Wed, 30 March 2022
Craig’s recent travels brought him to Ethereal Brewing who have been bringing a wide variety of bold styles to Lexington, Kentucky for the better part of a decade. We hear from co-founder and head brewer Brandon Floan on the brewery’s evolution, the real fifth element, the ease of barrel access in actual bourbon county, how making sake is different than making beer, and how to brew a beer that gives you weird dreams. We also talk about misunderstood roller coasters, Craig’s entirely useless smell-based superpower, and the unfortunate way Baba Yaga and Dark Lord are connected. We also have a first on the show with sake - and we were totally, actually unprepared.
Beers Reviewed Throwback (Pilsner) Fad-tastic (NE IPA) Bellerophon (English Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels) Bananas Foster Baba Yaga 2022 (Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels w/ bananas, Tahitian vanilla bean, molasses, and cinnamon) The Void Sake Co. - Echoes Horchata Nigori (Junmai Nigori Sake w/ vanilla bean and cinnamon) |
Wed, 23 March 2022
Inching ever-closer to our Belgian cycle, we finally reach for the Dubbel on this show by drinking the style-originator and several American examples - including one big-time medal winner. With such wide variety on the style that are mostly good in their own way, we try to examine what makes a Dubbel such a beloved style - even when you’re not ingesting gamey meats. Plus, we introduce tickling to the Olympics, put Brendan Fraser and Hugh Grant into a buddy comedy, and explore your body as an intimate landscape. Now’s a good time to remind our donors to “dubbel” their donation. Beers Reviewed Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle - Westmalle Trappist Dubbel Illuminated Brew Werks - Intimate Landscape Sketchbook Brewing Co. = Back Alley Abbey Temperance Beer Co. - Quotidienne Vintage Brewing Company - Dedication |
Wed, 16 March 2022
We don’t always have the best luck with fruit feature shows, so we hand our expectations over to some of our most trusted local brewers to give grapes a chance. All five bottles on this show feature unique grapes from the rest, so Craig schools us off the vine. Also, we have a therapeutic conversation about grocery stores, discuss how EastSide Gushy Got Chonked (Vol. 1), perform Nerds Box-to-mouth, admire the bold dismantling of a rotisserie chicken, and learn some new words.
Beers Reviewed Off Color Brewing/Speciation/Native Species Winery - Garamond (Wit Ale fermented in Barolo Foedre then aged on Frontenac Gris grape pomace) Supermoon Beer Company - Gloe (Mixed Fermentation Saison fermented w/ Brettanomyces in French Oak Barrels with La Crescent White Grapes) Half Acre Beer Co. - Hot Hot Day (Mixed culture lager w/ Roussanne grapes blended with mixed culture witbier) Hopewell Brewing Co./Speciation Artisan Ales - Taxon Cycle (Wild Ale w/ Traminette Grapes) Keeping Together - Creature of Infinite Contradiction (Barrel-aged Saison w/ Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes) |
Wed, 9 March 2022
Sometimes you just gotta say, “What the f***?” and open five cans absolutely crammed full of fruit slurry and let the whole notion of beer just leave your mind. We’re down with the thiccness for this episode, watching our glasses become opaque with a pulpy sludge while measuring the detritus on each glug-glug pour. So while they may not be beer per se, are they fun to drink? Also, we re-examine the days of the week, learn the truth about MC Hammer, develop some can-rolling techniques, and experience THE CHONK. Come on and get fruit stupid with us. “Beers” Reviewed BlackStack Brewing - Are You There God? It’s Me, Guava (Triple Guava Smoothie Sour w/ vanilla and lactose) Energy City Brewing - Bistro Smoothie: Mango Pineapple Banana (Berliner-Style Weisse w/ mango, pineapple, banana, and natural flavor) Phase Three Brewing Company - Double Nectar: Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry (Sour Ale w/ fruit) More Brewing Company - Peach Cobbler (Fruited Sour Ale w/ peach, vanilla, granola, and milk sugar) Drekker Brewing Co. - Chonk: Spumoni (Sundae Sour w/ cherry, chocolate ice cream, pistachios, and lactose) |
Wed, 2 March 2022
For the third straight year, we return to the type of enormous barrel-aged beers that destroyed us throughout December…and fall in love all over again. This lineup of five is going down in the history books, as they not only compete for rankings on this show but several are also in the very early running for our year-end lists. Complex barrel blends and big adjunct additions go toe-to-toe with our sobriety, and it’s a hell of a way to ring in Craig’s birthday. Speaking of, we wonder about an alternate reality with #SoftCraig, throw out even more Milwaukee love, and contemplate the mysterious CD long box. (Plug in your Game Genie for the Enhanced episode.) Beers Reviewed Temperance Beer Co. - Might Meets Right: Orange Chocolate 2022 (Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout w/ roasted cacao nibs and dried sweet orange peel) Private Press Brewing - Cosmic Echoes [Batch 1] (Blend of Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout and Barleywine Ale) Central Waters Brewing Company - XXIV (Blend of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts) Triptych Brewing - When Someone Asks If You’re a God (Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs, marshmallow, vanilla beans & natural flavor) Half Acre Beer Company - Triple Barrel Catch Hell (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout w/ cinnamon and vanilla) |