Six Russian Imperial stouts. Double-digit ABV across the board. And one simple question: can a huge, dark beer still feel balanced instead of boozy, bitter, or flat? We put that to the test with a Minneapolis-heavy lineup, including multiple Surly Darkness variants and a final curveball stout that looked so much like a Surly box we accidentally grabbed it.

We start with the Surly Darkness “base model” and use it to talk through what makes a Russian Imperial Stout taste like a Russian Imperial Stout: deep roast, hop bitterness, warming alcohol, and that lingering dryness that can either hook you or chase you off. Then the fun begins. Blueberry Crumble aged in rum barrels brings a real blueberry aroma that actually follows through on the sip. Raspberry Chocolate Torte in rye whiskey barrels sparks a balance debate around sweetness, cacao, and how fruit can overpower everything else. Lumberjack Breakfast stacks maple, coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla into a surprisingly drinkable pour that has us rethinking what “breakfast stout” should taste like.

The top pour of the night is the Surly Darkness special edition matured in Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon barrels, and the named barrel makes a difference. We dig into bourbon character, why barrel details matter, and how three different palates can pull three different “first flavors” from the same glass. To close it out, we review Lost Moon from Pryes Brewing and talk about packaging, marketing, and why some barrel-aged stouts land loud while others feel muted. Subscribe, share the episode with your stout-loving friend, and leave a review, then tell us which Darkness variant you’d hunt down first.

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

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Imported beer has a certain promise baked into it: old recipes, proud traditions, maybe a flavor you can’t get at home. Then we grabbed a build-your-own six-pack from the imported shelf and learned a humbling lesson. With Jim riding shotgun and our guest Matt helping us decode labels and brewery blurbs, we taste beers from Ukraine, Iceland, Germany, Thailand, and England, and we keep asking the same question: is this “subtle and classic,” or is it just… missing something?

Along the way, we get nerdy in the best way. We talk about Asia holding roughly 30% of the global beer market, what rice does to beer (lighter body, less malt complexity, a crisper and drier finish), and why Japan created a separate low-malt classification called happoshu. We also dig into Citra Cryo hops and why a beer labeled “lager” can drink surprisingly hop-forward, plus a refresher on the German purity law ingredients and what that tradition aims to protect.

Tasting-wise, there’s a funky-start pale lager from Ukraine, an Icelandic “Arctic Lager” with hops that cling, a German Pilsner that doesn’t meet our expectations, a Thai lager that’s weirdly impressive for tasting like almost nothing, and an organic English lager that sneaks into the top tier by simply being pleasant. We wrap by ranking our favorites and admitting we might put imported beers on the shelf for a while, unless you point us to the ones that actually bring the flavor.

If you like honest beer reviews, lager tasting notes, and quick beer trivia you can use at the bar, hit subscribe, share this with a beer friend, and leave a review. What imported beer should we try next?

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Most lagers promise the same thing: crisp, clean, crushable. So we decided to test that promise the only way that matters, by lining up six different craft lagers in one sitting and tasting them side by side. We build our own six-pack haul from Total Wine and More and go can to can, calling out what we can actually smell and taste, and admitting when the flavor is so subtle it turns into a guessing game.

The lineup runs from Drecker’s Super Mega Lager and a certified gluten-free lager from Holidaily to a style we honestly did not expect to like as much as we did: Modist’s Supra Black, a premium Japanese-style black lager with rice, black malt, and Sorachi Ace hops. When the color gets darker, the conversation gets easier, because the flavor finally shows up. We also dig into what’s happening in beer trends for 2025: overall beer sales sliding, craft and seltzer softening, and non-alcoholic beer exploding upward, including the top-selling NA brands like Heineken 0.0 and Athletic’s Run Wild IPA.

We wrap with HeadFlyer’s two lagers that taste surprisingly close, then finish strong with Schell’s Bock Dark Lager, a smooth, bready, malt-forward dark lager that reminds us why certain lager styles stand out. If you’re searching for craft lager reviews, gluten-free beer options, Japanese black lager notes, or a real-world take on non-alcoholic beer market growth, this one is a fun listen with practical takeaways for your next six-pack.

Subscribe for more style-by-style tastings, share this with your favorite lager drinker, and leave a review if you like these comparison episodes. What lager should we hunt down next for a side-by-side test?

Send us Fan Mail

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.