Barrel To Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

We couldn't fit all our Buyer's Picks into one episode, so we had to do a two parter. This week we'll continue Brett's long list of picks and then move on to the rest of our buyers. Check out last week's episode for part 1.    Specialty Spirits Buyer Brett, continued  Siembra Valles Ancestral Blanco Tequila Nixta Licor de Elote   Wine Buyer Barb Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah 2018 Beer Buyer Kyle Founders Big Luscious Lagunitas Born Again Yesterday Private Label Buyer Mike Baron Fuente Grande Reserve Brut Cigar Buyer Jack CAO Vision 2020 Limited Edition Lotus Viper V-Cut Four Star Society Expo    

When the Barrel to Bottle crew wants to know what to drink, they turn to the Binny's buyers. Our buyers try thousands of products every year and have, collectively, hundreds of years of experience in this business. Greg, Pat and Roger sat down with wine, beer, spirits and cigar buyers and asked them for their pick of the year.    Drink along at home with the following products: Crafthouse Cocktails  Plantation Isle of Fiji Rum Cristom Pinot Noir Mt Jefferson Cuvee 2018 Renato Ratti Barolo Conca 2016 Penley Estate Tolmer Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Bourbon County Brand Stout 2020 Superstition Peanut Butter Jelly Crime La Luna Mezcal Cupreata Highland Park 12 year old First Fill European Oak Sherry Hogshead # 5046 Binny's Handpick 2006 Mezonte Raicilla Japo by Hildegaro Joya    

Sometimes there's too much content for a regular episode, so once again we're dropping into your feed with some bonus content. Chris has some vintages of Anchor Christmas, as well a very very old bottle of something very special. We've also got some great cheese pairings to go along with these holiday beers. 

"It's the holiday season (the holiday season)" and that means it's time for the holiday releases from some of our favorite breweries. We could probably do one of these episodes every year because these beers are always changing. But they reliably deliver bold flavors that are perfect to pair with holiday dinners and holiday desserts.    Drink along at home with the following wines: Victory Winter Cheers Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale Anchor Christmas Ale Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout      

Roger is a beer and spirits guy, so wine is usually a little overwhelming for him. The one area of wine he has delved into a bit are fortified wines. The methods around the world might be similar, but each country interprets them differently. Take a tour of these sweet wines with Roger, Alicia and Chris, they're the perfect pairing for many holiday desserts. Roger is a beer and spirits guy, so wine is usually a little overwhelming for him. The one area of wine he has delved into a bit are fortified wines. The methods around the world might be similar, but each country interprets them differently. Take a tour of these sweet wines with Roger, Alicia and Chris, they're the perfect pairing for many holiday desserts.  Drink along at home with the following wines: Chateau Guiraud Sauternes 2015 Vinum Regum Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Sweet White 2013 Cave Spring Cellars Riesling Icewine 2016 Rare Wine Company Barbeito Historic Series Boston Bual Madeira Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny      

Batch cocktails are always a good idea, even if this year's holiday season features much smaller gatherings. That also means this is a great year to experiment with some recipes and methods you've never tried before. Pat, Roger, Alicia and Chris have you covered with tips and tricks to take your cocktail game to the next level.    Check out all the cocktail recipes on our blog.  

Roger was recently asked about his "Aha Moment" in beer; that one drink that makes you realize what beer (or wine, or spirits) is capable of. For him, it was tripels. The beer scene is dominated by bold flavors, and tripels are not lacking in that department. Bold, complex and very easy to pair with food. Take a trip from the Trappist breweries of Belgium to a walled city in Canada, to America's best takes on the style.   Drink along at home with following beers: Westmalle Trappist Tripel Tripel Karmeliet Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Victory Golden Monkey Allagash Tripel Allagash Curieux  

Add another country to the ever-growing whisky/whiskey producers available to Binny's customers: Australia. David Vitale, founder of Starward Whisky, joins Pat and Greg to talk about defining Australian whisky. Also a preview of the upcoming Starward Single Cask Handpicked.    Drink along at home with following spirits: Starward Two Fold Double Grain Australian Whisky Starward Nova Single Malt Australian Whisky Starward Solera Single Malt Australian Whisky  

The weather is turning colder, so it's time to move away from negronis and tiki drinks to something that warms you up. And no, we're not talking about pumpkin cocktails. From Colonial classics to modern favorites, there's something for every palate and every level of home mixologist. 

In this very special bonus episode of Barrel to Bottle, the team shares a sneak peek at Goose Island's 2020 Bourbon County lineup. From the special barrel finishes of the highly limited Birthday and Anniversary variants, to the caramel apple wheatwine Caramella, and the artfully flavored Kentucky Fog, Proprietor's and Special #4, there's a lot to love in this year's variant lineup. And don't sleep on the OG BCBS, it's a classic. For more info on this year's socially distanced drawing head to our BCBS info page, and check out the conversation over on the Binny's Blog BCBS post.

Seipp Brewing Co. was known as the Beer that Built Chicago, and at one time it was the best selling beer in America. It survived the Chicago Fire, but like many other Chicago breweries, couldn't survive Prohibition.  Laurin Mack, Conrad Seipp's great great great granddaughter joins the Barrel to Bottle Crew to talk about reviving her family's brewery. 

Fever Tree is a favorite of the Barrel to Bottle Crew. Pat samples a lot of mixers so he would know. But we want to know, why does Fever Tree have so many varieties? Alex Brick is here to answer that question, and mix up a range of cocktails from the traditional to the unique. 

Chardonnay is a versatile grape that can be grown almost anywhere by almost anyone. That means you can coax a wide variety flavors out of the grape. Many listeners might know Chardonnay for being buttery and heavily oaked, but the Barrel to Bottle crew is here with some more subtle expressions. Plus a listenera Q&A about identifying corked wine.    Drink along at home with the following wines: Domaine Servin Chablis Vaillons 2018 Evening Land Chardonnay Seven Springs Eola Amity Hills 2017 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2018 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2017 Vina Cobos Bramare Arbolitos Vineyard 2018 Domaine Bachey Legros Puligny Montrachet 2016  

Tiki cocktails are one of Roger's passions. But some members of the Barrel to Bottle Crew don't want to go through the hassle of mixing a 15-ingredient cocktail. Maybe you're the same way? If you don't want to stock up on multiple fruit juices, syrups, liqueurs and types of rum, this is the perfect episode for you. Check out our blog post for all the Quarantiki recipes featured in today's episode.   

Canadian Whisky is still a bit of a mystery to many drinkers, including some Barrel to Bottle hosts. The Whiskey Hotline is here to help, blind tasting six bottles from the Great White North, to prove that Canadian Whisky is more than just big plastic bottles you find in your grandparent's liquor cabinet. Plus an in-house Q&A about barrel charring.  Drink along at home with the following whisky: J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel Rye Canadian LTD Signal Hill Canadian Whisky Lot 40 12 Year Old Cask Strength Pendleton Midnight Blended Canadian Whisky Alberta Premium 20 Year Old Limited Edition  

We asked Lincoln Park wine manager Gabe what topic he could talk about for a half an hour. Besides video games, Gabe's passion is Bordeaux. Not only does he love Bordeaux, but he's been there for En Primeur. Gabe takes the B2B through some of his favorite Bordeaux selections and gives a behind the scenes look at En Primeur.  Drink along at home with the following wines: Chapelle de Potensac Medoc 2016  Chateau Pedesclaux Pauillac 2016 Chateau Lagrange Saint Julien 2016 Chateau Ferriere Margaux 2016  

You might think that all Oktoberfest beers are the same, but Roger is here to show you that's not the case. The Barrel to Bottle Crew will help you clear up some of the confusing aspects of Oktoberfest, starting with why it's in September. They'll run through a sampling of German and American offerings, as well as give you some great food pairings. Plus, in a very convenient Q&A session, a listener wants to know the best glass for serving Oktoberfest and Festbiers. Prosit!   Dink along at home with the following beers: Weinhenstephaner Festbier  Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier Great Lakes Oktoberfest Metropolitan Afterburner BuckleDown Oktoberfest Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen  

Resident wine guy Chris takes the Barrel to Bottle Crew through some of the lesser known appellations of the Rhone Valley. The Rhone Valley offers wines that are easily accessible or very complex, so it's the perfect region to start your wine journey.   Dink along at home with the following wines: Domaine Vincent Paris Crozes Hermitage 2018  Jean Louis Chave Selection Saint Joseph Offerus 2017 Xavier Vignon Vacqueyras 2015 Domaine de Piaugier Gigondas 2017  

Stanley Tucci has a lot to learn about making a Negroni. The question is, does he hunger for knowledge on this classic cocktail, or does he just want to play games? As Roger runs through all the ways in which The Tooch screwed up this cocktail, the Barrel to Bottle spends their big night screwing up this cocktail. But the great thing about a Negroni is you can transform it into almost anything.  Mix up some Negronis at home by visiting our blog for all the recipes featured in this episode.   

At this point it's pretty obvious that hard seltzers are more than just a passing fad. One of the biggest questions we get at Binny's is "what are these things exactly?" Hard Seltzers can be made many different ways , as Odd Side Ales' plant manager Joel Brower explains to the Barrel to Bottle crew. After the interview, Roger, Pat and Chris sample through different brands and flavors of hard seltzer.  Drink along at home with these hard seltzers: Odd Side POG Hard Seltzer White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer Truly Black Cherry Hard Seltzer Bud Light Black Cherry Hard Seltzer PRESS Seltzer Blackberry Hibiscus  2 Towns Seek Out Raspberry Meyer Lemon