The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
We love craft beer! Each week we will taste a number of beers from around the country and give you our thoughts, not only will we talk about the flavor, but also the artwork and anything else that comes to mind.
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The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
Ep 155 - Battle Of The Barrels: Eight Heavy Hitters Go Head To Head
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Eight heavy hitters. One long table. We lined up barrel-aged stouts from Central Waters, Epic, Founders, Surly, Dragon’s Milk, Destihl, Goose Island, and 3 Sheeps, then chased down the truth about single barrel vs blends, French oak finishes, and why some 12–15% beers drink smooth while others feel like syrup. With two returning guests, we put experienced palates next to a self-declared “Bush Light guy” to pressure test hype, labels, and expectations.
We start strong with Central Waters’ Single Barrel imperial stout—velvety and shockingly drinkable for 11.8%—and revisit Epic’s Big Bad Baptist Double Barrel, smooth after years in bottle but lighter on coffee than promised. Founders KBS Caramel divides the room: caramel-forward and dessert-like for some, faintly tangy for others who wanted more roast. Surly Darkness brings Elijah Craig barrels and French oak complexity, yet shows how wood can add both sweetness up front and a drying finish. Dragon’s Milk Double Barrel Coconut is polished and easy at 12.5%, though we wished for bigger coconut. Destihl’s Dosvidanya earns nods for depth and balance. Then the small-format 2025 Bourbon County Original sparks a real debate—legendary barrel list on paper, but a sweeter, heavier profile in the glass that masks distinct bourbon signatures. 3 Sheeps Dark Matter closes the main card at 15.4% with warmth, minimal burn, and a sweetness some love and others resist.
The curveballs steal a scene: Lexington’s Bourbon Barrel Tart Cherry Wheat drinks clean, cherry-kissed, and summer-ready—so much so our “non-craft” guest nominates it for beer of the year. New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk Coffee Chocolate ends with a clear point: if you want coffee, you’ll get coffee, nose to finish.
You’ll hear straight talk on balance vs bigness, how to read “single barrel,” why French oak changes the finish, and when adjuncts actually show up. If you love barrel-aged stouts, bourbon barrel programs, and side-by-side tasting drama, this is your flight.
Enjoyed the showdown? Follow, rate, and share the podcast with a friend who loves big stouts—or send us your own barrel-aged picks for a future face-off.
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Welcome Back & Show Setup
SPEAKER_02I have a beer and pull up a chair.
SPEAKER_00Well done to the Northwest Beer Guy Podcast.
SPEAKER_02Some theme music. Jim, you know what that sounds like? That sounds like some beer. That sounds like some dark evil beer. Yes, it does. But I think that's in our wheelhouse. I think that's right in our wheelhouse. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy, and I'm here with Jim. Hey, buddy, how are you doing? Doing good. I'm excited. You are. I'm kind of giddy. And by popular demand, we have two newer members back. We have John. Thank you. I was going to say, John, say something.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And we decided to be invited back after the last one. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Wow. The number of negative comments we had was overwhelming, but we brought it up. You were probably tripled. Yes. Listenership. Listenership. Listenership. Yes. They don't want to see us. They just want to listen to us. Yeah, take our report for it. You don't want to see us.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they have the face for radio.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. We all do. And Matt is back. Yeah, I didn't think it'd be so soon, but here we are. And we told him once again, Jim, these are just like Bush Light. Yes. So he's so close. It's excited too, yes. Yeah, and when you look across the spectrum of these beers, the only thing that's common is the color. Yes, just like Bush Light. Nothing the bottles look all different. Yeah, we've got bottles and cans and small cans and big cans and small bottles and big bottles and everything. We're affectionately calling this the battle of the barrels. Yes. This should be interesting. It should very be interesting because we've talked about all of these. Every one of these companies knows what they're doing when it comes to barrel aging. And we've had podcasts where we've had you know a number of them before, or we've had all from one, things like that. This is we're kind of going head to head. And we've got, what do we got, Jim? One, two, three. We have eight breweries here represented that know what they're doing. And I'm I'm gonna go out on a limb and say we may have multiple beer of the year category beers here that we may nominate. It is possible. I mean anything is possible, right? Yeah. So but the best part is that we're gonna be having some new people experience some of these beers that they have maybe never tried before. Exactly. Max that's right, dude. I know I I got the got the gist of it. Okay. We'll see if I
The Lineup: Eight Barrel Pros
SPEAKER_02get to nominate one. Purely like Bush Light. Just think that. All right, it's gonna be the same. Just placebo it. Well, should we try one? Let's see what's let's let's drink into one. All right, so what do we got? So the first one that we have is by Central
Scoring Rules & Palette Caveats
SPEAKER_02Waters Wisconsin beer. Central Waters single barrel brewer's reserve. Now, Matt, just to ease your mind, Bush Light is like 3.0. This
Central Waters Single Barrel Tasting
SPEAKER_02is slightly higher. It's 11.8%. So we're starting at 11.8. Starting at 11.8, John. I never shy away from the alcohol percentage. Sometimes the flavors that get me. Jim, I will give you that. That's in a can. All right. The description is this this rich, bold Imperial stout is meticulously aged in single source bourbon barrels, infusing deep notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and vanilla with a warm finish. Perfectly balanced with a velvety smooth texture. This stout offers a complex yet indulgent drinking experience. And I'm looking on the can, it does not tell me. It doesn't, yeah. It does not say the type of what type of barrel? It just says Imperial Stout Aged and Used Oak Bourbon Barrels. Okay, so it's bourbon. So we'll that's all it says on the so we know that that's did you say it's a 12-ounce can? 12-ounce can. Which I guess if you're drinking a high octane one, it's kind of a unique one. You don't want to have, I mean, you probably want to get warmed up into it. You don't want to get and it's kind of funny, like I said, we've got anything from a bomber bottle to 12-ounce can. We got a bottle here that's a little bit smaller for some reason this year. Right. You know, so all right. So we said 11.8. 11.8. Not sure on IBUs. No, I did not say. Oh, I can smell. That's not is that chocolate, dark chocolate aroma? A little bit, yeah. That's pretty smooth. I mean, I don't have I don't have a burn. I'm I'm kind of impressed. Matt hasn't exploded yet. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Not overly sweet, or anything? No, no percentage. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So and I and I guess can I assume when I say single barrel, it was only aged in one barrel then? I'm guessing that the way it sounded is like the barrel was used once. Correct. Is what I'm taking it as well. Correct. So, Mike, you probably know the answer to this, but I mean, do we have a lot of barrel-aged beers that are aged in multiple different barrels? No, I didn't think I think it's well, I shouldn't say because bourbon, bourbon has to be aged in a new barrel. Right. So I don't know. But I can't say we've ever had many beers that are taken out of one barrel, putting in another barrel. We have the one where they mix them, right? Blending them. Yeah. But I mean, this is weird that they specifically say single barrel. Single use barrel. So I I'm just wondering if it's single a single source bourbon barrels. So I don't I don't know what to tell you there, Jim. Right, but I mean, I guess that's what I was, you know, because sometimes you think like I have some Jack Daniels that's called single barrel jack that's really small. Out of one barrel. Out of one barrel. But Jack Daniels doesn't mix their jack out of multiple barrels. No, no. Well, they will do as the watching some of the bourbon guys on YouTube when they talk about things like that. So when they when they're distilling and aging different bourbons, they may have let's just say a hundred barrels.
unknownYep.
SPEAKER_02And they may dump all hundred barrels into a thing to then buy into one big vat. Right. So then that's not a single but when you see, like you said, with where Jack Daniels single barrel, that means it came out of this bottle was from that barrel. Gotcha. You know what I mean? So that's well, I mean, and I think that's good for the listeners to understand, too. I mean, right. So we're because we mean we don't always have all the information, but trying to piece it together for the the listeners, right? Yeah, no, that's that's a good question. And but I I I am kind of not sure when it says single source, does it mean that they would just age from this company? Because they use a lot of different barrels, right? I mean, again, and they have the highest one we've ever rated and the papy barrel. Right. And they're starting to distill their own bourbon now, too. Yeah, yes. You know, so I don't know if this is right from their if they moved from one warehouse to is it one of their barrels? I don't know. Right, right, right. I don't know this. That would be interesting. John, you're kind of our or bourbon. Have you ever tasted their bourbon? If we knew somebody that was like lived around the Stevens Point area, right?
SPEAKER_01That might be able to get us some of the worked up in that area, lived up there, yeah, you know, school, things like that.
SPEAKER_02So you know, that would be nice if we could figure that out. We'll have to figure out if we know anybody like that. But I mean, I've never I've never seen it, right? You know, but I've seen it on social media, the bottles. All right, so should we start with our newest guest for a score? And then so let's just make sure Matt's aware. Oh, he remembers zero to five by a tenth of a point. And what's Mike can't repeat, and you can't repeat. Yes, Jim goes crazy. What's your middle score again? 2.5. Really? You lowered it? Oh, you mean my personal? Yes, yes. It's like 2.9, but that's because I drink better beer than Jim does. Well, hopefully, these are all gonna be better beer today. Yes. Well, I guess if I get to kick off the the scoring, if you listen to the last episode I was on, I guess I'm a little more into the craft beer. This is it, this is a lot better than the last time. I wow, nice. I'm gonna start off with a a 3-0. Oh I did like this. It was a present supplies surprise. I the smell, the aroma, it was a little drawback. Did you worry? Yeah, worried, but it it's almost got a chocolatey flavor to it, and then you can just a hint of the bourbon. And I I do like some bourbon, so nice. So I think that'll that'll kick it off for me. A 3-0. We might have broke them after that.
SPEAKER_01I know I think it's a solid score. Yeah, you beat him down. Yeah, so we finally beat him down. All right, John. Well, the first one, I don't want to get too wild. But it is very nice. I uh I'm just gonna go like a 2-6. Okay. Only because it doesn't leave a lot of aftertaste, a little cleaner than some of the ones in the past that have been a higher alcohol, you know. Yep. Doesn't have that overall sweetness. It's easier that that way, I think, you know.
SPEAKER_02Okay, nice, so very good. Boy, for me, the one thing I gotta point out, 11.8% drinks very smooth for that ABV. Yes, right off the bat. I don't know if it's because it was in a can, it has a little bit of kind of a faint metallic-y to me, a little bit. Okay, but I'm still I'm gonna go with three. I could drink a can of that. I don't think the bourbon is as overpowering as some of them we've had. And again, would I say, hey, you've never tried a crack beer, drink this? No, I'm not gonna do that because this is you know, it definitely has that bourbon element to it, but I think it's it's good. I mean, they they're continuing to do really good stuff, so I'm gonna go with three. So I'm gonna preface up front so I can like so I don't have to say it each time, but I'm gonna say none of these beers should be started by the initial craft beer drinker. Yeah, good point. Yeah, these are gonna be, I think these are more expert levels, so why am I here? We need the comic of these. So we thought it was gonna be funny, but now all of a sudden you're talking like you know what you're talking about. So, whoops, yeah, and we've had some very good beers. I mean, so I just want to make sure I put that out there. So I don't want to, even though you and I or we might say these beers are good, right? They're good for us because we've had a little bit more experience. I don't want to offer these up to somebody that's a brand new craft beer drinker so that they shy away from drinking other craft beer. Yeah, I just so start off with that. So I'm gonna I'm actually gonna go, I'm gonna go with 3.1. I'm gonna go higher than you guys. I like this one. I just wish I knew what kind of bourbon it was. Right. I don't have the burn, the flavors there, but I think it maybe it could be amped up a little bit. But still, I think for our first beer today, boy, this is like for me, I think we're like right in our wheelhouse, right where the beers, and I'm just so excited about trying to like hopefully our taste buds last all eight beers instead of getting shot out. So I think it was good. So this is I think we said it too. This is our lowest ABV one to start off at 11.8. Yeah, and they go up from there. We go slightly up from there. Yeah, all right. So, what what do we have next? Now, before we go on, I I'm glad you said that about you know that we've tried, and again, I think we've rated it's probably going on 900 different barrel-aged beers. I mean, that this is really kind of our specialty. So we have rated we we have a little vague amount of street cred when it comes to to this. So I and I I'm glad you said because I don't think any of these are ones that we would say, hey, you need to try this if you've never had a craft beer, because these are all gonna be really high. So on that, on the move to our next one. And we've talked about this one now. We haven't personally seen these around much lately. So, can I uh give a shout out? Yeah, yeah. So I think probably pre-COVID, we had these quite a few times, and you could always find them somewhere, and then all of a sudden, poof, they were gone. We didn't know what happened, right? And now, thanks again to John. As his travels were taking him to other places, and he found this beer along with two other mates with it. So I have two other versions of this nice um that that John bought for me, and I don't think John has ever had this. No, I have not. So I'm glad you're in it for a good time. So this is very well aged. So, I mean, this so this is so. I guess the point I'm trying to wrap into this, it's not a fresh beer. We've had it, I've had it down in the basement for a while. I'm hoping that
What “Single Barrel” Really Means
SPEAKER_02it's still good. I don't I don't think it will be it. It should be. Barrel-aged beers last a long time. So thank you again, John. And then here you go. Yes, so this is by Epic Brewing, and this is from 2021. And this is the Big Bad Baptist double barrel, double double barrel Baptist 12.0, 12% ABV, 65 IBUs. And here's what it's now. This is no longer in production, right? This this beer says we're bringing back the beer that started it all after five years of improving our barrel aging practices. We've outdone ourselves with this. Now we've had this one, we've had before, you and I have, and we've had quite a few of their oh, yeah. You know, and you're right, Jim. I think it was before COVID that a lot of places when they had like Black Friday, we'd go for beer and hunting beers. Epic had all sorts of different big bad Baptists on it. And the way you could so even if you're blind and the you can always tell these labels because they're a different kind of label, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's not a little more paperish, it's almost yeah, paperish.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and like I said, now in the last however many years though, we haven't seen them out, you know. So it's I don't know if they're so again, John travels able to find something, and I don't know what that liquor store, how they found it if they had them sitting back there. They're in the back room or something, who knows? You can smell there's bourbon in there. There's there's a little bit of aroma. I wish it said, I don't know if it says on the bottle. Yeah, that writing is way too small for me to worry about. That is like just super smooth, very smooth. There's not a lot of flavor. The flavors don't like come out at you, but it's just so smooth for being a barrel-aged, yeah. For being a 12% or and you know, and and honestly, like I said, the fact that this has been bottled for five years, right? It's still it just kind of mellows it a little bit. It's very good. And and again, forgive me, I I don't remember what the 20. This is the 2021 release. Yes. When we tried it in 2011, I don't I can't remember right. I I wish I could compare it waiting five years to know what the difference. But I mean, this still is very smooth. Oh, extremely 12%. It it's very smooth. You don't get that alcohol burn, you know. And we don't the other hard part is we don't get up, they don't tell us a lot of what's in it, you know.
Epic Big Bad Baptist Double Barrel
SPEAKER_02I think there's chocolate, there's got to be a little sweetness to it, right? Yeah, on the side of the bottle.
SPEAKER_00John's got his glasses out. I need new glasses, by the way.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I suppose the youngest you guys can hold it over by Jim.
SPEAKER_02I might does it say right on there just like Bush Light. Uh not quite. Not quite. In collaboration with Blue Copper Coffee, we've aged green Columbian coffee beans in whiskey barrels and selected choice baptist casts for a double blast of bourbon barrel character. Pull the trigger on this extremely limited release lock, stock, and barrel. Okay. Wow. So wow. That I don't taste a whole lot of coffee in it. But whiskey barrels, that intrigued me. When they said whiskey barrels, I was like, wow. But I mean, you know, the way the bourbon and the whiskey don't I mean they seem like they balance each other out, don't they're not like competing with each other. Yep, I agree with you. Which is nice. Yep. But I was not expecting coffee because I didn't get coffee out of it. Yeah, no, I didn't really get a coffee flavor out of it either. Now, and some of that could be because it's five years old. Mellowed out, but it's probably mellowed, but it's still I mean, John, a good find. I mean, glad you picked it up. Because I remember you, I think you'd actually were up there and you sent me a text. Hey, there's these Baptist. I'm like, Peter, what? I'm like, well, if you can get them, buy them. So I mean, good for you. Like I were you in the back like storage room with her? Because these couldn't have been sitting up there. Yeah, you were breaking the law somehow back in the storage or something.
SPEAKER_01Where you out of the van up. There's the guy in the van.
SPEAKER_02Done by the reverb. Done by the river. Well, cool. John, do you want to start us off?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, I'm gonna put this one up a little higher. What I have a two-six, let's go up to like a two eight. Okay. I like it because it's very smooth even for that 12. Yeah. I mean, there's no burn at all or no aftertaste. Yeah, I don't feel. Yep. Yeah, very smooth.
SPEAKER_02So man, this one is hard for me to figure out. I know. Because it's so smooth, 12%. I don't get a lot of the coffee, and that's kind of one of the main things they were talking about. I'm gonna go a 2.9. Wow. Just because I didn't really get much of that coffee. You know what I mean? And and that's when you talk about that, it should be something you can kind of pick up. And I'm I'm having a hard time picking it up, but I would still take that bottle anytime, you know. And I think, you know, somebody that's never had a craft beer, like you said, all of these I wouldn't recommend. But this one, again, it's the first two have been super smooth to us. I don't know, you know, Matt can talk about a little bit more, you know, how he's felt because for these kind of beers, I think he's kind of the newer guy, right? So to speak, on this, but it's still really good, you know. And I I did put it down below essential waters, but just because it called so specifically called out the the coffee, and I just didn't even get that flavor. I I like this one. I mean, I wish it would still be in production. That's that's where again I don't I don't understand that part of brewing because if you got a product like this where it it actually tastes good, what would stop you from making more of it? This to me seems like a no-brainer moneymaker. I mean, they're doing a good job, they got a good recipe. I w I wish I knew. I'm gonna I will put it one tenth of a point below the the first one. I'm gonna go with 3.0. I still think it's in that three range. So for me, that three range is kind of above average for me. And once you get above four, that's the exceptional range for me. I I like this. I mean, I wish I knew somehow why Epic isn't brewing it more because I I think this is worthy, you know, just like the tall grass brewing, Buffalo Sweat and King Buffalo. You know, they went out of business, but then somebody's brewing their beer again. So if you can bring it back, I'd bring it back. I like this. I don't understand why we don't see it around here anymore. The Big Bad Baptist. It's not even in production. It's not in the entire line is the line is not in production. Okay. So when I clicked on, I typed in that, and I they don't even have the description, they have the picture of the bottle, and it says this is no longer brewed production. Okay, so it's it's completely out. All right, Matt, what do you think? It's uh my score is going down. It's well mine did too. Right, and it's not a lot. I don't want to say I can tolerate it because it makes it sound like it's bad. It's I couldn't pick out the flavor. I do agree, it's very smooth. It almost it got a little more bitter, and I'm not a bitter guy. I'm gonna stick around a 2-8. That's that's what I'm gonna say for it. Just because I couldn't pick out any flavor, brought it down because it the bitterness, and then it I think I said it. I I had no idea they put coffee in it. I agree with you. And then we read the bottle, and it seems like that was the main ingredient. And yeah, I think you should be able to taste that. Yeah, I agree 100% with you, man. I if it says it's in there, you should be able to pick that out. And I couldn't. So the next, the next one, you ready for the next one, Jim? This one I actually got at Festival Foods, I guess. You know, hey, festival, if you want to sponsor us, perfect. But this one, I'm kind of excited to try it. Now we've had a lot of different variations of this. So this is Founders KBS, and they've had a lot of different you know, variations and different flavors. I think I actually got a couple in my uh underneath the bar yet. I think John actually has one too, right? They have that. One of my favorites is that you might have a CBS, yeah. It's called CBS, yeah, and that's the Canadian, it's got maple syrup and such in it. Now, KBS, one of my favorites that they've had is that Mackinac fudge. That was really good. Now, this one is not Mackinac fudge. This is caramel, but it looks like fudge. Yeah, it looks like fudge. Caramel for your fancy. Caramel for the fancy folk. Yes, you're gonna put your we gotta put a pink yellow for this one. Yes, and this is Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels, 12% ABV and 45 IBUs. Okay, yep. Sweet, smooth, and simply mouth watering KBS Caramel, caramel for the fancy folk, is here to elevate your drinking experience. The rich sweetness is balanced by notes of charred wood from spending time in a barrel. The beautiful blend of complex flavors in this barrel-aged beer is all the dessert you need. Wow, so there's a lot of nice words in there. Yeah, they knew how to write it up. Oh, you get a sweet smell to it. I'm trying to almost a coffee smell. If I get caramel, not as sweet as I was thinking it was gonna be. You know what I mean? I was thinking I do get kind of a caramel after aftertaste. To me, it tastes, you know, like when you had like when you're a kid and you had those little rectangle, little squares of caramel, yeah, and you open it up and you pop that in. To me, that's kind of what it tastes like. Yeah, the aftertaste kind of lingers in like on my teeth, on my tongue. It's like kind of coating everything inside there. That's about all I taste. I don't taste bourbon. I don't taste a lot of the KBS's, you don't really get the bourbon like up front, right? You know, like like that's the main flavor. You get those other, and the bourbon's kind of the secondary flavor. And what's the ABV? 12. So 12% is is up there too. Oh, yeah. I don't get that burn at all. I mean, for caramel beer though, I mean, we've had some caramel beers. Oh, yeah, that does you can't taste anything. Right. This has actually got a decent caramel flavor. Wow.
SPEAKER_01I mean I think most of the We've found.
SPEAKER_02Are you saving that drum around? Oh yeah. You've been waiting for you know, this is almost like you could make like one of those a candy or something out of this. You know, a chocolate. Is that a 21 and up candy or probably one of those where you you you have the chocolate and you pour this inside it? This is wow, this is I mean, I I can't taste anything bad. No, I think it's it's pretty good. I was expecting a little bit sweeter, maybe, right? But it's
Founders KBS Caramel Reactions
SPEAKER_02good. I do enjoy it. Matt, you haven't said anything yet. Have you? I'm not impressed. I'll I'll save my words for raining. Well, it's a good thing I start, I guess. You want to start then? I'll go like a 3.3. I do like it. I was like I said, I was expecting a little bit sweeter. Okay, but ABS is good and glad that the company that bought founders has kind of let them continue to do their thing and you know, haven't like cut corners, right? Like a lot of places do. Yeah, I I do like it, and it's yeah, it's good. I think echo exactly what you said. I mean, the challenge I mean, we're trying to we're we're comparing a lot of different we're comparing, I think, the base model of Imperial Stout with barrel aging. So now we've got an Imperial Stout that has a caramel flavor, which none of the other beers have, so we're kind of so it's kind of an outlier with the other flavors. So for me, the caramel really tastes good for KBS. I mean, they're do they do a very good job. I I like this. I'm gonna stick right with you, Mike. I'm gonna say a 3.3. I like it. I think the the only thing again, we don't know what kind of bourbon varyl it was. Maybe a little bit more bourbon flavor for me. Yeah, that's about the only thing, man. It's gonna be a two-two for me. I can't trying to find the exact words. I don't want to you guys obviously like it. I don't want to just tear it down to its foundation. But for me, I you guys are saying it's sweet. For me, it almost it has a sour flavor to it. And I can't, I don't get any caramel. That's the proper way of saying it. I don't get any caramel flavor. It's not for me. Okay, I guess yeah, that's that's where I'm at. That that's good. We want to hear both sides. We don't want to hear that it's perfect for everybody. So that's that's good to hear. John?
SPEAKER_01Okay. I think I'm gonna echo a little more on the lines of what Matt just said.
SPEAKER_02Okay, you guys are both gone.
SPEAKER_01I knew it was coming. We're gonna it was coming. We'll start our own next webinar. Bush Light? Yeah, Bush Light. A podcast for Bush Light. What are you rateing this week? Bush Light. We got five bushlings here. No, I I I just I thought the first two were a lot better. So what's good? I didn't I'm gonna I'll go with a two five. Okay. Uh, because I had the other ones up there a little higher. It's it's not bad, of course. Yeah, but uh I didn't get a lot of flavor I didn't feel out of it. But anyway, that's one.
SPEAKER_02All right. Well, that's good. I mean, again, we don't Mike and I don't have the right opinion. We just don't always hear what other people are. There's no bad opinion, there's no right or wrong, just that some of our opinions are more right than they're not right than others. Yeah. Yeah. But I all right, yeah. Well, but let us know. I mean, yeah, especially because that's what the uh we would rather have honest opinions from because like I said, Jim and I have tried so many different village beers that you know right and what in the that that's what we said up front, you know, this is not for the first right for the faint of heart, right? Because it says caramel on the outside of the bottle does not mean that you should like it's caramel, right? That you should like be trying to drink a whole bottle on your own. All right, so all right, so we're going on to the next number four four, and we are on to Surle. This is this is definitely near wheelhouse, right? Oh yeah, Minnesota Bear, Minnesota Bear, out of the cities, and I think you're all your family has been we've been there before, been there, and and I think we did do a podcast. We did a Surly. Yes, we you and I did, where it was all different variants of this. Yep, and this is the this is the 2025 darkness imperial stout 12 ABV. So, can I say right up front? I'm giving a tenth of a point for the container. Oh, yeah. For the artwork, yeah. They have a gentleman that actually does the artwork because they talk about that when you go on the tour, and it's really it's kind of like a heavy metal type artwork. A lot of I think the guy's actually like a tattoo artist that designs all of the oh, cool, and it yeah, he does a good job. So here it is. Darkness is a beer of fable and legend. So a lot to live up to. Oh, yeah, multi and intense, yet velvety smooth. This special edition of our massive Russian Imperial Stout matured in Elijah Craig barrels. Oh, there we go. They're the first company today that actually said what the barrels were. And can we John? Do you like Elijah Craig? Yes. Okay, so so we so we got the art of work, we got the Elijah Craig. We got two things going for us. And creative oak French notes. Notes of chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit, and cherry flavors abound, enhanced by the oak, the barrel, and the barrel's previous occupant, which would be Elijah Craig. Oh, it wasn't the dude who jumped in. We were getting you back into it wasn't the dude jumped in there like I'm taking a bath. Oh, it gives me a really bad visual. It says previous occupants. Why could it just say the previous liquor? Again, we have to say hello darkness, my old friend. And I have come to all drink you again. Is that hello darkness? Yeah, that's uh Simon Garfunkel. There you go. Yeah, and I believe when we did that episode where we had all this the surly darkness, I sang that and I was requested not to sing it again. So we might have we might bring that up again. Yeah, yeah. So again, everybody knows this is from Minneapolis. Yes, and I've I've been there. You have not been there. I have not been there either. Your wife has been there. Yes, I think my daughter's been there. I think your daughter has been there too. And when we were there, do they have barrel aged beers on tap that I never even heard of? So we got to make a trip up there too to do uh on the same trip uh roundabout. It would be a long uh roundabout. Oh, not on the same day, though. Not in the same day, all right.
SPEAKER_01Actually, I think uh if I recall where I got the Baptist beer, they had bottles of surly. Oh, sure. Oh yeah, yeah, which I don't know what year you guys would, of course. Right.
SPEAKER_02But most of the time when the darkness comes out, it's in a can, and then it's in a cardboard, like a paper box or cardboard, this thin cardboard box that has the artwork on the outside, too. So I think for me, what I'm my teeth are hurting, so it's for me, it's a little sweet. I don't know if it's nice. I was really looking forward to the Elijah Craig flavor because, like John, I do like that. I don't know if I'm picking as much of that out. I don't know if I pick up it says chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit, and cherry. I don't know if I get those flavors. I get more of sweetness with my teeth. I know we talked about this before. Something's like like I'm starting to like develop a cavity right now. So I'm saying, Mr. Yuck Mouth. Wow, I've already developed that next. No, that's Jim. Oh, okay. He's getting cavities, he's gotcha. What did you what did you give for score? No, you all you want me start? Yeah, you might all right. I think you're up first.
SPEAKER_00He just gave a description.
SPEAKER_02All right, yeah, you gave a description. Okay, so I gotta like regroup. I know it is 12%, and I know how difficult it is to make a 12% beer. So I gotta give and I got gave it a point for the artwork for Elijah Craig. Eliza Craig, but the flavors are not really up for me. So I'm gonna I'm gonna have to go down a little, I'm gonna have to go at 2.5. Unfortunately, this is not it's not bad, but like when I taste it, my teeth hurt a little bit, so it's there's a little sweetness, and I don't know where from the ingredients it's not telling me what the sweetness would come from, so I don't know what that what that's actually. Sure, yeah. So that's I'm I'm lower than probably I have in the past, but I just I don't know. Yep, not a problem. You guys might want to write this down in the history books because uh I'm not I'm gonna I'm sitting down not by a lot, but I am gonna be rating this higher than Jim. Whoa, nice what it's a 2.6. I might be wrong. I think I'm wrong. Um nice. So I don't feel like I got a cavity going. It is sweet. I do agree with Jim. It is sweet for me. I get the chocolatey fruitiness, and I'm trying to remember. My mom always had these
Surly Darkness In Elijah Craig
SPEAKER_02in the freezer. It was chocolate-covered, I think blueberries, and I almost get that flavor. And it's smooth. I do like that. Not gonna search this one out. What? But I do get the a good sweetness from it. Sure. So I think a 2-6 will be good for me. Okay, okay. John? That's a good score.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think someone along the same lines as Jim anymore. It seems the sweetness is something that I'm not exactly fond of, you know. It's hard it's hard to pick out what is causing it. I know, yeah, because our first couple were 12%ers and they did not have the sweetness. Yeah. So I I've got to run down to like a 2-4 or something. Wow. So far. It's just the sweetness is what turns me off anymore.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Okay. Good point.
SPEAKER_01Good point.
SPEAKER_02For me, the the thing that really kind of sticks to me, Jim, is the aftertaste. At the finish? It's really that dry, kind of uh I don't want to say harsh, but kind of uh you know what I'm saying? So not to cut you off. Yeah, it's but it's a creative oak, French oak. French oak, yeah. So oak barrels, but yeah. So do you think that's it could be? I I don't know because I'm not because I do know that the different woods in the barrel affect the flavors, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I don't have some bourbons and even some crown that is aged in French oak.
SPEAKER_00Oh, we haven't tried them yet. So I don't know, you know. So maybe we should try those ones to try them and see if they're yeah, but like I said, this one's the armor 16. Let go, let go, my armor. We should open those.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so what to me that's what yeah, I and I get that sweetness up front, but like I said, the finish is kind of what's two things. It's got two in it. Yeah, have I used a 2.7 gem? No, no, I'll do that. I do like it. They do we've had some of their versions are very good of this. Yep, but this one, like I said, that finish is just kind of a little bit rough, a little different. Yeah, yep. And I don't know why, but yeah, that's what I'm gonna go with. All right, so what are we up to now? So now we're on to beer number five, I believe. Beer five, and now we're we're going to New Holland Brewing, which is in Michigan, Michigan, and this is Dragon's Milk, which we've always had we've had episodes, podcasts of dragon's milk, and this is the double barrel coconut, which and we've we've been stuck at 12 for a little bit, so we're gonna up it to 12 and a half percent. All right, well, that's a good thing, yes. All right, so this is it's their description is this dragon's milk reserve was crafted with our friends from Binny's. Now, Benny's is is like kind of like a total wine, but it's in like Illinois and Illinois, yeah, Illinois says. So it was crafted with them. Our classic dragon's milk received the double barrel treatment, a treatment to maximize the flavor notes imparted by its time in bourbon barrels, and is finished on over 1,000 pounds of coconut to create a truly luxurious drinking experience. So I'm pretty sure Matt's gonna hate this right off the bat. So correct me, Mike, but in our like most re recent past episode, we had a very good coconut flavor. Yes, from Fifth Ward. Fifth Ward. They had a very that that porter was very good. Very good coconut flavor, very good coconut. It was not over the top, just a nice, very good flavor. Yep. So hopefully this is as good as as John's Fifth Ward coconut porter. Um, and as we this is slightly higher though, 12.5%. Okay. And as we talk about it, since this is our one of our few dragon's milk, I put it on, I don't know to talk about it now, but they do distill us down to make a bourbon. Yeah. So I I really wish they've been doing it for a few years. Right. I think we need to make an episode where we could get like a barge town and the beer, and one of these and the beer, you know. So one thing I've been noticing is a lot of these the breweries that are doing these higher ABB beers are starting to distill into whiskeys and and bourbons. Right. So almost the reverse. Kind of, yeah. Okay, yeah. Because like you said, dragon's milk. I know in the past their bottles had like scales from a dragon on. I don't know about now, but I've never been able to find it though. Right, and it is online. So okay. So that's what if you guys think this is a good one. I can go out there and try. It actually is gonna ship it, it could ship it here.
SPEAKER_00John, I think if Jim's willing to pay for it, we'll try it.
SPEAKER_02I'll try anything. Okay, yeah, okay. See, three to one, Jim. Yep, you can order it.
SPEAKER_01As you said, though, too. I just recently purchased a bottle. It's called Walleye Run, which is from New Holland. It's a rye whiskey, a tenure. Wow, they're really branching out into that. Of course, you buy it for the name, but I haven't tried it yet. But it's like a ripple of water the way the bottle is. Really? Yeah. Cool. We'll have to check that out. Another side note, this dragon's milk. Yeah, probably one of the first ones like this that I tried seven, eight years ago. Went up to the camper by myself, picked up a four-pack, and I drank a couple and walking around. It's like, wow. Well, then I read that it was like 11 or 12%. And that's fine. I felt that way. I guess I won't have any more. He woke up on the side of the road.
SPEAKER_02So you can taste the coconut. Yeah, I don't. So again, so I'm trying to think of how to say it. So so when it says double barrel, what does that mean? I believe that they aged it in two different barrels, is what I think. But they really didn't go into it. It didn't explain that if it's two different bourbon barrels. Imparted by its time in bourbon barrels. So I think they did it in two different barrels.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, some will do that even some, you know, you read where the blends are like say so many months, and this barrel, then we put it in another different type of barrel or whatever, you know.
SPEAKER_02And then so here's another statistical point thousand pounds of coconut. Right. But if you got a million right, million gallon gallons, million gallons that's not much. So it would I would rather see it say what percentage of coconut to beer? I do taste coconut, however, comma. I think the coconut that flavor we had from last week, fifth ward, to me, in my opinion, was a little bit a little bit better. Oh yeah. A little bit flavor. I I was gonna just say that. I do taste coconut, but it's not the good flavor from who goes first on this one? You do. I do who do the you do? Who do the who do that? I do that what do? Yeah, you do so well. The one thing I would say like voodoo. Yeah, it's a voodoo. That's a good movie. The one thing I would say, 12.5% super smooth. The coconut doesn't, I don't get as much coconut as I did last week. Honestly, it's still good. I I would drink a bottle of it sitting down, of course. You know, not walking through around the campground, yeah, not by the campfire, chugging the four of them and and then realizing, wait a minute, you know, yeah, it is good. I do enjoy it. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go like a 3.2 on it. I think they did a good job. I like the flavor. It again, 12.5% does not taste like 12.5%, right? For sure. You know, so I do again, we had more flavor, more of that coconut flavor last week. Yep, but for a high octane beer, it's it's pretty good. And again, you know, I struggle with the fact that I know it's a high octane beer, and I know that it it's not as easy to make a high octane beer as it is a minnow light or bush light. It's there's there's a lot of parts, pieces, processes that go into making the beer. So I have to give it credit for that. Would I have liked more coconut? Yes. Would I have liked to know what kind of bourbon, what that bourbon flavor? Yes. So for me, this is probably not my best store for a dragon's room because we've had some very good
Dragon’s Milk Double Barrel Coconut
SPEAKER_02dragons. We've had the crimson, we've had a couple other ones that were we've had a lot of different that were really good. For me, this is not one of the best ones I've had. I'm gonna have to go like a 3.2. I was I was hoping for more, I just didn't get it. Yep. I'm having a hard time coming up with my score in a good way. At least it's not as words. In a good way, I'm having a hard time. For me, I'm not a coconut guy, but I don't taste the coconut. I I get more of the bourbon. So that and that's why I like it. Why I'm having a hard time is I it almost just disappears right away. When you take your sip, it just disappears. So maybe that's a good thing for a newbie like myself. You know, you don't have to endure the pain. But I think it's gonna land right around a I'll say it, I'll say 2.7. Better than better than the last couple. For me, and I am not happy, but it's it's better for me that I don't taste the coconut.
SPEAKER_00You can be happy if you want.
SPEAKER_02It's better for me that I don't taste the coconut. John? Well, uh.
SPEAKER_01Uh-oh. John has not broke the three 3-0 mark yet, so we don't know. I'm still not going to. But anyway. I'm gonna uh looking at my scores. I'll probably have to go with like a 2-7. Okay. I it's good, but I don't know. I haven't found one yet that has really kicked me. The trip to tricky, right? Yeah, so well, yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. Right.
SPEAKER_02We're how far along are we now, Mike? I don't know. We're in five, we're five deep. We got three to go. We're in five deep, we're three to go. All right. So the next one we have is from distal. Distal, and which we have we have been to and that is the experience in normal Illinois. Yes, their brewery is unbelievable. I think and I know that we've been talking, Jim, that next year we need to look at possibly going down there for their Dust Vedania Day. Yes, because it was actually the 2025 version, which is or oh, sorry, 2026, yeah, just a couple of weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago, I think. And I and yeah, I only knew about it by looking doing the research. Yep. I you may have known about it, but I was like, Well, I I went one time, I did not get to partake in the entire experience because my daughter was playing basketball at Bradley and and had a game that day. But they were like, if you buy a ticket, we will box up the beers for you because you go, you pay, get your ticket, you go have a meal. If you do the VIP, you get every beer that they released for the Despedania line, right? And I think you get to sit in their barrel room, which we've seen, yes, which is like crazy. So this and now the up front, this this beer here is their 2022. Okay, so it's a little bit old. But the good part is it aligns with the other beers that we've had today. So this is the Duspadania bourbon barrel age Russian Imperial Stout, 12.5% and 83 IBUs. Now, their description, like a it's a Russian nesting doll. I can't pronounce the name of it. It starts with an M. We'll leave it at that. The secret you can't pronounce that? No, can you? Maybe I can sound it out. All right, here we go. Give her a world. All right, you see all these young guys are boy. I tell you what. It's a Matryovska. All right, that'll work. Whoa! Or nesting doll. Thank you. Nesting doll works. I'm good with that. We'll go with the American version. We're in the presence of greatness now. The secret of Despadania Imperial Stout lies locked deep within her mysterious and elaborate wooden layers. The hidden soul of this oak bourbon barrel-aged beer that we said despadania, which means farewell, to several months before revealing is its rich flavors like dark chocolate, toffee, black cherries, and coffee, along with robust and roasty malty, maltiness that finishes dry. Now, when we were there, Jim, and we did a podcast on they had like on local despedanias than we did on a flight. And it's but if you get a chance, you have to go because that brewery is unbelievable. So, could we do the surly and distal on the same day? We could, but it's four hours from here. The surle's is two and a half, three hours from here. So it is possible. It would it's possible, yes. Wow. So this is one you guys should try distal brewing. Because I think well, I think Caroline might have been along for one of those trips. So I have a newbie question. Yeah, what's an IBU? It stands for International Bitterness Unit, and it's used more so in IPAs. Hopping the thing that I've my brother is a brewery and I've asked him, and I've shared this with Jim. He goes, Yep, there's a couple ways you figure it out. One is a mathematical equation that's like this long, and it makes no sense. Or there's another where basically you look at the hops, you figure out here's how much I use, this is what it could be, and then you gotta deduct for the grain that you used and everything else. So it's not an exact science. Gotcha. So it's more read the IBU for this. So it's more than educated guess. It's eighty four. It's eighty three or eighty four. Because that's what I just read on the can. But see, that's that's where Jim and I have talked about for you, because we've had I IPAs are like 12 and it's super hoppy and bitter. And then you get ones like this that are 84. Okay. And you don't even taste them. You know, so gotcha. So then I think to circle the loop, a lot of people are turned off by super hoppy beers. Yeah. And they look at an IVU rating that says this is going to be super hoppy. And in my opinion, this is not that you can't taste any hops at all. So that's where I think the equation it's not a flavor-based equation. It's a something mathematical. Yeah. Which to me doesn't make sense because this is not hoppy. No. I mean, this is not bitter. I mean, there there is a little bit of bitterness, but it's not because the highest rank is 100. So this would be in the top 10% of all hot beers for hoppiness. And I don't think it's there. I don't think it's that hoppy to be rated 83. Right. I I agree with you, Jim. This is and I mean, we've had the beers that we had on tap there were really and their food there is really good. Right. I mean, it's it's crazy. If you guys are ever I mean, in the building normal Illinois area, if you're ever there, you got to stop because it is it's it's almost second to none. I mean you go there, it's unbelievable. Unbelievable. And you walk down to the one hand, and here's their barrel room, and it is it's all glass, you can stay outside just like salvation looking at the barrels that are just like oh you know, and then if you're in this VIP to be able to head in there and take the scissors and and you get to taste every ver variant you know of the dustpadon for that year, and you get a bottle of everyone to take home. So we gotta do that. Yeah, I would be it's only four and four and a half hours. I would be so yeah, I'm in. So all right. So who is our you go for my first? So I like dust fadonia. Um I mean, I can still remember the first time that we had this sitting outside your house after we cut some trees down. We brought a couple out, very good, and I still think it's good. The only hard part for me is I know they've got better versions of this. Right. I just I brought just the base models today. Yeah, so this version does not have the flavors, which I know they're capable of. So I'm trying to grade this one on this can.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_02So this can is not their best can. It'd probably in the lower end of what they can produce, but I'm still gonna give it a 3.6. I like it. I like it. I like it a lot. I guess I disagree. Be careful, man. I guess I disagree. I'm not afraid to disagree with Jim here. Initially, I know you guys were saying you don't get a bitter taste. I get a right-away punch of bitter. It does go away, so I guess that's a positive. I I try to find the positive even if I talk badly. And I'm not trying to shoot any beer down. I know everybody's got their taste. On the lower end, I'm gonna give this a two-three again because I get the initial, just it's almost a punch of bitterness, and I I can't get past it. John?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I don't know. I just so far have not found one that I really think I have to have. You know, looking at my scores, I'd probably have I got a two-five on there. You do have a two-five.
SPEAKER_02You got everything from two four to two eight three.
Destihl Dosvidanya Deep Dive
SPEAKER_01I don't want to put it for sake of not repeating. Hey, hey Matt, could you take John upstairs for but we agree? Yeah. Like I said, you can both go upstairs.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it's not I don't know. A lot of them are so close, but they're not exactly doing it. I like the first ones that don't have the sweetness to them. Yep.
SPEAKER_02And that is the sweeter stuff, but just I'd say that's one thing that you I've noticed with some of the higher when you get higher ABVs, they get sweeter. They do get sweeter. Yeah, yep. This one, like I said, I intentionally brought just the base model because some of the other ones are just base models. Yeah. So that's why I brought this one. I do have, I think, another five or six bottles from the same year that are their variants that we'll have to do on another podcast. I do like it. I think it's good. I'm gonna go with 3.5. I just think that it's it's very good flavor to it, and yeah, they know what they're doing. All right, so now we are stepping into some unknown territory. Well, we're getting out of the 12s, we're we're done with 12s. So this one, we're bored with 12s. Yeah, we're going high. Yeah, of course we're going higher, dude. Yeah, you ever listen? They they start with the lowest, yeah. So I guess except for today. Yeah. So I think, because I think John, Mike, and I, well, we've been on the Black Friday expedition, correct? Yeah, correct. And this, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, is the first time we've had a small bottle. Yeah, no, I'm I'm that's I was gonna bring that up. I'm kind of upset that they they put them in four packs, but they're little, little shorty bottles now. Uh, does it make what is the ounce? Does it say on the bottle? Do we know Matt's opening it up here? Does it say on the bottle how many ounces? 10 or 12. It's gotta be like maybe 10. 10 ounces. 10 ounces. Definitely, I mean, even with Central Waters had a 12-ounce can. This is smaller than this is smaller than that. So this is by Goose Island, the 2025 Bourbon County Original Stout. And this is 14.8 percent. So we stepped her up just a little bit. So it's right in John's wheel. Right in John's wheel. He starts to drink beer now at 14.8. Not we got it up at the level we're talking about. We're drinking it neat. Yeah, not even with ice or nothing in it. We're just doing it and eat. So the description on this one is the 2025 Bourbon County brand original stout was aged in a blend of freshly emptied barrels from Buffalo Trace. Oh that's a positive for me. Heaven Hill. Well, that's not bad. Four roses. Oh, well, that's even better, and wild turkey. Wow. With an average aging time of 14 months, this stout delivers deeply developed flavors of fudge, fudge, vanilla, and caramelized sugar, all wrapped in a rich, decadent mouthfeel. Well, that sounds fancy. Sounds good. You better have your pinky on the lights when you drink this one. So the barrel stuff really is intriguing. Four different barrels. I don't know about you guys. I don't get much of an aroma. There's not much. There's some, and it it's bourbon. Right. Well, I mean, but it's not a baby bourbon. Yeah, it definitely has that little bit of a thicker mouthfeel. Oh, definitely. Viscous. It almost hibiscus? Viscous. It's say that oily. You gotta say oily a little bit. Oh, yeah. I gotta I gotta dumb her down. Oily. So it's not hibiscus like Ron wouldn't like. No. Okay, okay. So he doesn't like it's got a low viscosity. Ah, he doesn't like coriander. Yeah, he's okay with more solid than liquid. There you go. Yeah, there we this is perfect. This is weird. Yeah. I mean, so the weird part for me is I truly love all four of what barrels they used, but I don't taste any of them. That's any little no. I mean, what I taste is like my teeth getting ready to like start falling out because it's like so sweet.
SPEAKER_01So sweet. So, like you say, oily.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And leaves that coating in your mouth. You know, I was not expecting that.
SPEAKER_02Because a lot of burb the bourbon county ones have not been like that. Like I said before, when you get in these higher ABVs for beer, they they a lot of them go that sweeter route, right? Which we always complained about before, like Avery. I gotta bring it up because we haven't said it yet today. But yeah, I don't know. And I don't, I mean, it could be the fudge, because I mean something is super sweet for me on this. And I don't I don't know what caramelized sugar, what yeah, what what does that how does that help? Or is that the same as like caramelized onions where you'd fry them for a little bit? Now that would be good. John, I don't know. John knows how to caramelize onions. And okay, John, your your your homework is let's figure out how do we caramelize sugar. And how do you incorporate that into that? But I mean, that's what I think I struggle with. I mean, right. My my that's there's this there's again, like John, the sweetness. And I understand it's 14.8, and I understand they're trying to like cover up maybe the higher alcohol. Do you think, Mike? I don't know if I'm am I talking out of turn with that.
SPEAKER_00No, I agree with you. I think you're 100% right.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and like I said before, I was kind of bummed when they had these little bottles, but now I'm kind of glad they have little bottles. I just say yeah, but I can split one so you might just mean you can just like take one as a you could. I think though that when we once we get into like an episode with the variants, it may be different because they you know, we've got all but the proprietor right one. So this is again the base model, and and when we do that one, we'll bring another bottle of this to to try. But yeah, it it's definitely really sweet, and I just I don't know, I'm not picking up those different bourbons, you know, at all. And we've had some a number of these, yeah. And I I I'm just getting and I mean so what's your experience with bourbon county in the past? Well, they've had it's very good, right now. The original is always kind of that wild card to me because the other ones at least they have some flavor that they're going for, right? You know what I mean? And and remember, underneath my bar, I've got the 2017, 2018, 2019 to do those box sets. Yes, because my brother had bought two of them, and we tasted one at the camper a few years ago on the podcast. No, this is all pre-podcast. Okay, so and we tried them then and they were unbelievable. So those are gonna be amazing. So we have to do probably one podcast. Well, we do the three with those three alone, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we have like with not to catch up, but like a I seen a shiny dot. We still have the utopia that John told me about. Yes, we still have to do that. We've not done our 30% beer yet, and that is right like involved in that. That sounds like a you would not like it, it's not like push light. No, I'm messing with my idea. And it's actually about it, like the alcohol part of it. It's it's just a few feet away. It's just a few feet away. I can yeah, yeah, I can smell it. So I'm sorry I interjected. No, no, we yeah, we need to do that coming up at some point here.
SPEAKER_01So would the finder be involved in that? Yeah, John again. Possibly.
SPEAKER_02John, I'm just possibly you could be John. You are the there is nobody. There is nobody that finds or locates bourbon or beer like John. I will a second, yes, because I said John, this is what I'm looking for, and they like a week later, hey, I found one. And I'm like, okay. So all right. So who all right? So let's try Matt first. Okay. I know Matt is a little hesitant on this one. I wouldn't say hesitant, so I disagree with you guys. I don't get the the sweetness out of it. I for me, it's uh not overpowering, but it's a strong bourbon flavor for me. I like bourbon, so that it's a good thing for me. Looking back at my scores, I think I'm tied between a I wanted to go in the middle of these two, but I think I'm tied between a 2-5 and a 2-9. So we can we can always adjust scores. We just don't want to have a double score. Right. He gets freaking crazy. But I don't like adjusting my scores. I want to be solid with my scores. I don't like changing my mind. So I think I'm gonna go on the higher side. I'm gonna go with a 2-9. I like the bourbon of it. And 2-9 solid. For me, it's pretty smooth. It doesn't, it doesn't linger for as long for me. In careful, careful words, I like it. Well, so so your cooler is gonna be full of bushlight and bourbon county. Maybe, maybe. So maybe if you put it there. There you go. Okay, so have you ever had a bourbon county beer before? I don't think so. Okay, so this is a straight legitimate, like honest opinion, which is awesome. So, I mean, we've always talked up bourbon county, but right, I'm glad now that we have somebody that's like unbiased and like totally and not a craft beer guy, right? Which is which is awesome. Uh whatever, you know. I'm surprised you still want me on the podcast. I'm surprised that you're like still willing to do the podcast. Hey, free beer is the best of it. Perfect.
SPEAKER_01What do you think, Johnny, man? Okay, well, so this is I know I don't know if it's in your wheelhouse or not. No, I and and so as not to repeat, unfortunately, I have to go to a 2-2. Okay because I do not want to go to a 2-9. Right. You know, so I think the sweetness plus the lingering oily taste is what viscosity is three. I'm not a big viscosity man. It's more fun to say it with a lisp.
SPEAKER_02Visit Yeah, exactly. Or like 12 beers. Or 12 beers in that.
SPEAKER_01Which basically those points are I wanted to like put in there that this may not be their best, but they do have other flavors. Oh, yeah, numerous flavors. And you've tried Mike and I have not tried it, but you have, so you've had the first chair. Yeah, we've tried, you know, the numerous ones. So the cherries and stuff, they're all yeah.
Bourbon County 2025 Small Bottle Debate
SPEAKER_01Okay. I just so just this one particular, maybe. So I know you lowered the score. I just wanted to give it an opportunity to put well, they're also close, in my opinion. Okay, you know, so far.
SPEAKER_02And again, this is the base model, right? You know, and that's why I've brought it. Well, yeah, because for score-wise, for me, Jim, I'm gonna go with 3.1. Yep. I wish that some of these barrels they're talking about stood out more. It is sweet. I'm and we've said that before. The base model to me for for bourbon county is always kind of the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to the other flavors they do. Right. And this is the the newest one, the 2025, right? Came out in Black Friday of 2025. And I've got we've got you know, all but the proprietors one that you can only get there every year. We yeah, and so we'll we'll do a podcast, but it may be next year before you know, because we usually on these we try and kind of wait a little bit to let them age a little more, but again, it's it's kind of in line with some of the other the originals, you know, the base model, so to speak. But I am looking forward to when we do the the three-pack because I know when my brother and I did them before that oldest one, unbelievable. My biggest and most harshest comment for a beer that I for a brewery that I truly love is that it had all four distilleries that I think produced very good bourbon. All of those bourbons are things that I seek out and try to, I'm willing to try and willing to put in any drink. So I was so looking forward to a beer that had all four of those in it. So I mean, I don't know if you guys are the same, like you guys like bourbon. I mean, you could have a bourbon outside the beer that had one of these barrels, and I think it would taste good. I mean, I and I hope I hope I'm yeah, like so. Then the challenge for me is they used those barrels and the beer did not meet the same expectation of the bourbon. There's there's a huge gap. Maybe it just goes to show you can't mix those bourbons. I don't want to interject on you, but oh exactly. I mean, so something there's something that because bourbon county has always done a really good job that somehow the there there's something didn't match up, and that's what's I guess hard for me because I mean and I don't here I'm speculating, I don't know, but this is the first year that they've ever came out with a 10-ounce bottle. So do they think that this wasn't gonna work out? So they put it in a smaller bottle. Now, not to cut you out, but remember last year we thought they were gonna introduce Bourbon County throughout the year, right? Remember, and then that didn't happen, but then they came out with these little bottles, John. And I don't know why. Yeah, well, just for the original though, the other ones were all in the normal, the bigger bottles.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we got KVS, and all of those are smaller bottles, right? You know, so maybe it's the trend, you know, that they realize people can't drink a big bottle. Well, all of these are like it's going to you share with your friends.
SPEAKER_02How about we go on a positive note? Maybe it's to just a trial run for them. It could be, it could be. Jim, did you give a score? So my score is gonna be at 2.9. Okay. So I guess I'm frustrated. I was really of all the beers, not to say that any I had like I'm like gonna presuppose a score. I was expecting Revan County to be the best beer. I guess I'm standing up because we we've had so many good beers, and it did not meet my expectation. I'm sorry. I will say this going into this, and I well, I said at the beginning of the podcast, I thought we were gonna have multiple beer of the year nominees. We haven't had one yet. Uh you know, that's that's what's frustrated. I was, I mean, when when somebody would tell me, hey, I'm gonna give you a drink that has Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey Bourbon in it, right? I'm gonna say, give me two of those. Right, right. And and now I'm gonna like with this, I'm like, Yeah, well, I agree with you. I agree with you. I'm I'm not sold. All I'm gonna say is I know I didn't beat them in the ratings, but we just agreed on the ratings. Yeah, John, something's going on. I don't know. All right, so then so all right, so now just to make sure, like, yeah, so we have one more one more, but we have two bonus bottles. Okay, so you want to see what we're gonna we'll do the next one, okay, and we're gonna do our ratings off of that. Kind of kind of give us revisit that, and then we got two more because one of them was not a stout, and I didn't feel that would be fair to rate that against a um number of barreling stout because it's gonna be two totally different things, okay. And the other one is because I messed up and thought it was a dragon's milk that the replacement wasn't, so we had another dragon. So so then we'll do this next one, yeah, and then we'll do our our okay, kind of our wrap-up of these. Of these. We'll we'll talk about so we'll give our like overall impression. Yeah, because now so this one I know in previous podcasts when we have one brewery, it's easy to try to figure out right. So, here we're gonna actually talk about what maybe is maybe the best brewery, the the one that does the best job, right? So, and in your own opinion, yep. All right, all right. So, what do we got? So, the last one we have is from Three Sheeps, and we got this through when we joined their the Barrel Society, Jim and I did that, and we we ordered this through their this is their dark matter. This is a bourbon. You don't matter aged do you matter? I matter, it's dark matter. Oh, and it's barrel aged imeral sprout, Jim. Jim, yeah, 15.4% ABV. Well, say that again. 15.4. So this is like 47 bush lights. In one I don't know if that map works out. Maybe not correct. So the description on this, all right. And I believe I don't remember if this is one of the barrel society. It is it? Okay, yes. So from 2025. 2025. Right. R when yes. So the the description is barrel matter is a force to be reckoned with, rich, thick, and full-bodied, balanced, deep, roasted, multi-character with velvety sweetness, aged in bourbon barrels. This Imperial Stout carries notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and oak with a lingering warmth that pulls you in like the gravity of the unknown. So, do we know what type of bourbon? No, it didn't say it didn't say. So, again, unfortunately, to let the listeners know we want it, we want to be up front with them, right? Yes, so maybe that's the bad part with Burberry County. They actually told us. They told us everybody else didn't tell us. There were well, no, there was one other one that told us, but you know these are the I think it was the third one that yeah, I think so. So all right, I do get the a bourbon. So have we told John or Matt about three sheep so when we walked into there? Probably not. So that is like an experience, isn't it? Or the sheep? No, there's not even three of them at all. It might be, is it bigger? I think for seating, it might be bigger than this still. It's close. I think it's close because they want a second level. The difference, the difference though, is three sheep's the when we walked, because you got your partner's not in the middle, their brewing operation was on like the right hand side, one big pole, and then the left hand side was another big, kind of like a pole building. Yep, and you walked in and it was all seating, and then they had like a bar, yeah, and coolers where you could buy beer. Of course, we went when we got there that gave them gave them our name, and then uh yeah, they wheeled out a cart with the beer. Oh boy, you know, because that we had bought throughout the year. So they had a storing for us. They call it sellering, yes. So they selled it for an entire year. I go up to the lady, or I go up to the we didn't know it didn't have us and I go over here and get your beer. Yeah, we go up to get a beer, and they're like, Uh, what do you want? We're here to pick up our beer. Pick up our beer, and then we'll have one of these. Oh, go talk to this lady around the corner. She was like, Okay. And he you gave them your name. Your name. I look behind, there's like three shells worth of stuff. I'm like, Oh,
SPEAKER_00Okay, yep.
SPEAKER_02You're just gonna get a beer and go sit down and I'll bring it out. We're like okay. So I ordered what I ordered we have a bottle of, so we're gonna save that for later. We were sitting like way I mean the whole building. Oh, I saw the whole pole shed was full of people. They had like pictures and all the oh, probably. And then there was an upper word. So I mean it was just and I mean it was so when I asked you about like last week war, what it was like this was like if you went up to my farm and I put up like the seats, long seats, everyone. That's what this is what three seats is like very nondescript, you know, and it's kind of funny because like a lot of craft breweries, they're dog friendly. So we're sitting there and here's like three people bring their dogs in. Yeah, it's it's just kind of like all right, you know. But but we've had good luck, we weren't as shocked as when the lady rolled up with the car. And and Jim's like, should I pull the truck up? And then we didn't remember because you were going to, and the the guy in front of you like got yelled at because he, you know, yeah, the guy doing the food truck tried to back up his car to like offload his gas tanks and then kicked him out. So he had like parked like a mile. So he's like wheeling his gas, the big LP gas tanks. Oh Jim Jim took one box of beer and he goes, I'll be back. And the I'm like, Okay, so then he comes back and he took one, I took one. Okay, I think we had three or four, whatever it was. We had to make multiple trips to take all the beer back. So, anyway, right. So, my point was I think three sheets has always been good, and we've always had good luck with the wolf. Correct. Right. So hopefully this is not the wolf. Now we do have several bottles of variants and I guess I uh you gave me some that are underneath my bar. Oh, yeah. And I've got uh when I was looking to find this bottle, I found I've got probably three or four big bottles of variants of the wolf, too, Jim. So we're gonna have we could do an entire couple episodes just on the wolf. Or we could have one like this. Because we've got that four-pack of cans was all different coffees of the wolf, and we have another bottle that's a coffee of the wolf, and all that anyway. So so my point was three sheeps is always, I think we've always found the very the hard part was well not the hard part, but I think to tie in at the between the bluffs, there's a bar down in lacrosse that's tied in with three sheeps. Yes, that's actually making a beer that's gonna be released at one of the bars that's gonna be like are they gonna be there again this year? Okay, I've I've got the I think John am I correct or not? Yes, yeah. It's at the crow, right?
SPEAKER_01At the crow, and we've had it the Elijah Craig barrels. They've had we uh may have had a few of those.
SPEAKER_02All right, so who's who's up?
SPEAKER_01John is on first.
SPEAKER_02Okay, well for the dark matter dark matter from three sheets. I don't like it. And you've not broke three oh yet.
SPEAKER_01Well, uh, do I have a two nine? You do not. We'll give it a two-nine then. We'll give it the top score. Wow.
SPEAKER_02Um you're not gonna break three O though.
SPEAKER_01No, not yet. We got two more. Yeah. No, I they're not like really again the sweetness and the lingering. Maybe if I went the first couple didn't have the sweetness to them that I started out in the upper twos, you know. So no, if so the big thing is you're not tasting the bourbon, like you like you like. I taste more of it in this. Okay. More of the alcohol, I think, in this.
SPEAKER_02So this is a 15.4. Yeah. So this is a little bit higher, but you're still not getting where you you think it's where it should be.
SPEAKER_01No, I think I think I'm more into the 11, 12, 13ers, you know. Okay. As we get sweeter, like like you've mentioned before. I tend to not enjoy them as much anymore. Yep. Yeah. Understand.
SPEAKER_02What what did you go for a score on? 292. Okay. I'm gonna go with 3.4. I do 100% agree with John. In I mean, it's a little sweet. I mean, it's kind of but 15.4, there's absolutely no burn. No, honestly, I I don't pick up a lot on the bourbon flavor, but I don't know. It's just to me, they're just something kind of it hits that note that I kind of like, you know. It's sweet, but not to me, it's not overly sweet, you know, and I kind of like that. I would not drink that entire bottle by myself. I will tell you that on a chair with multiple friends. Yeah, I I think it's good. So I understand what you're saying. So here's my challenge. It says that I should be tasting dark chocolate, yeah, caramel. You go by those and you don't get any of that. And and oak. So I guess the challenge because I, you know, truly love a lot of the beer, I mean the wolf variant of three sheeps. I don't get those. I get a little bit of warmness like from warmth for the lay person. So so it because it says a lingering warmth that pulls you in, like gravity of the unknown. So I I guess I can agree to that part of the the write-up. There is a warmth, which I don't know where it's coming from, because I don't know. We didn't really find out what kind of bourbon. It didn't say it didn't say. So, is this the best three sheets I've ever had? No. No. I can say with 100% certainty this is not one of the best three sheets I've had. Is it a bad one? No. I'm gonna have to go 3.4. It's it's I I was hoping for more. I'm I I struggle because I when you're at the brewery and you pick up the bottles, you really have high expectations, especially for all the beers we've had there. And this one just did not hit where I thought it was gonna go. All right, so now we have our last warrior, Matt. Save the best for last, I guess. Best for last. Uh well, it took a step back for me. I cannot pick out a single flavor. The one thing that I do get is it's not the taste, it's almost like what goes in like up into your sign. I get the alcohol. And it's not a bourbon, it's not a vodka. I just get alcohol. And I guess as the the young and of the group. The what? Can you say that again? The youngin'. Oh, okay. Young. You said youngin'. Didn't mean to stutter. But I so the alcohol I I guess I like, but I can't pick out any flavors. I'm gonna go with a two-five. I like it. I can drink it. Uh it's not something I'm gonna regurgitate. But uh, so then since you're speaking, let me have you just like encapsulate your top three.
Three Sheeps Dark Matter At 15.4%
SPEAKER_02Top three? Top three, and what what you liked about probably more important than number one. What you liked was your number one and what you liked about it. Okay. So I guess the top one would have been the essential waters. Trying to remember what I liked about it. At this point, it's kind of hard to remember because it was the first beer that we had. I think I started high and we went low after that. No, I I guess in simple terms, I I liked it because again, I'll say it, I'm not a craft beer guy, and to me, it had good flavor. It didn't coat your tongue and stay there. It you know, it it drank smooth, and you get the bourbon with your the extra flavors that they added to it. Uh I I like that one. That was two two date, that'd be the highest score I've had on the podcast. Nice. So, what about your number two? You have a number two that you thought was decent? Well, I don't want to go with the one that I rated a 2-9. That would have been the bourbon county original stout. I'll go with the 2.8. I think I left a space there in case we came across something. Sure. Yep. So that would have been the Big Bad Baptist. I I did like that one again because it wasn't overpowering with bitter flavor or anything like that. You could get the bourbon out of the bourbon taste out of it, and so yeah, I guess that'd be number two. So let me ask you a question. So you've had so the the one unique thing about this was each one of these was a different brewery, right? Was there a brewery that you thought that did followed by what they said was it they said it was gonna be in their beer, was in their beer, and it tasted like the beer, and you thought was because I know you gave the the central waters the best, but I mean, is there something that maybe you know, just for listeners that would be like, you know, for bare-aged beer, this is probably something I would go back and try another one, or would you stick with the central waters? Putting you on the spot. You are, and I'm trying to remember. I think it I think it is this one. I I'd put it as a low score. Yeah, I I did go low. The it would have been the KBS. I think for me, what they put on the bottle, it was the it was a chocolate with a lot of fruit, and I got that. I I tasted all that. They they did a good job of getting the chocolate with the the fruity flavors out of it. I guess I just trying to yeah, no. That's why we wrap it up at the end. You know, you can't you can't just pull up at the taste buds on how you tasted it. But that's what we try to do, the wrap-up, so you can give your you can change it, whatever you want. That was if you're if you're asking if they did a good job on it. I I'll say that they did do a good job of the this is what we put in it, this is what you're gonna taste. That's what I tasted, it just wasn't for me. Sure. Awesome. Okay, perfect. That's exactly John.
SPEAKER_01Well, how about you? Okay, looking over the scores, I would do some adjusting, but oh yeah, since they're all close, but I would go, yeah, I had even though I had the the three sheets at the end rated a little higher, I I would not put that as my first. I would go down to probably Big Bad Baptists, and then Central Waters. I like the cleaner, not so sweet taste of them. Didn't have the lighting aftertaste. And central waters is always had good products, I feel. Yep. You know, a couple of them that we've tried there or bought got, you know, the bottles and such.
SPEAKER_02So so then based I know your scores are on there, but is there anything you thought, like, Matt, maybe you should have changed or you thought was something that was unexpected after you know at the beginning that you thought you should change?
SPEAKER_01I think in the beginning I could have put those two a little higher. Okay. Just you know, kind of box myself in a little bit there.
SPEAKER_00It happened.
SPEAKER_01And the other ones could have been, and for future reference, I would probably go that route more, you know, with the lower alcohol contents maybe being a little higher since it seems to it's tough to pick a score with these strict, strict score rules.
SPEAKER_02I know. I know, especially when Jim goes crazy if you have a new book. Oh, C button. So for me, the Dus Vidania was very good. Yep, and then the three sheeps was very good. Now, the KBS I really liked. That was my third overall. Overall, we had a lot that were like the base models this week, and some of those I think are just kind of yeah, and then you get into the variants, you know, especially with like Bourbon County, with some of the other ones. Well, that's with distal to distal their variants are very good. Central waters for sure are very good. So, you know, we tried to kind of keep it. We just wanted as many base models as we could to start with. So so you know, so the ultimate question is because you wanted to have this. Yes, I did. So I got it. I'm gonna put you on the spot. I need you to tell me what is the best brewing of this. Oh, jeez. That's why you wanted to do this. I know I wanted to put you on a spot. I'll get it's I'll give you mine. I'll give you mine after you get done. I'm gonna say of these ones we tasted, and it it's not gonna be the same score. I'm putting distal as my number one brewery right now on the on this group, because you know, like I said, when we get into some of the the the bourbon county variants, when we get into well, the 2022, the variants of the of Des Vadania, the you know, essential waters different variants we have, but of this group, I I think distal for me kind of want it. Okay, and that's because I know you wanted to have this episode. So I wanted to, I know it was not pre-planned. I didn't we didn't talk about it beforehand, but I'll put you on the spot. So don't worry, Mike. I'm gonna ask the same thing to Jim over there. Perfect. So, my complete opinion, separate from you guys, we didn't talk about this beforehand. I am so glad we did this. I don't know. You guys probably have not had as many barrel aged beers that Mike and I have had, so it's sometimes the line starts to gray. It does, it's not always a clear cut who's the winner, who's the loser loser, who's got a better beer. Thank you guys for joining us because these are all like very good representations of all these breweries. I mean, in my opinion, this is like a good were they all the best? No, no, but I think they were a very good representation, and I appreciate you guys trying trying these out with us because I mean you didn't have to, you could have said, I'm out of here. I don't I want a bushlight. I want to say that every week, right? I want a bushlight, I'm out of here. It's your podcast. You can kick me out. Can I kick Jim? It's your podcast. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So I appreciate you guys being here. So I'm glad that we got other people trying these beers with us. Correct. Yeah. So thank you guys for joining us. So my so I'm gonna go back. My number one beer, Dostrodonia. That I I like that one too. I mean, that was is it their best beer? No, so for me, that's their at a 3-6. That was their bottom model, yeah. That's the and it goes up from there. So that's I wish we could have tried more that you guys would understand where we're coming from, but that was that's why my my best beer. The KBS was number two, and or my three sheets is number two, and then KBS is three. So I like I like those. I'm glad that we're actually able to expand people that want to try to not be afraid. I mean, and I I think the other part is I think it's better you try it in a group because you don't have to have a full bottle by yourself, right? I think John already found out if you're like walking in the campground and you're drinking like 12 of the maybe not always end up the best, and then you wake up on the side of the road with no pants on. But if you're drinking with a group like us, bad the first time, but the second time you get labeled after that. But I think I'm glad you got we're all Mike and I could have done this, but I'm glad you guys joined it. We would have came up with a totally different opinion. So I'm glad that. So should we go into the next yeah? We do have enough, or do you want to add anything to this, or do you want to go into the next one? I think this was this was good. I I was expecting us to have maybe some beer of the year candidates, but when we have a lot of these are the base model. So I think what so I think what maybe you meant was some of these breweries might have a beer of the year, right? Oh, and I'm sure maybe this not not just but not these because you look at them and a number of them were the base models, so yeah. We we have two other ones. One so then, Mike, can I just interject one thing? Yeah, so then maybe these are our guinea pigs for not trying the best of the best beer, yeah. Well, they survived this, okay. Yeah, you know, maybe they could survive the best ones. We don't I want to throw out there I did have a better rating than Jim on one of these. I know you did. Yes, you did. So so I don't I don't like being called a guinea pig. Well, there you go, Jim. So now we're offended. We actually have to bring out the good beer now, huh? Yeah, well, well, I don't know. We got two here that we have never tried. All right, so no, so so let I'll let you introduce what's one at the end. The we had two beers that I bought that we're we were going to include in here, but the first one we have is from Lexington Brewing, and the reason we didn't add it to this entire category was because this is not a stout, it's a barrel-aged wheat ale, tart cherry, tart cherry, and I I we felt, and Jim had a good point. I I it wouldn't have been a fair comparison because it's gonna be a different flavor, right? So we should look up the doesn't have any writing on the bottle at all? Because we've had some very good Kentucky oh, yeah, from Lexington Bruin. Yeah, very good. Let me see the bottle the uh government warning. Yeah, we don't like the government warning. Oh let me look at I'm gonna scan the UPT. No, all right. Well, you do that. You want to open it up and pour some. I'm gonna look and see if I can find a description. I will say it does say enjoy cold. Yeah, it's probably getting warm by now, right? Okay, so it's fresh. All right, I have I have a description. Okay, here we go. So this says our Kentucky bourbon barrel tart cherry wheat is our summer seasonal release, and it just came out. Okay, yeah, available throughout
Ranking Favorites & Best Brewery Talk
SPEAKER_02cherry harvest, which is weird because it just came out. So maybe they here's my glass. So maybe they picked them in the fall. Yeah, the beer is balanced, a balance of sweet, tart, and savory, showcasing a seasonably appropriate style of wheat beer, wheat beer, tints of warm vanilla. Warm, I don't know what warm vanilla, not the ice cream kind, correct, not cold vanilla, warm vanilla. All right, uh oak and tart cherry surround an earthy sweetness. Surround, is this how you dance in? A wheaty, a wheaty to lighten up your summer vibes. Summer? Summer vibes eight percent ABV. You said summer, summer is what it says. And I I just found it at the store a week ago. Are we in the summer now? We're in our second spring. We're in our second, third winter. Yeah, yeah. All right, so it does have that kind of a cherry. It's got a little red, it's got a different hue to it. Different, it's not uh I I don't get much aroma at all. Kind of well, there's a little something, but I don't know how to describe it. There's a little something, something I like it. I like it. Ooh, flavor-wise, that's pretty good. Yeah, and then someone says tart cold would be able to be. Cold would have been, yeah. It doesn't, it's not tart for me.
SPEAKER_01It's not no, it's not tart, it's not tart at all. And did you say some vanilla or something in it? Yes, yeah. Warm vanilla. That's what I thought.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I I get the cherry and the vanilla. Yes. Yeah, very tasty. I don't get it's not overly tart. No. So that's the heart. Thank you. Were they trying to make this a sour, do you think, Mike, or no? Uh no. What because I would say it's a sour, but I don't know how to describe it. It's so and you know, a wheat beer, I don't get that wheat flavor at all. So, like when we talk about tart, is tart and sour equal? So BK always talks about is it tart or is it sour? Because tart is what like hurts your jaw. Right. I mean, laying right back here behind you. I don't know, I don't get any of that. No at all. And all the tart cherry, I don't taste any kind of like a of that type of cherry flavor. So then my next question is if it's not tart, is it it's on the bottle? It is. So does that mean then? So how do you rate then? So they said it's gonna be tart, but it's not tart. You know, that's so I just throw it out there. I mean, what do you guys think? I mean I don't think we just so we need to rate it. Are we we are doing ratings, but yeah, we're not grouping it all right with these last two. Okay, we're just rating, but you can put it wherever you want. What are your thoughts on it? Like if it's tart or sour or if we want to go just right into rating, I'll I'll start. Okay, okay. Yep, yep. I'm a fan. And this is coming from a guy that is. Do you like do you like sours? I mean, is that so for me if you're at in lacrosse, go to festival, that's where I got it at. For me, the difference between tart and sour is sour will give you that a little bit of a longer lasting that almost a bitter face, but you kind of gotta you can't taste anything else after that. But the tart is a it's a initial uh cinch of it, yeah, and then it's almost and then it's gone. And I get that. And I get the I get the bourbon, I get the cherry, and it's very smooth. I like it. This will top my highest rating. I'm gonna give it a don't be bashful. I know. I don't be scared. I know. But just remember your score. All I say is just remember your score. The craft beer hater in me doesn't want to go as high as I want to go. I I want to give it close to a four. Step back. I like it. Are you sure? I like it. Are you sure? I'm gonna give it a four. I like it. Whoa, so is this in your nomination for a beer of the year? I'll put an asterisk by it if it is. So here, so let me ask so before you answer. Here's my thing. Let me give you an answer. So let me give you something like around it. Flavor. So, Mike, when we identify beer of the year candidates, we're not selecting the beer of the year, we're just like putting them into the pool, correct? Yeah. So it's not okay. So I'm just throwing it out there. Yes. So you're just like, hey, I'm I like this beer. I I'll throw it out there. Okay. You can also write this down. I I, as a not craft beer guy, am nominating this Kentucky bourbon barrel tart cherry for beer of the year. I also like it. So some and between the bluffs, they are there.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_02So they do sometimes. I don't know if they're there every year, but they have been there some years. So this might be at one of the beer tents. Okay. So awesome. So I'm glad. So there is something. So this is what is weird is I think just to add to it, I don't know if I said it, it's very easy drinking, very smooth. I you do get the bourbon too. To me, I get the bourbon. So then, because like me, I I'm not a big sour tart guy, but for you, it's not sour or tart. No, it's more tart than sour. Because I I for me, I find the difference between sour and tart. It's sour is a more longer lasting, tart is more just an initial and then it goes away. And so I get the tart out of it. I think. What they put on the label, I think I I get it. Awesome. That's perfect. All right. So, John, are you ready? Sure. What do you think? Well, since I can't repeat. No, no. We're starting over. Oh, yeah. You can put any score you want. Yep, any score.
SPEAKER_01Let's go with like a two nine. I like it, but you know, I like uh so what did you think was good? Because I mean, Matt actually had some really yeah. I mean, are you gonna echo taste the the weakness kind of like Blue Moon or something, right? Okay. But those are weak, more of a wheat beer. Okay. I don't know. Are they?
SPEAKER_02I well, Blue Moon is, but but so blue moon is more kind of an orange-ish.
SPEAKER_01But I mean uh this is more of a cherry fullness in your mouth, you know, or your palate, you know what I mean? Yes. This cherry, I don't think it was, I think it a little more tart, like he said, than a sour, but you could taste the hint of it. And the vanilla, I think it was, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_02So yeah. But you thought it was okay, this whole yeah, yeah. Okay. All right, Mike, are you ready to divulge, or do you want me to go? Or you can uh no, I'll go. Okay. I was surprised, honestly. And a good way or yeah, a good way. Okay, yep. I I was not sure what to expect because I thought, okay, it's gonna be like super tart, really you know. Oh my gosh, that's crazy, nasty cherry. No, and with a wheat beer, I didn't know how that was gonna be barrel-age. I think it's very good. I really liked it. I think I'm going like a 3.5 actually. It shocked me so far today. That's kind of the most shocking beer to me. I was not expecting what we got, and I got three more at the house. So that's a good thing. Yeah, it's it's really good. I I liked it. So I'm just gonna just say that, yeah. All right, so I'm the last guy. Correct. So I have to be the Debbie Downer of everybody. Oh, here we go. I'm not sold on it. Really? Um, no, I'm because I I think Mike, well, you guys might not know, but Mike knows I'm not a sour guy, right? I'm not as but it's not sour, it's a tart. I know. So for me, it's a little, it's a little bit on the down slope, and I'm not. Could I drink a bottle? I don't think I could. Could I drink a glass? I think I could drink part of a glass. I don't know if I could. So I always like try to balance it, but that way. So my my taste buds are not like letting me say it's gonna be good. I think it's an okay beer. I don't know if I could drink a whole bottle though. Right. I'm gonna have to 2.5. I'm probably the lowest, I'm the lowest of everybody on that one. I'm sorry. I didn't think that one was I didn't think that one was the best. You're uh you're off of the podcast. Well, all I wanted to say is today's one for the history books because I I eat both two beers that I'd be either Jim or Mike, and this one is both. Uh meeting you guys and the ratings. Mike or uh John, you were shaking ahead.
SPEAKER_01Did you think I was wrong, or what did you no? That's why you saw I had a two-eight, which yeah, yeah, that's a yeah. I don't know. If I did one bottle, I wouldn't do two.
SPEAKER_02So if you were walking to the campground and I saw you drinking one of them, I should tackle you and rip that from your hand. No, I'd give it to you.
SPEAKER_01Okay, not so boys.
SPEAKER_02We have one left, and this is another dragon's milk because I brought an extra one because I thought that I had to replace this, the tart cherry, with uh I thought it was a dragon's milk, but it's not. All right, so which dragon's milk is it? This is the dragon's milk. I think it's coffee and chocolate, but it's like madcap. Madcap coffee. Coffee and chocolate.
Bonus Pour: Bourbon Barrel Tart Cherry Wheat
SPEAKER_02Now, is there a description on the bottle? Otherwise, I have one here. I think it's the same one. Dragon's milk reserved coffee chocolate is back. Back? Nope. Back this time with a twist. This edition of coffee chocolate is powered by our friends at Madcap Coffee. Our brewers worked with the team at Madcat to select their Bolt House blend, which I have no idea what that means. A blend of Central and South American coffees for this limited brew. The deep chocolatey and syrupy notes from its artisan coffee pairs perfectly with hand-selected Guyanan coca. Hey, do we need Matt to say? Because yeah, no, because I don't think you can pronounce it either. Oh, it's not just create a delicious and unique take on our legendary stout. I think it's from Ghana. All right, so this is our Ghana house. I will say on the bottle, there is a there's a section before that. Oh, what's that? Oh if you'd like me to read it, I can so Dragon's Milk Reserve is a treasure. Oh boy. Oh, even at this point in the podcast, he needs glasses, too. Trevor Trav Trevor Travel for the Adventures Spirit. Each entry in the reserve series is crafted to push the boundaries of our signature bourbon barrel age stout, and an epic journey awaits. And then it goes into what you just said. I definitely smell it. So and this is our last one for this. This is our last one episode. So, all right, so boy, I smell coffee on the aroma. Oh, there's coffee on the aroma. There's coffee on this one. There is like more coffee than coffee. You taste coffee. Wow, there's coffee. You smell coffee, you taste coffee, and there's a finish of coffee. It's coffee all the way through. Coffee all day long. Well, what's the ABV? 11% on the bottle. 11%. Yeah. And this is Dragon's Milk. This is New Holland. Yep. So we know they do a good job. You get a chocolate out of it. Because the coffee overpowers overpowers everything. All I taste is the coffee. Right. I mean, this is like something Toby wouldn't take to work. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry, Toby. I didn't whoopsies. I didn't, but this is like coffee all the way through, but it's just like so overpowering. We don't we don't force anybody to be part of the podcast. I mean, it's because it's not always easy to describe the beers. So we appreciate John and you Matt being on this to like give a different perspective. So we appreciate that. So thank you, thank you very much for just oh, yeah. Thanks for having me. I'm so glad that you guys were able to join us and and be part of this because Mike and I I think we started our craft beer drinking with a little heavier beers, and so we're accustomed to drinking something that's a little bit stronger. John, you like bourbon, and I don't that maybe the bourbon with a beer is not the same, and I know Matt isn't part of the bourbon or that heavy beer stuff. So I appreciate you guys coming on the podcast to tell us your opinion because the the whole purpose that I think that why drink with Mike is every beer is different. I mean, I and I think that's a good thing because if every beer was the same, who would know what to drink? So I think having a the variations and the flavors, how they're making it, what they're doing is good. So I hope that you guys thought that was okay, right? And I and I hope the listeners understand that we're not trying to be like critical of any beer, we're just trying to explain how we taste it because I think that's what's good about Mike and I have a taste, but but John and Matt may not have the same tasting that we do. Right. Well, I appreciate you guys having me. And well, I think John likes more craft beer than I do. I I appreciate you having me on because I'm not a craft beer guy, but today I nominated one for beer of the year, and for you guys, I think it should just shows the the wide variety that there is out there, and I think that's what you're trying to get at. I just want to say that just to because I appreciate you having me on. Yeah. I mean, go ahead and wrap it up. I mean, is I mean, did I finish the hand it off when I'm oh yeah, yeah. No, it like I said, there's a lot of the beers that we had today were the base models, and we know their variants usually improve on the base models, but it was kind of interesting to try all of the different breweries that we think are kind of the top and you know, for bourbon barrel stuff. So Jim, I got a question for you. What's your favorite brewery? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I thought we're ending up the episode here. What happened? Well, again, what what are your thoughts? You really haven't said what your thoughts were. I know so I struggle, especially today, because these variants are not their best of the best, right? So I know Mike's a dot das Vinania, and I've been a distal, and their beers are across the board very good. I have to rely back on the beers I've tasted, and the bourbon county ones to me have been very across the board, like all above four. So for me, Bourbon County, I know we didn't get a good sample because this is probably the smallest beer we've ever had. Well, and it's the newest, you know, the newest and the smallest bear bottle we've ever had. So I am putting myself on some thin ice because I'm saying that bourbon county is gonna be good in our smallest sample we've ever had. So I hope it doesn't come back to bite me. So so I hope that does that answer. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Do we want to ask our guests? Do you guys have a are you guys want to like out of respect? I don't want to give an answer. Just because I I don't drink craft beer, I I can't I can't say I've tasted enough different breweries. I don't want to single one out. I don't want to talk bad about the others. I'm not gonna give one. Okay.
SPEAKER_01With a limited if we're talking the bourbon barrel ones, the limited experience I've had, essential water so far, the variants and such, you know, even those today, or that one today I liked. Uh yeah, nice. Well, nice good.
SPEAKER_02Well, I'm I'm glad you guys are able to join us. Yeah, yeah. I mean, don't be scared, right? Don't ever be scared of trying to craft beer. That's right, right? Because beer should have flavor. And we try it. And we try it. So awesome. Well, guys, thank you so much for being here, you know, trying all of these beers and such. And I think Darth Vader's coming. So we have to I think this is a good. This is yeah, one of the best episodes we've had. Oh, yeah. This is for head to head, this is uh a huge one. I'm glad you invited us, but yes, thank you guys for being agreeing to be a part of it. Matt, thanks for you didn't know what was going on, but you you were coming in, and he was once again doing it. So, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening. And like we always say, we hope the campfire is always warm and the beers are always cold. See yo. 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.
