Ep 172 - The Great IPA Taste Test

Seven IPAs hit the table and we do not protect anyone’s feelings, especially our own. Mike brings the Northwoods Beer Guy scoring brain, Jim brings the skepticism, Matt brings the blunt honesty, and Kate joins us as a self-proclaimed IPA lover who actually did homework before showing up. The result is a fast-moving IPA tasting that’s equal parts flavor notes, friendly roasting, and real guidance for anyone who buys craft beer and wonders why the can never tastes like the label.

We work through a lineup that includes Surly Mosh Pit Series Juicy IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Third Space Central Time IPA, Sierra Nevada Peachy Little Thing, Surly Mosh Pit Hazy IPA, Surly Axe Man, and Central Waters Far Out Messenger double dry hopped double IPA. We talk citrus vs tropical fruit, piney bitterness, dryness on the finish, and how fruit-forward IPAs land when you just want your beer to taste like beer. Axe Man sparks the strongest reactions, and Far Out Messenger delivers the most satisfying balance for a few of us.

Then we get nerdy in the best way: what IBUs actually measure, why IBUs do not equal perceived bitterness, and how labs chemically determine IBU using a solvent extraction and ultraviolet light. We even crack open hop basics, including the lupulin inside the hop cone that drives those essential oils and that classic IPA character.

If you like IPA reviews, beer scoring, hop science, and honest craft beer talk, queue this up, share it with your favorite hophead, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next tasting. After you listen, drop us a rating and tell us which IPA style you want us to do next.

Thank you for listening to The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. If you have a question, comment or would like us to review your beer, please feel free to contact us at northwoodsbeerguy@gmail.com.

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Transcript

Welcome And IPA Night Setup

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Grab a beer and pull up a chair. Welcome to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. Hey, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. This is Mike, the Northwoods Beer Guy, and we are once again in the studio, and we are joined by Jim. Hey buddy, how you doing? I'm doing all right. How about you? Another day in paradise. There you go. It's a moment. It's always a day in paradise when it involves beer drinking. Is that what we're doing again? Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? Oh, you forgot. I should have told you. Surprise, surprise, surprise. I guess I'm on the hook now. Yeah, you better come up with something good. Well, I'm not saying it's good, but I'm not saying it's bad either. We don't know. And after, you know, a couple weeks ago, I think you're really gonna dig this category again. So then I can already assume then these are not barrel-aged beers. If you're saying it could be good or it could be bad, we'll say they're slightly different than barrel-aged. Wow. You you you're you're not selling you're gonna have to say a little much better words if you're gonna sell it. Hundreds and hundreds of people say that this is your new favorite style of beer. So I had to go with it. Hundreds and hundreds, huh? Yeah. Wow. Maybe they were drinking too many craft beers. It could have been. I don't know. Well, hey, we've got a couple of guests in the uh studio this week. Jim, why don't you uh fill in the audience and let them know who's here? All right. We have a person that's been on here a couple of times before. I'm shocked he came back. I know it. I don't know how you guys and now he's actually gonna be doing IPA, so this should be a good test for him. We'll see about that. Uh well again, it's one of Jim's new favorite category. That's why we have it. Well, then there's hope. Yes, yes. But well, if if I liked it a little bit, you might like it a little bit. So Mike is gonna be the one that's gonna be. If that's a question, I'm gonna say that's false. Oh, all right. That's my guess. Maybe you'll maybe you'll keep your points on that question. That's that's gotta give me like 5,000 points right off the bat. So all right. Well, thank you, and welcome for welcome to join us again. And now we also have a fourth person, so four on the the podcast. We have Kate. So you want to tell us a little bit about you and who you're following?

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

So I I think you guys did that IPA episode last time, and I was like, Oh, you're doing IPAs, they gotta invite me in because I I love the IPA categories. So I'll try not to overrate too many of these, but I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

No, you're how long before she makes GMA today, do you think? We'll see, as long as she doesn't read Peter's scores and only nominated every single award for the year of the year. But no, we gotta follow up because your sister was on, was it last year or the year before, right? I think last year, I think. Remember right?

SPEAKER_01 3:13

I think the twins were a year and a half, so they're they're turning four in July.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

So okay, maybe it wasn't a year ago. So and we may have broke her the last time because so what you are you gonna be I I've been I've been coached.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Okay, she said Caitlin, you don't need to drink all of the testers.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Good answer.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Her perception the first time on.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Shh, we we didn't, yeah, yeah. Matt, you have to drink all of them. Yeah, oh I don't think I've had an issue with that, even if I didn't like them. Exactly. Well, so are we ready to get started? Yeah, we're I guess we're ready. So, Matt, you want so I'll have you read this very top, read the whole this paragraph so the everybody knows what we're gonna be drinking.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

So

Surly Mosh Pit Juicy IPA

SPEAKER_01 4:02

the first beer is Mosh Pit Series, juicy IPA from Surlee Brewing Company, 5.5 ABV. They're out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's a cool brewery that's attached to uh to a distillery up there, too. Now a new American Heart, Urbans and Whiskey. That's pretty good Irish.

SPEAKER_04 4:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

We'll we'll stay on the beer track. So breweries and bands don't start on the big stage, they all tend to start in someone's garage. They try, fail, adjust, try again, fail again, tweak something here, mess around with something over there, and through some cocktail of talent, persistence, and divine inspiration, they create something remarkable. This is that in liquid form. Approachable, full flavored, and begging for another sip.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

Were we talking about beer?

SPEAKER_04 4:53

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

I was trying to figure out what in the world is going on. That's a lot of work. Some high praise. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:00

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

But we don't know what kind of hops or what. Yeah, they really didn't give that approachable. Right. Not not crushable. Those are technical terms. Yes. Smells like an IPA. There's a little bit of aroma, nothing, nothing much but you can't get scared by the aroma.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Um, I mean, if this is the only thing in the fridge or in a cooler, I might grab it, but yeah, I got I got the dry after after my second sip caught a little dry at the end, but my first my first thought was juicy, almost like kind of apple juicy.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah. I definitely said, Matt, I definitely got the the citrus flavor to it. But I mean, I'm not read into IPAs a lot, but not bad for me. And I I mean the hard part too is you read all the stuff that they said, you know, tried, failed, adjusted try.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Divine inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

And you came up with this? Yeah. You know, I'm like not just anybody can come up with that. Right. Then I guess so that we can make sure Kate knows how we do it. So about how many beers have you rated, Mike? It's just over 6200. 6200.

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

And how do we rate them? Oh, yeah, the scoring system. Yeah, zero to five by tenth of a point. Okay. And again, just remember this one you're safe because we haven't given any scores out, so Jim cannot get upset yet. Yeah. Yeah. So we're so since you're the the new person on this episode on the show, we'll let you go first and tell us what you think and what your score would be.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

I'm in the hot seat first. All right. I I thought it was definitely drinkable, and I do prefer IPAs. So if I had to pick one to drink, I'd be happy drinking it. I give it a two.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Two? Two? Straight up two.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Is that is that low by your standard?

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Well, two point five five is average.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Yeah. It's a little less than average. Wouldn't be the first IPA I'd want to drink, but it's not bad. I give it a two.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Okay. So that's solid. That's good explanation. Perfect. Matt? Oh, well, like I said, I'm not read into IPAs a whole lot, but a little citrus. I wouldn't say there's a bad flavor to it. So for me, I'll go two four. Nice. I'm gonna I'm gonna do a 2.4 as well. I think it's a little lower than average. I wish there was a little bit more flavor to it. I mean, you get a little bit of a citrus, but it's not, you know, it if you're not used to IPAs, it's not gonna burn you out by any means. So you could drink a number of them. So it's good. I I I would drink one. Lawnmower beer? Yeah, it's on the verge.

SPEAKER_04 7:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

You know, they're usually more lagers or an old, but but for an IPA, this would be a lawnmower IPA. Yeah, I would I would agree with you. I think I'm writing with you guys. I'm gonna say like a 2.2, a little bit below average. I mean, it's okay. I I didn't like dry heave after the first sip, so that's like that's a starting for a good thing. So that's pretty sad when that's part of your rating as a dry heave. It didn't come back to it. Yeah. So it's okay. I mean, like I said, again, IPAs are not my favorite, so I'm my score might be a little bit lower. Just unless it was barely on top. It's okay, dude. We all know that you love them, so you don't have to try and fool us.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

I mean, as someone who loves IPAs, maybe I scored a little harder than I normally would because I know what my favorite ones take.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

I was gonna say he hates IPAs, but this is like our fifth IPA episode this year already, and he keeps bringing them up. There's a trend going

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

SPEAKER_02 8:28

here.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

So next in the lineup is the 60-minute IPA from Dogfish Head Brewery, 6% ABV, and we've got 60 IBUs. Dogfish Head Breweries out of Milton, Delaware. And their provided description is it's hard being the sequel, unless you wrote the original story. Inspired by the continual hopping process we invented with 90-minute IPA. 60 minute builds on that one-of-a-kind process and flavor, crafting a solid gold hit that's found its own identity. Brewed using a boatload of intense Northwest hops, we boil this continually hopped IPA for a full 60 minutes, adding more than 60 hop additions continuously to create a bold and timeless flavor. Continually hopped to deliver a pungently citrusy, grassy hop flavor without being crushingly bitter. You'll quickly see why this sequel has become our best-selling beer and why you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again. Well, that's interesting because I heard of the 90 minute. I think I've even had that, but I don't know that I've had the 60 minute and it's become their best.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Oh, yeah. Mike, I got a question. I when I when she read the what was it? Boatload. Pungently, you had that look in your eye, like you were a little concerned. And how much is a boatload? It's more than a depends on the boat.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

There you go. I was just wondering because I'm not sure how to quantify boatload. Man, you are done. Yeah, that's all you got to contribute now. That was the mic drop. Yeah. I don't smell much. You do get some. I was scared when I said doing it 60 minutes. I was gonna say when you said pungently, it was like uh okay. I looked at Jim and he had that little fear in his eye. Oh, yeah. I saw it too. You did too, yeah. He looked nervous. Oh, yeah. Usually that's my face on this podcast, is usually nervous. I did like the description that it wasn't talking about someone's garage. Yeah, well, you know, yeah, it actually talked about the beer. Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Yeah, gave me even more appreciation for the brewers when you start looking at putting in that many different types of hops in a certain order over an hour-long process. I mean, I wonder how many times they tried adding in different orders and different types and different amounts of time before they landed on this, which well, and like I said, they do have a 120-minute IPA.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

And I think that's like I can't remember what ABV it's up, it's higher. It's higher. And remember, it's like 40 bucks for a four-pack or something like that. And it's got a bite too. Jim would not approve. Well, the IPI wouldn't even be looked at that wouldn't be in the aisle I'm going to to begin with. Yeah. But it's they I've had all of you know the 60, 90, 120, and it's they're all good, but it's yeah, it's definitely something when you try them. That's they know what they're doing. So yeah, yeah. I mean, this is almost like the first one, like not a lot of flavor again. Nothing this has a little bit room for someone to say that because that's I mean, even the finished is not really dry. So no, I say this to me, it does have a little bit more of a hop kind of bite to it, a little bit of a bitterness, more so than that first one did.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yeah, the first one for me, I definitely caught juicy. This one, there's there's no question, it's not juicy. It's definitely for me a little hoppier and more like a very solid IPA, I would call it.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

I agree. All right, Matt, you might go first. Well, I was about to say pretty much gonna copy and paste the same description I gave for the last one. I'll go on the lower side since we're not allowed to repeat scores. So two three for me. There's a little citrus, and then you know, I you don't get the complete sour sour face to it. Good answer. Yep. I'm gonna go a two-three as well. I I don't mind it, but it does have a little bit more of that bitter to it. You know, where that first one I could drink that, no problem. This one, I think after a can of it, I might be like, I need to switch to something to wash the taste for a little bit, and I go back, but it's still it's just a little bit a little bit more of that bitterness to it. Yeah, this is not anything I would seek out. This is like a solid 2.0 for me. This is we can definitely see we're on the downhill slope for me. For this, so we know Jim's got like a case of it upstairs.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

I think he's sandbagging. I do too.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

The more he the more he makes it sound bad, you know it means he likes it better. We're on to you, dude. Wow. I guess my hand, I showed my hand too much. Yeah, this is I wouldn't seek this one out. I mean, this would be one that slide off or give it to Mike as a birthday present or something. Give it to Mike, he'll drink anything. Well, thank you. But no, I a 2.0 for me. That's a stretch. It might even be lower.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Well, I uh I really liked it. I really liked it. Oh, nice. I thought it was for me kind of what an IPA should taste like. Very it wasn't didn't blow my socks off, but I'd buy a six-pack and have a couple at the end of work. I I'd give it a 2.5. That's a solid average, enjoyable IPA for me.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

There you go. Solid. Yeah, all right. So we are up to so I only have five questions

IBU Scale Limits And Meanings

SPEAKER_02 13:25

too. We have seven beers, so we're gonna I'll have to spread them out. Let's do four of them right now. I can't do that. Oh, okay. So this is another easy one. So, what is the highest number on the IBU number scale? Okay, are we good? Yeah, all right. One of you guys can go first.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

What's your guess, Matt?

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Just for funsies, I'm gonna say 150. Okay, good guess.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Okay, I think somewhere in that range, too, Matt. 120.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Answer, I was gonna say 100. All right, so I found this. Is the actual answer I found the scale generally ranges from zero to 120. A higher IBU means more bitter and compounds, but most roomasters only go to 100. So we're both right. No, is this like price is right rules where if you go over, you're out. So I'm gonna I'm gonna give Kate a thousand points because she actually hit the number exact and Matt 500 points because he had it was closer. So, Mike, good try though. He was closer to what? The high end. No, he wasn't. Yeah, in my math, I went to Leon Tech. I forgot that. Important information. Yeah, I gotta start thinking like that now. So we'll uh the second part of the question we'll ask after the next beer. Oh, okay. Okay, so

Third Space Central Time IPA

SPEAKER_02 14:43

what do we have? No. Well, this one ain't on our yeah, he snuck it, he snuck one in on us. I lost it, and then I thought it's I hate him, but he always has it. Exactly. And there's not a whole lot on the can. I could read the government warning, but we don't know about that. So, what's the name of it? This is Central Time IPA by Third Space Brewing. Happy and delightful. Six percent ABV. The little blurb they have on the can is a toast to the Midwest where long summer sunsets and fresh forest air reminds us of nights worth remembering and invite new ones to begin. Crack one open, you're on central time.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

So well, they didn't have anything about a garage. Oh, it's in a can. It is a can. There's nothing about a garage, right? No, or boiling it for 60 minutes. Nope. Or dunking it extra times for pungent.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Boy, he's uh I like the play on the Midwest though. Central time.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Uh-huh. I forgot about I didn't even think about it. That's right. Third space is from Milwaukee, right? Is yeah, I think that's where they're from, isn't it? Boy, I'm burping up knots. Really? After only two taster glasses. I find that hard to believe. All right. Okay. A little different aroma. I mean, again, not much, but there's a little there's something different. A little earthier. Yeah, there you go. Is this pungent? No, it's not pungent, but it's uh yeah, earthy is a polite way to say it. There's hops there. That's got it. A little again, just a little bit, another little step up from the first ones. Interesting. I mean, the finish isn't as dry as I thought it would be with that first wave of the hops. I thought it'd be a lot drier, but it's not as dry. Yeah, this one, the finish is definitely not. The last one was a lot drier. Yes, comparatively speaking.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

I don't find it to be as bitter as either of the first two, either. It's pretty smooth.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

I don't know what to say about it. How many more of these do we get? It's not good, but not bad. Earthy, I guess, is a way to describe it. Yeah, it's a it's kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Yeah, I think it's an easier drinker, actually. It's not, it doesn't have any of those really strong flavors that stand out.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

You can tell it's meant to be an IPA, but it's not uh it's kind of like on the mid part of my tongue, it gets the little bit of that more of the piney, grapefruity kind of thing. You know what I mean? Where you're kind of like I'd say more pine than grapefruit. Yeah, that's what I'd say. It's piney. Yeah, I'm tasting more pine, but it's yeah, it's not bad. I guess I'm first. You want to go first? I guess I'll go two two because I'm not gonna go two five on it.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Keep going down, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

Keep going down until something is again. I don't mind it, but it's just kind of that little bit of a piney, but I do like the the finish better than the second one. But overall, yeah, two two. I don't know if I'd pick this one myself. Yeah, there's there's not a lot of flavor, even the hot, like you'd expect a little more citrus flavor out from the hops. I'm not getting that. The dryness isn't as bad like you mentioned, Mike, but it's still I'm not a big favorite. This is not I don't know if I'd run out and just buy this. Wait a minute, who bought this? Who ran out and bought this? The man talking about how he wouldn't go off. I thought again, I was looking at the color of the can. It looked like it was three. Because if you look, all the cans even look different too. So I was like, oh shiny can. Let's buy it. So I'm gonna go on 1.9. I'm getting down there now. I'm gonna have to keep going lower. So this is why his average is lower. I think he does this on purpose. He schedules like sour uh episodes and IPA. So then he, oh, my average is lower than yours. Right, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

I'm trying to decide if if this is if I'm liking this better than the first or less than the first, if I go over two or under two. Definitely under my two five for the dogfish head, but I think I would I think I would grab this before the for the mosh pit. So I'll I'll give this a 2.1.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

All right, good answer. In the same boat as Mike. It's a lot of flavors I don't particularly like. I'm gonna keep lowering my score. I'll go the same with the what is it, two? 2-2. Yeah. All right. So now I'm gonna do part two of the question I did for you, Mike. Okay. Actually, I'm just gonna say the statement. Okay, he can't spin it. So all right. Yeah, so let's hear it. All right, so an IBU rating gives a useful clue about bitterness, which we kind of knew. Yeah, because we never knew what it's, but it does not guarantee how bitter a beer will taste, which we kind of figured that because we had some that were 90 that were bitter, and some were five, and they were like super poppy and bitter. So yeah, but malt sweetness, beer strength, and even acidity can change perceived bitterness. So two beers with the same IBU can drink differently. Yeah, and that's you know, that's what when uh talking to my brother and I asked him about that too, and he had said the same thing that it, you know, it it everything you put in it affects the IBUs. So it's your grains, your your water, your whatever, all this stuff, right? It it affects it. And it's like, and if I remember right a few episodes ago when we were talking about it, there's not a set standard either on how Oh, I did find it though. Brewer that breweries kind of come up with their own, you know what I mean? It's not like a scientific, it has to be this. So I did find it. I wanted to quiz you on it. Oh, great. I actually got the chemical composition for it. Oh, nice. So that'll be one of your questions. Oh, that's an easy one. Everybody knows that. Yeah, see? So I just that was uh there was no question with that. I figured it was too hard to ask a question with that. So it was a good statement because we talked about a lot. So and that's the the biggest thing that we've always questioned is the IBU scale, right? Because everything else you can figure, you know, okay, great. And then the IBUs, it's just like Jim said, we've had high IBUs that are you don't even know there's I there's hops in it, and then you got low ones that you're like, oh my word, you can't hardly drink it. So I mean, we're kind of used to now when you look at packaging for food, it tells you what's on it, whether it's you know, protein calories, any of that stuff. Because if you're trying to watch what you're trying to eat, and you would think that the beer would be the same way. So if it's high IBU, it's gonna be bigger. Yeah, that's not the case. So it's like, why even have the scale if it's yeah, you know, if exactly if you make it a buying decision on if it's gonna be high IBU or low IBU, and it doesn't really make any difference of what it is, it's just like some random number. Why even use it? So yeah, it's confusing. Okay, so beer number

Sierra Nevada Peachy Little Thing

SPEAKER_02 20:59

four. Four. Oh, geez. So there was a big write-up on this one. Do you want to do this one? There's a whole bunch.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

I don't know if I can if I can man manage this. I don't have the Ruby.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

I don't have the Ruby levels for that. Jim went to Leon Tacky's hands.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

All right, well, my only advantage is is this that was left over.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Oh beepers. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Not quite my not quite my lowest rating yet, I guess. But well, this one has the advantage of I I know I have had this beer before, so even though the um the description is incredibly long, maybe I can add something to it. Peachy little thing, hazy IPA from Sierra Nevada. It's uh 7% ABV and only 18 IBUs out of Mills River, North Carolina. So here we go. This golden, velvety, hazy IPA is dripping with peach flavor, balanced by bright hop aromas. Pick up this peachy little thing. Before it's gone. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

There you go. Can I just add one thing that's on the can that I thought was funny? Sure. It's family owned, operated, and argued over. I thought that was funny. Well, that leads you to wonder. Especially since it's 18 IVUs and it's an IPA. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

Yeah. I see I see a lot. Sierra Nevana's come out with a lot of little thing IPAs that's peachy and juicy and happy and hazy.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

You know who else has that is a Bita. They have a little something. It's called. Oh, now that's one of my favorite IPAs.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

I love that little something something.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

This is another one of my fruits that I'm not a fan of either. I was gonna say a peachy IPA.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

This is you know, peach. Any anytime someone tells me there's fruit in my beer.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

That's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

I know.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

Oh, you're not.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

I uh don't don't mix them for me, please. So I I already knew heading in this one wasn't gonna be my favorite, but it's definitely has a peach.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Yeah. We've had worse. I will say that as far as no, I was gonna say it's I think the peach kind of kills a little bit of the hop. It kills the stuff that I don't like. And I think the 18 IBUs is pretty pretty cool. It doesn't look pretty apparent there, yeah. It's not bitter to me. I don't have any bitterness or hop dryness or anything. It's there's definitely peach flavor in there.

SPEAKER_01 23:16

I I definitely catch the peach.

SPEAKER_02 23:18

It is kind of funny that you think about the peach and mango are like really they get used a lot now, you know. And I mean you see cranberry, but not to that extent. You know, you don't see raspberry, not to that extent, you know, where it just seems like mango and I feel like the shandies too, with lemon.

SPEAKER_01 23:36

There's a lot of lemon beers out there, but for me, I want it to taste like beer, not proof.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

That's crazy old-fashioned thinking.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

I know. I need to I need to get with the the new age. Yeah, uh-huh. This is one I don't know that I will finish.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Really? Wow. Yeah, oh no, you can't dump it.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Wait a minute. I was gonna take my sister's advice on this one.

SPEAKER_02 24:00

I'll go first. Yeah, this is not a favorite of mine. I don't like peach and I don't like IPA. I'm not, it's not even anywhere close to what I would seek out. Does it taste bad? It's not horrendous. Is that a good positive thing or not? But for me, the peach kind of just double turns me off, maybe. So I'm gonna have to say a 1.8 going down lower and lower. It's just not because that that first one, the juicy one for me has been my best one so far, but nothing's came close to what this is. It's just not I'm not a fan.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Well, at least you were fair with your first rating of the juicy one, then. I'm I'm right there with you. But I I I knew I was already gonna be a little biased towards the negative because I just don't fruit in my beer is not my thing. So sorry, I will I will join Jim in the 1.8 category on this one. Matt, thanks for picking up the slack panel.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

We can't we can't leave a soldier behind. So I gotta get drained. Having a hard time having an opinion about it. I like the I like that it's not hoppy and it doesn't punch your tongue with the bitterness, but it almost seems like the bitter is fighting the the sweetness of the of the peach. If I re-go over my scores here, two two, two, three, and two, four. I didn't leave myself in a whole lot of room. You have the same conundrum that I'm in, too. I'm gonna I'll go on the higher end. I'll do a two-five just because it's it doesn't have the the hoppy bitter as much as the first three. All right. Yeah, man. I uh I was sitting there going, okay, is it a two-five or a two-one? You know, I don't mind it. I don't mind peach, though, you know, and I think it drank for me. It drank pretty well. Would I drink more than one now? Again, I'd get burned out by the peach. But looking at my scores, it's like I'll go I'll go with the same two five so you're not up there by yourself. But again, I I'd have one, you know. I just you better be careful, it might get you. It could, yeah. I mean but I mean, just the fact I think the peach flavor for one can, okay. I can I can do it. It's it's kind of like a lot of those other flavored ones, you know, cranberry, okay. Yeah, I'll have one. Right, you know, and then get me something that tastes like Kate said, like beer. You know, so yeah, it's not bad, but I I wouldn't not bad, but not good. Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

At least at that 7%, you know, if you're gonna drink one.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

Yeah, might as well get your money's worth, right? At least feel it.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

And I mean, if you like, if you like fruit or peach, I could see other people gravitating towards it because it's not a bad IPA, it just not in my wheelhouse.

SPEAKER_02 26:30

All right, so this is another easy question.

Chemical Vs Perceived Bitterness

SPEAKER_02 26:33

So I'm gonna I'm gonna fill in this fill in the blank. I need two answers. Two words. Two part or two part.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Mike's like, when have you ever asked me an easy question? These are all the easy ones.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Two opportunities to lose points, you said. Yeah, exactly. All right, so don't worry about the answers. We'll I'll read a sentence and then give it a couple seconds and then we'll go around. So fill in the blank. IBU measures the blank bitterness, not the blank bitterness.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

So I I may have cheated on this one a little as I was listening to your last episode and I and I educated myself a little bit on IBUs after the conversations you guys are having.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

So take a stab at it. So she cheated.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

Is that cheating?

SPEAKER_02 27:15

I wouldn't call that cheating. I think that's just public information.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

I think that's called studying.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

When did that start? Well, see, look at that. We don't need it here. I filed a FOIA request and I haven't got that information yet. There's other ways to get that. I don't know if I've ever studied. See, look at she might have to come back because she's actually studying before. I don't know. I'm not liking that. It makes me look really bad.

SPEAKER_01 27:39

So I believe it is the IBU will will give you the measurement of the chemical bitterness, but it is not going to give you any idea of what the perceived bitterness might be, which gets back to Jim's question of why do it then.

SPEAKER_02 27:57

When she said it, it makes sense. How are you gonna measure perceived bitterness? Right? Ditto.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Hey, I'm sticking with that. Mike's got a new strategy, and it's just to uh eliminate the points Matt and I can possibly by going.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Exactly. So that's the correct answer. Chemical proceeds. So a thousand points from Matt Kate, and Mike gets more points. Why do I get none? Because you said ditto, that's not an answer. Oh, I forgot Leon tech. That means the same. Oh, I didn't know that. See next time you got to be more specific. Oh, I see. Like the ocean? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Don't be Atlantic. Be Pacific. Wow. All right. What are we up to? We're up to number five. And we should say so far they've all been in 12 ounce cans. Yep. So far. So so far, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

Huh.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

That one sounded wild.

SPEAKER_00 28:49

And really nice aggressive. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

Did I read this one? Because I do there's a little more information on this one. All right.

Surly Mosh Pit Hazy And Zaps

SPEAKER_02 28:55

So this is again the second one in the Mosh Pit series. Okay. From Surly Brewing. And this is the hazy IP8. 7.2%. So this is a tropical fruit hop bouquet. Oh. With an electric pineapple. What's an electric pineapple?

unknown 29:14

No.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

Jumper cables up there. Yeah. Wow. All right. All right. Welcomes you to the mosh pit. Juicy without being glowing. I don't know what that means. Hazy without being murky. And I'm not sure what I thought murky was like visual, but and our flagship hazy IP is always worthy of an encore. Okay. So I'm not sure. So you said this was the second. So at the bottom, there I put so they do have a third one in the series of this mosh pit. It's the Imperial IP at 9%, which I did not find. I only found these two. Okay. So some of the listeners might be out there might have had it, but this so we the first one was the 5.5. This is 7%, and then they have a 9%.

SPEAKER_03 29:57

Oh, okay. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

Wait, this one smells. You can smell the hops. This one has definitely got more of a kind of a little bit more of a hop aroma.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

Sizzling in my hand. Is that the electricity? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If all of a sudden your hair starts to go. Do we need a voltmeter for this one?

SPEAKER_01 30:12

I think the bouquet in your description. This thing, you can smell the bouquet on this one.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

I don't know if I really get a lot of tropical fruit. Anything? I get something that's fruity. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

I think it's the most complex for me of the beers we've tried so far. I get like layers, it's almost like a wave as it hits my tongue of like, oh, there's that, there's that, there's that. It's pretty complex.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

What is she talking about? I'm just here for the beer. I don't taste any pineapple either. I don't know. Yeah, me too.

unknown 30:43

Pineapple.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

I'm having a hard time picking picking them out. Like it does taste a little fruit. You get an individual. I'm having a hard time.

SPEAKER_01 30:51

Electric pineapple. Is that like a nine volt battery to the tongue?

SPEAKER_02 30:55

Just boy, that if it was, it would be like that stuff that whatever that liquor that John has. Oh, yeah. Where so I do have a funny story about that electric stuff. So electric stuff, electricity or in the outlet or something. You told them not to, right? Right. You told them. Well, I thought it was common knowledge. So I had come on. So I got some bad discs in my neck. And I went to a I won't say the name, a place, and they were giving me acupuncture. Oh. So it wasn't working. So she goes, Well, I'll put you ever had you ever heard of a tens unit? Yeah, yeah. I have to put it for your muscles. Yeah. So she hooked the tens unit to the needles that were and she turned it on and it started like crackling, and I started smelling hamburger. Oh no boy. So that's that reminds me of the electric pipe. So that's part of what happened to them. So I was like, so I've never been back since that time. So they hooked it right to the acupuncture. No, like I'm like a couple hours later, I was walking, all of a sudden I just completely broke out in sweats and sat down, and I was like, oh it was just like exhausted. That's crazy. Yeah. So for all the people like acupuncture, I'm not a fan of that either. It's right that I put it right up those IPAs. Well, I think your experience was more just like an electrocution. Yes, yes. I know what you were saying. Yeah, I think so. Do you want to since your first time around or your first time? Oh, it's back to my back to you again. So you want to give a score and a little bit of a recap on it.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

It's so 7.2 ABV, that's that's pretty good for as smooth as I feel like it tastes. It's definitely tropical. I feel like typically you're not for me personally, I wouldn't pick up an IPA on a super hot day and be like, oh, I'm gonna drink a bunch of IPA when it's 80 degrees out or something. So this one might be in that category for me. It's not you can't identify a specific fruit, but it's definitely tropical as that bouquet, if you will. This is what smells. So I think I probably could drink a drink a couple of these on a hot day and enjoy them. So I I'll give it a 2.3.

SPEAKER_02 33:03

See, for the newbies, she's got all her scores spaced apart. She can she must have done this with her, scored it right in her shit.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

No, no, I was I I was doing my research. I studied a little bit, I listened to a few of the podcasts, I was enjoying them. I was excited to come. So all right.

SPEAKER_02 33:18

Well, that's a good stuff. Well, that makes one of us, isn't it? Like I said, I just come for the free beer. Let what do you think? I'm having a really hard time with this because I I can't pick out flavors with it. The only time I would get a fruity taste is when either Jim or Kate would say, There's a little fruit to it, and then all of a sudden I go, Yeah, maybe. So it's like almost like a placebo. It's you gotta tell me it's what it tastes like, and then I finally taste it. So I think this will go. What do I got left? A two-one? Yep. Actually, I'll give myself some space here. I'm gonna go with a two. Okay. Just in case just in case then the next next one or the following is slightly better. But yeah, I just I couldn't pick out a for sure flavor. Yeah, this one is difficult. Again, not terrible, but my scores are stacked the way they are. So it's either gonna be the best one or the worst one. And I think right now I gotta give it a 2.1, I guess, because it's okay. I don't mind it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I was hoping it would be better because I mean we've had some pretty good luck with hazy IPAs, but I'm not sure that this is not one of the better ones I think we've tried. Yeah, this is definitely not my favorite, and I get it. I was hoping as an hazy IPA, and we've had some pretty good ones, some decent ones. I was hoping it was gonna be much better, but the flavor's not there. I'm gonna have to say a 1.7. It's just I couldn't seek this one out to go have this. I mean, I could barely stomach that little taster glasses. I couldn't break. I don't think I could drink a full KM. Yeah, even on my best day. All right, are we ready for question number four?

Hop Anatomy And Lupulin Reveal

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Again, this is another easy one. I can't believe I found another easy one like this. Mike probably already knows what the answer is. False. Oh, wait. But you're gonna that's not the answer. Okay, all right. When you open a hop cone down the middle, what will you find inside? Because that is it's super important for IPAs. That part that's inside the hop. I'm gonna say it's the heart of the hop.

SPEAKER_04 35:23

Why are you thinking my answer?

SPEAKER_02 35:24

I wanted to. Is that what you're gonna say? Yeah, but I don't like well, I'd repeat it cage because I don't know if you're right. I highly doubt it.

SPEAKER_01 35:34

I think you get seed pods.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

And actually, there is a seed pods. Yeah, seed pods. And there's actually a brewery that has this name. Oh there's a brewery that has the name? The name of this is giving you a hint. I'm giving you a hint. Is it the oh, what's the name of it? It's if it's the one I'm thinking of, I've been there too. Uh oh, oh well, hang on, let's get the other two answers to see if you can think of it. This is unfair. I don't go to breweries. Oh, that's your own fault. Well, so Mike has given up his heart for this. Yeah, he's giving up my heart for his heart. So you can take heart if you want, if Mike doesn't want it. Yeah, no, I'll do heart. That was my first guess. All right. Because I don't know nothing about hops. I'm gonna say heart. All right, so we got one last guess.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Well, I think I was already talking to Matt about it. But seeds in a pot of seeds, that then that's where you can grind it and get it. The essential oils and the real flavor inside the hops come from that, my guess.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

Do you know what the name of that is? The loop loop line. Yes, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. I told you you've been there. I've been there. So, Matt, you keep got a thousand points each, and like lost 500. Of course I did.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

That's pretty cool. We did our best. Oh, a skeleton on it.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

That one so this is oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I've I I hate to say it, I've had this one. So, do you want to read this timer 20? This one doesn't have a lot for this one. Do you want to read this? Me? Anybody? I can read it. All

Surly Axe Man Verdicts

SPEAKER_02 37:03

right. There we go. So this is Axe Man from Surly Brewing, 7.2% ABB. Perhaps our most acclaimed IPA, which is saying something remarkably hop forward and aromatic. It cleaves the competition. Voted first place, best in show at the Minnesota Brewers Cup.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Wait, wait, most acclaimed is saying something because I feel like everybody's heard of Surly Furious.

SPEAKER_02 37:25

Like variety pack they ever come out with has furious in it.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

Yeah, you know, so most bars in like at least in the Twin Cities area, almost everybody has Cerly Furious IPA on tap. Everybody knows Furious. So for them to call it self-call it the most acclaimed IPA, that is saying something. And I don't know that I've tried.

SPEAKER_02 37:44

You know, it's yeah, it's it is it it's well known in Minnesota. The Furious. The Furious, well, both of these. Oh, and Accent. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

Yeah, I think the Furious Tap is the one that's so common. I don't see Axman on the tap up there, very often.

SPEAKER_02 37:59

Well, all right. Well, I don't get much of aroma. There's not a lot of hop aroma. Oh, you get there's a hop aroma to it. I don't get much. It might be a little bit. It's got a hoppy flavor though. Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

Yeah, not a not a ton for the aroma. A little bit. Hoppy. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

Not too much. When I say hop for it, it's like it's right hop out of my mouth. It's uh that's aggressive. This is not. This is this is definitely an IPA. Oh, yeah. This is probably the most IP one that I've had so far this year. Yeah, yeah. Oof. That's 7.2. No, I'll finish it. I may not like it, but I'll finish it.

SPEAKER_00 38:48

That's fair. I who knows?

SPEAKER_02 38:50

Maybe on my 10th sip I'll like it. That was then you're like, that's not so bad. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:54

So I feel like it was it was almost blasphemy for me when I was living up in the Twin Cities. I was always like, ah, I'm not a huge fan of the Surly Furious. Like, I'd I take a I take a new Glaris Moon Man over the Furious any day. Was not my favorite IPA, but this is really good for me. And I wish I'd known about it when I was still living up there because I would have been at least been able to go into a bar in Minnesota and order a surly beer and enjoyed it. The Axeman is is good. I see why they say it was most acclaimed.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

I say, I do like this one. Oh man, you should. I guess it's your score first. I'll let you know. Oh, I apologize. Yeah, I was jumping the gun. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 39:34

Well, I think that's your guess over here, not clear on the order of things.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Uh put me down for a one five.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 39:42

I can drink it. I just I don't know if you've seen, but I get a bitter face every time I take a haven't even noticed. Good thing you guys don't film this about yet. All right. I've had this many times. I do like it. I'm gonna go two six. Now, if you like this one, you have to try their double bladed axe. It's their double IPA version of this. Way better.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

And it's it's kind of crazy. It's higher ABV, but the flavor-wise is way better.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Isn't that interesting? Now sometimes the higher the doubles are are more drinkable than the regulars. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:24

And it I don't know why it is, but my brother and all that, those guys are all the same thing. They're like, they would much rather have the double bladed is the name of it. Is their double IPA version and it's yeah, it's really good.

SPEAKER_04 40:34

So interesting.

SPEAKER_02 40:36

Yeah, I'm not a fan of this. This is not in my wheelhouse. I wouldn't, if I seen this, I would make sure that I look to the next aisle or next refrigerator over. I'm gonna go with solid 1.5 and hold it there all day long. It's like I mean, I'm getting burping up hops. My mouth is dry. It's all because they've all been IPAs. It's all the things that you don't want to have after drinking a beer. Oh so it's like yeah, not a favorite of mine. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Well, send the rest of them my way. I'm just over here trying to figure out as the newbie, like how bold a three is because I really that's a good solid number, man. I really enjoyed this one. It's definitely the most drinkable IPA I think on the table so far for me. So I'm gonna give it a three.

SPEAKER_02 41:23

Wow. Perfect. All right, so we have the last question, which we've been teasing the whole episode about it.

How Labs Calculate IBUs

SPEAKER_02 41:32

How is the IBU chemically determined for beer? Another easy question. Oh, extremely easy. And there's a few compounds and a few mathematical equations on here. So you're a math major, right, Mike? That would be a no.

SPEAKER_01 41:47

Oh, I just jotted the formula down on my wrist over here, so I can't.

SPEAKER_02 41:51

She now she's making it sound like studying. Now it's studying is cheating. Yeah, now it's yeah, the truth comes out. Yeah. So, Mike, I'm starting to think there's cahoots going on. Yeah. To be honest with you. I feel like I'm on the other side of the fence. Yeah, it's not as fun on this side of the fence. I'm not losing points, but I feel like I'm on your side of the fence. Isn't it a Jewish holiday? All of a sudden, there was that moment of he's been raided all this time. Yeah. Did you say this a Jewish holiday? I think you said something about cahoots, cahoots? I think you guys are in cahoots together. Oh, that's not Jewish? I don't know what it is. It could be.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

Oh well, to be honest, I I I've exposed myself as the nerd that I am.

SPEAKER_02 42:34

So do you want to go first? I didn't want to say it, but I'm gonna say the exact same answer that she says. Really? Yep.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

If if you guys knew my sister, can I hear the question again?

SPEAKER_02 42:48

How is the IBU chemically determined for beer? Yeah, no idea.

SPEAKER_00 42:53

I'm trying to I was waiting for Matt to just steal the show.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

I thought he was gonna have something stupid to say, but I can't even come up with that. I thought he was gonna blackout for a second. I'll come rattle some of this thing off, and we're like take the square room. He's thinking way too hard. Yeah, I don't know. I'll just I'll just repeat whatever Kate says.

SPEAKER_01 43:12

All right. This is this is again, this is inspired by listening to your past podcast and and self-snut here. So I honest to goodness, and from my mech my recollection, the best I could understand, it's not a super straightforward process, but it seemed like they put the the beer in some type of a solvent that extracts the bitterness. And then they they put it under ultraviolet light, UV light. And then based on how much of that UV light is is either like absorb or reflects back to their sensor or their their reading, that gives them something on that scale from zero to one twenty.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

And I have a question.

SPEAKER_01 43:53

Don't ask me.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

Did Jim email you these or did he text you the answers?

SPEAKER_01 43:57

He did not. He did not.

SPEAKER_02 43:58

Did you give Jim the question? I think it's unfair that you're uh asking for a short answer. Like those are always the worst questions for me on tests. Short answer. Give me multiple choice, Jim. Yeah, see, I was on political science. You could write a lot of stuff, but the more you write, the better it sounds so what's wrong with true false? Yeah, that's too easy for you. So it can't get it right. So it says, so did we, because we said the same thing she did. That's true. So it says to find the IBU number, the beer is extracted with an organic solvent, creating a solution that is then exposed to ultraviolet light. The more the UV light in a solution absorbs, the more bitterness is present. The higher the IBU.

SPEAKER_01 44:45

She really and Jim, the credit goes to you. Like at the very opening of your first episode, the last episode, you're talking about IBUs. And I go to listen to prepare to come here, and I'm like, boy, I can't go on their podcast and not know what an IBU is. They're talking about it to kick off episode 170. So I went and I went and did a little research.

SPEAKER_02 45:09

I just need to know how to do it. I haven't known anything on the podcast. She remembers episode numbers. Mike, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:19

So you got a new follower. See, well, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

I was gonna say it sounds like you got a fan on the on the show. Some people call it stalking, other people just they fanned them. That was a very good answer. I wish I could get Mike to have some of the same responses. So do I wish I could come up with something like that? All those 6,000 beers that ruined my thinkers at all.

SPEAKER_04 45:41

All right, well, all right.

SPEAKER_02 45:42

Now we get on to our last one big old pint can. This

Central Waters Far Out Messenger

SPEAKER_02 45:46

one is scary. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 45:47

I'm excited for this one.

SPEAKER_02 45:49

Are you gonna read that one? Sure. This one is from a brewery that I don't know if we've ever heard of in Amherst, Wisconsin. This is Far Out Messenger from Central Waters, a double dry hopped double IPA. This is Jim's all-time favorite. Actually, actually, I give Jim credit because if you listen to some of the past episodes, we did one where we started with a pale ale, American pale ale. I we went all the way up to a quadruple IPA and he survived.

SPEAKER_00 46:18

Okay barely, but he survived.

SPEAKER_02 46:20

Oh, that DBA so this is 7.7% ABV. This is our highest one. This is the highest one. And what they said was can the expansion of the universe be measured by neutron star mergers? Is there a quantum complex? All right, this is really this is worse than the garage one. Uh, is there a quantum complexity that could solve the wormhole paradox? I think Sheldon wanted this. I have no idea, but this beer has me reeling for answers in the luxury of contemplation and enjoying this lush and delicate double IPA. May we find them? We may find them. I'm sorry. Far Out Messenger is a concoction built out of the journey. Did they actually have this as the description? I copied and pasted it. Holy cow. Let's see. Actually, no, I came up with all this on my own. Yeah, I know that's what you must have put chat GPT or something. Let's see, built out of the journey and not the arrival, layered with a soft and flavorful amount of wheats and oats.

SPEAKER_03 47:26

We explored the contrasting hot profile combination of Riwaka and Azaka, powerfully fueled aromatics of psychedelic passion fruit.

SPEAKER_02 47:40

Wait a minute. Oh, there's a lot around it out with sweet grapefruit character, a fluffy mouthfeel, and notes of creamy mango juice.

SPEAKER_00 47:51

Is fluffy what you want?

SPEAKER_02 47:53

I don't know. I don't think that's kind of funny that mango is in there because I was just saying.

SPEAKER_01 47:57

Yeah, you were talking about mangoes.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

I don't know if we've ever heard fluffy for a beer. This is the most the most big words I've ever seen in a beer description. We should have had Jim read that. Yeah, it would have been interesting to hear how he pronounced some of those. Oh man. Well, there isn't a huge amount. I thought there'd be more aroma. I thought there'd be more aroma double, double, double. I taste the psychedelic stuff.

SPEAKER_01 48:22

The can is definitely far out. Seeing colors. Got aliens on it and everything.

SPEAKER_02 48:27

That is that's not bad. That's closer to what juicy IPA should. You know what I mean? I mean, I definitely get more of the the kind of that fruity taste to it. Passionate fruit? I didn't hear that. And is is there such a thing as a sweet grapefruit? If there is, if you put a bunch of sugar on it. Well, I thought I thought all grapefruit, I didn't realize that there was different floor. I'm glad they used this one. They were able to make the the hops and the fruit kind of I think they blended it well where it's like a fruity sour to it. Right. And I I like that.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

And I think you I could be wrong. This is me guessing now.

SPEAKER_02 49:05

But I think you're a good guesser. I mean, you got all the questions right.

SPEAKER_01 49:10

Hey, so far. So we value your judgment now. Oh.

SPEAKER_02 49:15

He's just rubbing it in our face. You got a lot of street cred.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

So drawing more speculation to Caitlin's knowledge. I don't know. Let's not uh let's not overstate here. But I think with the double dried hops, you do get a little less aroma because they're drying it twice. So you get more of that infused flavor and less of it that's coming up out of the beer itself.

SPEAKER_02 49:42

Is it the Riwaka or the Azaka ones?

SPEAKER_01 49:44

That I don't know. I wish I knew more about different types of hops, but Yeah, I don't I never even heard of Riwaka and Azaka.

SPEAKER_02 49:52

There's different hop varieties, yeah. Oh, thanks, Captain Obvious. It was right that you read that. I know if you'd have been paying attention.

SPEAKER_01 49:59

Now we all know that.

SPEAKER_02 50:00

But I mean, if you haven't heard that before, not very much.

SPEAKER_03 50:04

You usually hear cascade and centennial and you know that kind of stuff. Yeah, these ones I haven't really heard a whole lot about, but so again, I don't know about a fluffy mouthfeel though.

SPEAKER_01 50:14

Do you think they're Wisconsin hops? I mean, if Central Waters is out of Milwaukee, right?

SPEAKER_02 50:19

Or or are they up by Stevens by Stevens Point. Yeah. Oh, okay. They do have a uh tapering. I have been to.

SPEAKER_01 50:27

There you go.

SPEAKER_02 50:27

You weren't there with us. Yeah. You stopped there to use the restroom or what? Pretty much. So, Mike, you are first. Yep. I think this is a probably the best one I've had all day, to be honest with you. I don't mind this. I'm gonna go like a 2-7. Wow. I do think this is pretty good. I could drink that can. I may not get another one, but being a print can, you know, you're kind of pot committed there. I don't so far the psychedelic stuff hasn't hit me, so that's good. You know, but uh but I I like it. I think it's got really good flavor, and yeah, I'd I'd drink it. So I painted myself into a corner where I think this for me might be the best one today. I don't want to say that too loud. So I'm gonna have to say a 2.3 where it is below average, but it is the best one for me. So all right. He thinks he's joking.

SPEAKER_01 51:23

No, he's no, I uh I'm glad I went high on the Axeman because I I've always been a big, big fan of anything that's double dry hopped. I think it's just smoother. This is this is if I found this beer to be true to that for me. I think it's definitely a smoother, lighter, easier to drink IPA than your standard dried hops, but I still think I like the Axemen better. So I will I will give this a solid 2.8 if I haven't used that. Okay, very good. I definitely like it.

SPEAKER_02 51:57

Solid. That's that's good, Mike. Or I'm sorry, Matt. No, he's just confusing us. Yeah, he's just like it's one of the two losers. The psychedelic motions are kicking in. Exactly. No, this is the best one for me today. I'm not gonna search it out at all. Not in the least. Yeah, we'll put it at a two six. I think I have that open. Yep. But like I said earlier, I I do think they were able to blend the fruitiness with the with the hops to make the a bittersweet flavor. And that I that's what draws me to say that's the best today. Sure.

Top Picks Final Thoughts Closing

SPEAKER_02 52:32

All right, so now at this point, Kate, we've finished our beers. I'll hand the paper to you. And for the listeners, we'll have them have you tell them your top three and why you liked your top three. Or you can say top one or top two, but we'll limit it to three. You don't have to give all the all the good details, but what do you think were the best or or where you thought about drinking these? I mean anything in general.

SPEAKER_01 52:57

Yeah, for sure. So I I like IPA, so uh, but I'm also first time on learning your your rating scale. So maybe as time goes on, I would do something differently. But I did really like the Axeman Surly Fury Surly, not Furious, better than Furious, and it sounds like I need to try the double X if they continue on that scale. So that that's my favorite. It's probably be a new favorite. I'll probably go seek it out and drink it more regularly because I just figured I didn't like Furious, so may not like the other surly IPAs, but that one was very good. So that's my favorite. And I think because it was just really well rounded, there wasn't too much fruit, there wasn't too much citrus, there wasn't too much hop for me. So it was just a well-rounded IPA that I would enjoy drinking. Then my my second one is that far out messenger. Looking at the scale though, I do feel like I I maybe did the 60-minute IPA dirty.

SPEAKER_02 53:55

Nice. Good answer. Good answer. All right, Matt, right in your wheelhouse. Yeah, no, these are great beers for not me. The far out messenger, that was my top of the day. Yeah, I guess you know, for me, the top one was the the last one, the central waters far out. I just thought that was a really good flavor to it. Axe-Man was my number two, and boy, what do I have next?

SPEAKER_03 54:20

Oh, peachy little thing, which I'm not exactly sure why. So I think it kind of came down to here's what my scores were.

SPEAKER_02 54:30

Oh, yeah, that's right. I didn't want you to be there by yourself. We agreed on scores as as well as answers today. Yes, exactly. So it was kind of yeah. I didn't overall, I think all of these, if you don't like IPs, you're not gonna like them. I mean, it's plain simple. There wasn't a terrible one in the group, I didn't think, you know, but there wasn't like an unbelievably outstanding one either. I think they were very close to each other. So all right. Well, I'm actually gonna be getting an appointment to get my head checked because I actually can't believe that I'm the one that bought these. So make sure that if I ever go back and I look for the shiny cans, I find something different and hopefully find something that has a little bit more or a wheelhouse that has some urban barrel flavor to it. Well, maybe you could go to that dude with the acupuncture that he hooked up to the just go get electrocuted again. Yeah, there you go. So overall, I didn't like really any of these. These are not anything the I can't how do I even say the words? I mean, I wouldn't go buy them, but I bought them. So I'm like painted myself into a corner. So, Mike, from now on, it is your responsibility to buy IPAs. Okay, for the program. Yeah, that's I took a huge hit that I could do this for the program. So, did you have to wear like you know, like an overcoat and shades and a hat when you went into the IPA I over there? In order to go to get your X-ray or you have to wear the lead vest. That's what I had to wear. Oh, so I really didn't find any that good. All of my scores are below average. There's nothing I didn't rate anything even in the median. But the closest to the median I had was the far out messenger, which was tolerable. The mosh pit juicy was okay, and the 60 minute was my number three, and that's and it just dropped right off the cliff from there. It was totally. I'm glad that we are done with it because I hope we won't do this for a while. Well, there you go. Until next week when Jim goes, hey, I'd happen to find some more IPAs. Yeah, exactly. In fact, I found sour IPAs.

unknown 56:26

Sour IPAs.

SPEAKER_01 56:28

I have a few favorites, so maybe I'll just drop off for Jim. Oh, we don't need a financial investment, but maybe I'll win you over eventually.

SPEAKER_02 56:36

So I did say I did try them all and I didn't pour any out. So do I get at least credit for that?

SPEAKER_01 56:41

You definitely get credit for that. I mean, I wanted to pour out my peach little thing.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

Yeah, this or two.

SPEAKER_01 56:48

You you Billy uh picked up the slack for me on that one, Matt. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 56:53

But you did a very good job your first time around, and you really showed Mike what happens when you research prior to an episode. What happens when you're gonna do that?

SPEAKER_00 57:02

I just know Haley is out there, and I'll call me a nerd.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Or he shows you the answers beforehand. Right, yeah. So thank you very much. Deny this. You like you like bunked up our episode like 10 notches because Mike just never studies a now brand new person coming on, and so you did a good job. So thank you for joining us for having me.

SPEAKER_01 57:22

I would really appreciate being here, especially for my favorite kind of beer.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

Now, in my defense, I usually don't have to study much to score better than Jim.

SPEAKER_01 57:29

See, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:32

Yeah, tech, yeah. That's tech.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

Leon tech.

SPEAKER_03 57:35

Get the tech tacky on there. That's right. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 57:37

Because we I actually love Leon Community. That's where my sister lives.

SPEAKER_02 57:41

But the tech school there.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

Technically, not a school there.

SPEAKER_02 57:46

So I'm glad we had everybody here. It was a good, yeah, good time. I'm glad everybody enjoyed the beers, but we'll try to do better in the future.

SPEAKER_00 57:56

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 57:56

Sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 57:57

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_02 57:57

I don't know. She may never want to come back after she's on the display of how you treat me.

SPEAKER_01 58:02

That's ITAs.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

All right. Kate's never coming back for IPAs. She does this research crap. Do you believe that, Matt? I was gonna say the first podcast she gets to come on, it's her favorite kind of beer. Yeah. Matt, I'm over here fighting the big.

SPEAKER_00 58:21

I think Hayley laid the groundwork for me.

SPEAKER_02 58:25

So I think your first podcast, Matt, was probably barrel-aged stuff, probably. I think most of the podcasts I've been have been barrel-aged. Whoopsies.

SPEAKER_01 58:35

So the podcast has a favorite.

SPEAKER_02 58:37

Well, it's some that we do better on than others. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:41

All right.

SPEAKER_02 58:41

Yeah, that's it. There sounds better. Yes. Well, cool. Well, hey, everybody, thanks for showing up and putting up with Jim for this IPA episode. Thanks for having me. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 58:52

Kate, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 58:56

Well, I never said I did. Well, that's true, but I just didn't want you out there by yourself. Sorry. Jim, thank you for supplying the beers. We believe I spent money on them. Well, the funny thing is, he's got like what, five more of every one of them, I'm pretty sure. I sure hope not.

SPEAKER_01 59:12

Send me home with the case. Mike's gonna get an early crypto.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

There you go. Well, cool. Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for listening. Go out, try these IPAs, try any IPA if you want. If you want. You don't have to there are good ones out there. Don't take Jim, you know, for anything. So anyway, ladies and gentlemen, like we've always said before, we hope your campfire is always warm and your beers are always cold. See ya. See ya later.

SPEAKER_04 59:40

Bye.

How To Contact And Follow

SPEAKER_02 59:41

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.