevens Point, wisconsin,in Stevens Point year yes, so
the the first year we went topoint brewing and we did a in
stevens point stevens, pointwisconsin.
We did a tour of the brewery and, uh, when we went because we
were over there for a big, giantcar show- yes, car show, and it
was hot as can be.
Oh, it was so hot.
So mike said why don't we leaveand go to a brewery and, uh,
(53:56):
try their beers, rather thanroasting out here?
Speaker 2 (53:59):
Right.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
And halfway through the day.
So we're like all right, thatsounds good.
So we left, we went to StevensPoint, wisconsin, to Point
Brewery, and we did the tourbecause we could still get on
the tour and none of us knewanything about brewing at the
time.
Right yeah.
And we were sitting in thehotel afterward and drinking
(54:20):
some more MGD, because that'sall we drank back then and I
looked at my brother and I'mlike I could do that, and Mike's
like do what?
And I'm like brew beer, yeah,whatever.
Speaker 1 (54:34):
And you went home and you ordered.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
Well, you were going to order, like the Mr Beer thing
I know I went home and youordered.
Well, you were gonna order,like the mr well thing, I know.
Speaker 3 (54:39):
Yep, I went home and talked to somebody and I went
home and I talked to the localbeer uh brew shop guy.
He told me what to buy and uh,so I I ordered uh a kit through
him, or bought a kit through him, or, or you know, bought a
couple of beer.
Speaker 2 (54:54):
Glass car carboys and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (54:57):
Yeah, he's got the kettle and the carboys and all
that, all the hydrometers andstuff, and started buying beer
kits from him, which ishilarious because, to think back
now, it's been 21 years that Istarted buying beer stuff from
Kevin at Collective Spirits inAlbert Lee.
That's just crazy from Kevin atCollective Spirits in Albert
(55:19):
Lee.
That's just crazy.
And now I'm brewing that fivealarm and he trusts me enough
where if he's not open.
He gave me a key to go into hisbrew shop to buy grain, if he's
not open.
Speaker 1 (55:30):
If he needs something , he can grab it and just write
down and then just come back andpay for it.
Speaker 3 (55:34):
I'm like you know you've spent too much money
there.
If they're giving you a key tothe business, yeah well that or
they trust you.
So yeah, so that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (55:46):
Yeah, well, awesome.
Hey, brian, thank you so muchfor being a part of the 608 Beer
Tasting this week yes.
Bill, thank you for inviting us.
Oh, yeah, exactly, and, ladiesand gentlemen, I hope that you
know some.
You found something this weekthat you you'll like.
Yeah, like I said again, trycraft beer.
Try a barrel age craft beer.
(56:07):
You know, just because if youtry one you don't like it,
there's so many more out therethere's something out there for
everyone yes, Just remember.
Speaker 3 (56:17):
It's going to be way stronger than you're used to,
but keep an open mind.
Speaker 2 (56:21):
Keep an open mind and , like I said, we've tried and
rated I mean, it's gettingprobably closer to 1,000 of
these beers that are barrel-aged, high-octane, and this is
really our specialty.
And, like I said, these beers,all of them, other than the
peanut butter face one, wereextremely good.
Yes, you know, and I'm hopingthat peanut butter one was just
(56:44):
a bad.
Speaker 3 (56:44):
You know, I'm really hoping is.
Speaker 2 (56:47):
The bad part is I don't know how we'll tell yeah,
we, yeah, we won't know now, butyeah, so this is, this was good
, so so awesome.
Well, hey, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening to us.
Go out, try some more craftbeers, try some bourbon barrel
beers.
Speaker 3 (57:04):
Now that it's getting nice out, take road trips.
Yes, go take road trips to yourlocal breweries.
Or if there's breweries youwanted to hit to try their beers
, come on down.
I'll say go on Google Maps,look what's close, just type in
breweries near to me and it'llbring up the closest ones.
Speaker 2 (57:23):
Go there, try them, spend your money there, Because
when you spend money at a localbrewery, it does way more than
when you're spending it on thesegiant breweries.
Yes, so yeah, awesome.
Well, hey, brian, thank you somuch.
Ladies and gentlemen, thanksfor listening and, like we
always say, I hope your campfireis always warm and your beer is
(57:43):
always cold.
Speaker 1 (57:45):
See ya.
Thank you for listening to theNorthwoods Beer Guy podcast.
If you have a question, acomment or a beer you'd like us
to review, please feel free tosend us a message at
northwoodsbeerguy at gmailcom.
You can also find us onFacebook, twitter and Instagram.
If you're on untapped, look upNorthwoods Beer Guy and send a
friend request.
(58:05):
Until next week, I hope allyour campfires are warm and all
your beer is cold.
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