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 MailThank 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 [email protected]. 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.