Unknowable horrors await us on our sixth annual Torture Test show, wherein we try to find weird, old, and terrible beers to blindly afflict one another, and this one’s crawling with impossible-to-guess styles and shapeshifting ABV. We try to avoid adding ounces to the simmering Cuvée of Doom by guessing whatever we can about these beers while (often) choking down what’s in the glass. Ryan pumps himself up with the Unsolved Mysteries theme song, Craig keeps feeling the effects of a flavor creeper, and we experience The Longest Finish. 

Beers Survived

Local Option Bierwerker - Dampf Loc c. 2015 (Dampfbier)

Rinkuškiai - Effin Awesome (Imperial Lager)

Grupo Modelo - Chelada Piña Picante (Pineapple and Pepper beer)

Athletic Brewing Company - Oktoberfest (Non-Alcoholic Beer)

Bell’s Brewery - Neptune: The Mystic (Imperial Stout w/ black pepper, hickory bark, dandelion root, spices, molasses, and maple syrup with cayenne peppers, star anise, raisins, and dates added)

Oliphant Brewing - Milkman Manbaby (Milky Weizen Dunkel Stout)

For the 40th year of GABF - and the first festival in three years - we had to go bigger than ever, so much so that we couldn’t fit it into one episode. Even though Ryan stayed behind in Illinois, Craig succeeded in drinking all the beers Denver had to offer and bringing back some stellar interviews from some of his brewery highlights - along with an all-time bucket list guest. Even though we recorded this over two days and thousands of miles away, we manage to drink through some beers that have a GABF connection and give some one-sided reviews. For Part Two, Craig goes into his Saturday afternoon session experiences, and we discuss the highlights of this year’s awards. Check that guest list below!

For the 40th year of GABF - and the first festival in three years - we had to go bigger than ever, so much so that we couldn’t fit it into one episode. Even though Ryan stayed behind in Illinois, Craig succeeded in drinking all the beers Denver had to offer and bringing back some stellar interviews from some of his brewery highlights - along with an all-time bucket list guest. Even though we recorded this over two days and thousands of miles away, we manage to drink through some beers that have a GABF connection and give some one-sided reviews. In Part One, Craig talks about his experiences at WeldWerks, Peculier, Cellar West, Hops & Pie, and the Denver Rare Beer Tasting - in addition to his first two sessions at GABF.

Part One

Beers Reviewed

Cellar West Artisan Ales - Spinechiller (Bourbon Barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout)

Cellar West Artisan Ales - Cone Country (Golden Wet Hop Pale Ale)

Beachwood Brewing - Amalgamator (West Coast IPA)

Interviews

Zach Kelly of HenHouse Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, CA) - 00:24:15 - 00:31:52

Shyla Sheppard of Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. (Albuquerque, NM) - 00:43:09 - 00:51:54

Seth Morgan and Andrew Truemper of Denton County Brewing Company (Denton, TX) - 00:58:15 - 01:10:30

Kevin Davey of Wayfinder Beer (Portland, OR) - 01:14:52 - 01:22:54

Kelly Montgomery of Third Eye Brewing Company (Cincinnati, OH) - 01:26:12 - 01:29:40

The 30th installment in our State Show series takes us to the Southwest thanks to listener Don Kasak’s recent trip to New Mexico. To beat that dry heat, things stay pretty light on alcohol with five beers from four breweries that fortunately aren’t light on flavor. Also, Craig runs into a surprising t-shirt at a beer fest, Ryan looks for the flavors that exist in the negative spaces (ooooooh), and we would really love a be-turtlenecked Brian McKnight to sing a love ballad about kölsches. 

Beers Reviewed

Santa Fe Brewing Company [Sante Fe, NM] - NMX Standard (American Lager)

Boxing Bear Brewing Company [Albuquerque, NM] - New Mexi-Kölsch

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. [Albuquerque, NM] - Rancho Light Lager (Light Lager w/ lemon zest)

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. [Albuquerque, NM] - Savage Times (Sour IPA)

Rowley Farmhouse Ales [Sante Fe, NM] - Germophile - Prickly Pear (Berliner Weisse w/ prickly pear)

Just off the Lake Michigan shoreline sandwiched between popular vacation beach towns, there’s a little farmhouse brewery in Fennville, MI called Waypost. Opened in 2018, the folks at Waypost make a variety of styles exceptionally well (and even have a GABF Gold for Saison in their recent history). Ryan brought back five beers from his summer trip, and he’s positively giddy to finally share them with Craig. Also, we are on the search for the perfect T-shirt, Ryan stands up for Little Caeser’s pizza, and we’re both kind of mesmerized by the oddities of the South Haven Meijer. 

Beers Reviewed

House Lager (Zwickelbier)

Grisette (with Earl Grey tea)

Current (Pale Ale)

Flora (Foeder-fermented saison w/ elderflower and hibiscus)

Helles Bock