The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
We love craft beer! Each week we will taste a number of beers from around the country and give you our thoughts, not only will we talk about the flavor, but also the artwork and anything else that comes to mind.
We will also go on location and visit breweries and try a number of their offerings and give you our thoughts as well.
Come sit around the campfire and join in on the fun!
The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
Ep 112 - Brothers, Brews, and Honest Reviews at Checkers Tavern
Pull up a barstool and join Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy, and his brother Brian, the "Mad Scientist of brewing," as they embark on a craft beer adventure at Checkers Tavern in Warrensburg, Missouri. Against a backdrop of live music and lively bar ambiance, the brothers share honest, straightforward evaluations of local brews with their signature numerical rating system.
The heart of this episode features an exploration of Mule Barn Brewing's offerings - a promising new brewery without their own facility yet, but with beers already flowing from local taps. Starting with a surprisingly decent Lemon Shandy, they work their way through a clean Old Drum Pale Ale, a grainy Depot Street Lager, and a sharper-than-expected Intergalactic Voyager Double Hazy IPA. When fate intervenes and a tap runs dry, they discover the highlight of their Mule Barn experience - a perfectly balanced Coconut Porter that showcases the brewery's potential.
The tasting journey continues with canned selections, including Civil Life Brewing's impressive "Be Civil" American Brown Ale with its rich chocolate notes, followed by two disappointing offerings from Log Boat Brewing - a flavorless "Mammot" brown ale and their "Snapper" American IPA that lacks the hop character its 7.2% ABV would suggest. Between sips, Brian shares insights from his own brewing projects, including an intriguing chocolate peanut butter stout made with Reese's Puffs cereal.
Whether you're a craft beer aficionado or just getting started on your beer exploration journey, this episode offers genuine reactions from experienced palates and showcases the diversity of the regional brewing scene. So grab your favorite brew and join the brothers as they remind you to keep your campfires warm and your beers always cold.
Thank you for listening to The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. If you have a question, comment or would like us to review your beer, please feel free to contact us at northbeerguy@gmail.com.
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Grab a beer and pull up a chair. Welcome to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast.
Speaker 2:Hey, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy, and today I am joined by my brother, brian, the mad scientist of brewing. Hey, how's it going, brian? Pretty good, good. Hey, how's it going, brian? Pretty good, good.
Speaker 2:Hey, we are down in Warrensburg, missouri, and we are at Checkers Tavern, and we are here because they have a brewery in Warrensburg that the brewery itself is not. They don't have a facility yet, so to speak. They're working on it, but they have their beers on tap. So we're going to try a flight of Mule Barn Brewing and so, yeah, so you're going to hear some music in the background. They're warming up for the band to start playing, so we're going to try and knock this out as quickly as we can.
Speaker 2:But we have four beers today, brian. What do we got? We have a Lemon Shandy, an Old Drum Pale Ale, a Depot Street Lager and an Intergalactic Voyager, and I think that's a Double Hazy IPA. If I remember right, it looks like one. Okay, well, let me take a picture of the flight before we get started. So I guess, which one do we want to start with? Let's get the shandy out of the way I want to start with the shandy. So it definitely looks like a shandy, very light colored, and it says it's a lemon shandy. Like I said, I've had a couple of beers from Mule Town or is it Mule mule barn brewing uh, before they were here for a, uh, a festival they were having in town and they had a pop-up going. They had a couple different ones and these were not any of those. So it'll be interesting here to see. And, like I said, if you go on facebook, they are working on a building here in warnsburg but it's not.
Speaker 1:It sounds like it needs a lot of work.
Speaker 2:It's like a lemony, but at the same time it's not as acidic as some of the things that you're working on. Yeah, I mean I'm not a shady guy, but it's not bad. It's kind of one of those things that you know in my day it wouldn't be too bad. I wouldn't drink a lot of it, though let's get, ladies and gentlemen. We have a big employee, so it's pretty loud in here right now, so I do apologize.
Speaker 2:What do you think of Clint's score on that bad boy? I'm not a big shandy lover so I would say I would give it probably a 2.4, which is high for a shandy. For me I was going to say I was thinking like a 2.2, 2.3. I mean it's not offensive but it's no, they did a good job on it. It's got decent flavor and it's not over, not real strong with the citrus like some of the other. I mean I wouldn't drink a lot of it myself.
Speaker 2:Well, the next one we're going to try here is Old Drum Pale Ale. That's a pretty good pale ale. I like that one. It's lighter. Got a real clean finish yeah, definitely Not overly hoppy. It's a. Got a real clean finish yeah, definitely Not overly hoppy. It's a good beer. Yeah, I would say that's.
Speaker 2:I was expecting it to be a little hoppier, but it's not bad. That's not bad at all. So that's like I said. It's got a little bit of a I don't want to say funky taste to it, but there's just a little hint of something. Maybe it's still that shandy stuck in my mouth it could be. Yeah, that's not bad. Oh boy, it's definitely better than the shandy I would. I mean, besides, ladies and gentlemen, besides our group of nine, ten, there's another group of maybe seven, and it's really wild, you know 10. Yep, there's another group of maybe 7, and it's really wild. Yep, you know so.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, this is Old Drum Pale Ale. Yeah, I don't mind, I like this better than the Shandy, for sure. Yeah, so I'm thinking like a 2.7. I was going to say a 2.8. So, yeah, that wasn't too bad. No, I like that one a lot more than the candy, but, yeah, a candy lover, right, all right. So we're gonna try the next one, which is their depot street lager looks very clean like a lager. Yeah, you know, aroma-wise it smells like a lager. It's your typical American lager. It almost has a little grainy type flavor to it, a little grainy type flavor to it.
Speaker 2:Yep, that's what I'm tasting a grainy type flavor. I mean it's not bad, but it's kind of plain yeah, a little bit, I mean, I still have high hopes for the Voyager.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2:I still. I got high hopes for the Voyager. Yeah, I mean, I would drink this more than the Shandy, for sure, but it definitely has room to work. It's one that the Natty Light drinkers might really like. There you go.
Speaker 1:Yes, the.
Speaker 2:Natty Light drinkers, you know who you are.
Speaker 1:So what kind of?
Speaker 2:stuff are you working on lately here? Um, I did a right before we come out here, I did a double chocolate oatmeal stout um should come in around seven, seven percent abv um. And then I also did our breakfast of champions, and that's another stout. Yeah, that's a. I was calling it a cereal stout. It's a chocolate peanut butter stout that's made with Reese's Puffs cereal. Okay, so it has kind of a slight peanut butter aftertaste. Nice, that'll work. This is your, like you said, pretty non-descript logger where I'm thinking like a 2.4. I was going to say 2.4, 2.5, somewhere in there. It's not terrible by any means, but it's definitely. You could do, it could improve a little bit. Yep, all right. Well, the fourth and final one we have is our Intergalactic Voyager, and if I remember right, it said it's a double hazy IPA and I can't remember if it was 9% or something like that. I believe Nice. So it definitely looks like orange juice. You know, looking at it, the aroma smells good you know looking at it.
Speaker 2:The aroma smells good For a hazy. It's got a kind of a sharper or almost a little bit harsher flavor than I'm used to. Yeah, not as citrusy as they normally are in hazies. Yeah, I'm not getting that. It looks like it should look, but I'm going to guess they use galaxy hops for one of the hops in it. Well, I'm guessing intergalactic is probably galaxy. There's probably some mosaic, some galaxy, and I'm guessing that that little bit of afterbite probably is coming from the galaxy hops. Hmm, interesting, I don't know. I had higher hopes for it than what I was probably going to give it. I'm thinking right now I'm probably at like a 2.6 maybe. Yeah, I was thinking 2.7.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I thought this was going to be the long end. So those are the four they had here on tap. I do apologize again for the noise. We will probably try maybe a few other beers here so we'll make this a little bit longer and there'll be other breweries and such.
Speaker 2:But from Mule Barn. I think the top one was probably the, the old drum pale, ale I think was probably the top one. I mean I look forward to seeing when they get their brewery done and see what else they can do. You know, it's a newer place and, like I said, if you're in Warrensbury you can go to Checkers Tavern and they have them on tap. You can get plates and such here for that.
Speaker 2:So yeah it's a neat place, pretty small tap room right now Got big windows that are opened up so it's open to the outside. Live music, loud live music. But yeah, it'll be fun. So we will continue on and we'll see what else they have and we'll try some other ones and we'll check back in later. Else they have, and let's try some other ones and we'll check back in later.
Speaker 2:So, brian, you went up to the bar and brought back a darker beer. And now what? What did you bring back? So one of their beers ran out, so they put a coconut porter on tap and this was by by mule barn mule barn as well, okay, so we have not tried this yet. It it looks promising because it's dark. Yes, aroma-wise, I mean, there's not a lot of aroma to it. No, I get some coconut in the aroma though. Ooh, there's coconut in that, yes, coconut in that. Yes, I would definitely say, in my opinion, that's the best mule barn beer we tried tonight. Yes, I'm pretty sure they use. I looked into a coconut puree you can buy at one time and it tasted just like Mound's Candy Bar coconut. Oh, really, and I'm pretty sure that's what they used here.
Speaker 2:But it goes really good. What's that they use like a puree. You're saying, yeah, yep, it's a blended up puree of coconut. I wonder if that's like because we we made, uh uh, vina coladas and they had a coconut puree and they tasted really good. Yes, I, it almost looked like sweetened condensed milk, kind of thing. Okay, this is like I said for the Mule Barn Brewing this is the best beer that we had tonight. Yes, this is the best one of the night here.
Speaker 1:I'm really glad it went on while we were here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what are the odds that it ran out as something and they put a good one on, a really good one on? Yeah, I mean score-wise, what are you thinking? I would give it a 3.4. I agree, I think this is really good. I'd go with 3.4.
Speaker 2:The coconut is always one of those things where it's super touchy. It's either way too much or not enough, and this is almost on the verge of being their right amount. Yeah, you know, and you don't really. You get the porter flavor, but it's not like you don't get a lot like that. You know the roasted malt, you don't get the porter bite right, but you do get a really good coconut aftertaste to it. I would agree, I, I would agree. So, yeah, this is good. I'm impressed. I'm glad they put it on tap and we tried it. Yep, good job guys, there you go, keep on going there. Mule Barn Brewing. Hopefully next time we come down they'll have their actual tap room and brewery open so we can check it out. But I think this shows promise. I'm happy with this one. Yep, absolutely All right.
Speaker 2:So we are back at Checkers Tavern. The band took a break here getting ready, so we've got three cans of beer we're going to try. We've got two that are brown ales and one that's an American IPA, so the first one is by Civil. Oh sheesh, and then I spilled it. Wouldn't you know what is? It's called what? Brian Civil Life, civil Life Brewing Company. Okay, be Civil, it says.
Speaker 1:Be Civil and it's American Brown Ale.
Speaker 2:And I don't know. Does it say where they're out of? Here? You can read that little description thing there In the back of the can.
Speaker 2:This beer's rich, rich malt notes of bittersweet cocoa and roasted coffee are artfully balanced with a judicious dose of American hops. Ooh, but I don't see where they're out of. That's not bad, I mean. That's got a pretty good flavor for a brown ale. Yeah, it does. It's got a lot of chocolate notes to it, which I'm guessing are from if they added cocoa into it. Yeah, that's really good. I like that. B's our Civil Life Brewing Company.
Speaker 1:B's Civil that's a good brown ale that's good.
Speaker 2:I like this. A lot of brown ales don't have that much flavor. Right, usually a brown ale if it's got a lot of flavors because they added like hazelnut or something to it. They got some kind of adjunct to it. Yep, this one I don't think does, but it's got a really pretty good flavor. Yeah, this is definitely.
Speaker 2:I would uh, I would definitely get more of that yeah, that's a good like I said, I'll look up and see where civil life is out of, but that is a good. That's a good beer. I like that. That Yep. Score-wise, I'll give it a. I'd do a 3.3. I was going to say, yeah, I'll do the same. I think that's good. You know. It's got just the right amount of the toasted flavor. You know what I'm trying to say. Yep, it doesn't have. It's not like some of the porters where you get that real burnt flavor to it.
Speaker 1:You know what?
Speaker 2:I mean they should be a little mellower than the porters and stouts, Right, but I'm just surprised at how much flavor it has. Yeah for sure. That's pretty crazy. I'm like, wow, I'm surprised. Well, the next one we have is from Log Boat Brewing Company and this is their Mammut Mammut and it has a mammoth on the front, a mild brown ale. Does it say ABV on it at all? I'm trying to see on this the first one we had.
Speaker 1:I don't see it listed on there.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, this one is 4%. Oh, so it's pretty mellow. Yep, let me see. Does it have any kind of literature on it? The Brown Ale's laid back. Little brother, the perfect breakfast beer. This brew is mahogany colored and full flavored, despite the relatively light ABV that's what it says. They got the color right. There's not much flavor to it. I was going to say just the aroma. There's not a whole lot of aroma. Boy, that's a bummer. Yeah, we should have had that one first.
Speaker 1:We should have had that.
Speaker 2:I tried to keep them together because the last two are from the same brewery. But boy, the first one has way more flavor. Yes, wow, this is not bad. I mean, this would be like an introductory. If you've never had a brown ale before, you could drink it, yep, but you're not going to get a lot of flavor out of it. No, you could drink it, you know, but you're not going to get a lot of flavor out of it, no, no, it is night and day different between this one and the first one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean score-wise, boy, I'm thinking, on this one there's like a 2.3, maybe even a 2.0. Maybe I was going to say 2.2, you know, I mean it's not offensive, but there's just nothing there. Yep, you know so, yes, home, I was gonna say two, two, you know, I mean it's not offensive, but there's just nothing there. Yeah, you know so. Yes, that's what a bummer. So that's kind of making me a little concerned about this last one. So this is by the same log boat brewing and this is their snapper american ipa, and this has a big snapping turtle on the can. And oh there, now this one is 7.2% and it says well, let me pour some into my glass here because I'm trying to read the side of it. It says Snapper is an easy-drinking, dry-hopped American IPA brewed with four varieties of American hops Volume all the way up, turtles all the way down, whatever that means. Okay, tell me about the aroma. On that one, I'm saying not much.
Speaker 1:No, I mean it's got a bit on it, I'm getting some sweet, a little bit of a stink.
Speaker 2:It smells like there's a little malt in there. It's a little sweeter, yeah, not overly bitter. No, it could be a little more bitter. It doesn't taste like 7.2%. It's pretty mellow, yeah, but the flavor is like mellow, like there's not much there.
Speaker 2:It says we're supposed to be able to get pineapple, peach and melon flavored from the house, but I'm not getting any of that. Well, let's try it again. I don't taste anything like that at all, do you? No, I am getting some citrus, maybe like the pineapple, but that's kind of stretching it, maybe, but it's super faint. Yeah, I'm not really even getting much for a hop flavor. No, I don't know. Like I said, maybe, if I don't know, I've had a lot. Well, we've both had a lot of different IPAs, a lot of different brown ales. You've brewed IPAs on brown ales. Like I said, these last two are they just seem like they're lacking. You know what I mean. Like they need something. Yeah, that's disappointing. Lacking. You know what I mean. They need something. Yep, that's disappointing. I was hoping for a little bit more on this one. I was expecting boobs on this last one. It's not a bad beer, no, Somebody that's never had an IPA.
Speaker 2:you could drink it, oh yes, if people say they won't try IPAs because they're always bitter, have them try this beer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it's very mellow. You know you're not going to taste a big hop bite to it, but for you and I that I would like to consider us to be a little more experienced in craft beer it leaves me wanting more. Like you taste it and you're like, okay, there should be more, especially when you know on the literature it's talking about four different varieties of hops, typically a brewery. In my experience, if a brewery is kind of drawing attention to that, it should be like a bigger flavor, you know, and this one is just not there. There's nothing, you don't get any, you can't tell, pick out any of the hops, you know. No, and that is a bummer. Yep, I'm, uh, I gotta say a two, five I'm sticking, I'm gonna.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go with like a oh geez, I'd like to go to five.5, like just average, but I'm going to go a 2.4 just because I wish there was more. You know, I really wish there was more. For anybody out there that doesn't like IPAs because they're bitter, go ahead and try this Logboat Brewing Snapper.
Speaker 1:It's not an offensive beer.
Speaker 2:For an IPA, it's not hoppy at all. Yep, exactly, all right. Well, hey, there's three more from Checkers Tavern. We will check back later if we try some more. We're going to see what else they have. Otherwise, we're going to finish these and then we'll see how the band is going. And we'll see how the band is going and we'll check in. So if we don't get back with you, I just wanted to say, like we always say, keep your campfires warm and your beers always cold.
Speaker 1:Alright, talk to you later. Thank you for listening to the Northwoods Beer Guy podcast. If you have a question, a comment or a beer you'd like us to review, please feel free to send us a message at northwoodsbeerguy at gmailcom. You can also find us on Facebook, twitter and Instagram. If you're on untapped, look up Northwoods Beer Guy and send a friend request. Until next week, I hope all your campfires are warm and all your beer is cold.
