Winter is awful, and usually, so are winter seasonal beers. So we’re surprised to have some great ones on this episode with a few standout locals. We share our New Year’s resolutions and then take a lot of strange diversions along the way. There’s also an announcement of an exciting home brew contest with Middle Brow. Then, Ryan eschews traditional “research” by “making stuff up” and Craig admits he doesn’t know smells from flavors. Grab a beer, turn us on, and join us on our polar bear rug by the fire. (Clothing optional.)

Ryan

1. Upland Bourbon Barrel Warmer

2. Anchor Winter Wheat

3. Middle Brow A Hundred Miles Off   

4. Slapshot White IPA

5. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

6. Bell’s Winter White Ale

Craig

1. Slapshot White IPA

2. Anchor Winter Wheat

3. Upland Bourbon Barrel Warmer

4. Middle Brow A Hundred Miles Ooff

5. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice

6. Bell’s Winter White Ale

As a gift to you, we brought back almost all of our guests from the first year for a holiday party recording. But since Ryan was absent, Craig took his one mic and brought people together to review some beers. In this episode, we sit down to share some of the audio from the party while tasting some new local stouts. There will be beer reviews and drunken talk of broken Prius locks, slash fiction, Kermit impressions, and Craig’s hatred of nature. The guest list includes Chris Betts (Transient Artisan Ales), Nick Burica (Middle Brow Beer Co.), Marie Cummins (Down the Hatch), David Sullivan (Supple Knuckles Massage Parlor), Matt LaFleur (LaFleur Illustration), Dennis Lee (ThePizzle), Kim Leshinski (Hail to the Ale), and Ken Getty (CHAOS Brew Club).

Beers Had By Craig and Ryan:

Une Annee Feats of ********

Half Acre Big Hugs (2014)

Holiday Party Beers:

Transient Whiskey Barrel Presque

Mystic Chardonnary Barrel Fermented Saison

de Garde Cran Bu

de Garde Kiwi Bu

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Pipeworks Santa Vs. Unicorn

Oxbow Synthesis

Slapshot McLaughlin’s Red Eye Coffee Porter

Transient Sporadic #2 (Wine)

We unbox five Firestone Walker anniversary ales and try to dissect these complex barrel-aged beer blends through our arbitrary reviews. We also experiment with our own beer blends and feel the effects of these potent potables before we even hit our third pour. Thus, at some point, we make it our mission to raise awareness of...something I’d rather not type (or Google image search). Prick up your ears!

Beer Rankings (with personal blend percentages)

Ryan

5. XVI (10%)

4. XVII (15%)

3. 14 (20%)

2. XV (20%)

1. XVIII (35%)

Craig

5. XVI (5%)

4. XVII (15%)

3. XV (20%)

2. 14 (25%)

1. XVIII (35%)

In this episode, we discuss the fine art of craft beer labels with artist and homebrewer Matt LaFleur. We each bring a few beers to taste based on their label art, and Matt shares the stories behind the labels he has created for Arcade, Transient, and Middle Brow. We hit other topics like marketing, the overlap of art and craft beer, and homebrewing as an excuse to make beer labels.  Our tastes in artwork and beer vary wildly, but by the end Craig gets mad about art and announces that he’s a lumbersexual. Just like always.

(Beer Rankings)

Craig

6. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest

5. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings

4. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction

3. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn

2. Off Color Le Predateur

1. Transient Wayward

Ryan

6. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings

5. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn

4. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest

3. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction

2. Off Color Le Predateur

1. Transient Wayward

Matt

6. Arcade William Wallace Wrestle Fest

5. Pipeworks Cherry Truffle Abduction

4. Solemn Oath Ravaged By Vikings

3. Off Color Le Predateur

2. Firestone Walker/Three Floyds Ol’ Leghorn

1. Transient Wayward

It’s been a long, stupid week in craft beer thanks to Bourbon County madness, so we wanted to find some substitutes to feed those cravings on a budget and a whim. We review five bourbon barrel-aged beers that are pretty easy to find. It mostly doesn’t work out well. We talk about other barrel-aged beers that regularly inhabit shelves and whether or not length of aging makes a difference. Then the belligerence begins and we use bizarre aroma descriptors, discuss “Battletoads” erotica, and recklessly bash a few breweries in the process. There’s no substitute for our hilarity! Sorry.

Ryan

1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S.

2. New Holland Dragon’s Milk

3. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013

4. Central Waters Headless Heron

5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout

Craig

1. Hoppin’ Frog Barrel-Aged D.O.R.I.S.

2. FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses 2013

3. New Holland Dragon’s Milk

4. Central Waters Headless Heron

5. Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout

Episode 44 - Bourbon County 2014

With another Black Friday approaching, we sat down to sample most of this year’s Bourbon County lineup, and things get soulful. If you’re looking for divisive opinions or a contrarian stance on the corporate-owned hype machine that is Bourbon County, then you’ll be disappointed. These beers are delicious. And Goose Island gave them to us for free. We share tales of Black Fridays past, and we divert briefly to talk barrel-aging temperatures, autobiographies, the Sad Reality of Baudoinia Fudgy, and Craig’s ideas on how to improve the BCBS label. There’s also five minutes of Brett Porter talking about this year’s Bourbon County Coffee variant, since Goose Island forgot to send us that beer. If loving Bourbon County is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right.

Craig

1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County

2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye

3. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

4. Bourbon County Brand Stout

Ryan

1. Proprietor’s Bourbon County

2. Bourbon County Vanilla Rye

3. Bourbon County Brand Stout

4. Bourbon County Brand Barleywine

On the day after FoBAB, we muster up the strength to recap our night of sampling barrel-aged beers at one of the country’s premier beer events. We also load up on electrolytes and review some common hangover remedies. We’ll share some of the positives and negatives about the new venue and discuss our favorite beers of the night, including beers from Off Color, Temperance, Upland, Fremont, Goose Island, and more. Not only do you get to relive our FoBAB, but you’ll hear Ryan’s virgin coconut water experience, Craig’s surprising enthusiasm for Pedialyte, and the flavor nightmare that is V8 Original. Doctor, ain’t there nothing I can take?

Craig

1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit

2. Gatorade Lemon Lime

3. Nice! Spring Water

4. Vita Coco Coconut Water

5. V8 Original

Ryan

1. Pedialyte Mixed Fruit

2. Nice! Spring Water

3. Gatorade Lemon Lime

4. Vita Coco Coconut Water

5. V8 Original

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Pipeworks has rolled out more barrel-aged beers, and we invite general public nuisance Dennis Lee to drink them with us. In addition to reviewing the beers, we let Dennis talk about his blog, depression food, black truffles, and the term “foodie.” There’s also a cogent discussion of how experimentation could be impacting Pipeworks brand loyalty and the general overvaluation of barrel-aged beers. Then Dennis sings as Korean Lorde after sous-viding us a poached egg. This is real life.

Craig

1. As You Wish

2. Murderous

3. Over the Line

4. The Coqui

5. The Delicatessen

Ryan

1. Murderous

2. As You Wish

3. The Coqui

4. Over the Line

5. The Delicatessen

Dannis Ree

1. As You Wish

2. Murderous

3. Over the Line

4. The Coqui

5. The Delicatessen

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This compilation of appreciation for Russian River’s wild, sour, and funky “-tion” beers ends in much exultation. We drink eight different beers, many aged in wine barrels, and experience much elation, with some acidification. We share some listener feedback, Ryan gives tips for vegetarian craft beer drinkers, and Craig plays a few rounds of “Name That Russian!™” What a country!

Craig

1. Beatification

2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)

3. Sanctification

4. Supplication

5. Consecration

6. Temptation

7. Damnation

8. Redemption

Ryan

1. Beatification

2. Framboise for a Cure (2013)

3. Consecration

4. Sanctification

5. Supplication

6. Temptation

7. Damnation

8. Redemption

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The brewers at the Goose Island Clybourn brewpub embrace experimentation, and they take on their riskiest one yet when they invite Ryan and Craig into the brewhouse to record. Brewmaster Nick Barron and brewers Jacob Sembrano and Jon Naghski share five of their incredible one-off beers and the inspiration, experimentation, and technique that went into each of them. They’ll also discuss their farmer’s market series, upcoming releases and FOBAB goodies, the world’s most obscure Simpsons reference (seriously), and what it’s like to make bourbon barrel-aged beers in the location where it all began. Pull up a stool, and remember to tip your bartender.

Beers Enjoyed and Discussed:

Pineapple Brettanomite

Gorman’s Biere de Garde

Vainglorious

Cran Bruin

Grimm Vicar