Welcome to the Show That’s More Dank Than Your Favorite Hop!

This week on Craft Beer Republic, Greg and Flex are feeling extra old, extra nostalgic, and just the right amount of buzzed. We're talking Muppets, dry grad parties (gross), and why opening a tab isn’t just polite—it’s efficient, damn it! Plus, Greg dabbles with a THC experiment, and Flex gets his mind changed mid-sip by a honey-drenched DIPA. Also, Psycho Bear emerges from hibernation with a voicemail challenge that includes horses, darts, and hopefully nothing that ends with Greg on a true crime podcast. It’s everything you love about Craft Beer Republic—good beers, big laughs, and even bigger opinions.

Beers We’re Drinking:

• Greg is drinking Galaxy Traveling Scientist by Hop Butcher for the World — Dank nose, citrus tongue jobber, hazy surprise.
• Flex is sipping Mosaic Cutting Tiles by Trillium — Dry finish, honeyed shock, peachy evolution.

Episode Highlights

Flex confesses his undying love for the Swedish Chef while Greg tries to remember what the hell an Erlenmeyer flask is. They bond over dry graduation parties (ew), share tales of teenage sneaking-around, and try to figure out why today’s kids aren’t drinking or hooking up. Greg recalls his teenage genius in evading a parental walk-in, and Flex nearly sheds a tear watching neighborhood kids play his old-school drinking game. And Greg does some dabbling with a THC cocktail. Also: seltzer-mosas are officially a thing (sorry, not sorry).

Booze News

• Tilray strikes again! Red Hook’s brew lab goes dark in Seattle.
• Ska Brewing Sold—But at Least It’s Not to the Suits This Time.
• UA passenger rage-quits flight after not getting booze before takeoff.

Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beer

Craft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.com

• Instagram: @CraftBeerRepublic
• Facebook: CraftBeerRepublicPod
• Threads: CraftBeerRepublic
• Voicemail: (805) 538-2337

Welcome in, craft beer lovers! This week’s episode is tart, tangy, and packed full of laughs—Greg and Flex accidentally twinsies their way into a sour-off, proving once again that great minds drink alike. Greg gets VIP treatment at a local beer fest (even if he has no idea what that means), there’s a hunt for Flex in the wilds of Milwaukee, and somehow Chew Your Beer runs into Coley and BDN in the middle of a baseball circus. There’s also some family time, a little heat, and Flex has to go on a big apology tour.

Beers We’re Drinking

• Greg is drinking Tropícal Brut from Blue Owl Brewing – A funky, fruity sour with a dry Brut finish that hits perfectly on a hot day.
• Flex is sipping on Ooey Gooey Guy by The Brewing Projekt – Basically a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a glass, and somehow it totally works.

There’s a full-on Flex hunt going down in Milwaukee, but Vanessa and her hubby end up at the wrong Eagle Park. Meanwhile, Greg enjoys VIP status at Topa Topa’s 10th anniversary bash and may or may not have figured out what "VIP" actually means.

Flex gets real about palate sabotage via Tex-Mex trail mix (a very specific flavor crime), and issues a heartfelt apology to the breweries he unjustly judged last week. There’s also a touching moment of family bonding—Flex celebrates a belated Father’s Day with his kids, beer shopping included, while Greg endures the mariachi madness of a boozy brunch. Plus, the guys trade stories about cheap Midwest beer, Topo Chico price hacks, and playing lawn darts like it’s 1979.

And of course, Chew Your Beer calls in with stories about his chemical engineering kids, LA Beer Week, and a wild run-in with Nicole and Big Dick Nick at a Savannah Bananas game. Peak chaos. Peak CBR.

Booze News

• Cape Cod Beer joins the Triton Beer Avengers.
• Wilding Brands snatches up another Denver brewery; Station 26 Brewing.
• The Brewers Association adds new styles to the guidelines!
• The very unofficial top 30 California Breweries list enrages Greg.

Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beer

Craft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.com

• Instagram: @CraftBeerRepublic
• Facebook: CraftBeerRepublicPod
• Threads: CraftBeerRepublic
• Voicemail: (805) 538-2337

Welcome in, beer lovers! This week, Greg returns from his Florida “vacation” with tales of heat-induced hallucinations, a surprise parking ticket sting operation, and chain restaurant dining nightmares. Meanwhile, Flex endures a major letdown from one of his most hyped beers, and Greg thankfully redeems the week with a dreamy Colorado hazy. We’re also diving into some ludicrous libation laws and a Florida-fueled Booze News lineup that includes public urination (of course), karaoke belts, and Hulk Hogan’s potential empire expansion. It’s sweaty, it’s silly, and it’s exactly the escape you need. Join the Republic!!

Beer Reviews

• Flex is drinking Voltron: Defender of the Universe Vol. 8 by 4 Hands Brewing x Three Sheeps Brewing — Anticipation turns into bitterness, and not the good kind.
• Greg is sipping Sunrise Dreams from Outer Range Brewing — Nelson & Citra juice bomb; crushable citrus delight.

Flex kicks things off with high hopes and a glorious pour, only to be betrayed by the mighty Voltron. What starts as fresh pineapple nose bliss ends in disappointment and a borderline drain pour (but hey, at least the can art slaps). Greg takes us through his humid, sweat-soaked Florida trip, complete with passing-out grandparents, a "pay for your own" graduation lunch, and a surprise parking ticket at the hands of a lurking enforcer.

Despite the chain restaurant circuit and weather described as "living in a mouth," Greg finds a few worthy brewery stops in Tampa—finally landing a winner at Ology Brewing. He also somehow manages to survive a karaoke-belt-worthy bar owned by Hulk Hogan (yep, that’s real). Along the way, Flex and Greg uncover some very scientific coffee ratio grievances and debate the merits of chain dining while dehydrated.

Booze News

• Craft Beer Giants Keep Shrinking: 6 of the top 10 lose volume in 2024.
• Boston Beer’s Big Belly Flop: 320k barrels down, ouch.
• Hulk Hogan Wants to Buy Hooters… Turns out Pastamania wasn’t enough.
• Florida Man Bingo: Drunk driver hits pedestrian, urinates in cop car, and says racist stuff—all in one night

Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beer

Craft Beer Republic: CraftBeerRepublic.com

• Instagram: @CraftBeerRepublic
• Facebook: CraftBeerRepublicPod
• Threads: CraftBeerRepublic
• Voicemail: (805) 538-2337