Craft Beer Republic

Beer trading, bombers, bottle shares, black IPAs, growlers, beer festivals, Untappd, mug clubs, beer dinners, and a whole bunch of other stuff craft beer people used to care about a lot more. Greg rapid-fires old-school beer habits and trends at Flex to figure out what they actually miss, what they definitely don’t, and what deserves a comeback. HighlightsBeer trading, whales, and 22 oz bombersStanding in line for beer releasesGrowlers and the IBU warsSession IPAs and black IPAsBottle shares and beer festivalsChecking in every beer on UntappdMug clubs and barrel-aged everythingCollecting brewery glassware, stickers, and coastersBeer dinners and arguing over whether something is “to style”The one thing Greg and Flex miss the mostWhat Greg and Flex actually missBlack IPAsBottle sharesBeer dinnersTraditional sour stylesGoseFollow 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

Greg and Flex jump back to 2016 to look at the beers that ruled craft beer, the ones everyone was chasing, and which “whales” do not feel quite as impossible anymore. Along the way, Flex gets exactly what he loves most: lists.HighlightsThe #1 beer from every year since 2016Bell’s Two Hearted and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale absolutely dominating the listPliny, Electric Jellyfish, and whether hype matches realityThe top 10 beers people were chasing in 2016Dark Lord, Heady Topper, Julius, Utopias, Pliny the Younger, and moreWhich beers actually felt like whalesWhat once-impossible beers are much easier to get nowThe beers Greg and Flex wish they could always getMentioned in the episodeBell’s Two Hearted IPASierra Nevada Pale AleRussian River Pliny the ElderRussian River Pliny the YoungerPinthouse Electric JellyfishTree House JuliusThe Alchemist Heady Topper3 Floyds Dark Lord3 Floyds Zombie DustSamuel Adams UtopiasMaine Beer Company DinnerCigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial StoutFollow 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 besties. Poop Beer Gate lives on thanks to a beer that four grown men agree tastes like hot dog water. Greg thinks breweries need to loosen up, hand out a few splashes, and make craft beer fun again. PBR is working on a beer soap so you can smell like a Milwaukee lake day, which Flex wants absolutely nothing to do with. And Greg meets a guy who brags about drinking for free at a brewery he can't pronounce.Beers We're Drinking:Greg is drinking Watt Strike What from Smog City Brewing, a 6.3% hazy IPA with plenty of citrus and tropical fruit that gets a rare Smog City thumbs-up from Greg.Flex is drinking Ford F***ing Ranger from Young Blood Beer Company, a 6.5% West Coast IPA that's juicy, dry, and tastes a lot better than its sewer-water appearance suggests.Greg has been trying to find decent beer near his hotel, and ChatGPT has twice sent him on some bullshit, including one bottle shop where he questioned whether he and his car were safe. Maybe AI isn't ready to be your beer sherpa. On the brighter side, Deb and Brian's trip to Captain Fatty's gives Greg an idea for making craft beer fun again: talk to customers, hand out a splash, blend a couple beers together, and stop assuming everyone walking into a brewery already knows what they want. Then there's the Trader Joe's cashier who tells Greg he's part German and drinks for free at Enegren, despite being unable to pronounce Enegren. Poop Beer Gate also gets Matt's nomination for the Mount Rushmore of terrible beer: a wheat beer that tasted like hot dog water. Four guys tried it. No one finished it.Booze News:PBR and Dr. Squatch made beer soap for anyone looking to smell like a Milwaukee lake day.Mice, roaches, and sanitation problems temporarily shut down Victory Brewing's Philly taproom.1,602 cases of beer disappear in California, and PBR puts up a $20,000 reward.A Wyoming DUI suspect tells police he hasn't had “enough” to drink.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

Welcome in, craft beer friends. Greg is ready to replace Halloween with a giant inflatable beer hall, Flex assigns him beer-and-champagne homework, and Madison Brian discovers a five-dollar German pilsner at Aldi that might actually be worth drinking. Malibu Brewing’s new location is already threatening Greg’s bank account, Flex can’t wait for Halloween, and an alcohol safety class reminds Greg that 21-year-old Greg mainly used responsible-drinking education to figure out how to get drunk faster.Beers We’re Drinking:Flex is drinking Ghost Vision from Modist Brewing Company, a double dry-hopped hazy IPA with candied mango and a surprisingly light finish.Greg is drinking Oktoberfest from Enegren Brewing Company, a clean, light Bavarian-style lager built for Oktoberfest season.Malibu Brewing finally opened its second location close enough to Greg that he’s already been twice in under two weeks, which feels not-so financially sustainable. The new brunch menu gets Greg thinking about replacing orange juice in a mimosa with a juicy hazy, so Flex assigns him and Intern Brian some beer-champagne science for next week. Madison Bryan calls in from Brookfield with a surprisingly respectable Aldi pilsner, launching another round of lime-beer trauma and memories of Bud Light Lime. Greg then discovers Sam Adams sold a $200 inflatable Oktoberfest beer hall and immediately decides pumpkins, ghosts, witches, and possibly marital harmony can all take a back seat to lederhosen and front-yard beer service. He closes things out by remembering the alcohol safety class that taught his younger self carbonation could speed up alcohol absorption, information he naturally used only for the highest standards of scientific research.Booze News:Prohibition Brewery in Vista Closing After Nearly 15 YearsGarage Beer Leads $500,000 Bid for Rogue Ales IP and Pac-Man YeastSam Adams Sells Out of Inflatable Oktoberfest Beer HallsWoman Allegedly Drives Drunk to Alcohol Safety ClassFollow 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 friends. Greg finds out that a gummy, a couple beers, and a few hours staring at the water can apparently fix a bad week. Flex says he could do the same thing with deer. Listener Steve sends in an oyster stout story that finally finds Flex’s limit, because bull-testicle beer is fine but seafood is where we draw the line. And a Florida man gets pulled over with 34 open White Claws in the passenger seat, which sends us straight into old drinking stories and some truly terrible decisions.Beers We're Drinking:Flex is drinking Citra on the Dock of the Bay from Eagle Park Brewing, an 8% all-Citra New England IPA that gets five daddies.Greg is drinking Thou$ands of Money from Pure Project, a 7.1% murky IPA packed with tropical fruit that lands just under the usual Pure Project greatness for him.Greg spends a few hours sitting on a tiny dock with some beer and a gummy and decides staring at water is pretty great. Apparently Flex’s version of this is watching deer run around, so welcome to Hippie Corner. Listener Steve sends in an oyster stout that tasted like the water from a pet-store goldfish bag, and we finally find a gross beer Flex won’t drink. Elephant poop? Fine. Bull testicles? Sure. Oysters? Absolutely not. Greg threatens to send him one anyway. Then we get into old road soda techniques, including Greg hiding beer in a McDonald’s cup and keeping the straw because you have to sell the disguise. That rolls into Bud Platinum, flavored Smirnoff, raspberry vodka, and Flex learning the hard way that matching someone else’s three-second pull from a vodka bottle is a terrible way to figure out your tolerance.Booze News:Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy Is Going NALawson’s Launches a Non-Alcoholic IPAGarage Beer Gets an Apple VersionFrance Has a Marathon With 20 Wine StopsFlorida Man Gets a DUI With 34 Open White ClawsFollow 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