Episode 78: March Meadness, A Bracket Of Excellence…And Weirdness

Welcome to Season 9!!! The final four of our bracket: Bob Moffitt, CJ Henderson of Smokin’ Oak BBQ, Cole Sjostrom of The Alley, and Steve Aitchison of Twisted Cedar in the center court of stouts: Mariposa, CA. That’s right, four award-winning, stud, number-one seeds gather on the court to take on seven…count ‘em…seven stouts as the basketball brackets go up in flames around them. God, who wrote this?

Not all heroes wear capes, my friend.

Also in your bracket: Miley Cyrus vs Dana Deatherage? Don’t answer, yet. There is a lot you don’t know. Also in the bracket, Pearl Jam and Sam Kinison.

Why is one of the refs cracking a Coors Light? Oh. So he can spill it. Hey! Mop boy! Cleanup in the key! CLICK HERE for the podcast!

Myashita “Doppo Black Ox“ Foreign Export 5% abv

Bob: Audio difficulty. Please stand by. What do you mean the Zoom R-16 recorded over the first ten minutes with the last ten minutes?

VERY GOOD. Delivers as promised. Myashita is not a good name for anything to be consumed.

Steve: Not super impressed: GOOD enough.

Cole: Definitely consumable. GOOD/VERY GOOD

CJ: VERY GOOD

Sullivan’s “Black Marble” Dry Irish 5.1% abv 30 IBU

Bob: GOOD/VERY GOOD for balance, taste and aftertaste. Better than Guinness. Not crazy about barley.

Cole: Clean. Dry. I like the nitro. GOOD

Steve: Little fruity. Nitro takes away the bitterness. More flavor than Guinness. VERY GOOD. Can art is inspiring my next effort.

CJ: Back off of the anti-Guinness comments and I will back way off the mic. That’s still the mother’s milk. VERY GOOD, though.

Main and Mill “Holidaze” Pumpkin 5.2% abv

Bob: Hat’s off to anyone who tries to brew with gourds. Some info somewhere (can, website, somewhere!) EXCELLENT

CJ: Squashy. Yes, that’s a word. This restores my faith in pumpkins. VERY GOOD/EXCELLENT. What’s the base beer? Fester and Festus sound the same. My apologies.

Cole: Little cinnamon. Little Nutmeg. Not too sweet. VERY GOOD

Steve: Not too sweet. Definitely squashy. Kind of a one-off.. VERY GOOD/EXCELLENT

Crow and Wolf “Odyssey” Coffee 6.5% abv

Cole: Been to the brewery. It’s cool. Is it up or down my “Alley?” Aftertaste is strong.

Bob: Drink cold (Shoutout, Chris Knapp!) Expecting coffee, vanilla, and milk. Delivers as promise. Pretty well-balanced. VERY GOOD.

CJ: I like coffee. It lingers. VERY GOOD. One-off.

Steve: Tastes like coffee with a little milk. Too much coffee. Too much aftertaste. GOOD. Uno, solamente, por favor.

Around the Horn Brewing Company. “Great White Fluffalo” Pastry 10.5% abv

Bob: Maybe the best can art…ever. Peanuts from space and marshmallow cows. Promises marshmallow& peanut butter. I appreciate peanut flavor. On the border of being too sweet. GOOD/VERY GOOD.

Steve: Looking for something sweet. It’s a smore. Cold took away the sweetness. VERY GOOD

CJ: More often than not, peanut butter stouts are sweet. 10.5 isn’t messing around. VERY GOOD

Cole: I wish it were colder. It’s much different colder. VERY GOOD warmer. Easy drinking. EXCELLENT if it’s cold.

No Li “Wrecking Ball” Imperial 9.2% abv 50 IBUs.

Bob: Can info: brewed with hops and heart. Thanks for nothing, kind of like the song. I’d never seen the video until now. Man, she was a mess. FAIR

Cole: Difficult to describe. Chat GPT is not helping. It won an award somewhere. Over-roasted Silver? FAIR

CJ: Kind of thin. Big flavor. GOOD. This could be an imperial gateway stout for people new to the type.

Steve: Quite sweet. Lot of sugar. Not offensive. Not remarkable. FAIR.

Anderson Valley “Huge Arker” Barrell-aged Imperial 15.5% abv IBU 88

CJ: Boontling translator, here. Huge fire? This is where massive barrel-aged ends. EXCELLENT

Bob: It’s 31 proof. The booze is too much in the beginning. Bread, raisins, molasses…all show up after the bourbon. Interesting experience. You’ve got to try it. GOOD

Steve: It’s molasses bourbon. Good taste. Heat. I’m inspired. Barrel mead on its way? VERY GOOD

Cole: Shareable…with four people. My father-in-law will be one of them…wherever you want to meet up. His number is (209) 966…For me, though, FAIR