The Beerded Guru

What happens when you take a bunch of beer people and put them in a deli? On this week's episode of the Beerded Guru, we sit down and share a few beers with Dan the Deli Man, Dan Stein over at Stein's Deli. Dan Stein is the OG craft beer guy in the New Orleans area, and has been instrumental in the foundation work for all of us beer geeks.  Sit back and crack a few along with us as we share some of our favs: Weihenstephaner Kristall, Aventinus Weizen Doppelbock, and a delicious Trappist Rochefort all to the tunes of the NOPD. Cheers! 

Get your Boston on, grab lager, and pull up a chair this week as we talk about Sam Adams tried and true flagships Boston Lager and Utopias. Coming in mild with a traditional lager and beer flavored beer and ending with a limited release 2017 Utopias, well we might as well be going from zero to 60 in 2 seconds flat.  All craft been aficionados should take a chance to try the Utopias “extreme barrel-aged beer” if you ever have the chance.  You won't regret it.

Uno, dos, tres! It's hot, it's summer, it's time for a cold beer. When the thermostat is reading off the charts, a Mexican lager can sometimes be the cure to bring the temp right back down. On today's episode- for SCIENCE- we are comparing just how good a craft beer holds up to some classic Mexican Lager imports: Modelo and Pacifico tee up against El Chuggo with Lime from our local Brieux Carre Brewing Co right down at the base of Frenchman Street. It's hot.  It's sweaty. It's a roaring good time! 

Now I know what you might be thinking: Oysters and Pistachios DO NOT go together... and you are right.  That would be a terrible beer.  I'm sure someone has tried it. BUT we are here today to talk about Oyster Stouts and Pastry Stouts!  Surf and Turf was the most creative thing I could think of.  On today's episode, we find ourselves at Courtyard Brewery located in the Lower Garden District in New Orleans.  Corley (AKA Google Boi) noticed their outrageous tap menu and had so we had to go! With so many options on the menu, we decided to go for the "possibly" underrated/under-reviewed Oyster Stout: a rich and heavy style stout brewed with oyster shells, liquor, and ... well oysters. Then we swing on a widely different end of the spectrum to a delicious PASTRY stout rich with the flavors of Pistachios and Cream Cheese... yum! Enjoy y'all, and get over to Courtyard! 

Is it parsley, parsnip, parrrall, parley?! Parleaux?We know, we know... it's been a LONG time since we published.  BUT THIS TIME we are going to get on a schedule (ha!). It's been so long since we connected that we knew exactly what to do- head down to the New Orleans Bywater and hit up Parleaux Beer Lab.  What we didn't know what to do was choose a single beer style.  So we went with 3.   Come catch up with us while we drink 3 fantastic beers: Foeder Czuck Pilsner, The Moon Stood Still (wild ale), and Foggy Glasses (Hazy IPA).  Parleaux is such a great brewery and vibe.  If you are in town, you HAVE to pay a visit and explore all the fun and unique styles they brew. Hope you missed us! We missed you.

From 5.5 to 16.9 - our ABVs go through the roof! Howdy y'all!  We really had a hard time deciding which of these beers to review, so we decided to review them both.  The only thing they really have in common is that they are beer, and carry some unique adjuncts to boot. Our first beer is the Seasonal Mint Chocolate Reasonably Corrupt.  The parent beer of our minty friend is a traditional dark lager which really carries a nice pallet punch for such a surprisingly lightness.  Dark and complex… and a touch of mint- this beer harkens from our friends over at Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport, LA. Next we head north to Boulder, Colorado and take advantage of the rarity of this incredible Belgian Quadrupel Fimbulvvinter.  This light brew (insert sarcasm here) comes in at a WHOPPING 16.9 and carries incredible notes of winter spice and pineapple upside down cake.  But don't let this beast of a brew intimidate you.  It has all the classic notes of a Belgian aged in rum barrels and brought to you straight from the tap. Enjoy! 

Hello, hello, hellloooooo!Have you missed us?! We have MISSED you all.  And now that our seasonal 3 month holiday black out is over, we have decided it's time to sit around the table, crack some beers, and just kind of talk about life, liberty, true crime… and beer. On this weeks' episode, we work on a flight from Parish Brewery exploring an increasing ABV of their hazy and hoppy IPAs: Bloom, Murphy, and Holy Ghost.  Each of these brews (all with hazy IPA foundations) is wildly different. Base undertones across the board with Citra hops, each goes in divergent directions when adding unique spins to each IPA. Get yourself some and cheers y'all.  We missed you. 

One last Märzen to toast the season!There is just something awesome inside when that humidity drops and the temperature cools… too bad we don't really know what that feels like here in New Orleans.  We will pretend however, and indulge in all the fantastic beers that October brings us… including a side by side comparison of two Märzens!This week, we review Zony Mash Beer Project FestBier Märzen, and St Arnolds Oktoberfest Märzen.  While these breweries are only 6 hours apart, the difference is clearly present.  It's amazing how subtle the changes can be, and your palette is the true judge of one vs the other.  Enjoy these drinks, y'all!  Don't just save them for one month a year! 

Let's hear it for the best day of the week! Put on your big kid pants... we are going into the deep end of the Pastry Stout world with the incredibly delicious "blend of Eagle Rare, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Birthday Bourbon 2020 and Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Rye.  No adjuncts needed." That's straight from the brewery's mouth! Patrick, Jessie, and Google Boi (aka Brandon) delight in this sweet and decadent stout with all the right notes.  ABV? No idea- Jess finds out it's only a "courtesy" to add that to the bottle in some places (love it ha!) Also- sorry for the audio- my crash course in mics didn't end up successfully... HOWEVER... I think I'll have it figured out for next week! Fingers. Crossed. 

WHAAA?! Surprise Episode Drop!With the release of Parish Brewing Vermillionaire… well we didn't want to wait to drop our review.  This beer is FANTASTIC! We are always excited about any Parish release, but a completely new hazy… well sign me up. Vermillinaire is a Hazy IPA with Citra, Citra Spectrum, Strata CGX, and Citra Terpenes.  The balance is pillowy and soft, balanced from front to back and kindly sweet without any type of fight between the flavors. We are winging it these days… much like our adulting lives- who knows what the hell we are doing?! We don't… but please share, like, subscribe.  Leave a review… get you some Vermillionaire and treat yourself. 

OOOOKLAHOMA… and the Chip Episode!Happy Wednesday everyone! Well, it's time for us to really start to just blindly select beers that we are starting to find in the back of the beer coolers.  This week, we were lucky to get our hands on a “very” old bottle of Prairie Artisan Ales Apple Brandy Barrel Noir Imperial Stout.  The funny thing is - we have no idea where this bottle came from, it's storage history, or the epic journey it may have taken to end up at 504 BUT it's worth trying it to see how it's held up!In addition, we found a complete collection of the Prairie Deconstructed Stouts just to try for fun.  Each of these has the Prairie base stout with variations of flavors to entice the palette.  Again- origin unknown.Most importantly perhaps, is that we convince our dear sweet friend Eric to try the Paqui 2022 One Chip Challenge- poor thing. For those “not in the know” this is the hottest chip IN THE WORLD and so why not give it a try and see how good it really is?! Video recording to come- but we feel bad so I snagged Eric's Venmo for his troubles… give a kid a dollar HAHAHAHA

Deutches Haus you did it again! Hello good friends of ours… it's Wednesday Beer Day!  Hey… so what's up with those Hefe Weissbier or Hefeweizens as we call them?  Well I “guess” it means yeast wheat, which we all know means delicious German beer. This week we are back at the Deutches Haus to compare two Hefe Weissbiers: Franziskaner Weissbier and Hacker-Pschorr Weissbir, two highly classic german breweries with amazingly different tastes!  Are they both wheat-y and yeast-y? Yes.  Are they both citrus-y? Not so much! It's amazing how two beers of the same style can taste so wildly different. We also have the pleasure of a guest host today: Mr Brandon Corley… local beer enthusiast and friend.  Honestly if we didn't let him join he would have yelled the entire time… we leave that up to those freaking loud cicadas this episode.  I need to upgrade our sound equipment.  Enjoy! 

Happy Wednesday Everybody!Do you feel that drop in the humidity? WE DO… and you know that means that regardless of those 80* temperatures, we are thinking flannel, firesides, boots, scarves and PUMPKIN! We refuse to skip right to the Christmas season so let's focus on the best time of year… football season (kidding it's Fall). For today's episode we tackle a 3 year vertical with St Arnolds PUMPKINATOR! We take a side by side by side comparison of the 2019 Pumpkinator and the 2020 and 2021 Barrel Aged Pumpkinator.  It's a great discussion on why storing your beer properly is KEY is preserving it's life (looking at you Bryan- love you!) and what can happen when beer ages from year to year. We are also excited to have our partners Steph and Bryan alongside our discussions to get their input- apologizes in advanced that I don't have 4 mics… we kind of figure it out about 10 minutes in but guess I'll be heading to amazon to pic up some cohosting equipment!

Good Morning from San Diego!Hello everyone and welcome to episode 12 of The Beerded Guru.  Patrick and Jess had the chance to pop into a “still closed” 504 Craft Beer Reserve who is working feverishly to reopen and serve up those frosty beverages.  In the meantime, thanks to our dear friend Steve, we have the opportunity to try out a Strong Ale from Cerebral Brewery in Denver Colorado.  The Southern Jewel Strong Ale is barreled with all the flavors of a Sazerac cocktail (a classic New Orleans drink) and is a spectacular example of blended flavors balanced through and through. Segways include Patricks journey into his memory as a mixologist and Jessie's exploration in matching shirts and hats. Enjoy! 

We're back, bitches! Man did MISS YOU GUYS!  It's been a crazy few weeks between Patrick and myself and so now that things are calming down a bit, we are back at it.   While 504 Craft Beer Reserve is on a brief business hiatus (fingers crossed) we hop on over to the New Orleans Deutsches Haus to get an early start on Oktoberfest samplings.   Jessie works on crushing the Benediktiner Festbier and Patrick ogles over his Spatan Oktoberfest.  Our beer corrections include: Spatan is actually pronounced Schpaten (thank you Casey- the local German teacher from DH) and this year's Oktoberfest in NOLA is actually October 7th-8th, 14th-15th, and 21st-22nd for 2022! It's good to be back y'all. 

It's our 10th Episode Anniversary! Wow, everyone, here we are at Episode 10 and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious Farmhouse Ale from Chicago!  On today's episode, Jessie and Patrick pour a glass of Whiner Beer Co Le Tub Wild Farmhouse Ale.  It's a bret-ty fun funky stye that leaves you wanting more.  There's a cat on the can… there's a duck and a dude in a bathtub… what more could you ask for?! A good Farmhouse Ale is one of Jessie's favorite.  It combines the deliciousness of beer with a slight tart sweetness and light effervescence.  We might end up calling this the “tipsy” episode, but hopefully you can find yourself a farmhouse you like to enjoy while listening.  You can find Whiner Beer Le Tub at 504 Craft Beer.  Get yourself a brew and enjoy! 

Pilsners, pilsners, and more pilsners…Welcome everyone to your midweek happy hour!  These hot summer days sure call for some light crispy and delicious beer-flavored beers, ammirigh?!  On today's episode, Patrick and Jess are clearly on the same wavelength craving the refreshing style that a Pilsner can offer.  A simple but long-to-make brew, we take the chance for a side-by-side comparison of two southern brewery lagers: Great Raft- Southern Drawl (Shreveport, LA) and Southern Grist- Southern Crisp (Nashville, TN) pilsners. Additional topics include Goat Yoga and Patrick's own IBU (let us know what you think he ranks). Share, Like, Subscribe- Shalikesubscribe! 

We promised you a stout review, so You are getting a stout review... and YOU ARE GETTING a stout review (insert Oprah meme here.)On today's episode, Patrick and Jessie select one of the finest examples of an Imperial Stout brewed by the Monks of St Joseph's Abbey (AKA Spencer Trappist Brewery).  We discuss the styles of stouts and differences between Irish stouts, Russian Imperials,  and Pastry stouts (did someone say sugar overload?) This somber and humbling episode tugs at our hearts since Spencer Brewery is no longer in operation, but 504 Craft Beer Reserve has worked hard to stockpile on the fantastic styles that this Trappist certified brewery crafted.  Other conversations explore Patricks' love of yoga and matching track suits, and Jessie gets the "feels" for her fireside brews during those chilly fall nights.  Enjoy! 

Our 7th Episode calls for a 7th Tap Beer! But this isn't just a Seventh Tap Beer, this is a Triple Collaboration with 7th Tap, Celestial Beerworks and Turning Point Brewery  This triple double IPA is a delicious hazy collaboration shared between Louisiana and Texas.  We get to review the qualifications of singe | doubles | triples as well as what goes into a collaboration.It's fun to jump into another hazy and explore the different flavor fronts that come from different brewers - so tag along and get you some of this delicious beer.  Jessie continues her crash course in sound editing, we discuss Sports Ball, and has a sneak peak into the history of the Great Patrick Brown - Shreveport native for 3 days. 

Happy Wednesday Beer Friends! Full disclosure- last Thursday was ROUGH - and Jessie goes a little hard on the 4 letter swear words.  If anything, she's proud of that sailor mouth she adopted from her NAVY sister.  Patrick patiently sits through the exasperation as we unwind by drinking a tried and true classic in the New Orleans area- the NOLA Brewery IPA Hoptitoulas. We are going out of Jessie's comfort zone on this one since West Coast Style IPAs are not her jam, but Patrick's explanation of style and development provides excellent backstory to this classic style that people either love or hate. At the end of the day, NOLA Brewing Company is one of the OGs for Louisiana and really does handle up on their classic styles- always worth a revisit!

Welcome to Episode 5- the Hangover Edition! What happens when you put adorable otters on a can? Does it matter if the beer is delicious? On today's podcast we have the chance to do a side-by-side comparison of Keg Vs Can while we drink Köl Runnings Kölsch from Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs, GA (no affiliation to the Dirty Birds).  What's a lager?  What's an ale?  What the hell is beer? Jessie gets a lesson on kegs and "how not be be afraid of carbonation," and Patrick runs away from having to put together furniture by hiding at the beer store (sorry Steph). Enjoy! 

Hey there brew friends!  Who doesn't love a good Berliner Weisse... ammirigh?! On episode 4 this week, we get our hands on Greetings from the Emerald Coast- a fun and fruity Berliner Weisse from Parish Brewing located in Broussard, LA.  Jess learns that she is indeed NOT a sound engineer, Patrick boasts some bragging rights when it comes to beers his friends bring in, and a special guest stops by as we get to hear some SCIENCE from Mitch Grittman of Zony Mash Beer Project.  Tune in to hear about the history of the great Beer Wars of 1827... or whatever actual date I made up. 

It's Shark Week!  Kidding - on today's episode Patrick and Jessie have a chance to review Catch and Killy Big Fluffy IPA from our local brewery, Zony Mash Beer Project.  It's most definitely big and soft! Patrick educates us on the difference between Canadian and US beer, and Jessie shows off her powerful beer naming skills.   

Welcome back to Episode 2! On this day (recorded on Peter Meyhew's birthday) we find the closest thing to a Wookiee beer as possible... Bigfoot kind of works, right?  It's a busy day at 504 Craft Beer Reserve, and we sit and ponder why more people would rather sit in their cars than stop by for happy hour. We explore the flavors of Barleywine and Barleywine-Style ales!  

In today's episode, we dive into the ever popular Hazy Indian Pale Ale style beer with a selection from a local brewery located just about a mile or so from 504 Craft Beer Reserve.  Patrick makes friends with a little dog, and Jess uses the word "afficianado" way too many times.