Ep 170 - Are Modern IPAs Still About Hops

Ep 170 - Are Modern IPAs Still About Hops

An IPA episode that starts with skepticism and ends with us genuinely impressed. We line up six different India pale ales and do a true side-by-side IPA tasting, the kind that exposes what labels and marketing blur: some IPAs are hop-forward and dry, some are mellow to the point of confusing, and some modern fruited hazy IPAs barely resemble the old-school “bitter grapefruit and pine” stereotype at all. We crack into Dale’s Easy IPA, then move through bigger names like Stone Brewing and New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger series, comparing aroma, bitterness, dryness, and that all-important drinkability. Along the way we drop IPA trivia that clears up common myths, including where IPAs actually originated and why they were built for long trips. We also talk beer glassware, including the idea of an IPA-specific glass designed to hold aroma and preserve head, and why drinking IPAs cold still matters. The real plot twist hits when the fruited and tropical IPAs show up. Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force and Voodoo Ranger Tropical bring loud fruit aroma, surprising sweetness, and the dangerous kind of smoothness that hides a 9.5% ABV punch. If you’ve been searching for “best fruited IPA,” “tropical IPA review,” or a craft beer podcast that tells you what’s worth buying, this one gives you clear rankings, honest scores, and who each beer is for. Subscribe for more tastings, share this with the IPA skeptic in your life, and leave a review with the next beer style you want us to put on the table. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2132215/fan_mail/new] 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.  You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

Ep 169 - A Beginner-Friendly Craft Beer Flight Under 6% ABV

You don’t need a 9% hazy IPA or a syrupy stout to have a great craft beer night. We grab a lineup of lighter, session-friendly beers and put them through the simplest test that matters: do they taste good, and would we actually drink more than one? With Jim and Julie in the studio on short notice, we pivot from a planned on-location recording and turn it into a fast, fun flight of approachable craft beer. We start with Summit Light Lager at 3.8% ABV and talk about why “lawnmower beers” exist in the first place: hot days, lake days, garages, campfires, and coolers where you want crisp, clean, and easy. From there we dig into the fundamentals behind ales vs lagers, how yeast and fermentation temperature shape flavor, and why the numbers on the can (like IBUs) don’t always match what your tongue tells you. We also crack open Central Waters CW Dunkel, Ouisconsing Red Ale, and 3 Sheeps Rebel Kent, comparing malt character, sweetness, dryness, and that tricky “floral” note that’s hard to name but easy to notice. Beer history fans get a bonus round too: the most popular beverages on Earth, the invention of the beer can in 1933, medieval city requirements that included a brewery, Viking berserkers, and even how pyramid builders were paid in beer. Then we hit a surprise standout with Insight Brewing’s Banshee Cutter, a smooth coffee golden ale that avoids the bitter coffee-grounds problem, and wrap with Sand Creek Bugler Brown, which supports elk reintroduction in Wisconsin. Hit play, taste along with us, and tell us what your favorite low-ABV craft beer style is. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more beer lovers can find us. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2132215/fan_mail/new] 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.  You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

Ep 168 - Scotch Ale And Barleywine Tasting With Big Surprises

7.5% turns into 13.8% faster than you think when we line up Scotch ale and barleywine on the same table. We’re back in the studio with Jim and special backup drinker Toby, because this tasting is stacked with higher ABV bottles and cans, plus a few surprises we did not see coming. We start in Scotch ale territory with 3 Floyds Robert the Bruce, then take a sharp left with Samuel Smith Yorkshire Stingo, a pour that reads tart and oaky enough to spark a full debate about “Christmas pudding” notes and what the label promises versus what your palate actually gets. Central Waters brings us back to earth with a bourbon barrel Scotch ale that’s rich, smooth, and balanced, showing how barrel-aged beer can elevate malt-forward styles beyond stout. Then we jump into barleywine, including the notorious Sierra Nevada Bigfoot at 90 IBUs, where we dig into why bitterness can linger so differently and why IBUs aren’t as consistent as people assume. The night turns around with Northern Rivals, a Fair State Co-op and Central Waters collaboration that hits figs, caramel, and bourbon in a way that finally makes barleywine feel approachable. And yes, we crown a winner: 3 Floyds Pillar of Beasts, a bourbon barrel-aged salted caramel barleywine that drinks dangerously smooth and lands as an instant “beer of the year” contender for us. Subscribe for more craft beer reviews, share this with your drinking buddy who thinks barleywine is impossible to like, and leave a rating or review so more beer nerds can find the show. What’s your favorite Scotch ale or barleywine to hunt down next? Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2132215/fan_mail/new] 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.  You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

Ep 167 - Seven Drinks In The Pines With Ratings

Seven drinks, two guests, and a quiet Northwoods backdrop that makes every pour feel like it’s happening around a campfire. We’re joined by my brother Brian (our resident “mad scientist” brewer) and Larry as we work through a mixed flight that’s intentionally all over the map, then rate each one on our 0 to 5 scale. We start with Surly Brewing Rocket Surgery Hazy Ale and get into what “hazy” even signals when the hop bite is almost nonexistent and the first note reads floral. From there we crack a wild fruited sour from 7 Hills Brewing Purple Rain and use it as a springboard for a bigger craft beer conversation: why so many modern sour ales taste sweeter than the jaw tightening sours people remember, how souring time changes the final beer, and whether the word “sour” has started to mean something different on today’s labels. The middle of the tasting brings B Nektar Zombie Killer hard cider (honey and cherry), then a big step up to Surly And The Devil Makes Three, a triple IPA that proves high ABV doesn’t automatically mean harsh bitterness. We also go full experiment with 608 Brewing Cold Lunch Kid, a peanut butter and grape jelly sour, and talk through the brewing mechanics behind peanut flavors, powders, and why oils matter. Near the end, Surly Damien Child of Darkness sparks one of our favorite tangents: a black ale made from the second runnings of Darkness, and what that says about creativity, process, and reuse in brewing. We close with Angry Minnow McStuckie’s Scotch Ale from Hayward, Wisconsin, compare favorites, and check in on what Brian has fermenting and what he’s planning next (including a dark cherry sour and a spruce tip IPA). If you like beer tasting notes, craft beer style debates, and practical brewing talk that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share the show with a beer friend, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2132215/fan_mail/new] 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.  You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

Ep 166 - What Happens When You Taste Without Labels

A blueberry beer that tastes like raspberry. A lager brewed with jalapeno, habanero, and Carolina Reaper that somehow stays drinkable. And a homemade trophy that literally has a breathalyzer attached to it. Mike flies solo to recap our Memorial Day beer tasting up in the Northwoods, where seven of us put our palates to the test with a stricter blind beer taste test designed to keep the voting fair and the surprises intact. We break down the full format: three seasonal tastings (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day), three categories per event, and a points system that rewards consistent picks across rounds. This year’s lineup runs through “something from the garden,” “something you would find at a bake sale,” and wildcard, plus the behind-the-bar changes we made so nobody knows what’s coming until the category is complete. If you like craft beer, home tasting ideas, and honest notes on what flavors actually show up in the glass, this is a play-by-play you can steal for your own beer night. Along the way, we hit highlights like Untitled Art’s Fruit Cup Cocktail, 3 Sheeps Pumpkin Veneration, Goose Island Bourbon County Brickyard Stout, KBS variants, Surly Barrel-Aged Darkness, and Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb, plus the weird reality that the same beer can present totally differently from one pour to the next. We also talk pacing with snack breaks, how category rules get stretched, and what we’ll tweak before the next showdown. Subscribe for more craft beer reviews and tasting recaps, share this with your beer crew, and leave a rating or review so more listeners can find the show. What category should we force everyone to shop for next? Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2132215/fan_mail/new] 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.  You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok. If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.