A bourbon barrel aged stout can be pure comfort or pure chaos depending on what ends up in the glass, so we decided to make it simple and taste our way through it. We’re outside, we’ve got a full Dragon’s Milk lineup, and Brian is back on the mic with Eric joining as our guest for a flight that starts smooth and ends at a very real 17.3% ABV.

We dig into what makes Dragon’s Milk work as a flagship barrel-aged stout: bourbon on the front, roast and chocolate in the middle, and coffee bitterness that shows up more as the beer warms. From there we chase the variants and call it like we taste it: the Stroopwafel Reserve brings cinnamon and caramel that hit fast, the oatmeal cookie version turns up brown sugar sweetness with raisin and oats, and the rye barrel edition adds toasted chili spice that lingers without wrecking the balance. If you like craft beer reviews, stout tasting notes, and honest scores, this one is loaded.

Then Eric pulls back the curtain on the food truck business with Over Cake Land and Catering. We talk why he finally made the jump, what it costs in time and stress to stay compliant, why every town’s permits can be a headache, and how he keeps a menu different with gyros, Cubanos, street tacos, and breakfast. We close with a shared message we actually believe: support local breweries and local food trucks because your money stays in your community.

Subscribe for more craft beer tastings, share this with a friend who loves stouts, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Which Dragon’s Milk style would you try first: cookie dessert, chili spice, or the triple mash?

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.

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Two Sam Adams variety packs show up at the same time, and we cannot resist turning it into a full-on taste test. Mike and Jim are back in the studio with Julie, and we line up eight beers from the Boston Beer Company to answer a simple question that every craft beer fan cares about: which pack actually tastes like what it promises? We keep it grounded with the details that matter, including ABV, IBUs, aroma, clarity, and the one thing that can make or break a seasonal beer, the finish that sticks around after the sip.

We start with the 2026 Spring Favorites pack and work through Breakaway Blonde, Cold Snap, Alpine Spring, and Blackberry Wit, calling out what hits and what feels muted. Then we crack open the Star Spangled Variety Pack with American Light, Porch Rocker, Summer Ale, and Blueberry Lager, where the “hot day cooler” energy really kicks in. If you’re looking for lawnmower beers, a craft alternative to big box light lagers, or fruit beers that actually deliver fruit flavor without turning into liquid candy, the rankings at the end are worth the ride.

We also sneak in some beer history along the way: Samuel Adams as a maltster, the Sons of Liberty meeting at Boston’s Green Dragon Tavern, the push for drinking local beer over imports, and a wild little detail about Sam Adams pioneering consumer-readable freshness dating. Listen, pick your favorite, and then help us out by subscribing, sharing the episode with a beer buddy, and leaving a review with your top choice from the lineup.

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.

Only one house beer on tap at a brewery we drove out to visit, so what do we do? We order it anyway, grab a full guest flight, and turn the whole afternoon into a real-world Wisconsin craft beer tasting with honest scores and zero pretending. This week we are on location at Alchemy Brewing in Cashton, Wisconsin, where the space is beautiful, the food hits the spot, and the small-town surprises just keep coming.

We start with Alchemy’s Orange Kiss, a wine-forward, orange-heavy drink that lands closer to sangria than beer, then we move into guest taps that cover a wide range of summer drinking. We taste Elm Creek Road Trippin’ Hazy Pale Ale and talk about why hazy styles often feel smoother and less bitter than classic IPAs. We also revisit a favorite warm-weather pick, Sand Creek Blackberry Hard Lemonade, including the real-life question of why some hard lemonades bring instant heartburn while others go down easy.

From there, we test Cider Boys Peach County Cider for that peach candy hit, nerd out a bit about how cider is made, and talk about the ups and downs of the craft beer market and why supporting local breweries matters. The back half closes with two bigger swings: Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin, a wheat-forward IPA that surprises us with how smooth it drinks, and a Delta Beer Lab barrel-aged barleywine that opens up with dried fruit notes and a slow-sip dessert vibe at 10% ABV.

If you like brewery reviews, beer style breakdowns, and road-trip-ready recommendations around Wisconsin, hit play, then subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more beer lovers can find us.

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.