00:00 Introduction We're doing this with minimal vulgarity, Greg. Maximum on-topic-ness, everybody else. Greg. Which Greg are we talking to? Oh, you got Grumpy Greg today. Uh-oh. Are you in the grumpy chair? Yeah. Well, I put together a pretty eclectic mix of stuff. I would say in general, it's pretty hop forward. Oh, look, he's happier already. Is that why you let me on a beer one this time? Yes. Correct. Hey, everybody tell Greg not to be on the podcast, and then we'll call him a curmudgeon. I know it's true, but it stings a little bit. I mean, half the time you're like, do I have to be on this one? Do I need to be on this one? Am I on this one? Yeah. You're a little diva, you about it. You're like, I hate this stuff, but then I don't want to be left out. The curmudgeonly diva. Like the fourth time that Roger says to me, all right, well, you got to be careful what you say. All right, I get the hint. Chase. You're listening to Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast. Today, we are going to be drinking some beers. We're going to be talking about what's new in beer. My name is Roger. I work in beer here for Binny's. In our podcast studio today, enjoying these beers with me, we have. Jim, communications. Greg, over in the corner. You're permanently in the corner. No one's letting you out. Chris, I do want. I imagine asking Roger what is a Korean Lager and him answering about 11.99 a four pack. Oh, that's the kind of interesting thing here is that the Korean aspect of this is just kind of an homage to that. The Korean drinking and eating culture has always seen the value in having a very refreshing lager, especially with things like that are boldly. Korean food is the bomb. It's got such crazy, rich, spicy flavors, depth of flavor, richness. They're fried chicken. I mean, talk about somebody that took an American thing and made it real good. There's not necessarily Korean ingredients in this. There's not Korean hops or Korean malt or anything. It's not made of kimchi. It's nothing. Okay, well, then it's Pilsner. Sort of. It tastes like a Pilsner. It kind of tastes like a Pilsner. Especially grainy Pilsner. It has more body than a Pilsner. It's not quite as hoppy as a Pilsner. It's kind of like the body of a helles with leaning towards the hoppiness of a Pilsner. I mean, I think it's clear that Asian brewing traditions are relatively Germanic in their origins. Right. And unlike a lot of other Asian lagers, which Korean lagers aren't necessarily something we offer that much of, I would say the lion's share are Japanese style lagers. Most of those are crafted with rice to be like as to have like the sharpest finish possible. Like they just dry. Boom. They're dry. There's nothing there. They're essentially like pallet erasers. So they're somewhat delicate in their construction in a lot of ways so that if you pair it with something really delicate like sushi, it doesn't necessarily overpower. I think when they're crafting this, since so much Korean food, things like kimchi, bulgogi, like those are big, powerful flavors, you want something that can stand up to that. Like it's not necessarily some super delicate thing. So I think even if you don't want to nerd out on it so much, I just think this is a really well made lager. I think it's really well balanced. That's what it seems like to me. It's a nice crispy but also plush lager. Yeah. I liked your comparison to a helles you said, right? Because it doesn't have the hot presence of a pilsner. It's malt forward but just enough bittering hops to keep it in balance. It's a citric bitterness. It's pleasant. Yeah. Tastes like beer. Beer flavored beer. You did guess the correct price. This comes in four pack cans, 16 ounce cans. This is $11.99. We're running it on sale right now for $1 off. Hey, yo. This was originally just going to be like so much of the craft world right now is kind of like limited releases, one and done. It's nice to see that something was so well received, like the fan base. I wasn't the only one that was impressed by this. This was so popular and ran out so quickly that Hopewell is making this an everyday beer. It has an adorable can art. It looks like pop art. It's super cute. It's called Pocha. Yes. I don't think we even said the name of the beer. Thank you, Jim. Of course, they don't explain what any of this is. It's like an outdoor market. They're these food stalls. They're like food stalls. Okay. A pocha is the everyday term for a pojongmaca, which literally translates to covered wagon. It just combines the first two letters and the last three letters. It's like a slang term or a colloquialism. It's a reference to the tradition of having these mobile food stall outdoor eating areas where everybody is eating street food and popping up on these cute little metal stools to sit down and have a quick bite and enjoy some beer with it. So, I like it. The stool looks like the stool of a place where you're going to pay $25 for a cheeseburger. Well, that's like- Exactly. That's exactly what I was trying to figure out where I saw that. It's kind of the mid-teens, brewery aesthetic. Definitely could see a reclaimed urban space full of stools. Yep. It is an adorable can. The other reason that I wanted to try this beer is that I think Hopewell did a good job of showing the experiential aspect of this beer in the same way that the Beer 4 series that started as Beer for Tacos from Off Color. It was a really nice way for people that don't know anything about beer. It's like, hey, do you like eating Korean food? Well, a huge part of Korean drinking and eating culture is that you're drinking beer with food. So they specifically designed this beer around that experience. What is this strange concept? This is going to go well with food, which in the last 10 years of hazy IPAs and decadent dessert stouts, I think craft beer kind of lost their way a little bit with the most iconic purpose of beer, which is to serve it with food. I like that. I think it's a cool return to form. So check it out. Available at A Binny's Near You. And thankfully, this isn't just a one and done. It's going to be around for a while. Nice. I don't know why I got that intro to that Beck song in my head for two weeks. Now you can hum a different song because we got a little Grateful Dead here for you. Summertime Daydream. I was going to say Greg doesn't know any dead lyrics. I don't. I only know Sublime's version of Scarlet Begonias. If you haven't listened to our podcast with Sam Calgioni, this is a perfect excuse to go back and check that out. We did a couple with them actually, but the later one, Jim Artfully titled Sam Rages Against the Wright-Heitsk about. As much as we can sometimes poke fun at when adjuncts are used in beers, we respect when it's done thoughtfully and judiciously. Arguably, one of the breweries that does the best job of that is Dogfish Head. That was their whole thing. Getting from the get-go is that you shouldn't be afraid to introduce adjuncts to beer if it adds to experience not as some sort of shortcut or cheapening ingredient. Sam approached brewing from a cooking perspective. He was watching cooking shows and the way that you introduce different ingredients in a dish at different times and in different amounts, that really resonated with him. Over the years, they've brewed with some real weird stuff. You were just talking about crab and lobster earlier. They brew beer with lobsters once. Gross. Scrapple. But they've also done more conventional and tastier things, things like black limes, which are pretty neat, spruce tips, name a spice, name of a dried fruit. They've been all over the map. So Citrus Daydream is the second collaboration brew between a recent collab. They've collabed over the years with the Grateful Dead, but they have a pale ale that's available at all times right now. Then this is a lager called Citrus Daydream, so-called because it incorporates lemon peel, lime and lemongrass. I think that's all pretty clear on the palate. The other interesting thing, this is Sam has always been interested in unconventional grains. He's brewed some beers with Cernza before, which is that kind of perennial grain that they've been trying to promote over the years as a nice sustainable crop. The other crop that a lot of people have been talking about, including Garrett Oliver, is a grain called Fonio. Probably could have a better name. But anyway, Fonio is this ancient grain that's been grown in West Africa for millennia. It thrives in environments where other grains struggle. You don't have to use pesticides or fertilizers with it. It can even survive without irrigation. It's such a sustaining and potentially life-saving crop. People have called it the seed of the universe. Despite all that, it remains somewhat unknown. This beer is brewed with a combination of incorporate some Fonio as well as some rice. I mentioned earlier the idea with Asian lagers that utilize rice again. It gives a nice crispness to it. It can lighten things up a little bit. Hopped with a couple of unique hops, Contessa and Lemon Drop. Again, they're really homing in on similar flavors here, both of those hops, citrusy. I think the Contessa adds a nice bit of florality to it. It's pretty neat. It's a neat lager and I think it's a good example of something not being just flavor blasted. Yeah. The citrus is subtle. Very subtle. Also, is it under carbonated to you? It's really lightly carbonated. Maybe that gives it a little more viscosity in the mouth feel. It's definitely not like macro beer carb level. But yeah, I can kind of see what you're saying. I mean, it has a ton of, I think just because of all the additional ingredients, it has so much brightness and pop that it tricks you into thinking it's not a lager. It's kind of like IPA adjacent with the level of flavor, yet it's still pretty light in body. It's super light in body. Yeah, it's very easy drinking and it's got that refreshing citrus edge. The can has your classic steelier face skull on it in yellow and green. Yeah, in a sprite color way. Yeah, to indicate the citrus, lemon and lime. Oh, yeah. I think this would be a fun beer too with food pairing potential, that lemony lime thing. Yeah, I mean, it would be great with mushrooms. If you didn't tell me that it incorporated those actual ingredients, I would guess that it's just from the hops. Yeah, me too. Yeah, it's subtle, but it's there. I mean, I get the lemongrass even. Yeah, yeah. Just think of any cuisine that incorporates lemongrass. This would just be a great accompaniment to that. I'm trying to think of any cuisine that incorporates lemongrass. Vietnamese. Thai, Vietnamese. Soup with ginger and green sprouts, right? Yeah. Yeah, I think a wide range of Asian cuisines from Indian to Thai. Yeah, this could be a foil to a lot of things. Could handle a little heat. So yeah, this is a new everyday. Again, it's great to see things that aren't just some one-and-done beer. So stop in, grab some Citrus Daydream Lager, available at a Binny's near you, $11.99. On sale right now for the hot price of $8.99. Oh, that's a six pack of 12 ounces. Yeah. Dogfish Head, making beer affordable. Speaking of making beer affordable, this next one is for you, Greg. Is it a Dragon Lady? Hey, you're not too far off there, buddy. Okay. Roger has pleasantly surprised me with this beer more than once. I absolutely know what he's saying when he says this was for me. This is how I think this beer came about. Our next beer is from Monster Beverage Company. That's Oscar Blues and what else? All the former Canarchy. Canarchy! Yeah. Canarchy. Insert screaming guitar. So the main guys would be Oscar Blues, Cigar City. But I think people were sitting around a table and everybody's been paying close attention to Montucki Cold Snacks. Always be snacking. It has a delightful design. And they saw this 8% on there and they went, whoa, this is what everyone's buying, an 8% alcohol lager? And they went, no, no, that's like, they donate 8% to charities. Which on its own is a questionable thing to put on a can of alcohol. Right. So obviously everyone's seeing it and going, what? This is 8% alcohol. So I think the people at Monster, insert screaming guitar, are like, but what if we made an 8% alcohol lager? Yeah. They're like, why not? Yeah. Why not do it? And I'm not going to lie, the branding on this speaks to me. It's all retro 70s. Yeah. They've got this dude with a big Tom Selleck mustache. He's dressed like Evil Knievel. He's jumping a motorcycle over cars. This beer is built for speed. It's going to get you there. Like these are trying times. Sometimes you don't want to sit around with a bunch of low alcoholic. That's kind of the funny thing going on in the industry right now is like we see these super low, I still don't really believe in this mid strength. Even the name stinks. Mid strength. Or dad strength. Isn't that what beer always has been mid strength? It's the near beer trend. So think like Under Four is the thing that- Is that what they call Under Four mid strength? Mid strength, yeah. That name is mid. Exactly. That's why I think it's so hilarious. They must have brought this up at the Craft Brewers Conference because it's designed by people who have worked in the industry too long and who don't have to pay for beer. They comp beer. So they're like, yeah, when we're doing ride alongs, we want this like 3% beer. I mean, there's plenty of- anything under Five is a sessionable beer. Well, this is eight. And this is- so that's what I mean. But this is a sessionable eight. Maybe you want to take things the other direction. Like I read a lot of experiential beer copy and so many things are about like chill vibes and just like backyard hangs. Like what if you want to get wild? Yeah. Build a ramp, end up in a body cast. Get wild. Jump Springfield Gorge with your skateboard. What if you want to drink half as many beers? Right. Yeah. And it's a lager, right? Yeah. But it tastes like cream of wheat. It's got like a little bit of that spiciness that reminds- if we're going to like- they literally don't say anything on this except they call it a strong lager. I mean, it's got little traces of Dragon Lady. Exactly. There's that alcohol spice. Yeah. Yeah. There's alcohol bitterness. And the heavy graininess of those beers. It tastes like a warm blanket to me. That's because there's really nowhere for the alcohol to hide. It kind of sticks out. It doesn't feel hot though. No, I think it's integrated wonderfully and it shows it on it. It wears it on sleep. It's like, hey, and it's right in the can. And it's a Strong Lager. It's like, hey, I'm 8%. You're drinking me and you know it. Put your helmet on and buckle up. So not for everybody, but it's for Greg. I mean, we also took this out of the fridge. If ever there was a beer to have on ice, I mean, this is a nice frosty boy. You got to have this icy cold. Yeah, you sure do. But yeah, I mean, it's got that like, if you dig some of those big Eastern European style beers, like these are the kind of beers people are all about in Poland, Lithuania, like this is nothing new. Estonia. Yeah, like they like that heavy duty stuff that's not hard to drink. So hear me out. Once all just collectively agree that nobody should be ashamed about using the words malt liquor. It's fine. You know what else is awesome about this beer? Like, let's be honest, like things are getting pretty expensive these days. People are feeling the pinch. This thing is $14.99 at $12. Oh my God. It's a lot of bang for your buck. Oh my God. It has this one. We have it on sale for $12.99. Oh boy. It's like half the price. And it's like a whole 12 pack of Alde IPA in every can. Yeah. So again, it's like we've got something for everybody, but if you're looking for something a little kick, we got you covered. I mean, that's basically a 24 pack of a regular Alde IPA in $14.99. Yeah. Yeah. Greg has gone from grumpy to giddy. That's all it took. I know. Thanks. No longer grumpy. All right. 17:56 Hoppy Brews Speaking of rock and roll. Oh, this was confusing to me because there's already a beer called Trooper. It already has the Eddie on it. That is because the lead singer Bruce Dickinson, yes, the Bruce Dickinson has long been very into beer. So this isn't one of those metal band collabs where they just are like, yeah, man, let's do a beer and they just put their name on it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Right. Yeah, fair enough. But- Permanent funeral. Jeremy from Lagunitas sat down with Bruce Dickinson to design and talk about this beer. Bruce actually knows a ton. He's being English. The previous reiterations of things branded with Trooper have for the most part been English. Not just traditional English beers, but the base would maybe be an English ale but with some newer hops. I think they even did a Japanese style lager at one point. But yeah, you've seen Trooper beer in the past, but he wanted to do like a true American IPA. Yeah. It's got a huge hop. It's American IPA already. So I'm smelling it and I'm like, okay, it definitely smells like citrus. It definitely smells like pot. Oh, wait, it just smells like Lagunitas. Yeah. The star of the show here is the hop formerly known as 586, which was renamed to Crush with a K. I think it's like a pretty lame name, but it's such a good hop. That's like it deserved a better name than Crush with a K, but whatever. We should make a Crush Hopped Phonio Malt Beer. I imagine this is what Bruce Dickinson's plane smells like mid-tour. I imagine this is what Bruce Dickinson smells like mid-tour all the time. No, man, he better not be. He's driving the bus. He's a professional pilot. He flies their jumbo jet. What? And when he's flying, he's flying. So, what would you guys describe as the predominant flavors here of Crush Hops? Because we're about to taste another beer with Crush Hops. So, I get like a ton of citrus. Citrus. Yeah, absolutely. But specifically like orange. I know like with citrus, we're often always going straight to like lemon, lime. Well, it has the lemon peel bitter, but the orange flesh. Perhaps that's how they ended on Crush. I would think so. Yeah. I think that they get a little bit of juicy fruit on this one too. Jackfruit Daddy? Yeah. Iron Maiden, this I was kind of surprised to hear. I think they just wanted to test the waters a little. So this initially was a one time drop. Maybe they're going to change up the hop bill in the future. So TBD on that, but grab this while it's around. It is the nice price of $1,199 for six of these. It clocks in at anyone want to guess the ABV? Six and a half. Close. What would you if you were dealing with? Six, six, six. There you go. Obviously. Number of these. Duh. 6.66% ABV, 55 IBU. So it's not like a tongue burner, but it's got some good balance. It says West Coast on it. Yeah. West Coast. Well, it's pretty clear. It's got some haze, but it's not hazy. Right. It's lean in body. I think this is what you're going to see more of in the IPA world, like Nuvo West Coast where it's not crazy bitter. The malt bill is like all pale malt, so it's not very West Coasty. You're right. They're just putting those words on to tell people not hazy. Yes. Yeah. Correct. The modern West Coast IPA is very different from what it used to be. Greg would be the personification of the Clint Eastwood, get off of my lawn, you ruined my beer style. Get off my lawn. Because I think as he rightly pointed out over the years, if you're going to make a beer really bitter, you need the malt backbone to support that. So, they're kind of teetering on some people that make these modern ones. They're great, but sometimes they're way too bitter because they took all the malt support out. So, this is a good one. So, grab it while it's around. Oh, yay. I was going to get this. Oh, thank you for bringing this, Roger. Hopslam. Don't thank me too quick. Okay. Because this is a riff on Hopslam that is quite a bit lighter in color than the OG Hopslam. Yeah, it's still 10 percent. That's all that really matters. Is there still honey in it? So they took out the honey. So exactly what we were just talking about, this is like making a leaner. The malt character is much more... The way the brewers are trying to say is that they don't want the malt to get in the way of the hops. That's like they don't want the caramely kind of, and in my opinion, one of the greatest things about Hopslam is the honey character. So that's not there. This is stripped down. This is just about the hops. So the hop bill famously on Hopslam, they've never been willing to divulge. Even post Larry Bell, it's still keep it secret, keep it safe. With these riffs, they did a tropical one before this. This is called Citrus Hopslam. The highlighted or featured hops are Citra and Nectaron. Hey Roger. Yeah. I like this a lot. Well, it's a big boy. It's not just that it's 10 percent. It is bright and fresh, but it has that like that resinous stickiness. Yeah. There's a lot of malty sweetness compared to anything we've had so far. Yeah. This is another one where the alcohol decidedly is playing a part in the flavor profile. Sure. Yeah. It makes me, it's another warm blanket. It makes me feel so comfy. I think that is a good way to phrase it. It's that warming alcohol. It's not like crazy. I sometimes refer to this as spirited. Yeah. It gives like kind of a glowy effect. It's not harsh, but it's there. Like sometimes I'll write these reviews like, can you believe this is 8%? Like you pour this for someone and say it's 10. They're like, yeah, it sure is. This is probably a smart move in an era where ingredients and everything is expensive right now to eliminate some of the honey and stuff like that. Look how clear it is. That might add to the cost. I'm kind of puzzled by why they're doing this. Because Hopslam was not hazy, but it was like a proto hazy. It was like an adjuncted beer with that profile as beers were growing in that direction. And this kind of tastes like that, but it's crystal clear and it's bitter enough. Who are they chasing here? Me? Me. It's me, isn't it? Yeah. I think they're brightening up. This I would describe as like a modern day West Coast. So modern day double or imperial West Coast. So they're like lightening up the maltbill. They're dry hopping it heavily, so it's super aromatic. And then they're showcasing new hops, like Citrus obviously not new, you know, newer than there were. I undoubtedly a part of the old Hopslam profile was like classic Sea Hops. There was pine, there was Citrus. Nectaron brings that like Southern Hemisphere funk, like kind of the gooseberry, funky, kiwi. You can tell me there's honey in here and I would believe you. It has a sweetness like a tangerine candy kind of sweetness. Yeah, I was thinking kind of like, oh, there's like a very distinctive flavor here. I can't quite put my finger on. It's kind of Melanie, I would say. But yeah, there's a candy quality to it, too. Yeah, it's interesting. I could totally see people going both ways on this. You're like ride or die, like really set in your ways with OG Hopslam. You might not like this or Greg's like that and he likes it, so you never know. Yeah. Roger, can you hand me that bulbous snifter behind you? So thinking about what you just said, Roger, I would say the candy element to me tastes like an old school lemon drop without the tartness, and definitely like musk melon. Like I really get that Melanie flavor in here. I think I only found this fruit once, but it was like such a unique and bizarre flavor. It was called like a, what the hell is this called? Roger stumped himself on fruit. No. I don't even think I've ever known how to say this word. Fruit King and Jester in the same stroke. The reason that I was drawn to it is that people sometimes call it a pineapple guava. Oh. You ever had one of these? Oh, look at that. Yeah. Fijoa, but it's weird. It's like a cucumber melon. And it has this really funky, I don't know, it's hard to describe, but it's very unique and this kind of reminds me of that. But a mega obscure fruit aside, I think Chris nailed it with musk melon. It's all like that funky cantaloupe. Right. That would be a good beer name. Funky cantaloupe? Citrus Hopslam is a limited release, so you gotta grab it while you can. Comes in four packs, 16 ounce cans, so buckle up. $14.99 a four pack. It's enough for you and a friend to split a can and then decide to split another can. Yeah, and then just trade down to stunt double. That's what it's for. Yeah, there you go. Hopslam with stunt double chasers. 27:31 Blood Orange IPA I'm sorry, is that a Monster Energy Beverage? It just looks like you got it at a gas station pole door. This is a reworked label and it is quite bright and loud. It's pretty cool. Like they stole the art from a cereal box. It's called Brunch Arrow. Nobody has cereal for brunch. Nobody. Says you. I will have the Eds Benedict and a bowl of special cake. No, man, if you're eating cereal at brunch time, you're just snacking. Yeah, right. This is Revolution Brunch Hero. Originally I wanted to highlight Rosa, but we've already sold through it pretty much. So then I was like, oh, well, this just came out. Let's give this a try. I haven't had it in ages. Brunch Hero is making a return here. It's definitely a fan favorite that people have asked for. The key to this one is that it's made with fresh blood orange puree. Fresh blood orange puree. Yeah. You know what it smells like? Orange juice. It smells like something that you would pour out of a can with that art on it. Yeah, it's orange juice explosion. I mean, it's pretty orange juicy. With a big grapefruit-y, I mean, it's got a big grapefruit juice. Lift at the finish. Yeah. Well, that's also blood orange. Yeah, but you get that bitterness, the grapefruit bitterness in here that augments. It's pulling in different citrus directions. What balances the bitterness and the sweetness of the orange? Yeah. I don't know what else to say about this one. Can we just play that REM song? I mean, it's straight up, to me, it's like grapefruit juice mixed with orange juice. Yeah. It's juicy. It's juicy. It's juicy. They made this juicy with juice. But it doesn't have that heavy, hazy body. No, it does not. No. It tastes very juicy, citrusy, but it tastes like beer at the same time. Rev, famously, which was trolling people for years had refused to make a hazy. They started making double dry hopped IPAs and they would write DDH on it when that at the time was essentially code for hazy. Just to mess with people. Just to mess with people and it would be like crazy bitter and clear. They're like, well, double dry hopping existed before this hazy trend. Yes. I respect this move. This is definitely like, you know, it isn't like some of their real plush haze. This is kind of a nod back to some of their OG double dry hopped stuff where, yes, there's haze here, but it drinks more like a, you know, there's. Dude, it drinks like a glass of orange juice. Yeah. Grapefruit juice in there, too, though, like there's sweetness and bitterness. So, yeah, you're not wrong. It's not all bitter. There's a lot of sweetness, too. I don't know. I don't hate it. What's the alcohol? People could put a sugar rimmer on this, like putting sugar on your grapefruit. 6.8. Hello. So, yeah, not low, but not crazy high. It's no 10% Citrus Hopslam. It's no stunt double. This is available at Binny's Inner U. It is a limited release. Again, this is one of an in and out. $13.99. So, if you want to try this one, grab it before it is gone. 31:02 Classic Porter This is going to be a pretty jarring transition here. So, we go from a bunch of hoppy stuff to the world of malt. Minor port explosion. So, the story behind this one is kind of cool. Sierra Nevada, one of the first beers that they ever made was, you know, everyone knows their Pale Ale, but it was pretty quickly followed up by a Stout, and then that was followed up by a Porter. So, all these were released way back in 1980. Sierra Nevada, of course, one of the first American craft breweries. And at the time, Anchor was kind of doing, they were blazing a trail, honestly. They were bringing back beers, styles that hadn't been brewed even in their origin country for decades. They were the first people in the US to make an IPA with their Liberty Ale. They were the first people to release a Porter since Prohibition with their Porter, first Barley Wine with old Foghorn. Sierra Nevada definitely was one of these people right alongside Anchor that was introducing Americans to these forgotten styles. But they were also kind of making them their own. They were incorporating hops and hopping them at a level that was definitely different than the OG English stuff. So, Sierra Nevada Porter is something that's been sorely missed. It hasn't been around for quite some time. I noticed that the brewery was making it again, but it was a brewery only release. So, after lots and lots of campaigning, Cajoling, harassing. Yeah, harassment. That's more accurate. I finally got them to ship us some. Pretty classic example of a Porter. Yeah, it's got all that roasty malt character. Baltic style? No. Almost smoky. It's dry. It's too low in alcohol. I meant Baltic style. Yeah. It's coffee. Coffee roastiness. Yeah. For sure on the nose. Grainy coffee. Yeah. Little chocolate. It's very dry for a historical Porter. And there is more, you know, it's classic American style. I get a ton of chocolate out of this. Yeah. I mean, like, I think this is a cool example of that, you know, if people were to think of a Porter is like, oh, it's such an old timey style. Like, you know, is anyone that's young going to drink a Porter? And it's like the young people like chocolate, right? This the primary flavor in this is they didn't add any chocolate. It's from malt. And I mean, it's very chocolatey. And then I agree with you guys. You get some coffee notes. But even the roastiness here is somewhat subdued. Like, what might make some people a little, you know, not ready for a Porter would be if it's super roasty. And some American Porters were like stout level of roastiness. They just weren't, you know, lower in alcohol. I would also say it's a very well attenuated. It's not a heavy beer. The body is, you know, pretty easy drinking, not thick. What's the ABV again? 5.6. Yeah. So, I mean, this is very much like a, you know, this is something you can have a few of. And it's not crazy high alcohol. It's very well balanced. The bitterness is here, but it's not, you know, it's a combination of that heavily roasted malt bitterness and hop bitterness. It's topped with Aurora and Yakima Golden Hop, so a couple like old school American choices. So the hop character is not super pronounced here, but you get a little bit of like pine and citrus. Yeah. And there's enough bitterness on the finish to make you know you're not drinking an English porter. And definitely the nose has carries that kind of almost tootsie roll or freshly baked brownie aroma. It's a baker's chocolate. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. But I just think I really, again, this is a mega beer nerd thing, but I mean, when you have a beer that's so perfectly balanced like this and you've tried so many other ones that overdo it in one way or another, be it as usually way too much like I love Roger. He's like, wow, the Sierra Nevada porter is so integrated. Nothing stands out. No, I mean, the chocolate sure does. Yeah. I mean, it's not overly roasty and it's not overly bitter, which a ton of American porters were, and that's why I think most of them are gone, and this one I think is more approachable in a way that would surprise a lot of people. Yeah, balances the word here, for sure. This is on the way out because we could only get one drop of it, so run, don't walk to your nearby Binny's and pick this up. $11.99 a six pack, which is a nice price, and it's on sale for $9.99, so. Did any of the rest of the country get this? No. Roger harassed them into sending their porter to Chicago only. Yeah, Roger's doing the work for you. He's working out there for you guys, consumer advocate, Roger Nader. 36:07 Barrel Aged Stout We go from Porter to Stout. Big Stout. This is one that we haven't seen in quite some time. And again, this is a very unique one. This is something that not many breweries are doing. I can tell you that much. This is Central Waters Cherry Stout. It is not flavor blasted. They're using whole Door County Sour Cherries. And they're stuffing 75 pounds into barrels. Ah, jeez. Cry I. So it's barrel aged. Then enough space develops so they can jam the cherries in. Oh my God. I bet you're wondering, Chris, did they leave the pits in? No, they don't want to get in trouble from people implying that they're going to poison people. They're arsenic in the cherry beer? In no pits. You're safe. I don't know why. I'm afraid of a little arsenic. It's good to make my little cherry syrup with the pits. It's fine. Yeah, me too. Is that why you were feeding me all that cherry syrup? Yeah, but you're building up an immunity. How's it building up an immunity? It's like Iocaine powder. Okay. Yep. It's not as sweet and big as it could be. It's not chocolatey. It's focused and the cherry tartness gives it a little bit of leanness. The very cherry tartness. Oh, yeah. Yeah, this is another dark beer that is very refreshing and approachable and well balanced. And there's definitely none of that almondy essence from Pitts, but loads of sour cherry character. Yeah. And the big worry with any cherry beer is that it's going to be medicinal. Yeah, it's not. And this isn't. I mean, this is that beautiful sour cherry, dark fruit character. Central Waters is not for the most part. They might have done a couple of releases where they tried to make these like more modern imperial stouts, but their stouts, I would say, have always been on the leaner side. Maybe it's because it's Wisconsinites who proudly wear their drinking crown. I've been to that tap room many times. People don't just drink one snifter of barrel-aged beer. They drink a couple, and they're not small sniffters. There's a lot of people asking for that large bulbous sniffter behind you, like Greg did. But I like that about it. That's one of the beauties of having a million breweries in this country is that not everyone does need to make things the same. Yeah, this might seem kind of lean compared to some of these mega dessert pastry stouts. But honestly, I personally would rather drink a more well-attenuated barrel-aged stout because I want the whole glass. I don't want to just drink like two ounces of something that's like- It is not too sweet. Yeah, it's really remarkable for being bourbon barrel-aged. Yeah. Well, that just shows you that the bourbon barrel doesn't make the stout thicker. Yeah. That's the stout and this almost has acidity. It's like mouth-watering on the finish. Yeah, absolutely. I'm waiting for another sip. It's got that reminds me of almost like the bourbon with the cherry makes a cocktail-esque. Yeah. Oh, yeah. How much? I mean, how alcohol level? ABV, what's the number? Something points to something. How alcohol-y is this? Too much for you, apparently. How much on this one? I think it's like 11%, maybe 10. They've hidden it well. Maybe it's one of those places where they don't disclose alcohol. Usually they used to, sometimes they don't. I don't see it. It comes in a murdered-out can. I don't know. People think that's cool. This was a past release, at least. It was at like 11.3. So, we're north of 10, probably. Yep. I think in my notes, I had this at 11. Yeah. All right. Making my original question sound less stupid in the edit, how much money? You can get this 11% ABV barrel-aged stout for the nice price of $17.99 a four-pack. Central Waters has always kept everyone honest, and it's crazy the way some people I know ignore their beers because they think they're too cheap, which is ridiculous. Yeah. It's like the bottom shelf of the Bourbon Isle is some of your best options, I guess, but do not sleep on Central Waters. Just think about the cost of the cherries that went in there. Come on. I know. It's crazy. Central Waters nails it yet again. Such a great brewery, especially their barrel age program is one of the best in the country. So this is a limited release. So don't miss out on this. Grab a couple of four packs while they're still around. 41:06 Pickle Beer That's what's new in beer. Cool. I like Svroj. We haven't done one of these in a while. No, he has a coda. Oh, jeez, he's teasing us. No, so there was no way I was going to make you all sit around and do a whole episode on this, but of all the beer trends that have happened this year, one of the weirdest was that several different people were making pickle beers. Yeah, seen them in both the regular and spicy editions. Yes. And you're going to make us drink one now? Yes. I've been avoiding them this whole time, and I had a pickle for lunch. Yeah, I did too. I had some of your pickle. I share pickle. Your pickle share. We like to share pickle. So, the thing with pickle beers is that people usually approach it from two different thought processes. A lot of the ones this year have been lagers. Wait a minute. The two different thought processes regarding pickle beers. I don't know. Don't? Yeah. Why? But why? Because you can? Why ask why? Because the corporate co-branding logo looks good. So, it's like the issue with a pickle beer is that... Like it's a pickle beer. I deny the premise. I deny this whole premise. The issue with the pickle beer is that it's a pickle beer. So, if the prime two experiences are going to be salty and sour, the style that is perfectly crafted for this... Goza. Right. Would be this obscure German beer style, Goza, that is made with salt. It's acidic. Coriander. That sounds awful. And somebody did this. And with the Goza, they always have to put fruit syrup in it to make it seem more drinkable. That's Berliner-wise. Adjacent style. But yeah, there's a reason why even in the town where it was created, it disappeared. There's a limited audience for this style of beer. Are they good? Every once in a while, I would argue that they're not necessarily the kind of thing you sit down and have a bunch of. So, the novelty of a pickle beer is that then it becomes the brine. So, what other ingredients are you putting in it besides the salt? Yeah, some of them can be pretty garlicky. Some of them are really dill. PBR made one and they teamed up with Grillo's Pickles. It sold out in like eight minutes. Yeah. It did pretty well. Grillo's Pickles are great, by the way. They're pretty good. I love those. They fixed the thing where their container cuts your hand. Yeah, that's hard to open. But still, my wife brought some on a road trip and she was like, you want some pickles? And I was like, absolutely not. I think they seal those things submerged in brine because you open it up. Yes, that is- It's coming all over the counter. Irritating, yeah. But yeah, their pickles are pretty good. Yeah, I love their pickles. Which one did you bring? You know, some of these have been one-offs. This is one that's available all the time. It's again is a collaboration with a pickle company. This is Destihl's Spicy Pickle Sour Beer, which is crafted with the Suckerpunch Pickle Brine. Is Suckerpunch a pickle brand or is it an alcohol brand? No, it's a pickle brand. It's a pickle brand, but they have a lot of Bloody Mary Mixes in this guy. I don't think I've ever had a Suckerpunch pickle. Because they came to... Well, it's because you work at Binny's. Because they came to us with their Bloody Mary Mixes. Yeah, I've never seen them in stores. Where is Suckerpunch from? Suckerpunch is from Bridgeville. Yeah, I was going to say. They're local. They're from around here, right? Okay. I will say when they initially developed this beer, I thought it was like the sodium was way too much. And I don't know if that was dialing in like adding a brine with the already salty goza. I think over the years now, they've got it more dialed in. Why? It's like a bare-knuckle boxer punching your tongue. Oh, man. Okay. What is the smell? What is the smell? Garlic. Oh, yeah. That is a really pickly smelling pickle beer. Right. Definitely garlic for it. It smells like pickles. Yeah, it smells like pickles. I mean, it doesn't smell like beer. No. It just smells like pickles. It's pretty briny. I mean, if you like drinking pickle juice out of a jar... It's Gregory. I kind of like it. It's everything I wanted and more. Yeah, I kind of like it. My buddy said no. I wasn't sure if I was going to... I mean, yeah, I don't think I would drink more than one of them, but I do. You wouldn't drink a whole one of these. A whole can. Yeah, probably not. You're sitting there on the porch. If I'm in the Destihl tap room, I'm like, give me an eight ounce pour of that bad boy. You're to the last third of the can, right? Yeah, thank you, Gregory. Mix it with some of that. It is spicy on the finish too. I think this would make a good michelada. Of course. It's michelada flavored. That's like saying, again, like Bloody Mary Vodka. Put your Bloody Mary flavored vodka. I bet it makes a good Bloody Mary. Like a beer back with a Bloody Mary. This would be great. Yeah. You have the beer back in order to escape the Bloody Mary. But this is not the same as the Bloody Mary. It's actually quite spicy. The more I sit with it, the more spice comes out. That's what's funny. In your first sip, you're like, this isn't that spicy. But that's what I've often said to people. The idea is that you're drinking at least 12 ounces of this. By the time you're done with one, which I can't really picture drinking more than one of these, I like it in a way. It's pretty salty. I mean, the pickle back is a thing people do with shots. Just take a shot of pickle brine. Yes, they do. Yes, so I mean, this would be okay with that. You could sidecar this with another beer or you could just mix in some normal beer. I think that's a good move. That's not actually normal beer, but mixing it in makes it taste better. Because it's pretty austere the way it is, but. Roger and I poured some stunt double into ours. I don't mind it now. I mean, it's a crazy beer. I can get over the overwhelming saltiness of it. It's better if you cut it. So really, you should make like a Radler, but a reverse Radler with an 8% beer. Oh, no, you should mix it with the orange juice beer. And then it's a pickly orange juice. There you go. I mean, you could really mix this with lemonade and make a spicy Radler. That might be kind of interesting. I am still tasting pickle aftertaste. Yeah, it's going to be there for a while. Extremely pickle. There's tons of dill and tons of garlic. I'm sorry, they sell this in packages that contain more than one can. Yeah, they're four packs, so it's not a full six pack. But this is year round. So if you missed out on one of the limited release pickle beers, you can get this all the time. It's 10.99 for a four pack of 12 ounce. They're reasonable. They don't offer this in 16 ounce cans. It's 12 ounce cans. They should make these in minis. Yeah, little buddies. I'm telling you, the bottom third where it gets a little warm and a little flat. I agree. Yeah, I would want to drink this very cold, very fast. Maybe even on the rocks. The Michelada idea is not a bad one. Just put some on the rocks and put some Clamado on it. Yeah, it's one of those rare things where Clamado makes it taste better. Yeah. Then you could throw some tequila in there, maybe a little Mezcal, like Doctor of... In fact, forget the pickle beer, just give me some tequila, some Mezcal, some Clamado. I mean, that's probably when you go so bold, it's like, we'll try this, we're like, this could be a cool mixer. And it's like, do you drink it straight? I guess. You could. Yeah. But I mean, if you want something wild, this is fine. I've enjoyed letting people try this. It's usually a little too much for people. But again, I think it has some mixing potential. There's several other pickle beers. Best Made is one that's also like a sour beer base. They do a pretty good job. Donna's is a lager base. That's kind of more like the Paps one. So if you like the Paps one, but it's sold out, you can try Donna's. Olifant does one that uses like strawberry. It's like going after those like Kool-Aid pickles, I guess. That was not for me. I don't like those. So yeah, like like it or not, pickle beers is a thing. So I figured we should at least talk about it. Yeah. Roger, thank you for not making us do an entire episode on pickle. You're welcome. I have to say it tastes pretty good, but it's just so over the top. Was that a? I mean, I could see this when I wrote this up, I was like, you pair this with barbecue. I think it would work with some nice fatty barbecue that the acidity is going to cut the pulled pork or brisket. Yeah. Although if you have a vinaigrette barbecue sauce on there, you're really going to be in trouble. Yeah. Get ready for some heartburn. A little Tums chaser. Yeah. All right, folks. Don't go North Carolina style. Do not. Or South Carolina. Yeah. That's a real risk with this pickle beer. The spicy pickle beer is that you might accidentally have it with Carolina style barbecue sauce. Or Alabama white sauce. Think of the acidity there. Oh, man. Maybe a dollop of mayo in this would be good. Mayo floater. All right. Okay. Thank you for listening to this episode of Barrel to Bottle. We hope you enjoyed it. We hope you learned what's new in beer. Yeah. Thanks, Roger. Yeah. My pleasure. We'll be back in your feed shortly with another new topic, exploring the world of beer, wine and spirits. So until then, if you enjoyed this, please leave us a review and let your friends know. Let your enemies know. Yep. Tell your mom thanks for listening. Until next time, I'm Roger. I'm Jim. I'm Greg. I'm Chris. Keep tasting.