Ep 142 - Cold Cans, Warm Laughs: A Holiday Beer Ride

A snowy day calls for a mixed pack and a little mischief. We cracked open eight winter beers that promised cookies, spice, and holiday cheer—and found a spectrum from burnt-roast stouts to a bourbon-kissed gem that actually delivers the season in a glass. Along the way, we test what makes a “Christmas beer” work: aroma that hints at the flavors to come, balanced sweetness, and labels that tell the truth.

We start with a “Christmas cookie” cream ale that forgets the cookie, then navigate a Rogue stout heavy on char. Three Floyds shows up with a hop-leaning porter in Krampus clothes, while Old Nation’s Frandor Claws finally hits the brief with cherry, vanilla, and cacao in harmony. A coffee bomb called Devil’s Invention pushes bold grounds without the grit, and Victory’s Very Merry Monkey proves that Belgian yeast and gingerbread spice can play well together when the sweetness stays in check.

Our standout of the night is Great Lakes’ Barrel-Aged Christmas Ale at 10% ABV—smooth, gently bourboned, aromatic with holiday spice, and friendly to drinkers who usually shy away from barrels. A 12% Milwaukee stout closes the flight with an unexpected tart edge that intrigues more than it satisfies. Between pours, we trade Santa lore—Sinterklaas, NORAD tracking, and the myths behind the red suit—because nothing pairs with winter beer like a little holiday trivia.

If you love seasonal beer, this tasting will help you shop smarter: seek clear spice on the nose, watch the IBUs on dark styles, and anchor your lineup with one approachable barrel-aged ale. Listen, share your top cold-weather pour, and subscribe so you don’t miss our next round of festive cans. Got a beer we should try? Send it our way and join the campfire conversation.

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 northwoodsbeerguy@gmail.com.

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Transcript

Snowy Banter And Setup

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Grab a beer and pull up a chair. Welcome to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. Ho ho ho. Ho ho ho. Ho ho ho. That's, you know, Santa. He's he's coming to town.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Well, he might have already been here early, I think.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Well, and I want everybody to know that Santa's still watching you, Jim, because we had a lot of complaints on how mean you were to me last time. Uh-oh, how many? I I'm not going to divulge specifically how many it was, but there was a lot. Was there more than one? More than just yourself? I can neither confirm nor deny.

SPEAKER_04 1:00

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Well, hey, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy. And once again, I am joined by Jim. Hey buddy, how you doing? I'm doing well, man. How about yourself? Enjoying the winter wonderland. I'm trying to think if there's been a day since we first got our first measurable snow that it hasn't snowed now. It seems like every day we're getting more snow.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

I'm kind of snowed out.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah, you need both. It's kind of exactly. I'm tired of it. Well, at least we're inside today. We are inside, and we are once again joined by Jim's way better half Julie. Hello, everyone. So, Julie, uh, we we invited you back down again because we were able to find some more Christmas themed beers. Excellent. And now these ones, Jim, I don't think we've ever had any of these. So they could be good, they could be bad. We don't know, but we're gonna try them. And the so what the theme is it Santa or is it Christmas? Is it well? What do you think? This one there's there's a lot more kind of Santa type theme ones, I guess. You know, they don't all have Santa on them, but there's uh they're definitely Christmas Christmas on them. Yes, yes, that sounds like a good idea. Yeah, so yeah, we're gonna give these a whirl. Now we have eight beers. Uh, a couple of them aren't specifically Christmas themed, but we worked them in. So awesome. Well, you can't go wrong then, right? No, exactly. What could go wrong?

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Yeah, nothing. Uh a whole lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Don't pay no attention to Julie. She's she doesn't know what she's talking about.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Oh, and uh just FYI.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

You didn't have any questions. Good.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

I have a whole bunch of questions ready for you. Okay, well, and they're all kind of uh Santa Claus themed questions.

Lineup: Eight Holiday Beers

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Oh, so if you rank your wheelhouse, maybe I'll have a chance this time, Julie. I know you never know.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

I I feel like you are the nor of all of yes, but you saw you saw last week how that goes.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Well, and if I get them right, your husband gets really mad, and then he goes to like the the PhD level questions.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

Well, I thought that's what you'd have. If you get them right, you get a minus 5,000 anyway. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Don't you have a plain high school diploma? I do. PhD. No, think PhD post-high school, yeah. No, I have a post-high school. Plain high school degree. No, I got more than that. I got a BS. Oh well, BS on you then.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Yeah, F you your BS.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Oh, dang. Hey, let's keep this clean. This is a this is Christmas time, you know. I know.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

Well, Santa's watching. That's right. Santa's watching you.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Should we have somebody read the first beer? Well, the first one we have is actually by Bent Paddle. Bent paddle. Yeah. Now, this sounds interesting. So, Julia, if you would be so kind, what uh what are the deets on this?

Beer 1: “Christmas Cookie” Misses The Mark

SPEAKER_03 3:41

It's uh Christmas cookie cream ale from Bent Paddle Brewing, 5% ABV and 19 IBUs. And this is out of Duluth, Minnesota. So it is the spritz cookie can be found at just about every holiday party and gathering in Minnesota. This traditional Scandinavian Christmas cookie shows up in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors. And in this case, beer. Notes of vanilla, almond, and cardamom mingle with cream ale malt profile for a sweet cookie goodness. Our Christmas cookie cream ale pairs and shares perfectly with the traditional plate of cookies that appear this time of year. So that's what we have on that.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

What is the cardamom?

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Cardamom.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Yeah. Uh yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

Is it like a we have cardamom?

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Maybe it's like a nutmeggy type uh I think it's something kind of spice type thing. It's in baking, I think.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

I think so. Did you see there the other part that uh the co-founder of Bentpadal is originally from lacrosse, Wisconsin? Really? Brian Ponis. Huh. And then he attended UW Minnesota Duluth. And then he met his wife. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

Co-founder, Karen. Okay. Well, uh, Mr. Google says that cardamom is a fragrant spice from the ginger family, known for its complex, sweet, spicy, and slightly minty flavor. Oh, derived from the seeds of pods used globally in both sweet dishes, baking and drinks, and savory curries, and offers potential health benefits for digestion. It's best used in moderation, though.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Oh, just like beer. Yep, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

So this is healthy for us.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Yeah, see.

SPEAKER_03 5:31

That's Cremungeon. That's what that is. Cardamom.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Cardamom. You're a curmung. I thought it was Cremungeon. What is a Cremungeon? Jim is a Cremon.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

That's one of those old guys that's always grumpy.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Oh, yeah. Jim's a crumon.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Yeah, you are. Wait, yeah, I can confirm. Okay. So we should have vanilla, almond, and cardamom. Cromungeumungum. To me, it just kind of smells like beer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

A little bit of different taste there. I'm not sure what that is. If that's the cardamom. Cromungeumungum.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

I I'm really not getting vanilla. I get no vanilla.

SPEAKER_03 6:06

Or even almond cinnamon. Is there cinnamon in there? No, no cinnamon.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Well, it's supposed to be supposed to be vanilla and almond. Oh, almond. And then that cardamom. There's something going on there. That's got a different taste to it.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

I don't know if it is that a Christmas cookie taste.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

Well, I've had many, many spritz cookies, and I don't recall them tasting like this.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

I can safely say I these are the ones that that like that ant would bring over that you're like, oh, I hope there's not cat food in it, you know, and hair. Yeah. Yeah, or cat hair. I don't I don't know. Well, good thing about this is that Julie gets to go first.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Hmm. I'm gonna probably go. Oh, I'm gonna have to go like maybe a 1.9. Yeah. I'm not uh I I don't know what it is that's in there, but I'm not a fan of it. Whatever the flavor is, it's just gonna there's something funky dunce going on.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

I yeah, I personally I just don't get any of that flavor. It's just kind of a it's like bitter or it's almost a flat just beer, you know. And we've had uh other bent paddle beers that are good. So I don't know if it's this is a bad can, hopefully for them. Yeah, I'm it it is not a spritz cookie. No, no, and say that with certainty. If it's on the label, it should be in the can. And there's I really don't taste a Christmas cookie in that at all. Okay, I'm doing I'm gonna go like a yeah, 1.8. I I just I'm sorry, bent paddle, but I just I don't get any, and like you said, that's that cardamom's kind of supposed to be kind of minty. I don't get anything like that either.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

I will say the the can is super cool. Um, like the decoration of the can is very cute and very Christmassy.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Reindeers and string of lights, and and I'm trying to figure out if the other side, if it's like just other like cookies, some of it looks like it could be cookie type shapes, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_03 8:03

Well, that is a spritz cookie right there, but that's not what it tastes like in the can. Sure doesn't taste like that.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

No, what do you think there, Jim? Well, I'm gonna give it a tenth of a point for the the wrap on the can. So I'm gonna have to go like a 2.0 because there's I guess no aroma. No, no, you know, I was kind of wasn't it last week we had some Christmas cookie ones, and there's a good aroma right off the bat. I mean, even this one, there should have been maybe even a little sugar, sugarish type flavor, but there there was none of that. So I'm fault right with you guys. I'm gonna say a 2.0.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

Yeah, there's there's I feel like it smelled it to me, it smelled like just a regular beer, but then it has like some kind of flavor in there that is not cookie-ish at all.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

And how many beers have we had, Jim, that have vanilla in them? Right, and you can taste it very good. Our pallets are pretty uh you can pick up vanilla, and I got none of that.

Santa Trivia Begins: Origins Of St. Nick

SPEAKER_02 8:58

So all right, are you ready for your first easy question? Easy question. Okay, Santa Claus. Um oh yes, yeah. So are you guys ready? Yep, we're ready. Approximately when and in what modern day country was Saint Nicholas born. And for a bonus, if you can tell me what he did, I'll even give you bonus points. The actual Saint Nicholas? Yep. I did some deep diving to find this.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

So we have it's a three-part question. So we gotta know where he was born, when he was born, and what he did.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Yep. Yeah, this was the preschool level question you said. Yep, this is the easiest one of the days. I'm gonna say now can we can it be just the like the century type thing? Or does it have to it doesn't have to be like spring on okay? I'm gonna say the 1300s. Okay, and I'm gonna say in what is modern day Denmark, okay, and I'm gonna say he was what he did. Um, he had to do something like with kids or something. Um uh I'm just gonna say that he was like a I don't say he was a toy maker.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

All right, close, close, all right.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

Julie. Oh, I'm gonna say, oh gosh. I'm gonna go with hang on a second. I'm filing protest. She's got her, she's got her phone. I'm not actually I'm actually texting Arnie at the moment. Um I'm gonna go with, I'm gonna guess first on what he did. I'm gonna say he was a toy maker.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

You already had that.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

Oh, did you say toy maker?

SPEAKER_01 10:32

We're not even paying attention to me.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

I was texting. Sorry. Okay, so I can't use toy maker.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

You said something with kids, and then I said I'm gonna say a toy maker.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

Well, then I'm she gets a thousand points on it. Okay, I'm gonna go with stripper. Whoa, totally the different way. I'm gonna say he was born in Germany in the 1600s, and he worked at the strip clubs in Germany, you're saying, yeah. He was uh with a chain nose, picking up his chain nose.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Wow, yeah, all right. You guys are both uh not even a remote. Obscenely wrong. So he was a bishop in the third century of Turkey, which originally was called Patera, an ancient city in Lakes Lakes, L Y C I A. Okay, in Asia Minor. And he was known for his generosity, okay, not for dealing with kids or stripping. Yep. So I can't even give Julie that one. I mean, that's okay, good. That was like way out there.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

At least come close. Mine was mine, was family friendly.

SPEAKER_03 11:43

I'm sorry, Santa. Promise I've been a good girl with you.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

I didn't expect those answers.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Okay, I'm not texting anymore during the because I wasn't paying attention to it.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

So I was I'm thinking we got to come up with a story about how Santa was stripping in Germany and uh the 1600s.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

And then nothing, it has nothing to do with Europe.

unknown 12:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

All right. Well, I could have said he was like born in Jersey, yeah.

Beer 2: Rogue Stout And Burnt Notes

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Exactly. Hooked into the certain crown that shall not be named. All right. Well, hey, the second beer that we have is by Rogue. Rogue. Rogue. This is Santa's private reserve stout. 5.7% ABV. Nice. And 40 IBUs. And they're out of Newport, Oregon. Sweet. And they had a little description and uh of this beer, it says dark as winter's eve and smooth as Santa's sleigh ride. This holiday stout is layered with chocolate, oats, and fruit notes to bring warmth to the season. Bold yet balanced. It's the perfect companion for long winter nights. Is this for your horse too? Oats. Well, it could be for reindeer. It could be reindeer, yeah. See, now he's trying to get back on Santa's good. So I actually I think you're off the hook, and Julie might be on uh she might she might be out for a couple of years. Yeah, Santa's going.

SPEAKER_03 13:07

Well, have you not watched Bad Santa? Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

I'll give you that one. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

No, I guess I missed that. That wasn't on the military channel at all. Mike can knock me on that open.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

No, on the bottle. See, Santa's outside. Is he got fully clothed? Like a starry night. Starry night. It looks like he's got a glass or something, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03 13:28

So Santa might not be as uh it looks like he's holding something, a glass, a glass of beer, kind of with a bow on it.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

See? All right.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

So this is a little higher than IBU's.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

That's a little dark, a little darker than most of our Christmas beers have been. A little higher than IBU's, it looks like a little higher, yeah. Which means we won't even taste them. It's like uh if it's anything like looks like liquid chocolate because it didn't say anything about hops in the right, and it did it. I'm trying to let me look here. Okay, so just chocolate oats and fruit notes.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Okay, so we should tell the latest kind of saying about fruit when they were pouring it in.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Could have did it actually put the fruit in there then if it's a note. Take a take a gander or take a whiff of that one. I'm just not really getting a lot of aroma on that one either.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

I'm gonna give you a hint, it's kind of similar to the last one we drank. You didn't smell much, but this one has more taste.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

It tastes like a stout. Totally get like a roasted roasted malt, malt, very smoky, very yeah, like a smoky, almost that burnt type flavor. That's the roasted malt, but it's like I don't get fruit.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

Yeah, I think they were singing when I pouring it in.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Yeah, to me, it's like they had a a fruit plate out when they it was like it to me, it tastes like charred.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

Wow. This one is this is a dark flavor. I mean, you know, that real strong I mean for chocolate, it's like a heavy, heavy, dark, dark, dark chocolate. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

I see to me, I don't get chocolate really even at all.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

It's well, that's like that that burnt flavor you're getting. That's kind of the part of the chocolate, but it's like really this is way stronger.

SPEAKER_03 15:08

I thought it was gonna be which makes me sad because right, you know, yeah, chocolate's supposed to be good, not burnt.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Right. Oh, it's like like even like does something in my tongue, yeah. Like, you know, like I can't get get the flavor off my tongue, it's like stuck, right?

SPEAKER_03 15:26

That's that smoky, like, yeah, uh weird.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Boy, these uh these first two Christmas ones are kind of not was I what I was expecting. No, me either. Interesting. So you were first, like wow. Um this is big time dominated by that burnt the roasted malt, dark chocolate flavor. I I don't pick up any kind of fruit flavor out of it. And I don't know if you want to feed to your reindeer. Yeah, I don't you probably don't want to feed too many to your reindeer. I mean, you could drink a few if you wanted to, but I think one, and I'd be like, I need something to kind of get rid of that. Yeah, you know, score-wise, boy, I'm gonna go with 2.0. I just it's it's not what I was expecting.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

You know what, and granted, I do I know it says it's the thought, and I mean that is all that I taste is the thought flavor. I don't get any of the other chocolate, oats, fruit notes, warmth, bold. None of the oh, it's bold. Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna say it. Um this is better than the first one. I'm gonna have to say it. I'm gonna go 2.2. I'm not a fan either.

SPEAKER_03 16:37

I'm not a I actually will take would drink the first one, I think, before this. So I will go one below what I gave the first one. 1.8. Yeah, I it to me, it just it tastes burnt, and I don't really like that.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

This is like Jim, we've had a way more stouts than anybody we know, and this is really kind of this is like almost tough to to drink. You don't want to chew it down.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

Yeah, I mean, it's just like it did give me the heebies on that last uh last drink of that. Swallery.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

I was like, oh right. Well, are you guys ready for question number two? Well, yeah, yeah, okay. And this isn't has nothing to do with anybody being naked.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

Nobody's stripping, nobody's naked, there's no naked, there's no all right, all right, fine.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

All right, so what is the origin of the name Santa Claus?

SPEAKER_01 17:35

What is the origin?

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Like what language, or what uh because you know it doesn't didn't start out as Santa Claus, it started out as Saint Nick. Saint Nick. So how did it change over? This is another one that was pre-pre-K. This is like 4K questions here. Yeah. You guys are smarter than a 4K or three K right.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

No, not after all these years out of school, no.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Um, gosh, I I have no idea how it would have gone from Saint Nick to Santa Claus. Lost in translation somewhere? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

I see, I'm still trying to figure out what you're what you mean, what is the origin. So Saint Nick is originally right. Yep, I got that.

Beer 3: Three Floyds Porter, Hops Surprise

SPEAKER_02 18:19

And then at any point it changed to Santa Claus.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Okay, I have no idea. When he's when he decided when he found that first flying reindeer.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

No, I give up. I give up. The only guesses I'm gonna have are not probably appropriate.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

So let's let's go with well, it was his stage name when he was stripping. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

So Santa Claus is the Americanized version of the Dutch Sinterklaas. Oh, see, so that it was how they pronounced my other games. Yeah, I was gonna guess that.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

That's how they pronounce St. Nicholas. I figured that was too easy, so so that's where it came from.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Okay, the American version. Okay, wow. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna give minus 5,000 for both of you on that one.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Well, at least we're tied. Yeah, well, she's see what it is with these these two first beers that are messed up.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

Yeah, like it's uh my brain's not firing on all cylinders after the first two.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

All right, here you want to read the next one. Maybe we can maybe can change it up.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

Alpha Claws Christmas Porter from Three Floyds.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Now, before you continue reading, look at that. Looks like Krampus on the label there. Look at that guy. That's like a scary demon Santa. It's like Krampus. That's for the bad kids. That's usually who Jim sees.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

That's isn't he living in your house, mate?

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Yeah, he's he's in with your judges of where he's at.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

So this is uh 7.3 ABV and 67 IBUs from Munster, Indiana. Alpha King's festive cousin, a big American Christmas porter brewed with English chocolate malt. Oh Lord. Mexico. Mexican sugar and tons of strange American hop. Oh my god, I'm afraid.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

What was the ABV Edison? 7.3. And then what's the IBU? 67.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

The pronounced hop bitterness gives away gives way to flavors of molasses and chocolate from the roasted malt bill. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Well, didn't last week we had one that said molasses, and there was no molasses.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

There wasn't anything that tasted like molasses in that other one.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

Oh wow,'cause uh that's that smells like it too.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

I can smell it smells hoppy. I can smell a little hoppy, and it's I mean, it is dark. I mean, that's dark for his thought and it's a porter, so that's dark.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

It shouldn't be this, usually they're not this dark. The aroma is very different than the flavor.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

Yeah. I'm pleasantly surprised it's not as bitter as the last one we drank.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

I was gonna say you get that initial, you get the hop, but it goes away. It goes away real quick. I don't know if I get like a molasses, but I wonder if that's kind of what knocks down that that hop bite a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

I don't taste much chocolate. No, all I taste is hoppy.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

It's not super hoppy though. Well I mean, I don't even 67 IBUs.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

I don't know if it's that. Well, you you've looked in the little fridge down here in the studio, right? Jim has that stocked with IPAs and double IPAs and Quintuple IPAs. I feel like he's holding on to that to give them to your brother. No, no, he he's a closet IPA fan. I know he is.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

Oh well so English chocolate malt?

SPEAKER_01 21:33

I get a little I taste some malt. Yeah. Yeah. I say you this one has a lot less of that burnt flavor. Yeah, it's the roasted malt, but it's you still get it, but it's very minimal compared to that last one. I mean, what that's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

I guess like what was the flavor that they're going for?

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Well, they said uh molasses. Mexican sugar. I don't know if I really get a real sweetness to it at all.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

No.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

I and like you like you're saying, Julie, the hops is definitely the more prominent flavor. And it dries your mouth out too. Yeah. So, Jim, what do you think on that bad boy?

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Well, I guess the good thing is they did put a lot of hops in it. There is a hop aroma, but the flavor's not hopy. So that's the positive. Do I taste all the chocolate malt? I malt, I think I'm getting some of the maltiness for Mexican sugar. I don't taste the sweetness.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

I feel like there's nothing sweet about this.

SPEAKER_02 22:30

Yeah, molasses. I don't, I don't, I know what molasses tastes like. I don't think I taste that or the chocolate. So I'm gonna have to go in between the first two. I'm gonna have to say a 2.1. I don't know. I'm I'm I'm not getting it.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

I don't know. Well, I feel like I can't get off uh the the first two scores I have. I feel like I need to use those again. Because I'm like go up or about uh I'm gonna I can't go up because I really am not a fan of the case. You can go down, then I'll have to go down one 1.7. Yeah, honestly, I could rate these, I feel like all at the same level because I'm not a fan, but I also don't have the palette like you guys have.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

So you're supposed to be our Christmas cookie helper.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Well, none of this is like cookies. I mean, like obviously, if you could see what I look like, you'd know that I do know my cookies. But none of this tastes like cookies or Christmas candy or nothing. No, nothing Christmas. There's nothing Christmas so far.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

No, I have to remind you that it looked like Krampus was on the label. So this is for the bad kids. Oh, okay. So see, the good kids get the the good tasting ones and the bad kids get the burnt ones. So see, it makes sense, but I do agree with you.

SPEAKER_03 23:41

Um, I think I'm spoiled. There's nothing as good as that 2024 Christmas cookie exchange beer.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Yeah, that one was still, yeah, that was by far those ones were better so far. Yeah, score wise on this one. I do think that I actually like it a little better than the first two. Okay. Uh, but that's not saying a whole lot. So I'm I'm going like a 2.1. Uh just a step up. Just a step up. Again, I get you get that the hop bitterness, and then you get that roasted, you know, but it's not, and it doesn't linger quite as long. But right now, that the hop is I just burped up some hop. Oh, I'm saying that the hop is what's lingering on Mary.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

Oh, do we need some fresh glasses? Do you think?

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Um, well, we could we probably could. Oh gosh. That's probably what it is. That first one is probably contaminated the other ones. Oh wow. I doubt it, but you know, so that's kind of to have a little bit of a uh salad cleanser here. That one is lingering, Jim.

SPEAKER_04 24:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

I apologize. Well, we bought now we should say that we bought these all on a build your own six-pack during our Black Friday beer extravaganza, which is good because now you don't have five or three other ones to drink. Correct. So that's the good thing, is most of these we only had the one. So all right.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

So you're ready for the next pre-K question. Oh, yeah, bring it on. So this is another multi-answer. I'm gonna give you you can get multiple ways you can get it right. Okay. So I'm looking for a year, I'm looking for the name of the poem and what it was and the guy. So there's four different ways here. So when did Santa Claus get his red suit and jolly image? Christmas Eve, duh. This is another one of those pre-K questions that every kindergartner has 1932.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

I think he digs too far deep into this stuff. These are just like this is one thing. I was gonna say the night before Christmas, but that's I'm sure that's not. And what it is, it's a poem. The strip club. The strip club. I said 1932. I think it's before that.

SPEAKER_03 25:47

But there's other things you can do.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Okay, what's my next part of it? I thought you said you just had to get one part right and we get it right.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

No, there, so it's like worth a thousand points. So if you get one part, it's 250. Oh, all right. Read it once again. When did Santa Claus get his rent suit and jolly image? We answered that the year. So that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

She said 1932. I'm gonna say uh in the I'm just I'm going century-wise because I don't have a specific date. I'm gonna say in the 1500s.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

And then what was he doing? What was what why would he get it? You had to be doing something.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

Um, what was he doing?

SPEAKER_03 26:27

Handing out presents, yeah, making toys.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Talking to kids at the church.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

You guys are just like gotta open up your brain housing groups a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 26:37

I can okay, mister. Do you know how many brain cells we just killed on these last three beers?

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Oh, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

Yeah, so are you ready for this easy answer?

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Yes, in 1930s, boom, baby, Coca-Cola campaign, you know, red so he's he never they never had an image of him before Coke put him on the nah. I'm gonna call bullshit, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

Clement Clark Moore's poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, which is also called The Night Before Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

I said the night before Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Yeah, but you changed your mind so you're getting off the oh, see how he is. At least Julie did get the night.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

Yeah, I give her credit for that, but that seems weird that they didn't have an image of him before. I think they did, but it was like I don't think they had an image, but it wasn't but it wasn't red.

SPEAKER_03 27:25

It wasn't red and jolly, it was that like burgundy, grumpy old man looking type thing, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Like Jim.

SPEAKER_03 27:32

Yeah, okay, Crumungeon, Crummungeon, like if Jim had a burgundy sweater on right now, just like that.

unknown 27:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:39

All right, so interesting. That is weird. I had no idea that it was kind of Coca-Cola. So Coke is the one that's responsible. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 27:46

So I can't believe I mean three questions. You guys just like shanked them. Well, shank a potamus.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

See, again, when you're when you go on, like whatever you got this stuff from, and you're like, give me the hardest questions I can possibly get.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

I actually stopped oh here. The bus was driving by, and I went on the bus and asked these like kindergarten kids.

SPEAKER_01 28:04

They're the ones that actually gave me the info. Okay. Wow. All right.

SPEAKER_02 28:07

I didn't even have to go online to find these.

Beer 4: Frandor Claws Hits Cherry-Vanilla

SPEAKER_01 28:09

Okay. All right. Well, we got another, I'm gonna drink another beer because I'm the next one that we have, and this is one that we bought on Black Friday.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

It's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

No idea. Never had it before. So we're just going into these blind. This is Frandor Claws, American Stout from Old Nation Brewing Company. And they're out of Williamston, Michigan. 7% ABV and 30 IBUs. So hopefully it's a little less hoppy. Yeah. And the description is Frandor Claws is crafted with an indulgent mix of high-quality natural cacao nibs, cherry puree, and vanilla extract, blending rich dessert-like flavor reminiscent of the iconic cherry cordial, and crafted in collaboration with Lansing Facts and Frandor Shopping Center. Uh okay. Frandor Claws combines our renowned brewing expertise with the joy and nostalgia of a classic holiday treat, all while supporting a great cause in the Lansing community by benefiting the Greater Lansing Food Bank. So that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

I am so excited about this.

SPEAKER_01 29:18

I hope that this isn't going to be like the first one.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

I'm hoping. I got I got a good feeling. Stout with cocoa nibs, natural cherry and vanilla flavors. And the can is really cool.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

It's like uh Santa's driving like a convertible type old car. Like a very muscular office showing his pipe. Got his gunzo, so to speak. Gunzo, gunzo.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

Got his wife beater Santix costume on. Right. And uh yeah, very cool can. It's a big can, too.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

So let's pint can.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

Let's hope this is all that's hype to me.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

I'm hoping that this is good because this one I do have three more of. Oh, you had to buy a two pack. Yeah, it was a four-pack. Yes, I had to buy a four-pack of this one. Nice. So we're hoping there's yours, Jim. And this is a pint can. So hopefully it tastes good. Yeah. Otherwise, you know what you're gonna be getting for Christmas.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

Uh so apparently you had to buy more than one.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

Yeah, I had to buy four. Oh, I don't mind that one. That one's better. Like taste of vanilla. I can I get the vanilla, I get the cherry. There's a little bit of cherry. Yeah, a little bit of coconut. It's more sweet, sweeter flavor than these other ones.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

Yeah, this I could do this one.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

This is kind of one of those where it's maybe it's just that we're our taste buds are so shot from these first three that it tastes really pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

Yeah, I was like, it does hit all of the things it says. Yeah. You know, you can taste the cherry, the cocoa. Yeah, it smells good.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

Yeah, I mean, it's no bitter aftertaste. When I say it tastes like a cherry cordial, no. Not really, but but I do get those flavors, kind of those flavors in it, though. Yeah, you know, so I give him credit for that.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

The lack of hops really helps out.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Yeah, I figured you would like that. Yeah, we don't need hops. Yeah, it's a lot smoother. 7%. So I mean it it drinks nice. And it's it's smooth.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

I feel like it almost has a little bit of a cherry tint to it when you kind of yeah, kind of.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

I mean, it it is dark, but it's it does have a little bit of a reddish to it.

SPEAKER_02 31:16

And this one is almost like you know, it's not as dark as like the porter should be rather than stone. Right. Exactly. I don't mind this one. No, well, you're first too.

SPEAKER_03 31:25

Oh, well, I'm gonna go with I I'll go with a three on this one. I didn't mind it. Yeah, and I and there again, I don't know if it's just because of the ones before it were were a little bit dicey for me, but yeah, I liked it. It's it's good. It what do you cut say when it's on the can? It's on the can should be in the can, and it is, that's what it is. So and the can I I like the decoration on the can. Yeah, so I can actually finish this without getting the heebies.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

So well, that's good. All right, I I agree a hundred percent. And I think this was this is the first one that really what it says on it is in it, and you can taste it. And like I said, it's not like super cherry up front or vanilla, but I mean you do get those in the in the uh the taste, you know. So uh I'm I like it. I'm gonna go with 2.9 on that one. I do like that. I I could drink a can of that one.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

All right. Well, so I guess my only drawback for it, I don't really taste it says cocoa nibs. I'd get the vanilla and I get the cherry. I don't get as much cocoa, maybe. I don't know. But I mean, I think if I do think if they would have added just a little bit more of each of the flavors, they'd have a really good beer. We'd have you know way up there in the scoring. So I think without that, I'm gonna have to go like a 2.7. I mean, it's okay, but I don't give I can't give an okay beer a high score. I get I'm looking, I'm looking to have some good flavors.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

So I was hoping for a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

But you scored it better than the first three. Yes. See, so that's not so bad.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Yeah. Um, I'd like to if anybody hears a lot of moaning and groaning, the dog is having some kind of needy issue today. So oh, I thought it was Jim. No, I don't know what's going on, but she's very needy. So if you hear that, don't be alarmed.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

So no worries.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

All right. Another okay, another easy. This is one of the one of the kids on the bus. Remember, they drive by. So I asked them, they came up with this question too. Two answers are possible. And what poem were the reindeer introduced?

SPEAKER_01 33:23

And then what year? It was the night before Chris. No, no, no, no. I'm taking that back.

SPEAKER_03 33:27

I'm gonna say Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. And and my hint is the year starts of the one. I'm gonna say I kind of figured 1962. And what poem? Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

Coffee Stout Detour: Devil’s Invention

SPEAKER_02 33:39

Yeah, I thought that was a song, but well, it is.

SPEAKER_03 33:41

That's the only thing I can come up with.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

That's the only thing that I can remember where they actually are.

SPEAKER_03 33:46

I'm like singing it to myself in my head, like, yeah, they did say all their names in there, didn't they?

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Actually, I'm gonna stick with was the night before Christmas, and I'm gonna say nine, I don't know what was wrong, 1934.

unknown 33:57

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 33:58

So it was the was the night before Christmas. Oh my god. In 1823, but I got it right. You said you could get it right. Two ways you could get it right. So I got it right. Right. So there was a thousand points possible. You got one point for getting the the name. You blew the year by over a hundred years, it wasn't even close. So, yeah, you Julie gets 500 points, you get one. She didn't get either of them right. She was closer than you.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Don't you wish it could be mean, Mike?

SPEAKER_02 34:28

See, it's easy.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

Those kindergartners they got good questions.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

I know.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

I was almost as smart as a kindergartner this time.

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Yeah, you were you were halfway smart. I was halfway smart as kindergartner. Halfway as the kindergarten.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

So, did you find something on our next beer? Yep, I sure did.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

So, this was one this is crazy what I just found on it. So, I was one that uh uh I picked up for a podcast, and we decided, you know, we could work it in here. Yes, you know. So this is by hopefully it's the right one. It's by Four Hands Burring. Yep. Out of St. Louis, yep. St. Louis. This is the name of it is the Devil's Invention. Yes. So this is kind of the opposite of the happy go lucky Christmas. Right. When I read this, I'm like, woo. Yeah, the devil's invention is a full-bodied stout brewed with coffee, inspired by one of the early nicknames for coffee, the bitter invention of Satan. Uh, okay. I thought it was a bitter invention of Santa. I must have read that wrong. This stout has a bold chocolatey aroma with complex notes of coffee and a smooth, sweet finish. The devil's invention pours black in color with a tan head. And it is 7.2% ABV.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

So I also did here while you're pouring it, I'll read a little bit here too. It just says, you know, the nickname also appears as the a mission in a game. I didn't know that. Mission in a game. A book title and a general concept for deceptively wordedly things in some religious context.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

So we should call all of your Christ your Christmas trivia questions the invention of Satan.

SPEAKER_02 36:06

But see, at least now we gotta tie-in to Christmas, right? Oh, okay. The beer is known for its rich coffee and chocolate notes, while other references touch on literature, video games, or spiritual teachings. About otherworldly distractions, kind of like Mike. I'm another red dot.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Red dot. Boy, you get a coffee smell on that one.

SPEAKER_03 36:28

That smells like nothing. That smells like coffee grounds.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

It smells like coffee. Hopefully, this isn't like chewing wet coffee grounds.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Oh, not I don't mind it. I'm not a coffee guy.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

It's a lot of coffee.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

Yeah, I like coffee and I don't mind it.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

Yeah, that's like hmm. Oh, so I found it.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

So do you know what the name of the book was?

SPEAKER_01 36:47

The Devil's Invention.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

Uh it's a romance novel. No, the invention of the devil. Yeah. Romance novel by Gina Luigi, where love is depicted as a potential devil's invention.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

It's all them ladies, I tell you. Or the video game. Lena doesn't. The dog doesn't like agree with that.

SPEAKER_03 37:07

The dog will moan at that. Yeah. Or the video game, a mission. Girls gotta stick together, Lena.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

In the combat toro Q game?

SPEAKER_03 37:17

Never heard of that. Like a video game?

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Apparently. Yep. I suppose when they're up playing video games for 72 hours straight, they gotta be, you know, they've down in coffee left and right.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

Yeah, that is the devil's invention.

SPEAKER_01 37:29

That is strong coffee. That is a strong coffee. I don't think wired for sound now. I don't think that it's we've had worse. I think stronger, but this is it's on that verge of I mean, look how much head is on there. Uh none. There's no. There was when I poured it, there was yeah. There was poured it, there was tan.

SPEAKER_03 37:50

There's not even a bubble. I don't mind it actually. I I do like coffee, but it doesn't, it's not like drinking coffee grounds. I mean, it actually tastes like coffee.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

I'll say some of them we've had it tastes like you're chewing on coffee grounds, and it's just this to me, it doesn't taste quite that strong, but it's it's strong.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

And I think some of the coffee ones are can be like extremely bitter, and I don't feel like this is really bitter. This is super bitter. No, not as there was a couple we had earlier that were more bitter than this.

SPEAKER_02 38:19

Mike Mike goes first on this devil's invention, I don't invention, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

You know, and it's it's still the funniest part of this whole thing to me is I don't drink coffee, but I don't mind the coffee stout.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

Maybe you should start drinking coffee.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

I don't think so, because I don't get a buzz off of coffee.

unknown 38:35

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Well, you could.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

I could. Like I said, I think we've had some that have had a stronger, and like you said, Julie, a more bitter coffee flavor. This one I don't mind. Uh I again would I drink because it is a pint can. What I I maybe could drink a can of it, you know, but I think I'd start to get kind of huh, you know. Yeah, but um, I don't mind it. I'm gonna go like a 2.7. I don't really mind it that much.

SPEAKER_03 39:02

Um go ahead. No, you can go next.

SPEAKER_02 39:05

I'm not a fan. I mean, I do like coffee, I mean, but for me, it's that like right now, my mouth is dried out and there's a bitterness in there.

SPEAKER_01 39:15

That's Santa Claus punishing you for treating us bad.

Reindeer Roll Call And Points Chaos

SPEAKER_02 39:19

It's it's not I mean, I don't get all the other flavors that it's supposed to have into it. It just tastes like there was like grounds just like wrung out in my glass. Oh, super strong. I'm gonna go a 2.3. I'm not I'm not a fan. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 39:36

Julie? I did not mind it. Um very strong coffee flavor, but not like the dirt bitter grounds coffee flavor. I would go a 2.5. Could I drink a lot of it? Probably not. But um I didn't I thought it would have a decent flavor to it for coffee.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

Did you look at the can? Look at the the uh it's like they got the fan. Fancy like they had like a drawing on on the on top of the cut of the you know like the froth on the like when when you get a cop cappuccino and it's got the picture. Fancy when you go to Starbucks and buy your$47 yeah cappuccino because it looks like the devil's on that one.

SPEAKER_03 40:14

Except for the skull with crossbones should have maybe that might have tipped us off. Tipped us off at but yeah, I interested. I didn't mind it.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

All right, are we ready for the next easy question? No, but you're gonna give it to us anyway, so all right.

SPEAKER_02 40:30

So do not blurt out the answer. I want to give the listeners an opportunity to think about it. So I'm gonna read the question, wait at least five seconds, and then let me know. Blurted out.

SPEAKER_03 40:45

Okay, okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 40:47

What are the names of the eight original reindeer? Oh, I know it. I know it. All right, so this give every chance to think about it. Do we want to just do them together back and forth?

SPEAKER_03 41:01

Or you can okay. You want to start start dasher, dancer, prancer, fixing, comet, cupid, donner, blitzing. But do you recall when Julie and Mike got him right?

SPEAKER_02 41:16

So of these, he better not pull some kind of crap. He is gonna here you go. So no.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

Well, you didn't say them in the dialect that it was originally done in 1204 A, you know, ABC.

SPEAKER_03 41:28

And yeah, they were not in alphabetical order, minus.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

And I also wanted them by age, and so which of the original eight reindeer also doubles in another item. I don't know what that means. So, not as a reindeer, cupid. What's your answer? Cupid. All right, Julie got it right. Mike got wrong. Good job, Mike. He was so close, so close, but yet so far. Boy, I wish I would have said Cupid first. Next time, next time. Next time I'll remember that next year. Yeah, you're so close. No, I was close. Julie got a thousand points and Mike got zero.

SPEAKER_00 42:10

Nothing because that's how Jimmy that's how Jimmy.

SPEAKER_03 42:13

That's how Jim. Oh, Mike's got a question of his own.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

You hear this? Yeah, this is my letter to Santa. And you're not getting nothing this year. I can read this one. You read the last one. Oh, that's right. I read the last one.

Beer 6: Very Merry Monkey Belgian Spice

SPEAKER_03 42:23

I gotta get my glasses on for this now. There's a whole bunch of reading. Which one is it? This one? Yep. Oh, very merry monkey spiced holiday ale from Vic Victory Brewing Company, 9.5 ABV and 25 IBUs out of Pennsylvania.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

Nice. And the reason why I put Pennsylvania is because it had like five different locations. Oh, yeah, and it didn't have like this. Is our main headquarters, but I don't really know which one is which, huh?

SPEAKER_03 42:51

Okay, it says add a little bit of spice. Your favorite holiday tradition, Merry Monkey, returns with a lively hint of gingerbread in this Belgian style triple. Is that is that right? Yeah, see, I'm learning, boys.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

See, wow. It wasn't a lot of reading. Let me easy. Once I pour it, I'm gonna show you the can because this monkey on here is pretty snooty looking. Is that the one from uh what movie was that? Check that out. Doesn't it look like he's got attitude? He's like snooty. Oh, he does.

SPEAKER_03 43:20

He he is like a bougie monkey. Yes, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 43:23

Bougie is better than snooty. Isn't that like the ones from Upper Nok Claire Monk's brewing? Don't they have like something like that? Kind of a little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:31

All right. I smell ginger.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

You smell yeah, I smell ginger big time. Uh-huh. Old in style tripod.

SPEAKER_03 43:36

Oh, there's a there is a little bit more on the back of the can. It says notes of cinnamon, sweet molasses, and a oomph technical term technical term of ginger will remind you of all that's great about this classic cookie.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

So a merry monkey is a cookie, I guess. I did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 43:54

I did not know that either.

SPEAKER_01 43:56

Totally get ginger, yes, big time.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

That's a bigger oomph. But I think the Belgian the style, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

Usually their Belgians are have kind of that that kind of a gingery, like a yeasty flavor. But I totally get the the ginger, and you do get on the on the back end, you do get a little bit of cinnamon.

SPEAKER_03 44:16

Yeah, I was gonna say it m like molasses to me. It's like a molasses cookie when you've had a molasses cookie. I don't know. I feel like it's all in there. Everything they say.

SPEAKER_02 44:25

This is as close to a cookie as it we've gotten so far.

SPEAKER_03 44:28

Agreed. Yeah, this does taste more like a cookie than most.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

I'm not sure. I'm not what was the ABV on that one again? Uh 9.5. Yep. Spiced holiday ale. Honestly, I don't mind that, but you know, I do I like a lot of the Belgian stuff.

SPEAKER_02 44:47

Yeah, the Belgian style. I mean, that to me really is prominent. That that style and that the Belgian yeast comes through.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

It's kind of one of the I know we say it a lot, but it's kind of a polarizing thing because I know a lot of people that really don't like Belgian beers because of that kind of that yeasty right, you know, flavor to it. Uh, this one is I like it. This is pretty good. So you want to go first? I can, yeah. Uh yeah, I I don't mind this. Would I drink a lot of them? No. You know, I mean nine and a half percent. It it does drink pretty smooth for that, but it would it will get you for a while. The the predominant flavor really is the ginger. Yes, you know, it's not like ginger beer flavor, but it's you get that for sure. I do get the cinnamon. I I like it. I'm gonna go either. I'm gonna go with 3.1 actually. Wow, I do like this one. That's your I'm kind of I'm kind of a bougie monkey. You are a bougie monkey. Jim not a fan, Jim's like scratching his tongue, apparently.

SPEAKER_02 45:46

So I'm the Belgian style really is not. I mean, that's an acquired taste. And for me, that really that flavor comes through. That that's like for me the predominant flavor. Are there some other spiced flavors in it? I mean, there is a little bit on the very, very back end, but um for me, I would like those flavors a little bit more up front, a little bit more to them. Yep, that to me would make it much maybe it would lessen the Belgian style, a little bit maybe that's coming through. So I'm gonna have to go probably like a 2.5, I think. I'm gonna stretch away out on that one.

SPEAKER_03 46:21

Well, I'm sweating, so there's something going on. So it's good, it's good. There's something going on in there that I'm like, ooh, it's gonna be hot in here.

SPEAKER_01 46:30

You are welcome.

SPEAKER_03 46:32

It's like, oh, this is uh I don't mind it, it does taste like a cookie. I would probably go. Do I have did I already give something like 2.7? Nope. Don't you want to give it? Sure. Yeah, I don't mind it. I don't mind it, but my my cheeks are very hot right now.

SPEAKER_01 46:47

Well, that could be because we're moving up an ABV too.

SPEAKER_03 46:49

Oh, so and my nose is running, it's like all happening right now.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

All right, my last question. Oh, unless I unless I dig some more up. I mean, darn. Okay. So another one, I and this was actually when the bus was coming back through. Okay, they didn't I could only ask a few questions. The bus left, picked up some more kids. So this is another kid on the school bus that was going. This is like the the afternoon bus because it's like the 4K, you know, the second half. Oh, sure. Yep, gotcha. So this is how easy the question is. Okay, in what year did Santa Claus receive his pilot's license? What?

SPEAKER_03 47:26

Uh I didn't know Santa Claus had a pilot license.

SPEAKER_01 47:29

So you're saying that technically, if we had a flying sleigh with reindeer, you'd need a pilot's license. Yep. So the FAA made him get a license.

SPEAKER_02 47:37

It doesn't say that, but he did get a license.

SPEAKER_01 47:40

Silly. What 1972? I was gonna give you my hint. Doesn't matter. I don't need a hint. I'm gonna say because it's dumb.

SPEAKER_03 47:49

I'm gonna say another easy question. I'm gonna say 2015.

SPEAKER_01 47:54

So Mike was the closest. At a boy, Mike. What was that? What was the question you're or the hint you were gonna give first? It starts with the one. Okay, well, I can nail that one.

SPEAKER_02 48:03

See, so that would have helped somebody that was off by okay. What was the year? He officially received his light pilot's license in 1927. 1927? Yep.

SPEAKER_01 48:15

We didn't even have airplanes then, did we? We did the Wright brothers. Oh, the Wright brothers gave it to him. Yeah, they barely flew. What did it give any details like anything other than well?

SPEAKER_02 48:26

That's the next set of questions.

SPEAKER_01 48:27

I'm gonna have you said this is the last question you said. Oh no, I'm gonna dig up some more for you now. Interesting. Yes, he's in 1927. He got a pilot's license.

SPEAKER_02 48:36

Yep, and that's why he was able to get to all the houses because you know he's got to get 20 20 million houses per minute.

NORAD, Pilot Licenses, And Santa Lore

SPEAKER_01 48:43

Yeah, that's because he's magic and he's hopped up on the devil's invention and sugar cookies because he's got a pilot license so we can fly there. That is true, and they do have where they track them, you know. Yes, they do. Now I know that was big a number of years ago with uh a lot of the uh younger kids that they oh where's Santa at now, you know. That's right. All right, well, now this one we've had before, but this is the 2025 version uh for this beer, and this is by Great Lakes Brewing Great Lakes out of Cleveland, Ohio. Nice, and this one is their barrel-aged Christmas ale, and this is 10 ABV. And the description on this one says barrel aging is the gift that keeps on giving. How long have we been saying that?

SPEAKER_02 49:31

See, that's just like me. I keep on giving.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

I'm the gift, yeah, kind of like a lump of coal. So we gifted our classic Christmas ale to a set of bourbon barrels, wrapping it with even more jolly holiday flavor. Jolly, jolly, and look, there's like it looks like a supposed to be like a uh snowflake, but it's the ends are hops. Julie, did you see that? Oh, yeah, the can is very burgundy with like silvery rose gold yes, like a like a uh train car with like Christmas ornaments in it, I believe is what they're that looks good, it's supposed to be. This is in a pint can as well, so we will see how this one goes. Did we get the ABV on that one? 10 sills. Yeah, all right. So we're starting to climb the ladder just a wee bit. We're moving on up, moving on up, wheezy. That's that would be the dog.

SPEAKER_02 50:29

There's that.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

That smells good.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

That's that has a good aroma.

SPEAKER_01 50:34

That's got a the aroma is very pleasant, actually. And there's a nice head. Yeah. Oh, that does smell good. You really don't get it's a touch of a bourbon flavor, but not much. You know what I mean? Aroma or flavor? Aroma. The aroma. Yeah, there's just a little bit, just a little bit, it but it's got kind of that spice, that Christmas type spice aroma. Oh, that's that's pretty good. I think there's more spice in the aroma than in the flavor.

SPEAKER_03 50:58

Than in the flavor.

SPEAKER_01 50:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:00

I actually for today's podcast, I like this one so far. Oh, you don't know what you're talking about. This is really good. No, this is good.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

Wow, like I said, I very pretty, like the color of it is yeah, it's almost a reddish, reddish, reddish amber, huge. There you go. Oh, that's another technical term. Jim must have been studying a long time. Not huge. And not hue, like you know, the actor guy. Who? Hugh. I thought it was Hugh.

SPEAKER_03 51:26

He calls Wolverine. You know Wolverine? He calls him huge Jack Men.

SPEAKER_02 51:32

There you go. Uh huh. See, see what you guys put me through. This is this is our best one.

SPEAKER_01 51:38

This is our best one today. And 10%, it drinks pretty smooth. Yeah, there's no burn.

SPEAKER_02 51:42

There's no burn. I mean, but you can you can taste bourbon. Yes, but it's not overpowering.

SPEAKER_01 51:47

But it's not overpowering. I mean, this is one that if you never had a bourbon flavor or you know, a barrel beige water, you could you could drink this, yeah, honestly. And you wouldn't, it doesn't have that real strong, you know, like the like you're drinking an actual bourbon, right? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 52:00

Some of them we've had have really been yeah, this is not and it's not overly sweet. It's it's got some good what were the the spice this says um ale with spices and honey. Yeah, it didn't say when our friend Toby likes honey beers, so he's like you know, like mead, that's honey beer.

Beer 7: Barrel-Aged Christmas Ale Shines

SPEAKER_01 52:17

Oh, but I thought you said you didn't like the honey's. No, that one's terrible. Honey voice? Oh, I do like that, yeah. Yeah, let's move on. Why do you have to why do you gotta drag stuff like this? It's a honey, it's a honey beer, man. And then you wonder, he wonders why.

SPEAKER_03 52:34

It does like you definitely can taste the bourbon, but you know, normally for me, I'm like, ooh, that might be too strong, but it's a nice, smooth beer. So it's got a great.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

You know what I mean? It's it's kind of surprising. I think you're uh first on this one. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 52:56

So this is by far for me the best best one. So I'm gonna I'm gonna go with 3.1 on this. I I like it. Um, the only thing I'd say is for me, I guess when you say spices and honey, maybe be a little bit more specific. And I mean, because you got a very good product, I mean very good base. If you added a little bit more to it for the flavors, I think you you could elevate this stuff to a really good beer. Yep. Um, because I mean the way you're barrel aging it, I don't know what type of bourbon or for how long, but it is a 10% pretty good job.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

Good job. Yep, I agree with you, Julie. What do you think?

SPEAKER_03 53:29

I do not mind this one um for bourbon barrel, and I'm kind of a Sally, so um, but I do like it. I will go. I can I see the sheet because they all kind of they run together, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 53:46

I'm gonna go with I'll do like a 3.1.

SPEAKER_02 53:51

So this is your favorite so far?

SPEAKER_03 53:53

So far, yeah. It it's got a good flavor to it, and it's smooth and yeah, you know, honestly, I I agree with you guys.

SPEAKER_01 53:59

It is, I think it's the best one so far. Uh, I do wish also, like you had said, I wish my biggest wish is on the aroma, you get a lot more spices. Yep, and on the the taste, it you don't really get as many, you know what I'm saying? Right. Uh but I'm gonna go with 3.2. I I do think this is the best one so far. Uh and I I like it, you know, and like I said, the thing I really think is nice is that that bourbon isn't over, and I we like bourbon as well, but I think a new person could try this, you know, and and not be like blown away by oh, that's boozy, because it really doesn't taste like that to me.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

So for sure.

SPEAKER_01 54:35

So, yeah, that's that's cool.

SPEAKER_02 54:37

All right, so I did find one last question. I know you guys were asking about it. So I do have one final question for you. Okay, so we talked about Santa Claus and his pilot's license. So tell me oh boy, the military organization that tracks Santa and when and what year did they start tracking him?

SPEAKER_01 55:01

I know who tracks him, but I don't know what year. Is it Noah, right? Or is it it's NORAT? NORANT. You gotta tell me what that means. You didn't say we had to say what it meant. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:12

We can't be giving look National Oceanic Radar Dude Association a hole Wow dip poops. Wow. I'm trying not to swear. She has some stuff in there that I don't know. I'm trying not to swear because you said it's a family program. So and it's Christmas time, and it's Christmas time.

SPEAKER_01 55:32

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 55:33

So well, I could have said deer poop on the end of it.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

So when did they start tracking them? Yep, and who did what military organization? They started tracking them in Charge of the One. Do you want to hint?

SPEAKER_02 55:44

Yeah, starts with a one.

SPEAKER_01 55:46

Huh. I guess I got that wrong because I said it starts with a one.

unknown 55:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 55:49

I'm gonna say they started tracking him in 1930. And is it yeah, is it NARA NORAD? NOAD or is it NOAA or is it NORAD? Because I had the app on my phone for a long time. That's what all the kids are.

SPEAKER_03 56:03

Oh, we're saying it, we're saying it. NOAA is like the weather thing, so right. I'll say NORAD then. I'm gonna say 1972. And I'm gonna say like NORAD, I think. Or is that like the missile thing?

SPEAKER_01 56:19

Well, he if he's flying to 20 million households a minute or a second, he's gotta be flying a missile.

SPEAKER_03 56:25

Um, I'll just say that too, because I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 56:27

All right, so you gotta tell me what what does an acronym because the listeners don't know what the acronym means. So you're gonna tell me.

SPEAKER_03 56:33

Well, we gotta first you gotta tell us what it is. We just told you.

SPEAKER_01 56:36

If I tell you what it is, then the North American radar radar? What? Radar. Oh, radar. It's called a Q-tip and the booth-in goes in. Uh North American radar and what starts with D. And Defense Association. There you go. Yeah. Agency. Agency, not association.

SPEAKER_03 56:57

So whatever NORED?

SPEAKER_01 56:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:00

We'll go that route. I'm gonna say uh national oceanic radar. Uh no, what am I? Aerial delivery system. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 57:13

Yeah, you guys aren't even.

SPEAKER_01 57:14

He's like so upset with us right now. What's the answer?

SPEAKER_02 57:17

So it is the NORAD Santa Tracker, which stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command. I was close. We close. Yeah, I think what year? December 24th. Well, that's a given 1955.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

Right in between us.

SPEAKER_03 57:37

I said the seven. They didn't even have radar in 1930. 5,000 for you, 5,000 for me.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

That they let you know about. Wow. So you lost 10,000 points on that. Where's where's my tinfoil hat? I got it. Okay. I got it. All right. Well, I gotta look this way. You talk amongst yourselves. I gotta get some deeds. On this one, oh, you got you got the deets? I'm gonna I gotta get it. Here you talk amongst yourselves. All right.

SPEAKER_03 58:02

Well, so listeners, I think you should. What are your plans for Christmas? Do you got anything? If you have anything super exciting going on, you should drop a comment.

Final Pour: 12% Milwaukee Wild Card

SPEAKER_02 58:11

Let us know, and I'm sure that the Grinch across the table will bring a lump of coal for you. Jim, he's sitting right there. Oh, is that my outside voice or my inside?

SPEAKER_01 58:21

Yeah, you gotta that's gotta be an inside thought, not an outside thought.

SPEAKER_02 58:24

Well, you said talks the mongoose. I didn't think you were listening.

SPEAKER_01 58:28

Who makes this? Oh, there it is. Let me try it this way.

SPEAKER_02 58:33

So, yes, or if you have any special Christmas plans in the snow.

SPEAKER_03 58:36

What or what would be your best gift to give your craft beer lover and your family like a subscription? A lump of coal? A subscription to like beer boxes. Have you done those?

SPEAKER_01 58:52

No, my brother used to do like the Beer of the Month Club. Yes. Now the thing in Wisconsin that's really is a bummer is you cannot ship alcohol here into Wisconsin. We can't ship into. Right. You can ship out.

SPEAKER_00 59:08

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 59:09

I have never tried.

SPEAKER_03 59:10

But it it's like so if you if you want to try to do one of those subscriptions. You can't in Wisconsin. Well, that's kind of a bunch of BS. Wisconsin, get your crap together.

SPEAKER_01 59:19

Well, it's probably because the distributors don't want it. Some uh don't want competition. Right.

SPEAKER_03 59:24

It's like literally a once in a once-a-year thing.

SPEAKER_01 59:29

Yeah. Well, no, because beer of the month closes 12 times a year. But uh, okay, once a month, but still I mean, there's you know, on on tap they have where you could buy these different beer boxes of the top-rated beers on there and all that. You can't do it here. I'm driving out over. I'm gonna say, Oh, Wisconsin, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 59:46

Okay. So how do we get around that? Ship it to your mom and dad's ship it to yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:50

I have to ship it to another state.

unknown 59:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 59:52

So this the last beer we have, and this is not another question.

SPEAKER_02 59:57

If you get the last beer, I got another question.

SPEAKER_01 59:58

This is not per se a Christmas beer. This is just another one that I had bought, and so we threw it in to bring the total number of beers up. Okay. This is by Rookery or Rockery Brewing Company out of Milioacay. Really? Yeah. I've never what's the name of the brewery? Rookery. R-O-O-K-E-R-Y. Rookery Brewing Company.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:21

Haven't heard of that.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:22

This is their Alera E-L-A-R-A. And this is a bourbon barrel aged stout with dark matter, four roses, bourbon barrels, aged with coffee. Holy moly. 12% A B V. Okay. I hate it. I hate you guys.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:43

You are welcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

But it's four roses, Jim. They called out what barrel they used. Well, that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:51

So Google that and find out where that is. So the next time we go to the beautiful city of Milwaukee, we can check it out. So I did find it. Well, that didn't take them long. Let's go, Mr. Google. Where is it at? It's a Jupiter moon. Huh?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:05

Huh? Can you uh him at the name? The name? Yeah. We were thought you were looking up the brewery. No, why would I do that? The name. All right. So anyway. His brain. Don't mind him. If you would like to be a new co-host, you can send uh your applications to Wow. So what about it also has another meeting?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:23

Give me tell me what that is. What?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:25

I'm too busy smelling this beer.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:27

A powerful AI-driven business optimization platform.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:32

Or that one starts with a two, I think.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:35

A Microsoft tool for managing Mike.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:38

Yeah, they haven't got that one yet. Or you can smell the new line interactive smart display on the aroma. I don't smell. Hey, and the last one's just for Mike in the residential community. There you go. Okay, there you go. All right. I don't smell coffee on the aroma. Oh, I'm just Per se I smell Burbank. I smell some Burbank.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:58

On the town of three, everybody take a drink. One, two, three. I want to see if your face was like mine.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:02

A little bit of a tartness on it.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:04

What does that mean? My face was much worse.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:06

I saw your face and I was like, I really don't taste coffee.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:11

No, I don't taste any coffee.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:12

That's weird. Because it said on the description.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:15

I think there's a coffee aroma more like coffee grounds.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:20

Dark matter, four roses bourbon barrel aged coffee. Okay, so dark matter apparently must age their coffee in bourbon barrels, is what I'm guessing. Barrel, bourbon barrel aged out with dark matter, four roses bourbon barrel aged coffee.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:35

So there is like a sweetness right at the end.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:39

There's a sweetness, but there's a tartness to it. Yeah, or yeah, or maybe tart.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:43

Yeah. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:44

And it kind of takes away from the bourbon.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:46

Yeah, oh yeah. Because four roses is good. Yeah, that's a very bourbon. Yeah. This, yeah, there's a tartness to this that's kind of surprising.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:55

But I mean, there is like the very, very initial taste is coffee. The smell, I think, is coffee as well. And then it like fades into something tart.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:04

You know what this reminds me of a little bit is um oh, what was we had remember we had the Door County cherry beer where it was that really tart cherry flavor? That's what it kind of reminds me of.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:15

It almost has like, I think, depending on how you're looking at it in the glass, there is almost like a burgundy.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:22

Yeah, it's got that like a little bit of a reddish tint to it.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:25

But I mean it's it's dark. I mean you can't, you can't throw it.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:28

Oh, it's dark all day.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:29

Yeah, it's and if it's it's right if you got a right light to shining, there's a little bit of a red oof.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:36

Well, Julie, I guess you can go first if you would like.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:39

Um give me your highest score. No. Oh I it's not horrible. I mean, I it I definitely had way worse than this, but um, I don't know. I can't pick out if it's like the grounds, coffee grounds, icky, I I don't know. And the tartness is kind of takes me off guard a little bit as well. I'm gonna go with uh I I'll do like a one geez. I'm gonna have to go with a two if as long as we can't. I mean, it's not horrible for sure, but you want a two? I could not, I'm pretty sure myself could not drink an entire can of this.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:19

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:19

There's no way.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:21

I can do a little uh a taster glassful and be like, oh yeah. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:28

That's where yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:29

I here is it's it is strong.

Top Picks, Lessons, And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_01 1:04:31

Oh yeah. Yeah, for me that's why I'm sweating. I give it credit because 12% of drinks smooth. Yes, it does, yes. You do get somewhat of a bourbon flavor, right? It definitely, like I said, the it almost has that like a tart cherry flavor almost to me. Boy, I honestly I'm gonna go like a I hate to say it, Jim. I'm gonna go like a 2.8. I don't mind, I don't mind it. Would I drink a bunch of it? No. I mean 12%, you're not gonna drink a lot of pint cans of it anyway. Right. But it's it's it didn't say anything about like cherry. No, it doesn't. You know what I mean? And I I personally really don't get much of a coffee flavor out of it. You know, maybe I'm missing it, but I just I really don't. I I to me it tastes more like tart cherry type flavor than coffee. So that's yeah, I give them credit for 12% and smooth. They called out, and again, rereading it, I think the coffee was aged in bourbon barrels, which is weird, but yeah, I'll I'll go with that.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:29

I'm curious though, I wonder, and I like coffee, so I wonder what the coffee's like. Like if I'd like the coffee.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:36

I can't necessarily say that I've seen barrel-aged coffee in or roses.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:40

I mean, it'd be something good to try, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:42

Maybe Starbucks will have that.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:44

You're right. Well, I guess. I was like, I feel like you add enough French vanilla creamer to anything, it'll taste good.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:52

That's right. Yeah, so I'm looking at my scores. I mean, I was kind of, you know, I know this is our last one. I know I was kind of anticipating having a very good beer to close out the podcast, but I think we might have swung and missed because it this is not this is not one of my top two or three. I'm gonna have to drop it down into like a 2.4, I think. I know, and I'm and I gave it a tenth of a point for being 12%, and I still came up with a 2.4. I just wish I could. I mean, that tartness, because I'm not a big sour guy either. I'm not a hop guy or sour guy, and that tartness just comes comes through too much for me.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:29

It's almost like vinegary or something. Yeah, there's it's like uh I don't know what it is, but it like vinegar, it's got that.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:37

Well, like I said, I just I don't get any coffee, I just don't understand it. It's it's confusing me.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:42

Yes, very, very confusing.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:44

All right, well, hey, so uh Julie, what did you think of our second round of Christmas beers?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:51

Well, Jim lied uh to me. Oh he said, Oh, he goes, do this podcast with us. It's gonna be like the one we did before that everything tastes like a cookie.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:01

Look, in Jim's defense, the very first one says, if you'd read that off the can Christmas cookie cream ale.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:08

He said this will be an easy one.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:10

We couldn't, we can't help that it didn't right. We never tasted these, and but I understand where you're coming from.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:15

Yeah, so he lied, just saying. So, what are your top three for today? Well, surprisingly, my top one is barrel-aged Christmas ale, which is for me, I think is telling because I'm a Sally and I don't like a lot of really super strong beers, but that one was very smooth. Then my second place one was the Frandor Claws American Stout, and I didn't I like that one as well. And then after that, it was uh very monkey, very merry monkey. I'm not gonna die from drinking any of any of these. Well, that's good, but I I do feel like last week when we did the Christmas ones, those were a lot more sweeter to me, like desserty, you know, kind of things. And these were not quite that. These were not that, but they were holiday-ish, yeah. But overall, you know, there were a lot of them tasted like what the can said, so you can't yeah, I I agree with you.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:17

You know, last week I was expecting some of these to be like that, that's sweeter, kind of like we had last time, like like the Christmas cookie flavor to them. Yeah, uh, we were very, very, very off on those. So I guess when we stated last week that the flavors are all over the board, they're still all over the board for these Christmas sales. So uh, I guess that's the one thing where when you go out and see them, you know, if you can buy a can at a time, you're probably better off because you don't know for sure what they're gonna be. Uh, for me, I do think the Christmas ale, the barrel-age Christmas ale by Great Lakes was the was the best one. But I did I really I really did like that very merry monkey because that Belgian flavor had the the ginger and stuff. I really liked that. And then the the uh frandor claws, I thought that was very good as well. You know, some of them bent paddle. I I really hope that was a bad can, is you know what I'm hoping for for them, because it didn't even taste like a cream ale. I mean, it just was the can the can though is super cool. The can is cool, yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:22

And that really I thought that was gonna really be good, but I'm like, and I like a cream ale, yeah, because it's smooth flavor, and I was like, oh, that doesn't taste like a cream ale that I've ever had.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:34

Not at all. So uh before I give my my top ones, I just want to go back through to make sure that I gave the points outright because Julie won again this week. She had the most correct, she had 5,462.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:52

Wow, he I didn't remember him giving out like 62s and things like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:56

Because it's a suddenly's had partials. Oh she didn't get to the poke. That's what happens when you sleep with a score.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:02

So I never thought of that. Mike, no, I'm not sleeping with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:05

Uh no, just for saying that, now you even got lower. Lots more points. You lost. I was gonna actually got you had a one point because you said something else. Now that's a negative. No, so now you're like negative 5,642.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:20

That's fine. I'm used to that.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:22

So you Merry Christmas. Yes, exactly. You guys did do very good. I hope the listeners out there got some. I mean, because these are like when the bus goes by, if you I can't believe you guys are like pause in the fifth. This is this.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:34

Listeners, who would like who would like uh somebody other than Jim to come up with the questions? Because we could do that one week.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:41

We we oh yeah, I did that one time and look what happened. Now I can't he's like looking for revenge after that last year.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:48

No, but these are easy questions. I mean, list just probably got them all right, and you guys just didn't get them.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:52

They probably did. We have a very, very smart listener base.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:55

Well, I know it's that's I'm trying to test them.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:57

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:57

All right, what is your thoughts? My number one, without a doubt, hands down, the barrel age Christmas sale, they're doing a great job. We only gave it a few things like a tweak on a little bit more of the flavors, I think would make it a really, really good beer. Um, my number two, the Frandor clause. Because if they did take a picture of me, like that was me on the front.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:17

What do you call it? What like the giant arms? Oh no, that is not you. It was lightning and thunder. Yours is yours is the one that looks like the gremlin.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:26

Lightning, the angry he looks like the the bougie monkey, yeah. Lightning and thunder. So that was a good one.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:32

It's a cranky Santa.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:33

That's why and then my my number three, which I still Krampus. Yes, I still don't even know how it's up at the top three because I don't know if the other ones are that bad, but the very monkey, very merry monkey, and I didn't even like it, was my third best one. Okay, so I don't even know how I got did that, but I'm like, ooh. So yes, Mike, you didn't do a very good job picking these out.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:54

Actually, you were actually part of me when I picked the vast majority of them out. Yeah, we might be taking your card away. That one, get that one, get that one. We might be taking your card away. We did learn what cardamom is. So that was good. Cromungeum cream and that too.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:08

I I suggestion sometime for one of your podcasts. So me and my friend, we picked beers based on names that had like the coolest names, but you you don't get to look at what's in them, you just gotta, oh, that's a cool name. Let's take that one, and you get what you get. So that could be interesting. Just a suggestion. That's so interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:30

So we like what you're thinking. The challenge that we're trying to figure out is we're trying to do a couple of Christmas episodes, Christmas themed ones.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:38

Oh, this doesn't have to be Christmas one, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:40

So I'm saying for this, so right. So for this, we tried to get something that either had like the picture of a Christmas or Santa or something related.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:46

But yes, in the future we could or let your wives pick out the beers for you. Oh, that'd be dangerous.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:53

But so remember what the challenge we always ran into. Oh, we've had mixed bags before. Is we try to we rate them, and when they're so you know, scattered, it's hard for us to I think Jim's afraid, Julie.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:07

I feel like it sounds kind of like see my brain works in like oh, we know very, very specific, very small increments.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:14

So if it's like so random, it's hard to you know get it all organized. So that's that's my challenge.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:21

I like the idea, Julie. We're gonna do that at some point.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:24

I I vote in favor of not doing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

Okay, well, it's it's 27 to 100. Mike gets 5,000 votes. I get 5,000 votes minus all the listeners will be on our side because they want to hear you complain about it. I want to see the votes. You want a count, physical count? Yes. Well, I'll check with the judge. I'll get that for you.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:42

So but I do, you know, even though some of these were a little uh I I do like trying them. So yeah, well, well, thank you. So I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

Like I said, we thought these Christmas beers were gonna be better than what they were because we've never had them.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:59

So we're good, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:01

So so that's our defense, Jim. We're sticking with it. Yep, we sure are. So awesome, Julie. Thank you so much for being a part of it again. And uh maybe next week we'll let you not be a part of it. Maybe we won't be a part of it. We never you never know what we're gonna do. You never know. So, Jim, thank you so much for sitting through this debacle again. Uh and uh yeah, so ladies and gentlemen, thank you. We're getting closer to Christmas, and you know that uh Jim will be getting a lump of coal for sure, or a can of peas, whichever, you know. Um so much love is in the air. Well, if you wouldn't treat us so bad, you wouldn't have to be on the naughty list.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:35

So uh huh.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:37

Wow, awesome. Well, hey, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for listening. And like we always say, we hope your campfire is always warm and your beers are always cold. See ya! See ya.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:44

See ya.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:45

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 gmail.com. 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.