Ep 148 - Where A 19th-Century Brewery Meets Today’s Craft Palate

A quick beer run turned into a full-on discovery. On our way to grab Barrel Society releases at 3 Sheeps, we swung into Fond du Lac Beer Company and found a revived 1800s-era space, a friendly crew, a legit kitchen, and nine house beers begging for a proper tasting. So we did what any self-respecting beer nerds would do: ordered the full flight and took notes.

We start with a smooth, approachable New England IPA showcasing Sabro, then move into Project Amber 1.5, a clean, malt-forward American amber with gentle toast and a balanced finish. For Kolsch Sake keeps things crisp and classic, while Basic Witch pushes a grown-up pumpkin profile that leans spice over sugar. Hop heads will appreciate Mo Citra Pale Ale for its mosaic-citra combo and Midwest-soft finish. The Lighthouse Blonde is a faithful warm-weather pint, and the Raspberry Lighthouse version adds real fruit tartness and a touch of creaminess that tastes like fresh berries, not candy. Hodge Podge, a 3.4% mild, proves session beers can carry flavor, and the Pure Vanilla Porter closes with vanilla, dark chocolate, and a subtle baker’s chocolate edge that keeps it from turning syrupy.

Beyond the glasses, we dig into the building’s story—from historic brewery roots to modern renovation—and why the taproom feels welcoming and ready for long afternoons, especially when those big doors roll open in summer. The food deserves a shout: artisan sandwiches, wraps, and fries that make you forget the usual “bar food” cliches. If you’re mapping a Wisconsin beer route, this stop belongs on it.

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Transcript

First Look At Fond Du Lac Beer Company

Flight Setup And Beer Plan

Beer 1: NEIPA With Sabro

Beer 2: Project Amber 1.5

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Hey ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy. And today, Jim and I are on a road trip. Yes. It's been a little while since we've been on location. Yes. As you can hear, it's a little noisier in here, so we do apologize for that, but we are actually on our way to Sheboygan. Sheboygan to go to Three Sheeps to pick up all the beers that we had ordered through the Barrel Society. Yep. And along the way, you were well, you were looking before we left on the trip and found that there was now a brewery in Fondilac, Wisconsin. That we have to go by. So we have to go right by it, so to speak. So we thought might as well, and that well, they have a menu, food menu as well, and look really pretty good. Better than most breweries that we've been. Oh, for sure. For sure. Especially a small craft brewery. Usually it's just pretzels or chips or bar food kind of thing. But these are wraps and sandwiches and all sorts of interesting looking stuff. So we actually put an order in for some food as well. But I mean the inside is really nice. I mean, but it looks like it's a relatively new. Yeah, well, on the sign it says it was established in 2024, so they've only been around for a little over a year. Right. But boy, it's definitely nice inside. Yeah, it's kind of an older, I'm sure the building is older. If it's not, they built it to look old. Yeah. You know, they got a couple of like the big garage doors in the front, and then their brewing brewing area is kind of in the back here, and they've got a pretty decent sized system, it looks like. So it's just a lot of hops have been here in the summertime when you open up those doors, and for sure. So yeah, it's pretty cool. We've got pictures that we'll post as well, so you can see what it looks like. And they just happen to have nine beers of their own on tap, and we've never had any of them. So we're sitting here with nine fresh beers, fresh beers, and tasters, of course, so we're not crazy. Yeah, but we're not going over the top yet. No, we're not going over the top. So yeah, I guess while we're waiting for a food, we might as well start off. Start off. So you start them. Yeah, so the first beer that they have, and I I really hope I'm pronouncing this right, it's E-P-I-S-T-E-M-O-L O-G-I-C-A-L. Oh epistemological uncertainty, volume two with Sabro. That's easy for you to say. Yeah, five and a half percent, and it says it's a New England IPA. Wow. So we've got to see. I believe it's this one here. So yeah, it's it's looks yellowish. Looks like beer. Yeah, there's three, four of them that look kind of similar color, but yes. Oh, you can you can smell the hops in this one, Jim. Oh, my favorite. Oh, that's not bad though. That one's dry. Well, yeah, the aroma. Yeah, the aroma was. It's not over-the-top aroma, though. No, no, and I was gonna say that's uh that's pretty good, pretty smooth. Yeah, I mean impressed. There's not a lot of hop. I mean, I I know it's a New England, but I mean it's not like the bitter hopness that you usually are accustomed to. Right. It's definitely not bad at all. It doesn't have that bite to it at all. No, you know, and it's uh yeah, I mean that the the flavor is really smooth. I'm I'm kind of impressed. I think the only thing I would have probably changed is probably the name. Yeah, yeah, exactly. You order it because I was gonna say, I hope that's how you pronounce it because I just really am not sure on it. But I mean, for maybe somebody's never tried a hate a New England 8 IPH. Yes. This is definitely easily drinkable. Oh, for sure. Yeah, you could anybody could drink this. Yeah, this is not you know, I mean it's it doesn't have that hot bite to it at all. The aroma is there to let you know that's hoppy, but it is not not bad at all. Interesting. So what are you thinking for a score? Do you think? I mean so I guess I granted this is our first beer. Yep. I guess I was expecting a little more hoppiness. Right. So I might say like a 2-4, maybe 2-3. I don't know. I was gonna I was gonna go like a 2-6, honestly. I don't think it was bad for a hazy. I don't mind it. Okay, yep. But yeah, it's it's right in that middle lane, I think. Yep, I agree with you. So, yeah, that was their, and I'm again, I wish I knew how to say that I just don't know. So we might as well move on to the second one. I can say this one. Okay. This one I can say. This is their Project Amber 1.5, and it's a red ale, American Amber, five and a half percent. Now, their their menu is the writing is pretty small. Yes, so and our eyes aren't that our eyes aren't that great, but it says a beautifully clear question too.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Coming in down the middle of the case.

Staff Joins: History Of The Building

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Awesome. Hey, we do have a question. So with I looked on the website, there wasn't a lot of info about the brewery, and it's only been open for a year, a little over a year. Is there anything you could tell us about it?

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Actually, we opened, we had our grand opening in June. Oh yeah. Plans were to open in 2024. Obviously, with the renovation this size, you would always run into quartz and problems. So yeah, it got pushed up. We we technically opened like late March, early April. Okay, um, but just did a soft opening trying to get our bearings about ourselves, um, give the brewery some time to put more than like four beers on. So, yeah, we did our grand opening in June. It was a like Blakely Auto Park.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Um, before that, initially it was meant as a brewery back in like the 1840s, 1850s. Um the freight elevator was installed when we switched to the auto parts store back in the 1930s. Um, it's kind of been here hanging out ever since, and then the local gentleman bought it and had actually stayed vacant for a while while he found the brewer and decided what he was gonna do with this. But yeah, he was very adamant about bringing a brewery to Fond Black, being one of the bigger cities in Wisconsin. We were one of the only ones with it. So it it has been a very welcome not only for Fondal Like, but we get people from all over that come here for that, and our head roommaster spot on. Like, I'm not a huge beer drinker, and I have yet to taste one of his beers that I don't even like.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Right.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Yeah, it's it's definitely going over green. Cool. And the food's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

That's what I saw right away. We're like, wait a second, it's got craft beer and good food, so yeah, very much so.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Great reviews from everybody that comes in or awesome, awesome. You gentlemen need anything else right away?

Food Arrives And First Impressions

Beer 3: For Kolsch Sake

Beer 4: Basic Witch Pumpkin Ale

Beer 5: Mo Citra Pale Ale

Beer 6: Lighthouse Blonde

Beer 7: Raspberry Lighthouse Blonde

Beer 8: Hodge Podge Mild

Beer 9: Pure Vanilla Porter

Final Verdict, Vibe, And Visit Tips

Signoff And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Not right away, so awesome, great. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we kind of got sidetracked there for a minute. They actually brought our food out right away. Yeah, I mean, the I think everybody heard the the lady trying to give us a little explanation about the place, which was really helpful too. Very interesting for sure. I it's kind of crazy that this building was a brewery back in the 1800s, right? And then it was an auto start parts store. Right. And then it sat empty, she said, for a while, and then they the gentleman bought it, and then he turned it into this, and this is really nice. Kind of looks like a warehouse, yeah, but a small warehouse. I was gonna say it kind of reminded me of like if you're in the warehouse district at some of the places we've been to before, and it's kind of that you know, the brick wall and all that kind of stuff. It's really it's it's neat, it's all open, yeah. Very nice. All the way back into the brew area. Yep, yeah, that's for sure. And the food was very good. Very good. It wasn't like your normal bar food. I mean, it was very much like an artisan type sandwiches and wraps and very good flavor, very good. You know, even the French fries were very good. So awesome! All right, well, hey, we'll get back to the beer here. All right, so we're on to Project Amber. So this is their amber, all right, American amber, and it was 5.5% ABV. It definitely looks like an amber, hasn't kind of an amber, an amber flavor to it. I mean, I think there's been other ambers that have been maybe a little more like what you would expect for for an amber. But it's good. It's not, I mean, it's not gonna scare you away. What was the ABV on this one? Five and a half. Five and a half. Still not bad. Let's see. Oh, I looked on untapped and I can actually read the descriptions on here. There you go. Okay. So it says amber version 1.5. A beautifully clear amber pour with a refined malt forward profile, gentle layers of toast and a subtle roast edge create depth without heaviness, finishing smooth and brilliantly balanced. A clean, classic amber crafted with intention. Nice. It tastes good. It was good, yeah, very much so. I was gonna say, I would uh I sure wouldn't turn it down if somebody offered it, you know. Right. And for me, I think I do like that one a little better than the first one, the hop one. Yep. So I think I would even go with like a 2-6 or 2-7 on this one. Okay, yeah, I'm gonna go with a 2-7. I'll go the same score as you did. It's it's good. Yeah, you know, and the the nice thing is uh like that one, anybody could drink it. Oh, yeah, you know, you don't have to be scared away from that. No, exactly. Oh, awesome. Well, hey, our third, let's see. No, I said blonde. Okay, well, we'll go down the list here. Okay, all right. So it's actually the Kolsch, which is the thing on yours. This is their oh for Kolsch sakes is the name of it. Uh Kolotch. No, not Kolotch sake. It's for Kolch. 6.2%. Okay, a little bit higher. A little higher. And the description on tab says clean, crisp, and smoother than a Friday fish fry line in Lent. This Kolsch is so refreshing, you'll wonder why you wasted all that time drinking anything else. Light malt, gentle hops, and a finish that'll make you mutter, oh, for Kolch' sake. That's good. That's what you're gonna say. So remember that. There we go. It's the kind of beer that would warm you up in the Lambeau parking lot on a minus 10 degree playoff morning. Right between the cheese curds hitting the fryer and Uncle Dale yelling at the radio like Matt LaFleur can hear him. That's kind of funny. Bright, easy, and proudly brewed for the green and gold blending polka dancing brat flipping champions of the Midwest. Wow. So there's their description. So do you want to give for Colch's sake? Here goes the codge. There you go. There's a little bit of aroma. You can smell a little bit different than the first two, but okay. Oh, that's that's a Colch. Definitely. Yeah, the aroma is pretty pretty mild. They've all been pretty mild so far. You can tell that one right away. Oh yeah. Yeah. Very, I mean, and the uh it looks like I mean you can see through the glass on the not very thick at all. That's very light. But it's and what was the EBV on that one again? 6.2. Oh, a little bit higher. A little bit higher. Uh that's pretty good though. I'm yeah, I'm not in I'm not disappointed in it. No, I mean it's definitely a true flavor. Right. It doesn't like, I mean, a couple episodes ago we had the uh where they had added some extra flavor with it. Right. This one is definitely just the bear. This is your normal, you don't want to say run of the mill, but it's a Kolsch. Yeah. You know, they're not trying to add other adjuncts to it. Right. So yeah, not bad. Yeah, not bad. I say score-wise, I'm gonna probably go like a 2-5. Yep, which is not I'm I'm not saying that it's average or bad or anything like that, but it's it's what I expected. Right. I mean, it's so that's we talked about like those extra flavors. I thought might just bump it up a little bit more if there was a little different flavor to it. Yep, but that's definitely not bad. Right, yep, I agree. Awesome. Well, there's the first three, huh? All right, so what so the next one on their list is called Basic Witch. And that's on mine here. That's on yours. Yep. And that one, let me find it's a pumpkin ale. Pumpkin 6.3%. And it's here's what it says so good it'll have you say an OMG between sips. She's got her fall fit on lock, pretty wet, puffy vest, ug boots, and infinity scarf tighter than her last situation ship, and a latte in hand, except now it's beer. Introducing Basic Witch, the ultimate seasonal brew for every Becky who thrives in October and says sweater weather, like it's a spiritual calling. Brewed with real pumpkin, a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and just enough sass to pair perfectly with your Instagram pumpkin patch photos. It's basically like drinking a haunted candle, but make it boozy. 6.3%, just like your last Uber rating after wine night. Well, there's a lot going on. They got some interesting write-ups. I mean, we've had a couple of beers the last couple of times, and they've had like less than a sentence. Now, this one looks like a pumpkin color. You know that orangeish, orangish, kind of darkish, darker orangey color. Oh, you can smell it's again the the aroma is fairly light, but you can smell pumpkin. Oh, yep, I can smell it. The taste is a little bit muted, but I totally get I get more like it's a spicy, like a spices type thing, right? Yeah, I was gonna say I get more of the spice character, I think. It's almost is it like a little I'm not saying bitter, but there's something on the finish. What is that? I definitely taste the biggest flavor I taste is the nutmeg. Is that the but on the back end it's like a like a bitter bitter? There's a little something to it. I don't know, is that the type of pumpkin maybe they're using? Because I don't think I've ever had that flavor before. Yeah, I don't know. It doesn't taste like pumpkin pie. Right. Not like that kind of a pumpkin flavor. Not a sweet, right? Sweet, but it definitely has, I can taste that nutmeg. I don't know, but cinnamon, maybe a little bit. Vanilla, maybe. I guess in the pumpkin you do get it, but it like I said, it's a little different than what your run-of-the-mill standard pumpkin beer is. You know, I mean, I guess like for me, a little bit, maybe a little touch more sweeter might be a little better, or even like you said, maybe a little more vanilla or cinnamon with it. Right. Yeah, but it's not bad. It's not bad. Yeah, that's it's definitely an interesting take on it. So that's that's pretty easy. You could, if you were blindfolded or blind tasted, you'd know that's you would know it's a pumpkin. Yes, yes, yeah. But it's not over the top. Right. It's not as sweet. That's the one thing you had said that I totally agree with. It's not as sweet on a flavor. It's almost like some of those places apparently must put more sugar in or something because it's sweeter. But this one is not bad. Boy, score-wise on this one. Man, where do we? I'm gonna go like a we're doing this on the fly so we don't have our so we don't have to worry about time. Yes, we're gonna blow it on. I'm gonna go like a two six, a two-six on this on my thing. Yep. Yeah, I was gonna say right now, two five, two, six. Yeah, still closer to the middle, but yeah. It's not bad. No, not bad at all. That one is definitely we'll go back and finish. Yep. All right, so let's see. So the next one we have is let me find it here on Untapped. Here we go. Mo Citra Pale Ale. So it's this guy here. Citra. Yep. It's an American pale ale, five and a half percent ABB. So most of them have been in that five and a half percent area. On Untapped, they do not have a description. Yeah, it says it was first brewed and named in 2019. This well of brew is a signature recipe from our head brewer. This West Coast Pale Ale, brewed with Midwest Touch, showcases abundant citra and mosaic hops, resulting in a bold hop character. So you're in you're in for a treat, Jim. Nice golden, what is it? I'm trying to read this here. Golden Promise Grain add a subtle sweetness while Munich malt and adds a hint of and I oh and a hint of flaked flaked barley contribute to a nice mouthfeel and a Midwest pale ale feel. Alright, all right. There's a lot there. Yeah. It smells like you can smell the hops. Oh, joy. Oh, yeah, you can smell hops. That one, compared to the first one, uh, this one, it's it doesn't linger that long, but it does have a little bit of a linger on the finish. You know what I mean, where you can taste the right that hop. The citra, that that's kind of the orange issue. Well, citra and mosaic are two pretty common, commonly used hops. But it's definitely not over the top in plenty. No, I mean it's not no, exactly. That's not not to be scared away. No, not at all. You can't. So is that considered a India pale ale or American pale ale? American pale ale is what they say. So probably not as hopy because I mean you can smell some hops, but it's not that you shouldn't be scared by that one. Right, exactly. So what do you think, score-wise? I know you're not a big IPA guy, and this one has a little bit more hop flavor. I guess the only thing, you know, from what we've tasted so far, they're very like right straight by what they're saying is gonna be in the beer. Yeah, so there's not a lot of extra flavor, right? So that's it's still gonna be in the middle of the range for me, like two three or two, four. Yeah. I guess I don't know. They're not bad. No, but it's just not not a lot of the flavor, right? Yeah, I'm I'll I'll go with you. I'll say a 2-4 as well. I still would drink it, and I will. I'll finish it. Uh, but yeah, you know, it's not bad. I don't mind it. And like I said, the the the top flavor, it does linger a little bit longer than the first one did. Right. Uh, but that of course has two different IPA styles. Yes. But it's still it's one of those, like if you're if you like IPAs, I think you would really like that. Well, yeah, for sure. It's good. Yeah. So now the second two. Uh oh. Okay, so we've got the their lighthouse blonde or the raspberry version. So we should probably start with the regular version first. This is the raspberry version. That's the raspberry. Okay. Yeah. So I'm thinking we should look. Let's let me find that one first. Okay, blonde ale. All right. So this is their lighthouse blonde. Okay. And they don't have a description there. So it's light crisp brew with delicate malt backbone and a touch of sweetness for a perfect, perfectly balanced uh 4.8%. So it's going to be a lighter beer. Very little aroma. I don't smell much. Okay. It's like we've talked about before that blonde ales really usually don't have a lot of flavor unless you add something to it. Yeah, there's not, I mean, it's not bad. There's no bad flavor there. It's just difficult to describe. Yeah. Yeah, it's just it's kind of like your it's a blonde ale. It's a blonde ale. You know, so it's spot on. Yeah, it's spot on for a blonde ale. Like I said, they just typically don't have a whole lot of flavor in that one. It's similar. Right. I think, but I think maybe the next one would look Yeah, so this will be a good. So this one, I'm gonna do well, score wise, what would you I'm thinking two five? I mean, it's you know, for a blonde ale is exactly what it is, you know. Yeah, two five. I mean, right in I mean, it's right down the middle. Yeah. You know, and it's it's not in any way, shape, or form off-putting or anything like that. You could definitely drink a couple of those. Yeah. Especially like in the summer. Yep, exactly. Or if they were ice cold. Right. Yeah, it could be a decent taste uh lawnmower beer, you never know. Okay, so I'm looking here. So the now we're at the raspberry. Now we're gonna do the raspberry, and I saw, oh shoot, I hit the wrong button. Hang on. Okay, so now we got the raspberry lighthouse, and this is 4.9%. Step up. And they do have a little description on this one. Okay. It says you won't find a thick sludge of fruit puree clogging your glass here. No spoon required. A Raspberry Lighthouse blonde keeps things refreshingly drinkable. All natural raspberry puree meets crisp flagship blonde for a perfectly balanced beer. Expect real raspberry tartness, a touch of creaminess, and just enough fruit character to remind you what beer is supposed to taste like. So this should be interesting. All right. Oh, I can smell the raspberry. Can you? The aroma is there. Good. Now is it enough or not, you know, or too much? It does have a little different color to it. It's got a little bit of a kind of almost like a grapefruit color to it, but oh yeah, you can smell the raspberry right up front. You get that tartness. Yeah, that's I didn't want to say it honestly tastes almost more like a real raspberry than most of the raspberry beers we've had. But there's like a creaminess to it, yeah. But there's a tartness to it. Oh yeah. Yeah, but I mean this tastes like when you pick raspberries off the vine, you get that kind of that tartness to it. So yeah, that's I don't mind that. That's actually not too bad. No, it's not bad. But this is now this is a blonde. Yes. So it's but to me, this was almost could have been a sour type beer because it's got that tartness. Oh, sure. But it's but it's not bad. No, no, I don't I don't mind it. You know, score, I'm I'm thinking like a 2-7. Okay. Honestly, for me, I think it's a little better than average. It's it's got a little more flavor than the other blonde. Yes. I said I like it better than just the base model because there is flavor to this. Yes. And uh it does give you something. Now, after like one glass of it, I might want to switch to something else because I that tartness might end up getting to me a little bit. But the way it is now, that was good. I don't mind. Yeah, so far, so good. Awesome. Well, we've got two more, two left, two left. So let me just did we tell everybody we got a flight and an extra glass? We got a flight and an extra glass. Yeah, because they had nine beers on tap. So we figured since this is our first time here and we've never had any beers from here, why not try them all? Right. All right. So this next one we have, Jim, is their Hodge Podge. Hodge Podge. And it says it's a mild light. Oh. 3.4%. Oh wow. Now there's not a description on untapped on their menu, and please bear with me, folks. This is small writing. Light on ABV on flavor, on flavor. Don't let the low alcohol fool you. This easy drink, drinking ale is packed with character. Let's see. It leads with rich malt depthness, showcasing warm notes of caramel and a hint of toasted nuttiness. A subtle touch of roast rounds things out, adding a smooth, satisfying finish. Perfect for the laid-back session. This ale proves the light doesn't have to meet light in mean light in taste. Okay. It's a little darker. This is the second darkest one that we have in the flight. Right. This was darker than the amber. And a little bit darker than the pumpkin. Yes. Very minimal on the aroma. That's not bad. That would be one you could you could drink a number of. You know, I mean, there's a there's that's called the hodgepodge. The hodgepodge, yeah. And that's a it's a mild light that says I don't I don't know for sure what that means. So you know, could it be could it be Pilsner or Lager? I don't know. That's a good question. I mean because it didn't say on untapped, uh, they didn't have a lot of description on that. Oh, here we go. Okay, not on that, but I clicked on where it said mild light and it tells you about the style. Okay. So it's a traditional light-colored ale with a predominantly malty palette. Modern light mild light is pale or light amber in color and is very light-bodied. Modern examples typically have an alcohol by volume of three to four percent, but they can also be six percent and higher. Stronger mild ales were common in previous centuries. It originated in Britain in the 17th century or earlier, and originally meant a young ale as opposed to a stale, aged, or old ale. It is now more often interpreted as being mildly hot. Okay. Mildly hot. Well, that's cool that it gives you that information. This one's a little darker in color than what I think they were thinking. Right. You know, as far as ununtapped. It's still not bad. No, taste-wise, I mean, there's there's a little bit of flavor to it. It's not huge in flavor, but that's what it sounds like after reading that description. Yeah, you do get a little bit of that like a malty flavor up front score-wise. What do you what do you think? Are we still like in a 2-5-2-6 range? That's what that's kind of what I was thinking, too, is a 2-5. I mean, and it's low in ABD, so I mean Yeah, and you could drink a number of them if you know definitely, I think, a very good lawnmower riding beer. Right. Yep, I agree with you there. So, yeah, awesome. Down to the last one. Well, hey, we're down to the last number nine. Number nine on our eight beer flight. So let me find it here. Oh, here it is. Pure vanilla porter. Okay. 5.4%. And they don't have a description on them tap. So rich, indulgent, and perfectly balanced. This creamy porter offers a delightful infusion of flavors, starting with the smooth sweetness of vanilla that meets seamlessly with the rich dark malt. Dark chocolate and toffee notes give the beer a decadent depth, and a subtle hint of roast adds to the right, the right touch of complexity. It's a well-rounded velvety porter that satisfies without being overwhelming. A perfect balance of sweetness and depth in every sip. So it sounds interesting. And we've been talking about, we haven't seen many vanilla porters lately. So yeah, this will be interesting. The the uh aroma is pretty mild, not not much. It's definitely the darkest beer we've had today. Oh, for sure, yes. Yeah, you get a little bit of that, kind of a faint vanilla. Right. I can get the dark chocolate. Yeah. I think the dark chocolate all. Well, it's not not very prominent, but I mean it's no, but it where the where the the vanilla and that meat, it almost has a slight bitterness. Yes, doesn't it? That's how I was trying to figure out what was causing the bitterness. I think it's that dark chocolate. It reminds me of, and I wish I could remember the name of that beer that we had that time where it was almost like a baker's chocolate, right? Kind of bitterness. It's not quite that bitter, but it definitely has a bitter note to it. But it's not bad for I mean it's different. I mean, it's definitely different. Yep. Yeah, I don't know. So it's still good. Yeah, yeah. I don't mind that. So what do you think? I don't know. I'm I guess still in that 2-6, 2-7 range, maybe. Yeah, I'm gonna go 2.7, I think. Um, it's not bad. I think being that we've never had it before, we're not, you know, we're in my mind, I was thinking of like like the snowdrift vanilla porter, where that's a sweeter kind of flavor to it, but it's it's not bad. And being the fact that we haven't had a whole lot of vanilla porters lately, right? This is probably one of the first ones this season. So or this year, it's a lot of people. Oh this year, yeah, exactly. Well, cool, man. What uh what did you think overall of these beers? Well, I'm glad we found this place. Yep. I think a little diamond in the rough, very good. I mean, overall, like the atmosphere is good, food is good, very clean, yep, everybody's very friendly, yeah. And the beers are good, right? So they got everything going for them. Yep. So uh very, very impressed. You know, surprisingly, you know, and again, like the lady was telling us, one of the this is the only brewery in Faudelac. Right. They don't there's no other ones around. So we're luckily found it. It's on the way to our next stop. So yeah, I'm glad to stop. Yeah, I am too. I think that this would be a cool place to check out in the summer, again, like you had mentioned before, when they open up the garage doors and things like that. Because it's the only the only downfall, I think, right now is parking. There's not a huge amount of parking, but uh, I'm sure there's other areas we don't know if out back or if that's the front or the other side of the building if there's parking over there. We didn't check that out, right? But uh we're in a little bitty lot just down from this. Uh, so that would be the only drawback, I guess you could say. But building is is awesome, yes. Very good. The staff was very nice, the beers are very good, the food was amazing. And uh, yeah, I'd say if you're in the uh Fond du Lac area, man, make sure to stop down and check it out. For sure. And like well, like the the what the waitress slash bartender said that it they had their grand opening was in June, I think she said of 2025. So it is a newer place, but it's uh it's definitely one that if I'm back in the Fond du Lac area, I'll be stopping by again. Yes, it's just off Main Street, too. Just off of Main Street, yeah. So it's a it's a really good location. So again, if you're in the Fond du Lac area, stop by the Fond du Lac Brewing Company, beer company. Fond du Lac Beer Company. And uh yeah, that's awesome. Let them know you heard it here and uh yeah, we'll go from there. Awesome. Awesome. Well, cool, man. I guess we should uh start thinking about continuing our trip over to uh Three Sheeps and uh kind of go from there. So awesome. Well, hey, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for listening. And like we always say, we hope your camp air is always warm. And your beers are always cold. See ya. Take it easy. Bye. Thank you for listening to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. 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