Transcript
00:00:00 INTRO
Whether your beer is in a bottle can or glass kick back and relax, it's better on draft.
00:00:17 Ken
We are live episode 330 of the better on draft podcast. My name is Ken. Thank you so.
00:00:21 Ken
Much for joining us, I truly appreciate.
00:00:24 Ken
On this Friday evening, it is the 20th of October getting ready for Halloween, and all of those Halloween parties let us go around and see what everybody is drinking, starting with Dennis Dennis, what are you drinking?
00:00:37 Dennis
Hey. Oh, I have a beer I can pronounce this time. I have the extra special bitter from Waypost Brewing Company in Fennville, MI.
00:00:46 Ken
And fantastic, Dan, what about you?
00:00:50 Dan
Let's see. I've got the all time favorite of mine finally coming back. Bacon and eggs from pizza port. And then just to complement the double *******, I've got a a crawler that's a third full because the keg blew sebastians Porter out of Oreo Brewing.
00:01:04 Ken
Sometimes those short short fills.
00:01:07 Ken
Are the best because you get usually get it.
00:01:10 Ken
Free, right and and deep, deep discount you know.
00:01:11 Dan
I got for a dollar, yeah.
00:01:15 Ken
Wendy, what are you drinking?
00:01:16 Wendy
I have a.
00:01:18 Wendy
Wax wings. I'm a king bee and on deck.
00:01:22 Wendy
I have an.
00:01:23 Wendy
Odd side Peach Smash, which is a strong ale aged in whiskey barrels with.
00:01:28 Wendy
Flavored with Peaches.
00:01:30 Wendy
So I'm really excited to try that one.
00:01:33 Ken
For me, I am doing the double ******* the double amber ales from Bells Brewery delicious beer.
00:01:40 Ken
And excited to drink it. This is going to be one of the last episodes for a little bit as we've got a long list of guests that we're going to be bringing in over the next couple months, excited to have a lot of people on. So we are going to be just doing a, a solo show, chatting with each other, seeing what we want to talk about within the craft beer.
00:02:00 Ken
Industry and I know Wendy wanted to ask us some questions about ourselves within craft beer. So Wendy, take it away.
00:02:08 Wendy
Well, I was doing some research online this week and I was looking at a couple of different online beer groups and I was just interested in what your guys's opinions are of the online groups. Now I know we've all been. I think I've actually met a couple of you through the beer groups.
00:02:29 Wendy
Before the show, even before I even knew what the show was. So I'm just wondering, what are Europeans and how the dynamic has changed over the year? Do you think they're so as effective as they?
00:02:38 Wendy
Used to be.
00:02:42 Ken
I think I'll, I'll start it off and say that I think social media has kind of the the landscape has changed a lot the generations, especially as we're getting younger. Facebook isn't as important to them. It isn't used as much the prevalence of.
00:03:01 Ken
Video audio, photos sending it back and forth. You know your TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat. Like all those platforms I think have blown up a lot.
00:03:12 Ken
To where? Now the the Facebook group doesn't really exist in the world that it used to like. I can imagine. Remember back in the days of, you know, 2015 dabby and there would be 5060 posts a day to the point where people they would have to like, get specific posts just for specific topics like.
00:03:32 Ken
What are you drinking? Goes in just this one post because.
00:03:35 Ken
We don't need 80.
00:03:36 Ken
What are you drinking posts today? What did you buy today? Here, 11 specific post. What was released today, one specific post.
00:03:44 Ken
So those were back in the the older days of Facebook. And now I feel within craft beer itself, I think a lot of people are moving to alternative social medias like discord, which we do have an issue in craft beer discord which allows for more live chat, almost like a.
00:04:05 Ken
Yeah, like IIRC, but I don't think too many people really use IRC.
00:04:10 Ken
Within the the technology industry.
00:04:13 Dan
Ohh that's fair.
00:04:15 Ken
I I think it's. It's definitely more like you know forum based websites. People are utilizing discord because every discord server out there is, you know, basically it's on forum where it's easy to also go to. You don't have to go to 84 different websites, you just go to your one discord program. So I think discord is going to be the one that's really taking over.
00:04:36 Ken
But I think the the world of craft.
00:04:40 Ken
Beer the CY's have kind of died down the craft beer yeses. For those that are joining us now and don't remember us from episode one, the the craft beer kanyes the people that really got into it and really gate capped craft beer. I don't see that as.
00:05:00 Ken
Often, as I used to, but I'll I'll throw it over to Dennis, cause obviously you know we've rolled in this circle for such a long time that you might see something different.
00:05:11 Ken
Than we do.
00:05:12 Dennis
That's still OK online.
00:05:14 Dennis
Groups for beer.
00:05:15 Dennis
You're you're right in everything that you said there, especially about like Facebook groups and something that they're gone. You know, people don't use that very much anymore, you know, I see a lot of people saw on Reddit, you know, keep an eye on, like, different suburbs, beer, Michigan beer, craft beer, stuff like that. But I personally don't do a lot of social media. You know, I've made a conscious decision to try and.
00:05:36 Dennis
Remove myself from it so you just get a lot of people. I know that there's in my groups, a lot of word of mouth, a lot of people sharing things with each other.
00:05:44 Dennis
But your to your point. You know discord, almost like you know something that you have to make a choice to go to as opposed to just everyone's on here your.
00:05:52 Dennis
Mom, your grandma.
00:05:54 Dennis
You know your, your your weirdest strange uncle is.
00:05:56 Dennis
On here? Not necessarily the case for people getting involved in things like this chord. What you're saying I don't have a lot to say with this like you.
00:06:03 Dennis
Said you've been rolling this a lot longer.
00:06:05 Dennis
And really diving, you know, neck deep into all of this, what I can say is I don't see a lot of people taking pictures of their beer at the bar and then signing into untapped, you know, as much as they used to. I don't.
00:06:18 Dan
Thank God.
00:06:21 Dennis
4 square whatever they use right?
00:06:24 Dennis
Yeah, I don't see that.
00:06:25 Dennis
You know the the the armchair beer critic or what?
00:06:29 Dennis
Would you call the the the crappier Yeezus?
00:06:31 Ken
The the craft beer. Yeezus. Yeah. You. You did bring up a point where I recall back when we were utilizing untapped and a lot of people were using untapped that they were.
00:06:44 Ken
Using it to track every single.
00:06:46 Ken
Beer they drank whether and you still.
00:06:48 Ken
See it when you go to the.
00:06:49 Ken
Big festivals like Detroit Fall Beer Fest, which is upcoming Great American beer festival.
00:06:54 Ken
Like you're still going to.
00:06:55 Ken
See it cause I think.
00:06:56 Ken
A lot of those people want to.
00:06:57 Ken
You brag a little bit that they're drinking this very high specific, you know, rare beer that they could never get unless they went to the specific festival. But I I agree that you're not seeing the phone in the nose aspect of craft beer love.
00:07:17 Ken
And and it was all really just braggadocious. It was all. Look, what I'm drinking like I'm I'm doing this to to dunk on you.
00:07:24 Dennis
Yeah, I have 2000 badges on untapped. That's great. How much is that worth in Dodge coin? I don't know. Like it. It's about the same, I think.
00:07:33 Ken
We'll also remember the days of ohh. Last year's batch was so much better or last year's, you know. Ohh this was much like ohh you had this Bourbon county you know. Oh my God, they're sold to a BI or you had this year's Bourbon County rare. Whoa that was much better when it was Bourbon County coffee and they used this.
00:07:53 Ken
These things really they.
00:07:55 Ken
Exist, and especially if you're in.
00:07:56 Ken
The circles that we are like, you'll see it. But for for the regular craft beer fan, I don't think you see that anymore and.
00:08:07 Ken
And I think I don't know.
00:08:07 Ken
If that's necessarily a social.
00:08:09 Ken
Media thing and I'm I'm going to kind of ask Dan here cause Dan, you've got kids.
00:08:13 Ken
Obviously, social media is.
00:08:14 Ken
A big worry I would assume for a parent.
00:08:19 Ken
What do you what do?
00:08:21 Ken
You see, within social media like do you see what I'm seeing where it's not?
00:08:25 Ken
As toxic as it used to be, or am I just? Have I blocked all the toxicity and protected myself?
00:08:33 Dan
I have no idea because I'm kind of like Dennis, maybe it's a Gen. Xer in me, but I stay off of social media, the only craft beer community or group I've joined is our own discord server in the entire time.
00:08:46 Dan
We've been here doing this so I can't tell you as far as the kids go, they're all on TikTok. I don't know what they're doing over there. TikTok annoys me too. If I didn't like sometimes do things for us.
00:08:57 Dan
I wouldn't be on.
00:08:57 Dan
It so I'm probably the worst person to ask. I do know in social media there's a lot of toxicity, but for different reasons.
00:09:05 Dan
But I can't tell you the.
00:09:07 Dan
Last time I saw something.
00:09:09 Dan
Excuse me, outside of our one star reviews, beer wise that's come up.
00:09:14 Dennis
You know, he, he he mentioned toxicity too. So it's just the other day is on the the beer subreddit, right? And someone posted a picture of the new over on the what was that Oberon from the the new variant that.
00:09:26 Dennis
They have.
00:09:27 Dennis
Eclipse. Yeah, they. Plus like that spirit.
00:09:29 Dennis
I've ever had, and so the first time was like, oh, you should be trying better beers then it's like yo.
00:09:34 Dennis
OK, first of all.
00:09:37 Dennis
Like you don't know what they've tried or what.
00:09:39 Dennis
They like what?
00:09:39
They don't like.
00:09:40 Dan
Yeah, exactly.
00:09:41 Speaker 5
Let let people like what they like.
00:09:44 Wendy
I feel that way anyways. They should always like just like what you like and click listen to all those other ********. I disagree though, about the untapped thing because I.
00:09:56 Wendy
It probably was a few months ago that I remember this happening, but we were at a brewery on in Kalamazoo.
00:10:08 Wendy
And we met people. They sat down at our community table and we started chatting. And he's like, oh, you're on a tap. And he looks me up on untapped. And I forget constantly to check in on untapped. Like, you know, I could have.
00:10:23 Wendy
Far succeeded or far exceeded what he had already checked into.
00:10:31 Wendy
But I forget it cause it's not that important to me. Like I I do it so I can remember what beers I've tried. Not and. And because I like the badges, don't get me wrong. I think it's fun but he. But he stopped talking to me because I didn't have enough beers checked in.
00:10:49 Wendy
And I mean, I'm not.
00:10:50 Wendy
I'm I'm not low on the list at all.
00:10:53 Dennis
He swiped left on you on untapped.
00:10:55 Wendy
He, like he likes that. He stopped talking to my whole group because we weren't high enough in the untapped badges. Apparently we didn't know enough about beer to have a conversation with him. Now I will say he was coming, Ohio.
00:11:08 Dennis
He didn't realize he's talking like a final boss of deer. Ohh.
00:11:16 Dan
Like I thought he was the final boss of beer.
00:11:18 Wendy
Yeah. So I mean I I do still check stuff in. I have friends that check him in. Obviously I take pictures so that we can post stuff for the show and I post stuff all over, but I spend more time on tic Tac than I do on the other medias anyways.
00:11:35 Dan
I definitely agree those people.
00:11:36 Dan
Are out there now I'm thinking back.
00:11:37 Dan
I don't remember.
00:11:38 Dan
If I shared pictures or if I just.
00:11:39 Dan
Sent them to.
00:11:40 Dan
Ken, at GBF, there were people with so many pieces of paper like it looked.
00:11:45 Dan
Like a damn.
00:11:46 Dan
Book of everything they needed to go around and try and we're like checking it out. I don't even know how that was.
00:11:53 Dan
Because I was like flipping through their Bible and I was standing by a guy. He's like, alright, I'm going to rent house next for this specific beer. And I already knew they didn't have it, so I was kind of laughing. But you have a lot of people just doing like, what are you doing? You're taking it too seriously. I think these people that do this forget it's supposed to be fun. Not this like, serious like oh, I'm better than you. I'm gatekeeping.
00:12:04 Wendy
You can.
00:12:15 Dan
It's just there, it's.
00:12:16 Ken
Ridiculous. There's a right way to do it in.
00:12:19 Ken
A wrong way?
00:12:20 Ken
To do it.
00:12:21 Ken
I think you know for me, when I went to look at GABF and I'm looking at the beer list, obviously I'm looking at some of the things that I would like.
00:12:30 Ken
Try and I'm making mention mental notes or I'm writing it down in my my own notes app like hey, I want to make sure I go try this, but in the same token I went like apply me the the younger went on tap like I was nowhere near Russian river. I wasn't going to mess with it. I when Utopia got tapped at JBF.
00:12:51 Ken
They didn't even bother looking into it until you literally said, hey, you could get in here pretty fast and get the beer. So I went and tried it. It's it was the same with Bigfoot when I had Bigfoot at Sierra Nevada.
00:13:02 Ken
Like you can, you can.
00:13:05 Ken
Do it and not be, you know, and. And I feel like I'm even gatekeeping by saying it this way. But you could do it without being like that guy that was talking to Wendy. You don't have to.
00:13:17 Ken
You know, God forbid he looked at how many beers we had on untapped. Like, if we if we would check in all of our kill shots every single time, you know?
00:13:25 Dan
Didn't we get blocked by Heineken at one point because I had New Castle on the show every.
00:13:30 Dan
Leak and they just got fed up of being tagged by us. It was.
00:13:33 Dan
Something like that.
00:13:35 Ken
Yeah, there's there's a lot of, like, social media pettiness that might get through, but I I still think untapped has its place. But what? What did you call like, armchair quarterback or armchair beer reviewer? Yeah. Chair beer critics felt like that most people.
00:13:48 Speaker 5
I'm sure you're right.
00:13:54 Ken
Don't understand beer flavor profiles and understand why a beer would be like this and also for me as as a personal issue. I hate quarter start.
00:14:04 Ken
Reviews I do not understand how someone can give something like a 375 or a.
00:14:11 Ken
If you look.
00:14:11 Ken
At some of your reviews, like some people give it like a 391 and I'm like, where did you come up with that number? And and they're rating like now like quarter star or eight stars on different areas of the?
00:14:24 Ken
Theater. And I'm like, God, I just.
00:14:27 Ken
It it come it it's. I have never gotten that deep into the beer. Love. I don't know if you guys have, but I just could never take it that serious.
00:14:37 Dan
Is that your love though? I mean, that's being overly critical.
00:14:42 Dennis
That's just math, and that sucks.
00:14:45 Wendy
And part of the problem is, is that the people who are doing that don't actually know how to judge a beer. They're judging it based on how they feel about it, not judge judging it on whether or not it's actually made the way.
00:14:59 Wendy
It's supposed to be.
00:15:01 Dennis
I think that's.
00:15:01 Dan
Yeah, I would. I I would put any of those people up against someone like Wendy, who's been working on doing that. Like, seriously, to see if they could actually figure anything out with these beers. But meanwhile, those people have the same ones that will go to the Brewer and tell them they should have done something.
00:15:02 Dennis
Yeah, go ahead. Yeah.
00:15:17 Dan
Different or tell them their beer socks.
00:15:22 Dennis
I violent notes for you, Mr. Mr. Miss Brewer.
00:15:26 Ken
I I give credit to those people that feel that have the, you know. Yeah, the cohones of of doing that to a brew. Like I feel bad telling a Brewer.
00:15:32 Dan
In walls.
00:15:38 Ken
When their beer.
00:15:39 Ken
Is like, obviously infected, or something's wrong with it. Like I'm like, it's not my place to tell. I'm not a professional judge.
00:15:46 Ken
And and the problem is, is that with untapped I get my rating is worth just the same amount as someone with the BJCP.
00:15:56 Ken
The flavor profile, like professional rater like our professional drinker, professional taste test or professional competition, my rating on untapped is worth the exact same as theirs and that's where you know the issues can happen especially.
00:16:14
When you get.
00:16:14 Ken
To the the non standard styles and when I say.
00:16:17 Ken
Standard, I mean IPA and you know stout.
00:16:21 Ken
And when you get into loggers like a logger at four out of five is probably one of the best loggers you're going to have when you see it, four out of five on on taps cause it's not going to get those high ratings. It's not a a schramm's me. That's not a barrel aged 18% adjunct laden stout and it's not.
00:16:42 Ken
And IPA so.
00:16:44 Ken
I don't know. I'm talking a lot.
00:16:45 Dennis
Well, I mean to that point, though, too, a well crafted beer doesn't need to blow your socks off. You know, candy can blow your socks off taste wise, but it's just sugar, right?
00:16:56 Dennis
A well crafted beer is going to.
00:16:57 Ken
Bring out those.
00:16:59 Dennis
Flavor profiles and that sensation that is part of the process that we have well documented for years and years and years. And you can tell the difference between a well made beer that's made really well batch to batch, to batch, to batch, to batch and compared to like oh, we threw all.
00:17:15 Dennis
90 pounds of Twinkies in this beer? Yeah, and I'm sure it tastes good, but I can only have so much because that is candy and doesn't.
00:17:24 Dennis
Means well crafted, means it has a big flavor.
00:17:28 Wendy
True story.
00:17:29 Wendy
So that actually brings me to the next thing that I was thinking about is. So we used to go to beer advocate and then.
00:17:37 Wendy
ABM Bev kind of took over them, so we started not trusting what we were getting from.
00:17:42 Wendy
There and then, untapped was kind of taken over by people who had no idea.
00:17:49 Wendy
How to actually rate a beer? So what are we using now to determine what beers we need to try?
00:17:56 Dennis
My heart.
00:17:59 Dan
Yeah. If I see something that sounds like.
00:18:01 Dan
It's good, I'll.
00:18:01 Dan
Go try it. I don't need anyone else.
00:18:03 Dan
To tell.
00:18:04 Dan
Me people will tell.
00:18:05 Dan
Me IPA's are good all day or sour is are good all day. It doesn't mean I'm going to go try it, it's really personal preference.
00:18:11 Dan
I think what about you go ahead.
00:18:18 Dennis
Don't worry about me again, I would.
00:18:19 Ken
Hey I would just say that I just.
00:18:21 Ken
Look at the list match up the style and pick the beer. I I don't think I know of the last time that I've looked at a beer or looked at a rating and said oh, I have to go try that. Like I will. I I don't have any breweries that I'm never going to not drink and I don't have any beers.
00:18:40 Ken
I'm never gonna not drink like I'll just.
00:18:42 Ken
Look for what?
00:18:43 Ken
Looks good and go like it. It could be the worst tasting beer ever, or the worst rated beer ever, and I wouldn't trust the rate in the 1st place, but.
00:18:54 Ken
Yeah, I I I can't think of any reason why I would look at ratings or nothing even like a like a, you know, remember how they used to do the beer advocate ratings right under the beers on the shelves like that, wouldn't that wouldn't even phase me. I would just be like, alright.
00:19:10 Dan
I've seen that for on.
00:19:11 Dan
Tap too at stores so.
00:19:15 Dennis
So like a stock market ticker kind of up and down?
00:19:20
Yeah. Good.
00:19:21 Ken
Yeah, I think they just.
00:19:22 Ken
They just do like a moment of time and they'll print.
00:19:25 Ken
Out saying hey this.
00:19:25 Ken
Beer has got like a 96 on beer advocate and they'll always have a 96 according to that. Yeah, it dropped, dropped down into the 70s, but hey, it's got a.
00:19:32 Dan
That sticker.
00:19:35 Dan
96 at the store.
00:19:37 Wendy
Well, it's still going to be.
00:19:38 Wendy
Sitting there six months later, so it doesn't matter.
00:19:41 Wendy
If it's changed or.
00:19:42 Dennis
I had a 96 six.
00:19:43 Dennis
Months ago I if you're overthinking what beer you're going to be ordering.
00:19:50 Dennis
You've probably already lost the battle.
00:19:52 Dennis
And aren't having fun.
00:19:54 Dan
I agree with that.
00:19:57 Ken
I I think the only time I've ever over thought is if I'm trying to like factor in. Maybe what my last beer of the night is and I'm like factoring in, alright, what's the ABV? How much can I drink? What can I like? That's the only time I'll probably ever look into that even further is like what? Making sure I'm safe.
00:20:16 Ken
While I'm drinking and making sure it's a style that I like, like I'm not gonna drink an IPA just to have a beer.
00:20:24 Ken
No, no, no, no, no. If there's if there's no beers that I want in there, then I'm not gonna bother drinking it. Like when? When I go to we we talked about it on the show and then we I went to the Lions game right after and the the craft beer tent that we went to over by the.
00:20:43 Ken
Gate. I think it's like gate D.
00:20:46 Ken
It it's mostly.
00:20:47 Ken
IPA's and I'm like this isn't for me. Like I'd rather just drink a Miller Lite and enjoy my beer as opposed to slamming something that I'm not going to enjoy.
00:20:59 Wendy
So I found that I will use untapped to see.
00:21:04 Wendy
What the style of beer is, if it's not listed and I will see if other friends I've people that I know have tried it.
00:21:13 Wendy
To see what they say. Usually people that I trust their opinion, but I also will use it if there is not listed on the can what type.
00:21:23 Wendy
Of hops it.
00:21:25 Wendy
Because I do like Ipas, but I do not like some Co hops. They literally make me want to rip my.
00:21:30 Wendy
Tongue out. So if.
00:21:31 Dan
Oh wow.
00:21:33 Wendy
There are simple hats in there. I tend to steer away.
00:21:36 Wendy
From tasting it.
00:21:38 Wendy
So there's a lot of times when I've had to look it up to see because it's not on the can. It's not listed, it's especially.
00:21:44 Wendy
If I'm in a craft beer.
00:21:45 Wendy
Or not the brewery? I can't find out if they have it, so I'll look it up and see if they have it listed and untapped. A lot of times.
00:21:54 Ken
I think untapped is a great spot to have all that data collection and you're I think you're using untapped. The best way to use untapped I I will use untapped not to check it in, but if there's no ABV labeled anywhere like it's not.
00:22:10 Ken
On the the.
00:22:12 Ken
Menu. It's not on like anywhere, and especially if the bartender doesn't know because it's just a draft.
00:22:18 Ken
That's the probably the one thing that I use on tap the most for is if it's there's a missing AV number and I need to find out what it is.
00:22:25 Dan
Personally, what I think the best use of untapped these days are the bars and breweries that use it for their.
00:22:32 Dan
Yeah, because it makes it easily accessible, so you can check it out and see. I think that's the biggest failure of it.
00:22:38 Dan
These days, honestly.
00:22:39 Dennis
I forgot about that. Yeah, that's the function.
00:22:44 Ken
I I I.
00:22:45 Ken
Want to give you the.
00:22:45 Wendy
And I just like to look.
00:22:45 Ken
Heads up.
00:22:46 Speaker 5
Through that list, yeah, I.
00:22:47 Ken
Want to?
00:22:47 Ken
The heads up, Dan, that untapped beer menu prices. They're jacking up the prices for the API and stuff, so expect a lot of less breweries to start using that I would.
00:23:02 Ken
See either if if arrived build something great or beermenus.com I think is the website, but yeah I'll I I foresee a lot of people taking untapped and no longer using it. Also have you guys been on untapped lately because when we did our kill shots last week, I think I got like 8 pieces of e-mail.
00:23:24 Ken
From checking in those eight beers that we had on the show last week.
00:23:27 Dan
Ohh boy.
00:23:30 Dan
I have not.
00:23:31 Dennis
No, no.
00:23:32 Wendy
Wait, did you check him in too?
00:23:35 Ken
I I did not check them into but.
00:23:37 Wendy
OK. Will you get the?
00:23:37 Ken
On on the.
00:23:38 Ken
E-mail yeah, I get the. So when it pops up and says, hey, buy the IPA box from untapped, it also sends an e-mail saying, hey, we sent you this message. You should buy the IPA box from untapped. Hey, you earned this badge.
00:23:45
Ohh God.
00:23:54 Ken
Ohh, here's an e-mail saying congratulations on earning this badge.
00:23:58 Dan
Oh boy.
00:24:00 Ken
Yeah, there's.
00:24:01 Wendy
I'm pretty sure that's a setting that can be changed.
00:24:04 Ken
Probably I probably would need to.
00:24:05 Wendy
Because I don't get those from.
00:24:05 Dan
Turn it off.
00:24:07 Wendy
My personal one.
00:24:09 Wendy
But I do get notifications on my phone when stuff gets checked in on the better on draft one.
00:24:16 Ken
I I will definitely be looking into the settings now that you mentioned that it's probably a settings thing.
00:24:22 Ken
Like it is the worst thing in the like. That's how I know.
00:24:25 Ken
When we check.
00:24:26 Ken
In our stuff is cause I'll see all those.
00:24:28 Dan
Emails and they're like, uh, emails flooding through, yeah.
00:24:31 Dennis
It said I.
00:24:31 Dennis
Could have cookies, so I asked I asked sure. Awesome cookie.
00:24:37 Wendy
So we'll move on from the untapped thing. I think we've kind of.
00:24:44 Speaker 5
We knocked it out.
00:24:45 Wendy
They they were just went out of my head, me thought that went out one of the other things that I found was a post from a few years ago that somebody had started spreading, asking people to post 10 beers. That changed their lives.
00:24:47 Ken
We tap this.
00:25:05 Wendy
So I'm curious from you guys, what is a beer or more than one if you want to put them out there that.
00:25:13 Wendy
Changed your life.
00:25:15 Dennis
I want to hear yours, Wendy.
00:25:19 Wendy
My first one would probably have.
00:25:21 Wendy
To be dragon smoke.
00:25:24 Wendy
Because that is really what brought me in to my love of selves. I just. I thought it was amazing.
00:25:36 Wendy
Yeah, it it's so good. And the fact that they have so many different variations, I actually have an oatmeal.
00:25:44 Wendy
Very an oatmeal cookie dragon smoke in the fridge waiting to drink it after the show. So.
00:25:54 Wendy
The other one I would probably have to say.
00:26:00 Wendy
Would be.
00:26:04 Wendy
It it would have to be final absolution, because that's what introduced me to the Belgian beers and.
00:26:11 Wendy
Quickly overtook my love of stouts, so I think those two would be my strongest.
00:26:20 Wendy
I'm trying to think of which New England IPA it was that made me decide I liked New England IPA's. I can't think of the name, but I remember I was at Mystic Brewing in.
00:26:37 Wendy
Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.
00:26:40 Wendy
And they had an A New England that I just sampled and I ended up drinking a full glass. And they I I fell in love with it. It was so good and I couldn't understand why I like that. But I didn't like all these other IPA's.
00:26:54 Wendy
So I started asking questions and they brought out this.
00:26:56 Wendy
Recipe book.
00:26:58 Wendy
And it started my.
00:27:01 Wendy
App journey I guess I would.
00:27:03 Wendy
Call it and it completely changed the way I look at hats and different styles of beer. So those are my 3.
00:27:09 Dennis
Yeah, new opportunities, yes.
00:27:13 Dennis
You can't shake it his head at.
00:27:14 Dennis
Me, I told.
00:27:15 Ken
You it's been a long week, man.
00:27:18 Wendy
So what about you, Dennis?
00:27:20 Dennis
Widow maker from Q&A Brewing Company, was changed my life. That's what really got me to craft beer in the 1st place. Besides I I I think my first episode here. I talked about wine and Googles being really what?
00:27:32 Dennis
Got me in.
00:27:32 Dennis
Which is true, but would a maker.
00:27:36 Dennis
That that was such a good beer, such such such a good caramel flavor to me and every time I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Right. And that's from from and.
00:27:47 Dennis
I remember being able to go to KBC, visiting my friends at Michigan Tech and Houghton and going to go into the brewery there and you can get a pint of beer for $2.50. And that was like, alright.
00:27:58 Dennis
I could afford that.
00:27:59 Dennis
I could afford.
00:28:00 Dennis
Two of those. Yeah, let's go and it.
00:28:02 Dennis
Was it it really transformed?
00:28:06 Dennis
How I looked at what you can buy from a bar which you can get, it doesn't all have to be just like bats or coolers or something along those lines. So I really that that one still if I see it on tap somewhere.
00:28:18 Dennis
I'm buying it. Yeah, yeah, no, I'll take that. I I need it. Thank you. I never see it anymore. So I really want to get it so that beer really transformed how I look at the whole brewing industry in general. So that's my answer. And I'm sticking to it.
00:28:35 Wendy
Dan, what about?
00:28:36 Dan
You so as far as stouts go, like you said, Dragon's Milk did it for me. The first one I had was back in.
00:28:43 Dan
2008.
00:28:45 Dan
And it like kind of shocked me how good it was, pretty impressive beer, that kind of set me down the bad path of drinking insane stouts. As far as that goes.
00:28:56 Dan
God, can I say king Cobra? As far as spear goes, because that's not really, but no. But the other one is spells. Amber. When Ken bought me one, we were at, I think it was Luna. I would drink pretty much either King Cobra or Newcastle. Basically back in those days. And Ken bought me a bells, amber. And it kind of.
00:29:18 Dan
I think it's really started us down the path as.
00:29:20 Dan
Far as this goes, at least.
00:29:21 Dan
For me, so those are the really two that stick out for me.
00:29:27 Dan
I can't think of anything else. This would be the big two. I can't think of 1/3 myself.
00:29:35 Ken
Ken yeah, I first of all Kilian's will always be the the beer that got me into realizing there are beers other than lagers, bells, Amber, which I think kind of ties into that as well.
00:29:35
OK.
00:29:49 Ken
Well, follow that up. I would definitely say Leffe Brune from the Leffe brewery out of Belgium, I we had it at a.
00:30:02 Ken
Bar house like a A.
00:30:04 Ken
Poor house in Toronto and it was such a good beer. Amazing.
00:30:09 Ken
And draft and it was just a.
00:30:11 Ken
Beer that I.
00:30:11 Ken
Fell in love with that. It's always continued for me. I think that's really what assisted my my love for Browns and then my love for alts was old 22 from Arbor Brewing Company.
00:30:28 Ken
So I would use all of the like. Those were probably the beers that definitely directed me into.
00:30:34 Ken
The love of.
00:30:34 Ken
The different styles of beer, different kinds of beer that I like, and more recently I would say BB43 from Old Nation, which is their brute New England IPA.
00:30:47 Ken
I know it's a New England.
00:30:48 Ken
IPA. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:30:51 Ken
But it is a low.
00:30:55 Ken
Carb which was good for me when I was doing keto.
00:30:58 Ken
Bingo. Square, and it was also low calorie compared to other beers because of its ABV versus calories. I would love drinking that and it's it's a little bitter for me. Still. You still get that that champagne yeast like that brew flavor profile.
00:31:18 Ken
But I'm excited because they're making a a flavored one that they're releasing next week. I think in distro, so I'll be excited to try that.
00:31:28 Dan
Yeah, well, your hate of IPA's is done now. You're not allowed to say that anymore.
00:31:34 Ken
I mean, I can I I I feel like do.
00:31:38 Ken
I do. I need a.
00:31:38 Ken
100% score to not like Ipas like.
00:31:41 Ken
Can't wait.
00:31:41 Dan
I I think so.
00:31:42 Dan
You can't hate on them and they like.
00:31:43 Dan
Oh, but I'm.
00:31:43 Dan
Gonna go drink this.
00:31:44 Dan
One, it's like OK, you get to.
00:31:46 Dan
Pick one or the other. Is it really an?
00:31:49 Dan
Like it's it's.
00:31:50 Ken
An IPA almost like a name only.
00:31:54 Dan
Still an IPA.
00:31:55 Ken
It's it's like when it's a like a mango, you know? Mango. Strawberry coal. Should you tell Matt Bush that it's a coal ship? He's like, that's not a.
00:32:04 Ken
Kohl's. That's a it's a fruit beer.
00:32:06 Ken
The fruit beer at that point, yeah.
00:32:08 Dan
No, it's still not paid. Just go drink a champagne. Father's champagne or white stout? Yes.
00:32:10 Wendy
Lights out.
00:32:14 Dennis
Wipe stout. Yes. Yes. Was it Dragons? Milk white style. I just. I haven't had that forever.
00:32:16 Wendy
To copy. Oh, let it go.
00:32:22 Wendy
It's delicious, but it's.
00:32:23 Dan
Yeah, I I buy them just to make sure they're not in the market.
00:32:23 Wendy
Not as low.
00:32:26
Thrown in the garbage.
00:32:29 Speaker 5
You know, you just remind.
00:32:30 Dennis
Me. Sorry. You just remind me.
00:32:33 Dennis
Of another beer like that.
00:32:35 Dennis
Not necessarily changed my life, but it blew my mind when I first had. I didn't know beers could taste like it, and it might sound a little.
00:32:41 Dennis
Basic but or Val.
00:32:43 Dennis
Right when I first had. Yeah. When I first had ovals that I was not aware this was a thing. And this is incredible. And when I had it, it was paired with walnuts, because that's supposed to be paired with from what I understand.
00:32:44 Wendy
Oh yeah.
00:32:56 Speaker 5
And it really.
00:32:58 Dennis
Transformed it for me, I.
00:32:59 Dennis
I loved it. That was such a good.
00:33:00 Dennis
I haven't had it in a while, yeah.
00:33:04 Dan
Yeah, when you're.
00:33:05 Ken
I was. I was gonna say when you get into that world of, like, open fermentation and you're dealing with like bread and mices and all these other.
00:33:15 Ken
And purposeful infections. It's really you it. It's what Ron Jeffries is known for, which is why he's like the.
00:33:23 Ken
King of sour.
00:33:23 Ken
Beers. You get to really see a different side of beer that you'll never be able to see.
00:33:33 Wendy
So another one that I have that when you said that it made me think the less Fletcher and 12 the first time I ever had that was it's a Belgian cloud and it is so delicious. And I have a friend that brought some back and it because you can only get it at the brewery.
00:33:51 Wendy
And it's amazing. It was so delicious. It actually made me want to go to Belgium.
00:33:59 Wendy
So my list of places that I wanted to go to try beer.
00:34:04 Wendy
Has completely changed and Belgium has gone to the top of the list, so that's like my my next big trip that I'm planning.
00:34:15 Dennis
Is there room for us?
00:34:18 Wendy
Yeah, absolutely anybody that wants to come can come once I get the get the details worked out, I'll put a link out there and anybody who wants to join in.
00:34:26 Wendy
Will be able to come along and my goal is to go.
00:34:28 Wendy
To all of the Trappist breweries.
00:34:31 Dennis
Awesome. Awesome, right?
00:34:32 Wendy
So, and I'd like to do it at a time where I can end at Oktoberfest just because since I'm over there, you know, you might as well, but.
00:34:40 Dennis
Yeah, it's right down the street.
00:34:43 Wendy
Not skipping a jump. No big deal.
00:34:44 Dennis
Yeah, so when she's.
00:34:45 Dennis
Going to be posting her number and her e-mail onto our Instagram right so everyone can contact her there.
00:34:49 Wendy
No, no, we'll have a link that they can go to to figure it out.
00:34:52 Dennis
Oh, OK, sorry.
00:34:54 Dennis
All those docs are there, almost docs still there.
00:34:57 Wendy
Too crazy so.
00:35:00 Wendy
So Speaking of beers that have changed our lives, I know Ken is really excited about this topic, but if you could craft your perfect beer flight, what would it be?
00:35:13 Dan
Oh yeah, I wanna hear Ken Sands first. Yeah.
00:35:15 Wendy
5 beers it can be a style, or it could be a.
00:35:17 Wendy
Specific beer it.
00:35:21 Ken
Would be bells, amber five times poured into a pint glass.
00:35:24
Ohh yeah.
00:35:25 Dan
OK.
00:35:26 Dennis
Unusual. I like it. I like it.
00:35:28 Ken
There you go. There we go. I.
00:35:31 Ken
Y'all I I saw somebody was on our Instagram posting that they were at drafting table and they bought like a beer and a side car and I'm like, that's fine, that's fair. But I.
00:35:41 Ken
Think I still.
00:35:42 Ken
Think we need to eliminate the craft beer flights.
00:35:46 Dan
That's an opinion. That's an opinion.
00:35:49 Ken
It is an opinion I I stand by it. I ain't backing down.
00:35:53 Wendy
Not the only opinion on the show.
00:35:56 Ken
That is true. That is true. It is not. My show for those that feel.
00:35:59 Ken
Like it is.
00:36:00 Dan
Here comes the one star reviews. Here we go.
00:36:03 Wendy
All right, Dan.
00:36:04 Dan
What the bill?
00:36:04 Wendy
What would you put in your flight?
00:36:06 Dan
OK.
00:36:07 Dan
So bear like we're going to go see, how would I start this Bear Lake Stout, whatever is there.
00:36:14 Dan
Russian imperial non barrel aged for #2 got to have a brown ale in there. Got to have an ESB.
00:36:23 Dan
And then what would I?
00:36:24 Dan
Do for the 5th.
00:36:27 Dan
Maybe like a red or.
00:36:27 Ken
Any prize?
00:36:28 Dan
An Oh yeah, an English smiled. If they have it or a rider and amber and probably go from #5 up.
00:36:36 Dan
Is what I would do.
00:36:39 Wendy
OK. So you would start at the barrel aged?
00:36:42 Dan
No, no the other way.
00:36:43 Wendy
Or you'd start. Ohh. You'd start at the right or the lower one, OK.
00:36:44 Dan
At the red or amber, yeah.
00:36:49 Dennis
I'm still thinking.
00:36:49 Dennis
About 5-5 glasses of bells amber and 1 pint.
00:36:55 Dan
Just a hater. Don't.
00:36:56 Dan
Even don't even pay attention to that.
00:36:58 Speaker 5
Ohh amber Dan. I like how you you got real specific there because I.
00:37:06 Dennis
Didn't with my answer and I'm not going.
00:37:08 Dennis
To get that.
00:37:09 Dennis
Like you know, like, alright, you don't have this.
00:37:10 Dennis
Then I'm not getting a flight right? So but.
00:37:15 Dennis
Call me basic but I want like 3 mainstays, something experimental, something weird. That's what I want and it and it just right. Yeah. But I I also want a pint of something else I can drink alongside of it.
00:37:19 Speaker 5
That's fair.
00:37:21 Dan
That's fair.
00:37:27 Dan
Oh, now you're getting into Ken's.
00:37:28 Dan
Hate hate territory.
00:37:28 Speaker 5
Well, I.
00:37:30 Ken
I I can't say much because that's what I used to do. Every single brewery I went to like 6-7 years ago, like I would walk in, I'd get a a flight of everything. That isn't the the brown and then or the brown or the amber or the red and then a pint of.
00:37:40 Dan
Like the.
00:37:46 Ken
That. Yeah, makes sense. That's just.
00:37:50 Wendy
It does.
00:37:50 Dennis
That's hedging your bets for the most part, but.
00:37:54 Dennis
Or just go to the the bartender be like.
00:37:57 Dennis
Surprise me. Let's go. I'll.
00:38:00 Dennis
Show me what you think I want.
00:38:01 Dan
But then you end up with a milkshake IPA, and you're drinking pine salt with milk.
00:38:04 Dennis
I mean.
00:38:08 Dennis
If it's wet, I'll drink it. I've said that before, and I'll keep saying it.
00:38:11 Wendy
Oh my God, I love milkshake IPA's. I don't know what it is. It's the mouthfeel with the.
00:38:17 Wendy
Yeah, I love them.
00:38:18 Dennis
Yeah, yeah.
00:38:19
It's it's.
00:38:19 Dan
Ohh boy.
00:38:20 Dennis
It's like a.
00:38:21 Dennis
Malt. Oats. That's not it. I don't.
00:38:24 Dennis
Know but it's.
00:38:25 Wendy
I will try it every time. If there's a milkshake IPA.
00:38:31 Wendy
Yeah, well, you know, now that he's an IPA.
00:38:33 Dan
Fan's our newest IPA guy.
00:38:34 Dennis
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:38:36 Ken
#1 brand I yeah.
00:38:39 Wendy
So for me, when I go so I don't get flights at my regular breweries unless I haven't been there in a while and there's a few things I want to try.
00:38:50 Wendy
When I go to a new brewery, I will always ask them for their most popular beer.
00:38:58 Wendy
The bartenders favorite beer.
00:39:00 Dennis
Ohh I like that.
00:39:02 Wendy
Regardless of what style, they always want to be like, well, it depends on what you like and I'm like, I don't care what I like. I want to know what you like, because there's always something good about that beer that.
00:39:11 Wendy
They might like. They must like it. So I want to see what it is and then.
00:39:12 Speaker 5
MMM.
00:39:17 Wendy
If there's a barrel aged out or other some other type of stout, I'll get that. If there's a Belgian beer, you can damn well be sure it's going to be in my flight.
00:39:29 Wendy
And then.
00:39:31 Wendy
Depending on what they're popular and their favorite beer is.
00:39:36 Wendy
I'll always try and go for a coach or half risen.
00:39:41 Wendy
Just so I can see what else they're burning.
00:39:43 Dennis
Yeah, yeah, I like that.
00:39:46 Dennis
****, it's four flights, baby.
00:39:50 Wendy
I'm a big fan of the flights, so I do have another quick question about flights. I know, Ken, you don't have to answer this one, but when you guys get a flight at the brewery, do you drink each meal individually or do you sample all of them and then drink them in an order?
00:39:58 Dan
Oh, he does.
00:40:09 Wendy
Because like when I get my I will sample everything.
00:40:13 Wendy
And then I drink the beer. I like least first, so I'm ending on my favorite beer.
00:40:18 Dan
I do the exact same thing. Try them all first and then the one you like the least and work out.
00:40:24 Dan
From there.
00:40:25 Dennis
Yeah, that's that's how it's done.
00:40:28 Wendy
Alright, I just want to see because I have.
00:40:28
Maybe maybe this is.
00:40:29 Wendy
A lot of people that don't do that.
00:40:31 Ken
This This is why I don't like flights. That's not.
00:40:33 Ken
What I do?
00:40:33 Ken
If if when I had a flight in front of me it's it's the same way I eat, I'm I call myself a circle eater. Well, like I eat all the vegetable and then all the potato and then all the meat eaters, something like that. Like I'll I'll drink all the first beer, all the second beer. All the third beer now.
00:40:48 Ken
I'll drink it the way like light to dark. Usually I'll drink. Or if I know something's going to be very overbearing with, like adjuncts, especially if it's like a stout with 18 adjuncts, that's always gonna be last. Or if I'm, you know, if I had to fill out my flight with a IPA.
00:41:08 Ken
Because that's the only other thing that was left. It was 4 beers and then 20 IPA's.
00:41:14 Ken
Then I'll save the IPA for that like I and and I get like. I just don't want to.
00:41:19 Ken
Blow my.
00:41:19 Ken
Mouth out with a different flavor profile or a better profile. Not knowing what it is, it could be smooth and easy to drink. It could be like Centennial from founders, which is one of the few IPA's that isn't like a.
00:41:33 Ken
New England, or hazy or anything like that, that I'll actually tolerate but or would tolerate. I haven't drank a Centennial in.
00:41:41 Ken
Five years now.
00:41:44 Ken
Yeah. So that's I, that's me like.
00:41:46 Ken
I I have to drink the whole beer.
00:41:48 Ken
Before I just move to the next one, I can't do it like hot potato in.
00:41:51 Dan
Between beers, well, you don't give a try to all of.
00:41:54 Dan
Them before you do that.
00:41:55 Ken
No, not at all.
00:41:56 Dennis
Interesting. Interesting.
00:41:56 Speaker 5
OK.
00:41:58
Not at all.
00:41:59 Ken
The the, the, the.
00:41:59 Wendy
Do you have friends that you there?
00:42:01 Ken
The closest thing you'll see me do is if I'm double ******* two different beers and I'm drinking from the two big beers at the same.
00:42:09 Ken
Time like, I'll somehow drink both of.
00:42:12 Ken
Those like, you know, little here little here you.
00:42:14 Ken
Know, oh, this one's a.
00:42:15 Ken
Little bit more filled, so I'm going to drink from that one first, but yeah, I I never taste like.
00:42:22 Ken
A little bit of each and.
00:42:24 Ken
Then move, move.
00:42:25 Ken
On to the next one. Like, I just drink the one that I, you know, drink the first one, the second one, the third one.
00:42:31 Dennis
Etcetera. OK.
00:42:32 Wendy
Got it. Here's why I can't do that. So when I pick out my flight, I'm usually going through the list and I see something that I have to try, so I put it down. Well, then it's not in the order that you should drink it.
00:42:48 Wendy
Right. So it's not necessarily in the order that you should drink it, but when they give it to you, they give it to you.
00:42:54 Wendy
In the order that.
00:42:55 Wendy
You put it down.
00:42:55 Wendy
On the card so I could go back and forth, but the OCD in me is like, no, you have to do it in this particular order by drinking it.
00:43:07 Wendy
In the order of how much I liked it, it negates the you have to drink it left to right or right to left. Does that make sense?
00:43:15 Ken
What? Why do you have to drink the one you want first or last? Or like, why can't the one you really, really want just be the third one you drink?
00:43:27 Wendy
Because then you're ending on that one that you really liked.
00:43:30 Dan
Yeah, ending on a happy note, you know.
00:43:32 Wendy
You're ending on a happy note. You're adding on man. I loved that beer.
00:43:38 Dennis
Cancer. Why? It wasn't all five of them. The one.
00:43:40 Dennis
That you wanted then?
00:43:42 Ken
No, no, no, no, no.
00:43:43 Wendy
And it's my way of not getting a sample for every beer in the place I like to get.
00:43:50 Wendy
Just pour me my 5 beers and.
00:43:53 Dennis
I feel like everyone here is a kind of a creature of habit when it comes to trying different things then right, you know, what are some bad habits that you have though when it comes to trying beers or going to?
00:44:01 Dennis
Breweries or something along those lines?
00:44:03 Ken
I think our fans would tell me not getting.
00:44:05 Dan
Flights probably. I think that's your biggest bad habit there.
00:44:07 Wendy
Probably true.
00:44:12 Wendy
Not trying things other than the alt beer.
00:44:15 Dan
Yeah, 100%.
00:44:15 Ken
Well, they I apparently. I'm just not drinking at all when I go out to to breweries, one out of every 10 places I might have a beer.
00:44:25 Ken
Bad habits and yeah.
00:44:27 Ken
I'm trying to think of what would be a bad what? What's what do you consider a bad?
00:44:31 Ken
Habit. Maybe. Maybe spark us.
00:44:31 Dan
Well, here's what I do.
00:44:33 Dennis
This is a problem I have and maybe it's just a social thing.
00:44:37 Dennis
But like, you know like.
00:44:38 Dennis
We go out to a.
00:44:40 Dennis
Brewery try to stuff, you know, let's say.
00:44:42 Dennis
A friend or.
00:44:43 Dennis
A flight doesn't finish it. All right before we.
00:44:46 Speaker 5
Leave like you can finish.
00:44:48 Dennis
It and then I'm just knocking them back like tequila shots.
00:44:50 Dennis
At a Bachelorette party, right?
00:44:52 Dennis
So it.
00:44:53 Dennis
Probably shouldn't do that. I'm not even tasting it at that.
00:44:56 Dennis
Point but like I.
00:44:58 Dan
Hold on. Did you say a Bachelorette party? Wait, so so are you like the only guy there? Knocking back tequila?
00:45:01 Ken
Yeah. Drinking, drinking tequila shots at a Bachelorette party.
00:45:07 Dan
Shots at this bachelor.
00:45:08 Speaker 5
Alright, so actually.
00:45:08 Speaker 5
I have a story.
00:45:09 Dennis
About that.
00:45:13 Dennis
Is this the time of?
00:45:14 Ken
Place you're with friends.
00:45:15 Dan
Go party.
00:45:16 Dennis
Alright, so it was a while ago. We're at this Irish pub is my dad and I.
00:45:21 Dennis
He, he, he.
00:45:23 Dennis
Just turned 70 actually, but this is about 10 years.
00:45:25 Speaker 5
Ago and sitting there.
00:45:28 Dennis
It's a little late at night. We're like the only people in this in this bar and.
00:45:33 Dennis
Have this great conversation. I think we talk about deer camp, right. And then we see all these girls come in. They're all woo Hoo. Like there's no one here except my dad and me. And then one of the people walks up and it was a a friend of.
00:45:48 Dennis
Mine. She's like ohh Dennis. How you doing? Like. Oh, hey, what's going?
00:45:51
On like, oh, what?
00:45:53 Speaker 5
We're we're.
00:45:53 Speaker 5
We're in a bachelor party. We're going around the pubs. So for that, I think we're just gonna do shot and head out. You guys want to go with us like?
00:45:59 Dennis
Dad, you wanna go? He's like, yeah. So we hop outside and there's a pedal pub. Right? So like. Yeah. So, like, you're you're biking along the streets of Marquette and had a great time. It was like 45 minutes. Someone just passing around tequila. And I had a fantastic time. So.
00:46:06 Dan
Ohh boy.
00:46:19 Speaker 5
What was your question?
00:46:21 Ken
I I was. I was.
00:46:21 Wendy
So yes.
00:46:22 Ken
Asking the question that you asked.
00:46:24 Dennis
On this. Ohh yeah.
00:46:27 Ken
Yeah, bad habits.
00:46:28 Ken
No, that's I I 100% I'm that kind of person, the 300th episode literally killed me. That party. Yeah, that's the one where Dan opened up.
00:46:37 Dennis
When you opened up everything.
00:46:40 Ken
Every single flying Buffalo, and I'm just seeing all of these open bottles with so much beer in them and and of course.
00:46:47 Ken
It's not like.
00:46:47 Dan
It happened.
00:46:48 Ken
Lagers or anything. It's 14 to 16% ABV beers, so you can't just. Yeah, you know, you're you're basically kicking back tequila shots at that point with.
00:46:57 Ken
A. A four out.
00:46:58 Ken
Miss. But yeah, I'm. I was always the same way. Like I can't not have a a full. Like if there's a drink at the table and it's not done like I'm like come on.
00:47:08 Ken
Let's drink. Drink.
00:47:09 Ken
A beer. Let's go.
00:47:10 Dennis
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know. Raised on.
00:47:12 Dan
Do you still like, do you still pressure people to finish their beer if you're leaving?
00:47:13 Speaker 5
A clean plate.
00:47:18 Dan
Like there I.
00:47:18 Dan
Don't. I don't? Yeah, I.
00:47:19 Dan
Don't think there's anything wrong or you talk about yourself. You.
00:47:21 Ken
No, no, no, no. Myself, I can't. I can't.
00:47:22 Dan
Have to finish, OK.
00:47:26 Ken
Look at that beer and see it's still there and not finish it.
00:47:29 Dan
Oh, see, I thought you were one of those.
00:47:31 Dan
People like you.
00:47:31 Dan
Have to finish your beer. It's like, dude.
00:47:32 Ken
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I I at that point you're you're making your own adult decisions. But when it's like a beer like the the old studio days and there'd be like a a little bit and a growler left, I'm like, alright.
00:47:46 Dan
Oh, that's step.
00:47:46
Let's let's let's.
00:47:47 Ken
Finish this beer, right? Yeah, you know.
00:47:49 Ken
Let's let's let's clean up. What do we what's what's left? All there's a little bit of here. Who wants it? You know, like, not pressuring. You know, the the royal you, someone else to drink. But hey, let's let's at least clean this up. So we're not, you know, embarrassing ourselves, pouring out all this.
00:48:05 Dan
Beer. Yeah, that's fair.
00:48:08 Wendy
So I guess then my bad habit would be that I do not feel the need to finish my beer and I'll tell you why this was actually pre craft beer, Wendy.
00:48:22 Wendy
We were at a.
00:48:24 Wendy
The local bar drinking buckets of Bud light and we had tattoo appointments the next morning.
00:48:33 Wendy
And somebody bought like 2 buckets right before we were supposed to leave. So we finished those buckets and we drank quite a few buckets between the six of us that night.
00:48:44 Wendy
And the next morning I got up and I went to my tattoo appointment and I got.
00:48:49 Wendy
My tattoo on my leg.
00:48:51 Wendy
And he he was a pretty big guy and he was literally, like, wrapped around my leg to keep it from shaking.
00:49:00 Wendy
And I bled so bad because I had so much alcohol still in my system, like he finished that tattoo, and he was like, so next time you come and get a tattoo, let's try not to get trashed the night before.
00:49:02 Speaker 5
I was going to ask about that.
00:49:16 Wendy
Like it was.
00:49:16 Wendy
I'll just never forget like he was literally like bear hugging my arm or my leg.
00:49:22 Wendy
Just to keep my legs steady enough for him to be able to do and it's a it. It looks good. He did a fantastic job, but I will never drink that much before getting a tattoo ever again.
00:49:34 Wendy
And I also learned my lesson that if there is beer left on the table, it is OK to walk away from it. If you need to.
00:49:42 Dan
Yeah, that's not a bad habit. No. Yeah.
00:49:44 Ken
It's it's a habit that I need to form for sure. I I'm also one of those people where when someone's like, oh, I'm gonna have one more. Who wants to have one?
00:49:54 Ken
With me like I have.
00:49:56 Ken
The the tendency to be like, alright, I'll have one like not not if I'm like overindulging but like alright, I guess I can have one more. Like what's one more beer or somebody buys a bucket and there's like an extra beer left or something like that. You're like hey, Ken, do you want? And I'm like I guess so like I I definitely bend it to peer pressure.
00:50:16 Ken
When it comes to beer a lot more.
00:50:19 Dan
You'd be surprised a lot of people actually do, because my bad habit is convincing people to have one more.
00:50:25 Dan
Episode 3. Hundreds. The episode 300 party is a perfect example of that.
00:50:27 Wendy
Oh my God.
00:50:31 Ken
We were doing the the same thing with the.
00:50:33 Ken
The group next to.
00:50:34 Ken
Us The the wedding party that was setting up for the.
00:50:36 Ken
Wedding because we.
00:50:37 Ken
Had all this open beer, we're like, come.
00:50:39 Ken
On guys drink.
00:50:41 Ken
This free beer.
00:50:44 Dan
And you know, I don't think you're that bad. You don't really pressure people come because I think back to when we were in Austin and I left a beer that was like 2/3 full when we were at that Indian food slash bottle shop slash craft beer bar.
00:50:56 Dan
Yeah. And I'm like, no, I'm done.
00:50:59 Wendy
Find the name for.
00:50:59 Dan
Us what's that?
00:51:02 Wendy
Did you ever find that name of that?
00:51:04 Dan
Place for us. Yeah, yeah. Whip it. It is shockingly good place. Like you wouldn't expect it, but no, I was done. And then we drove back and then we were cracking open beers we bought there, you know, just needed that break you. You were never part. You're like are.
00:51:05 Ken
It's called whippin.
00:51:18 Dan
You sure you live in the beer? I'm like, yeah, I'm done.
00:51:20 Dan
Like, let's go grab cans and go.
00:51:23 Ken
Yeah, well, you were also doing like high octane beers throughout most of the night. And I was, I'm drinking the ESB. There is a decent amount of ESB's English, miles brown ales like low ABV lager pills for our trip. I I am one of those.
00:51:28 Dan
Oh yeah.
00:51:34 Dennis
Your work.
00:51:43 Ken
When Dan, you know Dan talks about how he now looks at beer menus like I when I plan a brewery to.
00:51:50 Ken
Where I do a lot of research, I joined these Facebook groups like I've joined the the Texas let's Talk beer group like three times for the last three times I've been to Texas, like, hey, I'm going to these two sites. These are the styles that I like and what's great is, is that at least that group they don't like, oh, you don't like IPA. They're like, alright, so this is your flavor.
00:52:10 Ken
Profile you want to go here, here, here, here and here. And here's an opportunity if you, you know, I know you.
00:52:15 Ken
Don't like IPA's?
00:52:16 Ken
But this is, you know, the.
00:52:18 Ken
IPA House or something like that?
00:52:21 Ken
So like when I did Dallas, I did Dallas in Grapevine earlier this year and we hit up six spots on our little tour and every single spot was a banger and the the last one, hop and Sting in Grapevine, that place I'm I'm actually making a bet with a friend who lives in Texas, but he's a Ravens fan.
00:52:42 Ken
And we're doing a a money line.
00:52:44 Ken
Bet 6 pack.
00:52:45 Ken
Beer. So I'm going to be shipping on off a.
00:52:49 Ken
6 pack of.
00:52:49 Ken
Resolute from drafting table, if the Ravens win and win, the Lions win, he'll be sending me a six pack from that hop and Sting.
00:53:00 Ken
Place. So for those of you.
00:53:02 Ken
That enjoy Texas Beer, Dallas Metro, Dallas, Dallas, Fort Worth and Grapevine hop and Sting. I think it's hop and sting. Yeah, cause it's the scorpion and the frog hop and Sting Brewery.
00:53:17 Wendy
That's one thing that I really like about the craft beer girls groups because.
00:53:21 Wendy
They have one for each state.
00:53:24 Wendy
So when you're going to a new state, you just join that group and they've got you've got all those people that are there trying a bunch of different things already that can give you the direction that you.
00:53:34 Wendy
Need and where to go.
00:53:38 Dennis
It's really awesome, nice and accommodating.
00:53:41
You want.
00:53:41 Speaker 5
To go here.
00:53:42 Dennis
What do you like this?
00:53:43 Dennis
Awesome. Don't go there then.
00:53:45 Dennis
But go here, here and here.
00:53:48 Ken
Let's we're we're we're coming up at the break. For those of you listening live, obviously we'll come back with the craft beer news. For those of you listening via the podcast, obviously wait for the craft Beer News segment, which comes out on Mondays every single week, but let's let's go through real quick because I know on Wendy's little list of questions you wanted to ask us.
00:54:07 Ken
Surprising beer cities.
00:54:10 Ken
I know, Dan, you get around. You like to travel a lot. I like to travel a lot. Wendy definitely likes to travel a lot. Puts us to shame. Dennis, I don't know your travel habits, but do you have a surprisingly good beer town that you want to suggest to our?
00:54:25 Dennis
Listeners, that's a good question. I mean, I live in Grand Rapids, right? So like.
00:54:29 Dennis
A spear city, USA.
00:54:31 Dennis
OK, right. I'm a little spoiled, surprising beer city. I'm trying to think of this. You know what? Actually, when I went to Puerto Rico in San Juan, they had a fantastic Puerco Ocean lab, Ocean Lab brewery. That was such a cool place. It's like half brewery, half resort. And there's a couple other places there too, but.
00:54:51 Dennis
I was. I was not expecting much.
00:54:53 Speaker 5
I had a.
00:54:54 Dennis
Great time, so definitely recommend San Juan if you want to. You want to check out something out of your your usual wheelhouse.
00:55:00 Dennis
And in the warmer climate.
00:55:02 Ken
I expect in the next 10 years to get a lot of slashes and when I say a slash.
00:55:09 Ken
I mean breweries.
00:55:10 Ken
Slash something else like brewery slash bullied Alley brewery slash extra like I I think we're going to see a lot more of those in the near future where people will realize that they could potentially brew.
00:55:23 Ken
Their own beer and save a lot of money by having a craft beer in house too. Or, you know, contract beer where they consider themselves a brewery, but they, you know, go brew at brew Detroit once a month or something like that, Dan.
00:55:38 Ken
What's a surprisingly good beer city for?
00:55:40 Ken
You. So I'm.
00:55:42 Dan
The thing you just smudged real quick. I want to touch on. We have state 48 out here, one of the breweries has a brewery, slash bowling alley and it's always packed, so I definitely agree with you on that. Are you looking for international or within the?
00:55:55 Dan
US as far as.
00:55:57 Wendy
Whatever you want.
00:55:58 Dan
OK, so I've got two in the US that are kind of tied for me, Flagstaff, AZ.
00:56:05 Dan
Probably one of the best peer cities in America, especially for how small it is. And then Albuquerque is a surprisingly good beer city. Some really good breweries out of there. And then for an international bonus, one that people wouldn't think would be Christchurch, New Zealand, you get a lot of cash scales out of there. You get a lot of really good quality and the diversity of beer.
00:56:27 Dan
That you really don't find in.
00:56:29 Dan
A lot of places.
00:56:34 Wendy
So I I think we've actually talked about this on the show before, but I was really surprised with Atlanta's beer scene. They are putting out some really good beers. Every brewery that I went to there.
00:56:48 Wendy
Was really good.
00:56:51 Wendy
Some of them I.
00:56:51 Wendy
Like, really want it? I actually liked it so much. I went back for a second visit so that I could hit more berries that I couldn't get to.
00:57:00 Wendy
Like they had that many breweries, and Atlanta is weird the way that it's set up. So a lot of the breweries were outside the perimeter, so you were going to actually different cities.
00:57:12 Wendy
But it it was so good, like there were so many different breeds that whenever I see him it like makes my mouth water just by seeing a poster or something about that brewery. So. And I will point out to you that I think pontoon brewery is having some problems. So I think they have a go fund me account right now that we should check that out.
00:57:32 Wendy
If we can.
00:57:36 Ken
Now I I had one suggestion and by the looks of it, it looks like they might have gotten hit pretty hard within the the world of COVID and everything like that. But I was going to say Spartanburg, SC and it is one of the few random.
00:57:54 Ken
Cities that I've been to through my last job, where I was like, oh, you know, it's the same drive time from to Asheville, same drive time to Charlotte. But I'm going to stay within the town and I spent one day going to. I went to like Yeehaw. I went to a brewery that had like a lunch box for a flight cause I was drinking flights at.
00:58:12 Ken
Time I can only imagine the amount of people.
00:58:16 Ken
That closed up the lunch.
00:58:17 Ken
Box and like started carrying it incorrectly and spilling a bunch of beer. But yeah, Spartanburg had a great beer like brewery scene, had a great beer scene and the other one I think a lot of.
00:58:31 Ken
People do know about.
00:58:33 Ken
As much as Asheville is big, Charlotte's the Charlotte area is so good when it comes to craft beer in the Noda area, you got craft beer bars like salute over there.
00:58:43 Ken
There. So that's where I would suggest. So that's in the the more southeast East Coast area, but that is going to do it for the better on draft podcast Episode 330 listening live, stay tuned, we will be back at 825 those of you who are listening via the podcast join us for our Monday for our craft Beer News segment which is going to be released on the podcast.
00:59:03 Ken
Portion of course follow us better on draft on all of our social medias. That's TikTok, Facebook, Instagram threads, untapped kick, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter or acts now. And no matter what you think of.
00:59:17 Ken
Your beer, we.
00:59:18 Dan
Think it's.
00:59:19 Ken
Better on draft. Have a good night.