The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast

The Northwooods Beer Guy
  • 4.8 (5)
  • Food
  • Updated Weekly

We love craft beer! Each week we will taste a number of beers from around the country and give you our thoughts, not only will we talk about the flavor, but also the artwork and anything else that comes to mind. We will also go on location and visit breweries and try a number of their offerings and give you our thoughts as well. Come sit around the campfire and join in on the fun!

  1. 22h ago

    Ep 183 -Testing Natural Cocktail Mixers With Rum Tequila And Whiskey

    Most cocktail mixers promise convenience and deliver regret, so we brought the bottles to the bar at Callahan Lake Resort to find out what’s real and what’s hype. We taste Fresh Victor mixers the “suggested” way first, then start tweaking like a true mixology session: rum versus tequila, shaken versus topped with soda water, and small adds that can rescue a drink from being too sour, too sweet, or just one-note. We get into the details that actually matter for great cocktails, even if you’re making them at home. How acidity hits your palate and triggers that heartburn fear. Why aroma can completely change what you think you’re tasting. And why a quality spirit can make a simple build feel like a craft cocktail instead of a shortcut. Along the way we land on a few standouts: a tequila and prickly pear version of a citrus-mint mixer, a shockingly smooth bourbon drink with a raspberry finish, a thick strawberry-lemon pour that turns into a creamy “strawberry smoothie” little beer, and a cactus pear and pomegranate combo that gets even better when we swap triple sec for Northwoods maple syrup. We finish with a lemon sour mixer that goes two directions: a whiskey sour that stays bright and natural, then a tequila-forward build that tastes dangerously close to a perfect margarita. If you love cocktail experiments, bar hacks, and real-world tasting notes from a working resort bar, you’ll get plenty to steal for your next backyard hang. Subscribe, share this with your favorite drink-maker, and leave a review if you want more tasting sessions like this. Which mixer and spirit combo 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.

  2. Sep 18

    Ep 182 - Alaskan Beer Flight Part Two

    Alaska sounds like the perfect place for bold beer stories: glaciers, pioneers, and cans that look like they belong in a national park gift shop. So we went back to our Alaskan Brewing Company haul and tasted five more beers from the “40 beers for 40 years” pack, scoring everything and comparing our notes to what the brewery promises on the label and online. We start with Wilderness, a beer that literally calls itself an “Alaskan Cold Beer,” then move into hop-forward territory with Ascender Pale Ale and Juneau Juice Juicy IPA. Along the way, we keep bumping into the same tension craft beer fans know well: when a brewery lists strawberry candy, lemon peel, pineapple, tangerine, pine, and cedar, what happens when your palate mostly gets “mellow”? We’re not trying to dunk on anyone, but we do get honest about how missing tasting notes affect trust, especially when you’re making a buying decision from the can. We also take a detour into Alaska taproom rules that blew our minds: a 36-ounce daily limit per customer and a hard close at 9 p.m. Then we give Alaskan Brewing real credit for sustainability, including CO2 recapture and a biomass boiler that turns brewing waste into fuel. We wrap by ranking our favorites across all ten beers from both weeks and teasing what’s coming next with Oktoberfest, and pumpkin beer reviews. Subscribe for more straight-talk beer reviews, share this with a craft beer buddy, and leave a rating and review so more folks can find the show. What brewery has the biggest gap between the tasting notes and what you actually taste? 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.

  3. Sep 11

    Ep 181 - Reviewing Five Alaskan Brewing Beers From A 40-Can Anniversary Box

    A random grocery store find turns into a full-on craft beer variety pack review: Alaskan Brewing’s “40 Beers For 40 Years” box. We expected forty different beers, but it’s ten styles with four cans each, so we start by cracking the first row and tasting five side by side. The goal is simple: figure out what’s actually in the can, how the flavors land, and whether these are worth buying if you want approachable craft beer without getting blasted by bitterness. We sip and score Alaskan Amber (alt-style ale), Alaskan Kolsch, Alaskan White (Belgian-style witbier), plus two IPAs: Icy Bay IPA and Husky IPA. We talk ABV and IBU, compare aroma versus finish, and keep coming back to the same surprise: even when the numbers look big, the drinking experience stays smooth and mellow. That makes these beers solid “starter set” options for newer craft drinkers, while flavor-chasers may wish the citrus, spice, and hop bite were dialed up. Jim also brings Alaska-specific brewing facts that genuinely change how you think about logistics and ingredients, from spruce tips and their vitamin C history to how Alaskan Brewing pioneered CO2 recapture because shipping gas was so expensive. Then, right when you think we’re staying serious, we take a hard left into a hornet sting story that proves the Northwoods always finds a way into beer night. If you’ve seen Alaskan Brewing on the shelf and wondered where to start, this is your roadmap. Subscribe, share the episode with a beer buddy, and leave us a review, then tell us what you want us to crack 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.

  4. Sep 4

    Ep 180 - Tasting South Dakota Beer And Trading Wyoming Road Stories

    Imperial Snot. Buffalo Snot. And a Vienna Lager that actually earns a repeat pour. Rob joins me outdoors for a laid-back but detail-heavy craft beer tasting after he hauls home a mini beer stash from Mount Rushmore Brewing in Custer, South Dakota. We crack into the lineup from low ABV to big barrel-aged stout, calling out color, aroma, mouthfeel, and the kind of finish that makes you stop talking for a second and just take another sip.  Along the way, we get into what makes a brewery stop worth the detour: a western-feeling taproom, great food, and beer that stays drinkable even when it’s dark as night in the glass. If you’re into stout reviews, barrel-aged beer, Vienna lager tasting notes, or you just like hearing two friends score beers honestly, you’ll get plenty of real-world guidance on what to look for and what might not be your thing.  Then the conversation opens up into the bigger trip: UTV riding through Wyoming, moose sightings, caves near the Medicine Wheel with ice still hanging in August, and those cliff-edge views that make you crawl on your belly just to peek over. We finish with a heavy hitter: Founders CBS Canadian Breakfast Stout, an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with maple syrup, and we talk about why some beers are made to share instead of crush.  If you enjoy brewery travel, craft beer podcasts, and tasting notes you can actually use, subscribe, share this with a friend who loves stouts, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 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.

  5. Aug 28

    Ep 179 - Tasting Lime Beers And Summer Crushers

    Lime in beer can be a clean summer lift or a full-on sour-and-salt curveball, and we put that to the test with seven very different cans. We kick things off with a weird little experiment using crystallized lime powder, then jump into four lime beers designed for hot-weather drinking, scoring each one for aroma, flavor, and how easy it is to actually finish a full can. We taste Surly This Beer Is Niiice Light Lime and talk about why subtle citrus can be a better “garage beer” move than a heavy-handed lime blast. Leinenkugel’s Leinie Lodge Lime brings a Mexican-style lager vibe but sparks a debate about when “smooth” turns into “no flavor.” Then Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale flips the table with lime juice, lime peel, black limes, and sea salt, giving us tart, salty, peel-bitter notes that drink closer to a sour than a simple lime refresher. We also dig into fun beer trivia and history, including why limes got associated with Mexican beer in the first place (skunk cover, flies, rusty caps, and pure refreshment), plus a quick Oktoberfest USA in La Crosse calendar check and nearby events worth planning. We wrap with three wildcards, including a Canadian lager, a restaurant anniversary kolsch, and an 8% Leinenkugel’s High Shore Imperial Shandy that tastes like straight lemonade in the best and worst ways. Subscribe, share the show with your beer buddy, and leave us a review, then tell us what lime beer actually nailed summer for you. 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.

  6. Aug 21

    Ep 178 - We Find The Best Spirit Pairings For Gluten-Free Fresh Victor Cocktail Mixers

    Crisp cucumber and lime, a jalapeno kick that lingers, a margarita mix that doesn’t taste like it came off a gas station shelf, and a grapefruit Paloma base that divides the room in the best way. We’re back in the Northwoods at Callahan Lake Resort with BK, Suzy, and Noelle, putting Fresh Victor’s cold-pressed cocktail mixers to the test and seeing what happens when you stop following the “one spirit only” rule.  We start simple and then get curious: cucumber lime with a smoother gin, then a rum swap that turns it into a mojito-inspired summer crusher. Jalapeno lime gets the full treatment, from classic vodka to prickly pear vodka that smooths the heat, and even a bourbon version that brings a longer, warmer finish. If you care about gluten-free cocktail mixers, natural ingredients, and mixers that aren’t overly sweet, these taste tests get specific fast.  Then we hit tequila territory with Mexican lime and agave and land on a margarita that tastes freshly squeezed. Brian takes it one step further with a smoked margarita using peach wood, plus we break down what makes smoked cocktails such a crowd magnet at the bar. We wrap with grapefruit and sea salt for a Paloma, including a Northwoods twist with maple syrup and bitters, and we share what’s new at the resort, from year-round lodging plans to turtle races and a brand-new bar top.  Grab the discount and try them yourself: visit freshvictor.com and use code NBG20 for 20% off. If you liked the tasting, subscribe, share this with your cocktail friend, and leave a review, then tell us which mixer and spirit pairing we should 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.

  7. Aug 14

    Ep 177 - Fresh Victor Vodka Mixers Put Summer Flavor First

    Beer is our home base, but summer has a way of changing what sounds good after a long, hot day. When Fresh Victor reached out and asked if we’d try their cold-pressed craft cocktail mixers, we said yes, then turned it into a full-on taste test with honest notes, real-life ingredient swaps, and our usual flavor-first standards. If you’ve ever wanted a cocktail that tastes fresh without the muddling, syrups, and bartender-level effort, this one’s for you. We walk through what makes these mixers stand out for at-home cocktails and easy mocktails: bottles that are 75% juice, cold-pressed, gluten-free, non-GMO, and made with no preservatives or artificial colors or flavors. We also talk about how they ship on ice and why seeing a best-by date on a mixer actually matters. Then we get into the fun part, tasting each mixer on its own before building three vodka drinks: Strawberry and Lemon (strawberry vodka lemonade), Cactus Pear and Pomegranate (a cosmo-style mix with triple sec), and Pineapple and Ginger Root (a mule-style drink with sparkling water). You’ll hear us compare flavor intensity, sweetness, acidity, and how well each one hides the vodka, plus a quick rating round on our 0 to 5 scale. Spoiler: Pineapple and Ginger Root takes the top spot with a score that made us both stop and say “wow.” We also share ideas for mocktail-friendly versions and recipes we want to try next with different spirits. Ready to taste along with us? Visit FreshVictor.com and use code NBG20 for 20% off your entire order (shipping not included, no minimum, valid through December 31, 2026). Subscribe, share this with your favorite backyard host, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 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.

  8. Aug 7

    Ep 176 - Bourbon Barrel Stouts And A Food Truck Reality Check

    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.  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.

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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

We love craft beer! Each week we will taste a number of beers from around the country and give you our thoughts, not only will we talk about the flavor, but also the artwork and anything else that comes to mind. We will also go on location and visit breweries and try a number of their offerings and give you our thoughts as well. Come sit around the campfire and join in on the fun!

Information

  • Creator
    The Northwooods Beer Guy
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    183
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast