Beer tastes better up here

[WiFlyFisher]

This isn't an essay, painting or well written story, but I figured some would enjoy this, like Bassman (Nick).

This time of year I am like a pup and get excited to head north. Even though it is not Spring in the northwoods I still enjoy it immensely. No birds or ducks are migrating here yet. Still just the sounds of chickadees, crows and the occasional tapping of woodpeckers. The snow is 2+ feet deep. The lakes and most creeks are still frozen solid. Yet, I love it this time of the year in the forests.

After shoveling snow my GSP and I hiked 3-1/2 miles today, some by plowed, frozen forest roads and some by trail blazing. I spent part of the time snowshoeing on the North Country Trail. My GSP learned quickly not to venture too far off the trial or she would sink in the deep snow.

After returning from our adventures all I can say is... Damn, beer tastes better up here.









Hopefully, some of you will enjoy this.

John

[flyrod]

Beautiful photos, it don't get much better than having a Leinie in the Wisconsin woods! Thanks for sharing

[driftless angler]

Amen!!!

[bassman]

Funny how I loved the north country in the winter when I was up there but moving to Mnpls/St.Paul I grew to hate winters. There you are well into winter and snow is still shiny and pristine. Wonderful. In the cities it would dingy, soot covered and ugly within a couple of days after the snowfall. The roads would be slushy and sloppy from plowing and salting and not that crisp, crunchy sound and feel of freshly plowed snow without any salt dirtying it. Thanks for pics and that part of winter in the north I miss.

[snorider]

I LOVE those photos, thank you, they brought me right back home. Popple, birch, ash, balsam, even looks like a few white pines! nice country. The thing I miss most about winter in the lake country is walking out across our lake to "the big island". It always seemed like a real adventure, even tho it was only a 5 minute boat ride in the summer. Walking back after sunset one evening I heard the howling of wolves in the distance, walking past the "the big rock" (northern minnesotans are known for their poetic naming of objects). The full moon was rising over the trees and something caught my eye, about 500 yards away across cedar bay. On top of a rock on the lakeshore a wolf started howling silhouetted in the moonlight, I spent the rest of the last half mile looking over my shoulder. My neck hurt by the time I made it back to the cabin. That last photo got me thinking. Used to be a big fan of leine's seasonal beers before they got bought up it was super, now it is just good. Thanks Man!

[driftless angler]

Snorider, I miss the days of only original Leinies with the greatly anticipated spring release of Leinies Bock followed by the fall release of Leinies Limited. That seemed to mark the seasons for me more so than the weather!

[WiFlyFisher]

Snorider, I miss the days of only original Leinies with the greatly anticipated spring release of Leinies Bock followed by the fall release of Leinies Limited. That seemed to mark the seasons for me more so than the weather!

That definitely brings back memories.

It may seem strange to some, I never drink beer down home, wine or maybe occasional glass of whiskey while tying or while reading a good book. But in the northwoods after a day of fishing, hunting or hiking a beer tastes wonderful, either Leinies Northwood Lager or a Spotted Cow. It must be the fresh northern air. The high in the 50s by Sunday, time to wet a line again.

[driftless angler]

John you brought up Spotted Cow (New Glarus Brewing) and I brought up Leinies Bock. I found myself jonesing for good Bock the other day and came across New Glarus Cabin Fever - a very tasty Honey Bock I must say. I agree beer does taste better in Northern Wisconsin.

[PYochim]

Spotted Cow (New Glarus Brewing)

The absolute best beer to come out of Wisconsin. Period.

[bassman]

More than once friends and I have tried to make the trip around Lake Namekagon just stopping to have one beer at each Leinenkugel beer sign along the route. I don't think we ever made it. Probably could have but then always running into someone you had to have one more with. It was like the days in Ely MN where we'd try to make every bar and just limit ourselves to one shorty. Never made that one either. At one time Ely MN had the highest beer consumption per capita in the nation (so they say) thanks to the quantity of tourists and beer bars.

[Caneghost]

I tried a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy at the ballpark one very hot day several years ago and really liked it. Very different but very refreshing. In Michigan on a steelhead trip I had one of their seasonals: Sunshine Wheat I think (memory blurs) and it was great. Don't see a lot of their beer down here. A guide I know on the Delaware has a soft spot for their lager but I've never seen that in the Catskills.

Nice day, nice photos!

[Bee]

Traveling from the mid South to the Quetico area as a child(and asa an adult) for our annual family fishing trip we would get a nice supply of Leinies , going up and coming home. Plus a required stop at the Norski Nook.Each way.

Then later my wife and I bought our first house across the street from a Eau Claire gal wand her Lower Alabama husband . Her family brought all of Leinies when they came through. We would bring it back from grouse trips in the fall. Then Lo and Behold our local beer distributors began carrying it way down here maybe ten years ago. Who Knew?

I agree with John's original post though, it seems like it did taste better in the Northwoods.

[munsey w]

It's bound to

[GerardH]

Being about 70 miles from you, I can attest to the veracity of your subject line.

Cheers!

[billems]

I'm with ya. However, I'm going to be tilting Spotted Cow.

[WiFlyFisher]

The northwoods are always changing. We go from 60 degrees on Tuesday with trout rising to pouring rain all day Wednesday that ended with snow and ice last night. The forest roads were bare of snow and now back to all white again. We did flush our first grouse today.



On our long hike today I was wondering if a pair of Trumpeter Swans I saw the first time on Tuesday would have gone back south. Nope, they stuck it out through the rain, sleet and snow. This is also the only open water around us.



John