Booze Battle - "World War Beer"

Big Z, Chris and Rob join Matt for a Booze Battle! The world of beer is at war! Get ready for a whirlwind of brews—each of us have brought two beers to the tasting table—one from our chosen country and another from the United States as the "ally" beer. The most tasty pairing shall win the war.  Rob's got a Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic and a Founders Breakfast Stout, while Chris is shaking things up with a Bottingtons Pub Ale and Left Hand Milk Stout concoction. Big Z, not to be outdone, presents an Innis & Gun Caribbean Rum Cask Beer and a New Trail Thunder Clap Hazy Double IPA. Yours truly, Matt, is armed with a Spaten Optimator and a Workhorse Coffee Vanilla Porter. With the wide array of flavors on the table, you can almost taste the anticipation!

As we sip and savor each brew, we dive into a lively discussion about the origin countries, aroma, and the unique flavors each beer brings. Ever tried mixing beers? We're not sure we recommend it but it was a lot of fun! 

Who will be crowned the World War Beer Booze Battle Champion? 

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro and Introductions
• 5:53 Rob and Belgium
• 11:36 Big Z
• 16:51 Chris
• 23:23 Matt
• 28:10 Who is the winner?
• 34:06 Outro

Transcript

Intro and Introductions

Matt 1:01

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Rob 1:13

We have liftoff. Welcome to Matt and Friends. Drink the Universe. This is the Booze Battle Arena, the place prolific inebriates and their dreams of choice face off in the pursuit of eternal glory. The Universe is a mysterious, vast and often violent place. So too are the battles fought in this hallowed space. Temporal tastes that transcend space and time will collide in a spectacle to determine which sip is the most stellar. Once again, we're pouring our way through the Universe to answer a question that no one is asking. It's time for a Booze Battle.

Matt 2:26

Alright, everybody, welcome back to Matt and Friends. Drink the Universe. Today we are here for World War Beer. World War Beer, yeah, at a booze battle, going the idea here for World War Beer. Everybody has brought two beers to the battle today. One of those is a country of choice. The other beer had to come from the United States, as the bolstering ally that the United States tends to be in all major world conflicts. So let's go around the table and introduce ourselves.

Rob 2:56

Hey everybody, it's Rob Today and I might be jumping the gun here, but I don't care. Today, my country that I'm pairing with the US is going to be Belgian. I've brought the Lindemans Frambois Raspberry Lambic beer.

Matt 3:10

What can you pronounce and stuff?

Rob 3:13

Yes, I know. And then my American beer today is the Founders Breakfast Stout. It's a double chocolate, coffee and oatmeal stout Alright. So we'll get more into why I've paired those two later, alright what up everybody.

Chris 3:25

It's Chris back here again. So I chose the United Kingdom, probably America's number one ally.

Matt 3:32

AKA Britain. Yeah, that one little conflict in 1776. England.

Big Z 3:38

Yeah well, I think they're good about it now, yeah, we're good now we're tight.

Chris 3:46

So what I've decided to bring is a Bottingtons Pub Ale, one of my favorite UK beers. I got the left hand milk stout the Nitro milk stout that they do, and I'm going to be mixing those up into a black bee for us. Alright, Okay.

Big Z 4:00

Alright, so big Z here. I got, I took and then get, I'm stuck with Scotland.

Matt 4:06

Okay.

Big Z 4:07

My choice apparently Bye, bye. So what we got here is an Innocent Gun Caribbean Run Cast Beer, and I've got a new trail Thunder Clap Hazy Double IPA. Yeah.

Rob 4:19

I'm not going to lie here. I, I, what. What about Caribbean and Rum makes you think Scotland. I'll tell you nothing in my brain.

Big Z 4:27

Agree to agree, but they brewed it in Scotland, I'm sure they did.

Rob 4:31

I'm not, I'm not.

Chris 4:32

I'm excited for that. Innocent Gun makes good beer.

Big Z 4:34

Okay, I'm trying to solo and it was. It's very good. I went traditional. Well, not traditional, but I went with a solid Pennsylvania beer.

Matt 4:42

Okay, and new trail.

Big Z 4:44

Very excited about that, alright.

Rob and Belgium

Matt 4:46

And I am Matt, I have the Spaten Optimator here. I chose Germany to go with the United States, perhaps not the first team up you think of in a world war kind of beer situation to pair with that Went with the started up Workhorse, Yep Coffee, vanilla porter collaboration beer done in Philadelphia.

Rob 5:06

Guys we have a lot of hands.

Big Z 5:08

Darfurth here, king of Prussia, actually Interesting.

Matt 5:13

Interesting evening, Well, Matthew where's the say King of Prussia? Oh, it does say King of Prussia. That's kind of Philly.

Big Z 5:19

No, no, no, no, no, no, it's not, it says Philly.

Rob 5:23

So it's a good half an hour out of there, like saying Harrisburg is kind of like Pittsburgh.

Matt 5:28

Well, hold on, not wrong.

Chris 5:30

That's a little harsh, but I'm reading things here. I'm reading things, it is a co-lab versus 20 miles, you know so fearless leader.

Rob 5:41

Yes who would you like to start off with?

Matt 5:43

Oh, big Z Rob. Fight to the death. Who wants to go first? I don't care.

Big Z 5:49

Let's do yours.

Rob 5:50

Okay, we'll start off with mine.

Matt 5:52

What's the most polite fight ever.

Rob 5:54

You know oh oh, oh oh, we need a wine. We hit the fair. The frambois is apparently corked. Who knew? Yep, yep.

Matt 6:07

Do we have hold up? Okay, Well okay.

Rob 6:09

Well, you know what? I'm going to start pouring this around while Matt runs and gets us a A wine bottle opener Intermission.

Big Z 6:20

Are we mixing? Mixing this? I'm going to mix in this together.

Rob 6:23

I'm going to mix it together. Yes, yes, indeed, all right. So my hope and my dream is that this will give kind of like a chocolate cover raspberry effect, because when you're trying to talk about allies in a World War beer, how much more can you have a pairing than two allies that work in sync with each other to form one stronger offering?

Matt 6:48

That's a generous pour there.

Rob 6:50

Yeah, I'm giving you about a full beer's worth of it all.

Matt 6:54

I'm watching my work this course through here.

Rob 6:58

Is I'm not able to give you the rest of this, so pass me the corkscrew. All right, I will deal with my own situation.

Big Z 7:04

You have a rabbit, everybody's a rabbit.

Rob 7:06

Yeah, whoa, I mean, I Know that it's something different.

Big Z 7:11

No it looks like rabbit ears and yeah, no, okay, whatever, wherever your head went.

Chris 7:19

Hey, hey, now okay, all right careful, careful Matthew.

Big Z 7:28

That was a nice sound actually. A few times before a squeak the breakfast out is one of my favorites out.

Chris 7:39

It's. It's a good one.

Rob 7:40

It's a solid, really solid stout excellent not gonna lie, there might not be a whole lot to see here in your cup big Z, because Well. Matt's gonna pass you his, just in case you.

Matt 7:52

With the corkscrew over here. I have not been drinking precast right now.

Chris 8:02

This has quite an interesting smell to it, gentlemen, I'm getting right up the top.

Rob 8:07

I'm gonna hope for the best here, everybody, cheers, cheers.

Big Z 8:10

Cheers. Okay, well, that's different.

Rob 8:14

It hasn't mixed no, it has not mixed.

Big Z 8:20

I'm getting both. I'm gonna use my finger.

Rob 8:22

I'm gonna use my extra long tongue.

Big Z 8:24

That's. That's awkward as hell. What I just saw was terrible.

Matt 8:27

We don't thank God.

Big Z 8:30

For the listeners out there.

Chris 8:31

Yet I'm still pulling for a camera sponsor, so we film this.

Big Z 8:35

I mean, that would be better it would be wonderful.

Rob 8:37

I will say that, that the coffee flavor is more pronounced in the founders than I remember it being. Yes, therefore, I'm getting more coffee than I would have liked. I wanted more of like a chocolate chocolate. Maybe I should have gone with like a young's double chocolate, yeah or something. Yeah, yeah, but that's an English beer, so I get none of that.

Big Z 8:58

I get straight raspberry.

Chris 9:00

I get a lot of raspberry nothing else I get raspberry and an ashy.

Rob 9:03

Yeah, it's that it's that like coffee yeah. Like burnt coffee almost.

Big Z 9:10

Yeah, I'm. I feel like you would hit a home run, honestly, straight at the gate if you got chocolate and coffee in a sip and you just don't, you just don't get it.

Rob 9:18

Yeah, well, that was my hope. Well, rob lost. Well, we don't know.

Big Z 9:25

I don't hate it.

Rob 9:26

I just feel like I want no more. Can you sip from this, because I feel like you used a very small cup and your proportions were way off.

Big Z 9:35

Hey, guess what? I still get raspberry. Okay, and raspberry.

Rob 9:39

I'm saying the raspberry is not going away. Yeah, it's like.

Matt 9:44

For the ashy finish on the back end. Can you take a sip?

Big Z 9:52

I mean I'm not gonna lie.

Rob 9:54

I didn't think it was that bad.

Big Z 9:55

Yeah, I feel like that's a little premature, it's it's so early you know, I mean normally.

Matt 10:00

Normally when we get to you.

Big Z 10:02

It's, it's terrible.

Matt 10:03

I just wanted to see him drink. All right, you know, I'm still, I'm still taking sips of it, but it's not getting any better. It's really not.

Rob 10:21

No, I'm not. I'm not gonna lie. This is not what I wanted. Okay, this is not what I wanted.

Chris 10:26

Now, if, you really imagine chocolate in it. It's a good mix, but it doesn't hit it.

Big Z

Big Z 10:31

Yes, hold, holding, I'm holding instead of doing half and half, just someone grab a glass and do Half of the glass with the founder stout and just just a splash, splash of that and I just Science, oh for science Is it?

Rob 10:49

was it my ratio? Was I heavy-handed with my pores? I think it's a ratio.

Matt 10:53

I think the choice to pour them both in the same glass was quite bold, correct.

Rob 10:57

I'm a bold man and I don't regret any of it.

Chris 10:59

Yeah, but now I'm getting like almost no raspberry. There is a better ratio, I agree. Yeah, but we didn't have enough supplies to make it happen.

Rob 11:08

No, well, you know what I went bold. Sometimes that doesn't work out.

Matt 11:14

It's not a total failure. Good job, I'm not shamed.

Big Z 11:16

Belgium, shame Belgium. No, no, no, no, no. That's all I got now.

Matt 11:22

Okay.

Chris 11:24

All right so I think we should move on, but either big Z or Matt you should go next, because mine also is gonna be a mixture, okay, and so I think we should do a back-to-backer.

Big Z 11:35

Oh, you might. Okay, I'm gonna try to lighten it up a little bit.

Chris 11:37

I lighten it up.

Big Z 11:37

We got a lot of dark bees here, so my suggestion for this is to do the IPA second. Ipa second all right, because there's gonna be a little bit of overpowering from.

Rob 11:48

IPA is 9.7%. She's beefy.

Big Z 11:51

All right, this is why you have a little glass.

Rob 11:54

That's me blazer.

Big Z 11:56

Let's pass around one of these here IPA's Yippa, I got, I got it wet.

Matt 12:01

I was bright in the mic and all over your shorts.

Big Z 12:04

Well it's, it's a big mic. That's it always gets it wet.

Chris 12:07

I'm just letting Z do his thing. That was not good, I prefer.

Big Z 12:12

I'm gonna have to drive out of here at some point. So yeah, we all don't live here.

Matt 12:18

Matt, that's true. That's true, I do, and sometimes the drive home is rough for me. Well, it happens.

Rob 12:23

All right, so now that is a very interesting color Serendipis, serendipis, serendipisly.

Big Z 12:30

I was terrible yeah, that's the word I picked this up today. This the ThunderClap. So this is a. This is a new release. Yeah, from Neutrail.

Chris 12:38

Yeah, like in two weeks ago.

Big Z 12:39

Yep, I'm going to give it a sniff.

Rob 12:41

This is a very interesting color. The Irish.

Big Z 12:44

Oh, so is the clear glass working for you now? Oh, it smells like bananas. I know it's nice. It's actually what. I'm not going to lie. It's not bad here.

Matt 12:52

Are we going to? Are we sure this is Brud and Scotland, so what?

Rob 12:55

is a banana in Scotland. We're going to do the Anasin.

Big Z 12:58

Gunn first. Wait, hold on. I don't want to cheat.

Chris 13:01

No it is Product of Scotland.

Matt 13:02

Yeah, it is.

Chris 13:04

Oh, scotland is an island, after all. Fun fact, I have first had this beer the night before my wedding, the night of my wedding, and one of the two Is this the one. You wait, all right, did you and I split one of these?

Big Z 13:17

Yeah, yeah, that was that was after yeah, the beer after the wedding. Yeah, yeah, yeah, swallow it and immediately go with the IPA.

Chris 13:24

OK, yeah, I am locked and loaded for both.

Rob 13:28

OK, On initial taste. Both taste very good.

Big Z 13:31

I don't know if they work together. I don't feel like they're doing anything for each other.

Rob 13:34

They're not ruining each other, but they're not really doing anything to help each other.

Big Z 13:38

I'm not disagreeing. I think they're complementary. They're there together.

Chris 13:41

The IPA wipes out any of the innocent gun from my palate.

Rob 13:46

I can not believe how much it smells like banana and taste nothing of banana. Yeah, I got. It's really sweet.

Matt 13:52

Like a tropical sweetness, and then I was punched by hops immediately afterwards.

Big Z 13:56

For science. Reverse it, Go IPA first and then the innocent gun. I still don't really think it matters much. You're sort of just getting two separate beers.

Chris 14:03

That that that work well together, but not together Like you can have a full bottle of one and a full can of the other one, and you're fine, and you're fine.

Rob 14:13

The innocent gun. It is now almost giving me, like a hint, of a heffa-vison taste with that like banana.

Chris 14:20

Yeah.

Rob 14:21

But then at the end I'm definitely getting that rum after taste.

Big Z 14:25

Well, I mean you should. Hints of vanilla and oak bitter taste. Spicy, sweet goes well with cheese and cured meats, sort of what we had on the pizza.

Chris 14:34

Yeah, true, oh, spoiler alert we had pizza before this Pizza yeah stream in Sicilian Is there more pizza?

Matt 14:41

Is stuff?

Big Z 14:42

No, oh, we eat the pizza.

Matt 14:44

We ate two pizzas.

Big Z 14:47

There were some. There were some more.

Matt 14:47

They were. They were not large pizzas. Final, final thoughts. I think, chris, as you said, they don't countermand each other in any way. There's no dissonance there between the beers, but they also don't really go over the top as complimenting. I thought I got a little sweetness, but again I got sweetness on the front and then I was just punched by hops on the back end with the IPA.

Rob 15:08

Normally, though, you're a sweet type of fellow, Like you like oh, my thank you stuff. So did you really enjoy this? I did.

Matt 15:16

Yes, yeah, I quite enjoyed that.

Big Z 15:18

It means it more like a, like a bitch, not like a.

Rob 15:20

No, no, I was not trying to be rude. This time you can fuck all the way off. Oh, oh my.

Big Z 15:29

I feel like.

Matt 15:31

I'm going to earn that rating for this one.

Big Z 15:33

Given the assignment, I got to give Rob the nod right now.

Chris 15:37

Oh, why? Thank you All right, I will say, though, that this new trail might be my number one beer, overall 1795, a four pack Eesh you Is that too high for you. I mean it's on the higher end.

Chris

Big Z 15:50

Oh, because I paid $25 for another half.

Chris 15:53

You said a four pack, yeah yeah, another half is always super expensive. Well, it's because I ship it from New York.

Matt 15:59

Yeah, I liked both. The innocent gun reminds me like the taste took me back to that bar right after your wedding. I think it was like bottom of the hotel was a little darker down there.

Rob 16:08

The cask yes, oh wow, talk about a memory flood, yeah. Some say as soon as you said the name, I'm there, yeah, in my brain.

Chris 16:17

Yeah, friends of ours were in Scotland like a year before that and had this, and so when we saw them going up there, they're like oh, they have it at the beer, or they have it at the beer. Have it at the beer. They have that beer at the bar.

Matt 16:31

That where we're going after beer. The guy, his name was John, I think yeah.

Chris 16:37

Romeo.

Matt 16:37

Yep, yeah, and see, my brain does work there after all. Jen, I remembered a thing. I remembered a thing, a. Thing.

Big Z 16:44

You did a thing, nice work.

Rob 16:46

All right. So two pairings down, two to go.

Chris 16:52

All right, cross your fingers that these nitro widgets don't explode. This could be an atomic explosion. Oh yes, all right, we're good. Okay, I feel like it's very. I'm going to pour the milk stout in first and top it with the pub ale. I'm pretty sure that's how you're supposed to do a black beet, but you know I'm not a bartender.

Big Z 17:15

I also feel like your concoction is getting better as it warms up.

Rob 17:20

Oh, an interesting wrinkle?

Big Z 17:24

Yeah, because the stout, as it comes to room temperature, should Bloom. Yeah, mm, I mean if you'd done some work on this beforehand, though that's you know.

Rob 17:33

I bought one bottle of that Frembois and I didn't want to pop it. But you made a very interesting statement, saying right out of the gate that I've lost immediately.

Big Z 17:45

I'm backtracking a bit now.

Chris 17:47

Yeah, yeah, okay, half is disseminated. We're going in for the pub, ale.

Rob 17:53

We're going for the pub.

Big Z 17:56

I'm not going to be able to see this oh my. Oh no.

Rob 18:01

Oh.

Big Z 18:02

God, oh, it's everywhere, that's what she?

Chris 18:05

said Mostly in my lap, but you know.

Big Z 18:09

That's also what she said.

Chris 18:12

Okay, I saved it. Mostly it's going to be a little funny. Oh God, it's always like it's got nitro in it. Guys, it's fine Nitro.

Matt 18:22

I'm going to be real honest. Last time I did that to this table, I got one of these.

Rob 18:28

Oh man, my first time pouring a can of beer. Jesus Christ, Lord man.

Big Z 18:34

I'm embarrassed for him.

Rob 18:35

I'm take your phone out of the splash zone. It's so I can't look away.

Chris 18:39

That there was a good chance that these would explode.

Big Z 18:42

You can make all the excuses in the world right now, chris, but we're just disappointed. That's fine, I'm fine with it.

Rob 18:47

This came across the ocean, sir. It pip piped and Cheerio'd itself right on over here.

Big Z 18:53

From Scotland.

Chris 18:56

It's next to England. It's also been sitting in my fridge on a wooden boat quite a while it's Scotland, it's my island.

Matt 19:06

That was Ireland actually Take.

Big Z 19:09

Yes, braveheart references right now. You know what?

Rob 19:12

I should have thought about that when I was drinking that Scottish beer. I should have given you the cry of freedom.

Chris 19:17

All right, I'm hoping for a nice rich creaminess to this.

Big Z 19:21

Yeah.

Chris 19:21

Enjoy.

Matt 19:23

Mm-hmm.

Rob 19:26

I don't know if I taste both.

Chris 19:28

Underwhelming. Well, that's kind of the point. I'm not yeah, I'm not overwhelmed by flavor, but really smooth it's not as rich as I thought the milkstout would give it, but that's because it is a milkstout, so they're like so creamy and so smooth that it's it's pretty flat.

Big Z 19:45

And I don't think I'm a nation wise Velvety yeah, oh it's, it caresses down your tongue. It's very nice, it's a velveteen beverage, but the problem is it just doesn't have a lot of flavor. But that's.

Chris 19:57

That's the way it works for UK beers, because they drink all day long.

Big Z 20:01

That's why they lost in 1776.

Rob 20:03

Maybe, that's exactly, really that's a significant date.

Chris 20:08

What, why? What happened?

Rob 20:10

something about Columbus sale the ocean blue.

Chris 20:14

The Magna.

Matt 20:14

Carta something yeah you know it's Rob spent a lot of time in the science wing see the.

Rob 20:21

I think the we do not need a history button, by the way, the biggest we should get.

Chris 20:26

A benefit of this is I can slam this.

Big Z 20:28

Oh no, oh yeah. You know what this kind of reminds me of them. You remember when we're all sitting around drinking crappy beer? To rank them at that last one now, I don't remember that. Yeah, you know it haunts me to this black it out. Yeah, there were so many beers, I was like it's just beer.

Chris 20:43

Yeah it turns out, it's just beer, beer, but I don't think that this has that Hoppy multi Beer flavor to it. No, no, it doesn't so I know what you're going with that statement, but like it's a different thing than the beer flavored beers of your Bud lights and your Miller.

Rob 21:05

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this just tastes like a Guinness, though. Yeah, kind of, does you know what I mean?

Chris 21:12

Like I'm getting whatever, I'm getting much more interesting than I am the pub ale, and maybe it's because this one was a little more Explosivo but I'm not gonna open another one, because I'm sure all of them will explode. Okay they will go home with me and I will open, you know I felt.

Rob 21:28

I felt very upset when we first started, but now I'm starting to feel a little bit better.

Big Z 21:32

I'm gonna put you on the top right now.

Matt 21:35

Really. Oh, I'm not feeling good.

Big Z 21:41

I mean listen, listen, listen, I'm listening. This is one gram of protein in it. So this is your bodybuilders beverage for sure.

Chris 21:48

Hell yeah.

Big Z 21:50

I'm a protein right. That says it on the side.

Matt 21:51

It says it in every teaspoon, so your your pre-workout would be a case or four.

Big Z 22:02

But yeah, we know, we get there. You know meal replacement after a couple cases. There you go.

Rob 22:09

You. Nothing's really wowed me yet. Today, though you know.

Matt 22:13

Yeah, I'm so far. I would actually put Chris's in first, like that was the most pleasing to my palate.

Chris 22:19

Yes, so drinkable.

Matt

Rob 22:20

Yes, I'm enjoying because I poured way too much for everybody, so of course I have mine.

Matt 22:24

It's not you trying it, chris, is not an all-out assault on my tongue, but, oh my, I'm telling you.

Rob 22:31

Do you still have mine?

Matt 22:32

No, yours is complex, for days, you're not taking a comeback tour. That's not how this war works.

Big Z 22:39

Dude, I'm gonna grade it off the first step, but it's getting better as it warms up.

Matt 22:45

Yes, yeah, I don't think so.

Rob 22:48

Chris, do you still have some, really, of all the people like no, like sweet stuff and you don't like this?

Chris 22:54

it has settled, though Raspberry has settled a little more. Mm-hmm but I'm still missing that. Like, well it's. It's not kicking me with chocolate, it's kicking me with the coffee ground. Yeah, you know that I don't want to say dirt, cuz it's not. It's not the same as it's like that.

Rob 23:14

It's almost like a burnt ground.

Big Z 23:16

Yeah, like yeah, it's not a fun coffee now no.

Rob 23:20

Oh, anyway. Okay, I appreciate you going back to it.

Matt 23:23

Just as a refresher, I did bring the spaten optimator, followed by the started up, which is a coffee vanilla porter. So the way I'd like you all to do this, I'd like you to take a swig of the spaten. We're gonna let it sit for a little bit, we'll get the flavor and then take a sip of the coffee vanilla porter, and what I'm hoping here is that those doppelganger flavors will be nicely complimented by the vanilla coffee bean and what's going on the other side.

Rob 23:45

I'm not gonna lie, this is the First time going into a mat round. Yeah, he's got a real chance. Yep, I agree because the field is wide open.

Chris 23:56

Right now, the bar is so low.

Rob 23:59

Could it be Matt's first win ever on his own podcast? I Don't. I don't want to get him too excited by talking about it right now, but I'm gonna please dear Especially with that premature thing we talked about before.

Big Z 24:12

Let's, let's keep the excitement low.

Rob 24:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we can't get him to to amp, we don't want this to end too early.

Matt 24:17

No, we don't. No, don't want it to go off like Chris's beer. That's, that's mine now. That's your past. Okay, I was looking down the optimator smells hella German.

Chris 24:27

Oh yeah, well, have you ever had a meter before?

Rob 24:30

No, I've had regular spot, yeah, like spotten logger but, and the October? I've had the spot in October first as well, but but I've never had the optimator.

Chris 24:38

Where did you find this, by the way, matt?

Matt 24:40

DNR beverage right up here in Nazareth. Wow, okay, they have a surprising. Oh, is this?

Big Z 24:45

this isn't there, like there's beer about my foot, do you do? They talk to them regularly, because I feel like you get a lot of good stuff there.

Matt 24:51

Yeah, I go there on a fairly regular basis. They have a lot of stuff. They have a great selection. I won last time I went to Tanzos and this is you know. If you're local to Lehigh Valley here, you know what we're talking about. Tanzos is regarded as having a really good selection as this Shang East both phenomenal selection. I think DNR is punching in that category lately because they do have a ton of different and they have a nice international section whoo, this one smells like a stout, not a porter, and I'm not getting any.

Rob 25:23

Oh, it really does, I'm not getting any vanilla on the nose All right, which order we're going?

Chris 25:28

spotting first, spotting first smells malty.

Matt 25:31

I kind of all right spotting first, not do either.

Big Z 25:34

Oh Deutschland that's your beer. Good, I mean, if you're gonna, all right, I'm going the other way. I.

Rob 25:43

Do not like this beer. I Do not like the second beer. It insists upon itself. Oh sure does. How is this a porter? It's not. I don't think that it is. It's a. It's like a fissure stout. I get no vanilla.

Chris 25:56

No, yeah, I was waiting for it, I was just yeah and waiting and it doesn't appear.

Big Z 26:02

Look, if you're gonna put vanilla something, it it should hit you with vanilla. Yeah, like it doesn't. It shouldn't just be okay? Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, go in the opposite order all right, fair enough, I was gonna ask one first and then drink the spotten.

Rob 26:15

I'll tell you, this is the first time that I feel like something's happening. I feel like the Spun takes that like Terrible aftertaste that you were getting from that other beer, cuts it off and goes Deutschland a little more sweetness.

Chris 26:32

Um, I'll be honest, I actually like this stout better. That's a part of that, or the well, the quote unquote porter yeah the stout claiming to be, because the Spun not doing it for me? Oh, okay.

Rob 26:48

It's like nope, this is like straight from the Rhineland, my dude yeah yeah, I think even a drink it by itself for what it's.

Big Z 26:55

What it is, the the box is good for what it is. It's not my style of beer, but for what? What you're looking for? Yeah.

Matt 27:03

It is a right. It checks all the way. Boxes, german doppelbach in every street of German. All right, you know to me again.

Who is the winner?

Big Z 27:09

The assignment is to put them together and I just feel like they're not doing anything.

Rob 27:14

No, no it's kind of like mine now again, I'm not saying that this is your worst showing here, matthew. No, you had a chance, but I don't think you're winning bud.

Matt 27:25

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed in the fact. Well, I actually spent quite a bit of time looking for a vanilla Border and I looked at a couple different ones and this one will look like the most promising out of the ones. I thought it was a local collab. It would, did you know, should have went with the Breckenridge.

Chris 27:40

I thought about that, because that one is just slaps you in the face with vanilla.

Matt 27:46

Yeah, I, you know, like I said, I thought I had something here and Again, I don't.

Chris 27:52

I don't hate it, it's okay. Would I drink a whole pounder can of it? Probably not no, but I'd split one with someone and I'd enjoy it.

Big Z 28:01

I'd split most of anything with someone I'm willing to concede that my streak of failures continues. Oh man, yeah, but I think we're in the same boat here. Yeah and I are battling for last place.

Matt 28:10

All right Well shall we.

Rob 28:13

All right, go around and and everybody can give their one through four. Where, where, where do they rank One through four?

Big Z 28:23

All right. So, given the assignment and given what we're supposed to do, I believe the two collaborative beers in the same glass are the top. For me, though, the why get? It's the England way of doing things. It just was too meh for me. It was too meh. It didn't have a lot going on.

Chris 28:44

I didn't think about that ahead of time. I didn't think about my audience right and how we would have had big Z with the IPA palette.

Big Z 28:51

Yeah. Shisa but hang on, hold on. I Would like to say that you want smooth and you got smooth. Yeah you nailed what you want it, which is better than what I want it and what Matt did, like we all kind of missed the boat. For me, it's Bert, chris. I vote for me third and you last.

Matt 29:12

I can take that, but but it's cuz I'm happy a, so yeah, okay.

Chris 29:17

Christopher I I'm torn because I really like fine, I'm torn. I really liked the black bee flavor, I think Due to maybe partially to the age of these beers in my fridge if they didn't really hold their flavors Super well, that could be as well. So I'm gonna give Rob the number one spot. I'm gonna follow myself up with two. I agree, and I'm gonna give big Z three Matt for yep, so I think that was the same as big Z.

Chris 29:50

Before we go on to Rob's Rankings, I will also still stand by that. That new trail is my number one beer at the table today.

Big Z 29:59

Oh. Second that okay, by itself I will.

Rob 30:03

I will third that that was an incredible beer and it did not taste like a 9.7%.

Big Z 30:09

No, there's stuff is really there is no bite.

Rob 30:12

You know, normally once you get above like eight and a half percent On a beer, you're getting some form of like right Bite for lack of a better way to describe it like something that is off-putting. That is like super high alcohol content the taste of ethyl alcohol.

Chris 30:28

Breweries know how to do it right where it's not gonna slap you in the face with alcohol.

Big Z 30:33

Yeah it's a me. If you really want to try something from them, try their triple broken heels, which is a triple, and it's still not that alcohol and what is that percentage wise?

Rob 30:41

do you know?

Big Z 30:41

11 or 12?

Chris 30:42

Oh yeah, he was 11 and a half. Yeah, it's up there.

Rob 30:45

It's a trip yeah but it doesn't that alcohol, like you know, I'm saying like it's it's easy not to not to be self-serving here, but I guess I'll start ranking. Go ahead, I. I think that my pairing was the tastiest to my palate. It was still not what I wanted it to be. I do want to specify that I was hoping for more of a chocolatey taste and it was more of a coffee taste, but I still. Nevertheless, I enjoyed mine than Chris's, than Big Z, and then you, matthew, I'm sorry to put you in dead place.

Matt 31:17

That's alright, that's perfectly fine. As I look out at the table and first of all I have to disagree on what the best beer was the innocent gun, the Caribbean rum cask, I saw it was by far and away the best beer that's on this table was also a big Z beer.

Rob 31:31

Yeah, so Big Z brought two individual. Oh, why thank?

Matt 31:35

you. Thank you very much, as he puts another one in front of me.

Big Z 31:38

I'll give that to you, man.

Matt 31:39

You're welcome back for future episodes. Thank you, oh Okay. Rob's cut no Okay. In all seriousness, if I had to go with rankings, I am going to go Mike with three, rob with two, chris with number one. I liked his combination better. It was smoother, it was easier drinking. I felt, rob, that yours assaulted my tongue with sweetness, and then the taste of a lick it to ash tray. So a what? Ash tray? Licked ash tray? A liquid, yeah there is.

Rob 32:08

There is an extra to a straight in there. Yes, I didn't know you were into liquid ash. No, nope. Thank you.

Big Z 32:17

Thank you, it was a stretch, but First thing, you know it just kind of breathe for a second.

Rob 32:28

You walked into that right oh yeah. Really backed it right on up you know straight of the astray.

Matt 32:38

So that means we have a tie no, it doesn't know. How to do math. Oh, I'm sorry, we're nowhere near.

Rob 32:47

All right, that would be a three-to-one. I have taken it, my friend. Where's that button that tells you how to count?

Matt 32:54

I don't have one of those.

Rob 32:55

Yeah, oh, come on. Yeah, you do. We talking about numbers, matthew. When we talking about numbers, we talking about me winning.

Matt 33:03

Yes, we are talking about you winning.

Chris 33:06

Congratulations basque. In the glory of beer pairing, I shall I shall.

Rob 33:12

No one likes you, hey, you know what?

Matt 33:14

This is my first. I'm gonna be real honest here. You're not standing on top of a very tall mountain, right?

Rob 33:19

now I understand that might be a hill To the top, and this is this is my first booze battle win, I will take it.

Chris 33:27

Oh, okay, fair.

Rob 33:28

So my I have. I have won another four mats, but never in booze battle, so under protest.

Big Z 33:39

I mean still not a reason to. Bertland, 75% of the table, thought he was good.

Rob 33:47

You know I.

Matt 33:49

Hate all of you.

Rob 33:51

Oh man, it's a great day.

Matt 33:53

It is a great day Another successful booze battle cheers, congratulations, thank you, yeah, until next time.

Matt 34:07

The boozy quote for this episode comes from Benjamin Franklin, who said in the afterlife, if there is not wine, I shall be greatly disappointed. Congratulations again to Rob on his booze battle victory. We tasted some wonderful beer in this episode from some fascinating countries. Maybe you're thinking you'd like to have an innocent gun in Bonnie, scotland, or try a spot in at a tope or fest. Don't forget our sponsor and give pop and strap and company a call at 407 494 4070 on social media. Please like, follow and push all the buttons for us. That's Matt and friends DTU at Facebook, instagram threads and tick tock For more information about the podcast, as well as links to our merch store, social media and all the places you can listen to us. Visit our website, mat and friends DTU dot com. That's Matt and friends DTU dot com. Thank you again for listening to Matt and friends. Drink the universe you.