Craft Beer Republic

Welcome back, craft beer people. Flex gets bullied by a cookie butter beer that smells like cookies and drinks like regret, Ryan sends in a pale ale that tastes like the YMCA, and Pilot Tom accidentally tells Dick Leinenkugel how mid his beer is. There’s also debate over whether Keystone Ice should’ve stayed dead, PBR catches stray bullets again, and Greg ends up defending 805 to a diehard Bud Light drinker.Beers We’re Drinking:Flex is drinking Speculoos Cookie Butter Beer from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, a Trader Joe’s imperial dessert beer with serious consequences.Greg is drinking Me Again from Urban Roots Brewing, a clean West Coast IPA with Citra hops and a much better life outlook.Flex spends most of the episode trying to survive a Trader Joe’s cookie butter beer. Greg reads an email from a listener who got served a pale ale that tasted exactly like the YMCA pool. Pilot Tom checks in with a story about accidentally telling Dick Leinenkugel that his beer lineup is fine at best after he covered everyone’s tab. Greg follows that with his own story about tanking a job interview after admitting he hates country music before learning the entire job was editing country music shows. Meanwhile, Keystone Ice is coming back for reasons nobody understands, PBR gets roasted repeatedly, and Greg confirms wakeboarding still feels like getting hit by a car.Booze News:Crazy Mountain Beer Gets Clooney MoneyKeystone Light Apple Is Coming for Memorial DayKeystone Ice Returns to Hurt College AgainDrunk Campground Chainsaw Guy Makes Camping WorseFollow your favorite beer podcast on the socials:Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beerCraft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.comInstagram: @CraftBeerRepublicFacebook: CraftBeerRepublicPodThreads: CraftBeerRepublicVoicemail: (805) 538-2337Follow & Subscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyMore links

Welcome to the Oregon Trail of craft beer. Flex drains two bad beers before a saison finally turns the night around, Greg checks out a brewery soft opening where every beer tastes suspiciously similar, and listener Steph joins the growing campaign to drag Flex to Great Taste of the Midwest. There’s also a coffee stout made with poop-adjacent beans, Cinco de Mayo drinking regrets, glow-in-the-dark 15% malt liquor light bulbs, and a DUI story featuring a .349 BAC that really should’ve come with a priest.Beers We’re Drinking:Flex is drinking Supermoon Beer Company’s Saison, a crisp farmhouse ale with light funk and old-school saison character.Greg is drinking Altamont Beer Works’ Cali Hop Trip, a modern West Coast IPA collaborate with Firestone Walker and Hollingbery & Son Hops.Flex accidentally assembled the worst beer lineup imaginable before the show, including a metallic peach Berliner and an expired IPA that both ended up down the drain. Greg recaps a local brewery soft opening where the beers tasted unfinished and somehow nearly identical despite being different styles. Listener Steph leaves a voicemail demanding Flex stop dodging Great Taste of the Midwest, which turns into a full-on intervention once Pilot Tom gets involved. Greg and Flex also debate poop coffee beer, relive disastrous Cinco de Mayo drinking decisions from their younger years, and question why anyone thought glow-in-the-dark 15% malt liquor light bulbs needed to exist.Booze News:Lord Hobo moves production to Rhode IslandMichelob Ultra becomes Cinco de Mayo’s top draft beerNew Belgium brings back original Fat TireBoston Beer launches 15% “electric coolers” in plastic light bulbsFolsom driver arrested with a .349 BACFollow your favorite beer podcast on the socials:Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beerCraft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.comInstagram: @CraftBeerRepublicFacebook: CraftBeerRepublicPodThreads: CraftBeerRepublicVoicemail: (805) 538-2337Follow & Subscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyMore links

Welcome in, craft beer sleuths. Greg checks out a new MLB park, survives a rain-soaked Dodgers game, and discovers that Lime scooters become a lot more fun after a few beers at Humble Sea on the wharf. Erica brings a hazy pale ale from Astoria and accidentally starts a long discussion about sea lions, Waymos, and whether pregaming ever actually saves anyone money. Meanwhile, a listener sends in an IPA horror story that tasted exactly like Band-Aids, an Idaho biologist gets arrested after claiming he only had “two IPAs,” and Florida produces another mayor story that somehow feels perfectly normal.Beers We’re Drinking:Greg and Greg are drinking Buoy Beer’s Hazy Pale Ale, a soft citrus and honeydew hazy crusher from Astoria.Flex is drinking Young Blood Beer Co.’s High Horse on a Soapbox, a pillowy hazy double IPA with muscat grape sweetness and melon-like fruit notes.Greg finally checks Oracle Park off the list, complete with rain sweeping across the field mid-game and a strategic pivot to banquet beers after the stadium’s craft selection disappointed him. Humble Sea on the wharf ended up being the highlight of the trip, followed by Greg discovering Lime scooters are much faster than expected after a few beers. A listener sends in an IPA horror story that tasted exactly like fresh Band-Aids, followed immediately by everyone debating phenolic beer flaws and whether Flex might secretly enjoy chewing on adhesive strips. Pregaming becomes a painfully familiar conversation about concerts nobody remembers, overpoured jack and diets, and realizing halfway through the night that saving money is no longer the goal. The episode closes with a completely serious discussion about why rehabilitated manatees are apparently being shipped across state lines instead of staying in Florida where the manatees already live.Booze News:Sierra Nevada jumps Boston Beer in the Brewers Association top 50.Millennials officially refuse to stop pregaming.Idaho fish biologist allegedly turns “two IPAs” into a 0.211.Florida mayor busted for probation violation after DUI and too many drugs.Make sure to follow your best friends from your favorite craft beer podcast:Erica: NeckNosh.comInstagram: @NeckNoshFlex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beerCraft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.comInstagram: @CraftBeerRepublicFacebook: CraftBeerRepublicPodThreads: CraftBeerRepublicVoicemail: (805) 538-2337

Welcome in, craft beer lovers! World Beer Cup winners are out, Stone changes hands again, and 21st Amendment is getting revived on the East Coast. Flex is drinking a guava-heavy sour, Greg and Erica crack into a hazy from Sacramento, and somewhere along the way a brewery wins gold for a beer made with pig heads. There’s also a listener call about flat beer, a near HR incident involving Yuengling, and a Tesla that decided it was done babysitting its drunk driver.Beers We’re Drinking:Flex is drinking Alphabetical Order Pink Guava Gose from Component Brewing.Greg and Erica are drinking Bear Hug Hazy IPA from Touchstone Brewing.Flex sticks his foot in his mouth and manages to insult Yuengling directly to someone who works for MillerCoors and has to walk it back in real time. A voicemail about a flat kölsch turns into a quick reminder that bad beers still happen, even at good breweries. Brian from Madison tries to strong-arm Flex into finally attending a real beer fest while Erica calls out Fontana Jim and the logistics of last-minute brewery meetups. Greg introduces a medal-winning beer brewed with pig heads, which somehow turns into a full discussion about eating pig brains and where the line actually is. And Busch Light Apple has been spotted in the wild.Booze News:Evil Genius buys 21st Amendment and brings it back to distribution.Firestone Walker and Duvel take over Stone Brewing.Trumer’s transition from Gambrinus leads to layoffs ahead of Firestone takeover.World Beer Cup winners roll in with OC breweries showing up strong.Tesla pulls over its own drunk driver on autopilot.Follow your favorite beer podcast on the socials:Erica: NeckNosh.comInstagram: @NeckNoshFlex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beerCraft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.comInstagram: @CraftBeerRepublicFacebook: CraftBeerRepublicPodThreads: CraftBeerRepublicVoicemail: (805) 538-2337

Welcome in, craft beer fans! Greg finds a hazy that actually delivers, Flex accidentally grabs a milkshake IPA that’s way better than expected, and “healthy beer” becomes a full argument. There’s some price shock of pints around the nation, a longing for sour IPAs, and a few beers that no one asked for. We've also got crazy Bud Light truck drivers, blind beer tournaments, and a reminder that beer prices make no sense depending on where you live.Beers We’re Drinking:Greg is drinking Anchormanatee from Humble Sea Brewing, a foggy IPA with citrus and soft tropical notes.Flex is drinking Raspberry Double Marbles from More Brewing, a milkshake double IPA with bold raspberry and smooth finish.Flex shouts out New Jersey before immediately getting into why it deserves it, while Greg locks into a hazy that actually hits. Beer prices come up and turn into a quick reality check depending on where you live, followed by a rundown of “healthy” beers that doesn’t convince anyone. Flex stumbles into a milkshake IPA that ends up being way better than expected, and that gets them talking about sour IPAs and how they’ve basically disappeared. There’s some back and forth on easy summer beers, bringing back blind tasting tournaments, and the kind of beer ideas that sound better than they drink.Booze News:Shock Top goes high ABV with a double wheat twist that no one asked for.A Wisconsin brewery shuts down after short-lived revival.Target expands THC drinks just in time for 4/20.A stolen Bud Light truck chase ends in attempted murder charges.Follow your favorite beer podcast on the socials:Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beerCraft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.comInstagram: @CraftBeerRepublicFacebook: CraftBeerRepublicPodThreads: CraftBeerRepublicVoicemail: (805) 538-2337Follow & Subscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyMore links