Sips, Suds, & Smokes · One Tan Hand Productions

A Fine Pickle We Are In This Time

August 29, 2025·41 min·3 clips

Mike declares the Distil dill pickle sour beer the pickliest of the bunch, surprising the hosts.

This episode of "Sips, Suds, & Smokes" features hosts Cuddle Cow Juliana and Cuddle Boys Mike and Dave tasting and rating a flight of pickle-flavored beers as part of their "Summer of Questionable Decisions" series. The hosts sample seven distinct pickle beers from breweries across the United States, providing immediate tasting notes and numerical ratings. They begin with High Wire Brewing's Wickles Pickles sour ale, noting its intense salinity and dill finish but lack of distinct pickle flavor, rating it a one. The High Wire Hula variant with pineapple and jalapeno is criticized for muted flavors and also receives a one. Urban Artifact's Pickled Tomato and Vegetable Gose delivers a strong, sour vegetal profile reminiscent of V8 or a michelada base, earning a three for truth in advertising. Distill's Sucker Punch Dill Pickle Sour is deemed the "pickliest" beer so far, appealing to those who enjoy drinking pickle juice straight from the jar, and receives a three. Distill's spicy variant tastes like a Bloody Mary mix addition but is less favored, still scoring a three. Martin House Brewing's lemonade, orange, and strawberry pickle beers are reviewed, with the lemonade and orange versions criticized for overwhelming citrus and salinity, each rated a one. Surprisingly, the strawberry pickle beer is praised for its balance and harmony, becoming Mike's favorite of the flight and earning a three. The final beer, Pilot Project's Donna's Pickle Beer Lager, is considered a good lager with subtle cucumber notes but lacking pronounced pickle character, receiving a two. A memorable moment occurs when Dave's comment about needing an "exit strategy" inspires the episode's working title, "Hide the Pickle." The hosts also humorously debate the logic of pairing fruits like strawberry or orange with pickles. The tone is consistently conversational, humorous, and lightly self-deprecating, with the hosts joking about their questionable choices and sharing personal pickle preferences. This episode is ideal for craft beer enthusiasts curious about novelty flavors, homebrewers interested in vegetable beer categories, or listeners who enjoy lighthearted, unscripted tasting banter. Listeners who prefer traditional beer styles or are averse to salty, sour flavor profiles might want to skip this pickle-centric exploration.

As heard by us

A tasting flight where the joke still has to hold up as beer.

Pickle beers are the sort of tasting-table oddity that only works when everyone in the room commits to the bit. This episode does that well. The panel works through a flight from Asheville, Cincinnati, Normal, Fort Worth, and Chicago, and the best stretches are the ones where…

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Why you'd press play

Five pickle beers, one tasting table, and enough side-eye to keep the dare honest.

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