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The air hurt our faces, so we made the weather our beer fridge. From there, it turned into the perfect Northwoods night: eight carefully chosen beers, one runaway favorite, and a deep dive into a small, family-first resort that lives bigger than its map pin. We’re back at Callahan Lake Resort—14 miles east of Hayward—sharing what’s new: brighter cabins with space for real weeks, pull-in RV sites, a growing beach and swim area, a smarter dock layout for pontoon drop-ins, and a plan to restore the beloved floating “Loose Caboose.” Picture quiet mornings casting for musky and bass, afternoons drifting on Mud Lake, and evenings where neighbors feel like cousins.

On the beer front, we start with Drecker’s fruit-forward sours—gluten-free, summer-friendly, and surprisingly restrained—before we swing into stout country. Jack Pine’s Deadfall variants split the room at first: the rum barrel leans dark-fruited but shy on rum; the peach brandy barrel wakes up gloriously as it warms, turning into a layered, cellar-temp treat. Then we open a four-bottle run from Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative that flat-out sings. Midnight Hour Bourbon Barrel is pure balance—caramel, vanilla, toffee—while the Rye Barrel adds peppered lift without the weight. Raspberry Bourbon gives fresh fruit that integrates instead of shouting. And the standout? Midnight Hour Mexican Chocolate: rye-barrel backbone, chocolate-vanilla-cinnamon grace, and guajillo and morita peppers that glow rather than burn. We called it a Beer of the Year contender on the spot.

Between pours, we trace the trails you can ride right from the resort—ATV in summer, staked snowmobile routes in winter—and we shout out the local network of taverns, barbecue, fish fries, breakfasts, and festival weekends: Musky Fest, cranberry runs, Fall Fest, and the legendary American Birkebeiner. It’s a place where owners share parts and couches, send guests to each other’s dining rooms, and celebrate community wins. If you want a getaway where lake time is unhurried, the beer is thoughtfully chosen, and the welcome is real, this one’s for you.

If this episode made you thirsty or sparked a trip idea, hit follow, share it with a friend, and drop us your favorite barrel-aging style in a review. And if you walk into the lodge and say you heard us here, the first beer’s on Brian.

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